Category: SCIENCE AND TECHNOLOGY
Context: Vera C. Rubin Observatory in Chile and its Simonyi Survey Telescope, which is equipped with the world’s largest camera and promises to revolutionize astronomy.
Key Highlights
Telescope Features:
Major Scientific Objectives:
Observational Method:
Significance
Learning Corner:
India has established several important space observatories to advance astronomical research and space science. Here are the major ones:
Astrosat – India’s First Dedicated Space Observatory
Indian Astronomical Observatory (IAO), Hanle – Ground-Based
GROWTH-India Telescope
Vainu Bappu Observatory (VBO)
Udaipur Solar Observatory (USO)
Source: THE INDIAN EXPRESS
Category: POLITY
Context: Two recent Delhi and Madras High Court rulings and the legal framework governing phone-tapping
Legal Framework for Phone Tapping
Government’s power to intercept communications is defined under three laws:
High Court Rulings
Delhi High Court:
Madras High Court:
Supreme Court Precedent
Learning Corner:
Phone Surveillance and Violation of Fundamental Rights in the Indian Constitution – A Brief Note
In India, the Constitution guarantees several fundamental rights that can be impacted or violated by unauthorized phone surveillance, tapping, or hacking.
Fundamental Rights Involved:
Right to Privacy (Part of Article 21 – Right to Life and Personal Liberty)
Freedom of Speech and Expression – Article 19(1)(a)
Protection Against Arbitrary Action – Article 14
Judicial View:
Source: THE INDIAN EXPRESS
Category:SCIENCE AND TECHNOLOGY
Context : The Golden Dome is a U.S. missile defence initiative announced by President Trump in 2025.
What is the Golden Dome?
It proposes deploying thousands of satellites in low-Earth orbit, equipped with sensors and interceptors, to detect and neutralize threats like ballistic, cruise, and hypersonic missiles across all phases of their trajectory—even from space.
Challenges to Space Law
The 1967 Outer Space Treaty bans nuclear weapons in orbit but doesn’t explicitly prohibit conventional arms. The Golden Dome’s deployment of space-based interceptors blurs the line between peaceful use and militarization, raising legal and ethical concerns.
Countries like China warn that the project may provoke a global arms race in space. Since the Cold War, powers have avoided placing weapons in orbit. Golden Dome would break this precedent, potentially triggering copycat programs worldwide.
The treaty’s silence on conventional weapons creates ambiguity. Additionally, many of the Dome’s components are dual-use technologies, complicating oversight and raising suspicion about their true intent.
Technical and Strategic Hurdles
Learning Corner:
Outer Space Treaty (OST), 1967
What is the Outer Space Treaty?
The Outer Space Treaty, officially known as the “Treaty on Principles Governing the Activities of States in the Exploration and Use of Outer Space, including the Moon and Other Celestial Bodies”, is the foundational international legal framework for space activities.
It was adopted in 1967 under the auspices of the United Nations and remains the cornerstone of global space law.
Key Features:
Signatories and Legal Standing:
Category: INTERNATIONAL
Context: In April 2025, China imposed strict export controls on seven key rare earth elements used in magnets, batteries, and high-tech industries.
Exporters must obtain licenses, undergo long approval processes, and disclose detailed end-user information. Quotas are now enforced on monthly exports.
Why It Benefits Beijing
Why It Hurts Chinese Business
Learning Corner:
Light Rare Earth Elements (LREEs)
(Atomic numbers 57–64)
Heavy Rare Earth Elements (HREEs)
(Atomic numbers 65–71)
Associated Rare Earth Elements (often grouped with REEs):
Though not part of the lanthanide series, scandium and yttrium are included in rare earths because they occur in the same ore deposits and have similar chemical properties.
Uses of Rare Earth Elements:
Source: THE HINDU
Category: INTERNATIONAL
Context: Refugee crisis in Mizoram due to Myanmar’s Chin conflict
Violent clashes between rival Chin armed groups—the Chin National Defence Force (CNDF) and the Chinland Defence Force (CDF)—have forced over 4,000 people to flee into Mizoram from Myanmar in the past four days. The displaced, mainly from border villages like Khawmawi and Rihkhawdar, are taking shelter in Mizoram’s Champhai district.
Zokhawthar, a key border village, has registered more than 4,000 adult refugees, with total numbers, including children, likely exceeding 5,500. Many are being accommodated by local families or in community and church halls, while civil society groups and the Mizoram government provide aid.
The crisis escalated after a June 5 shootout, during which CNDF reportedly captured eight CDF camps, triggering mass civilian displacement. Mizoram’s home minister reaffirmed support for the refugees, citing both ethnic solidarity and humanitarian duty.
This latest influx adds to the strain on Mizoram, which is already hosting over 30,000 refugees from Myanmar due to the ongoing civil conflict since the 2021 coup. With continued violence in Myanmar’s Chin State, there is no sign of an early return for the displaced, and the situation remains tense.
Learning Corner:
Myanmar’s Chin Conflict
Background:
The Chin conflict is part of Myanmar’s broader civil war that escalated after the military coup in February 2021. The Chin State, located in western Myanmar bordering India’s Mizoram, has seen intense fighting between ethnic armed groups and the Myanmar military (Tatmadaw), as well as internal rivalries between Chin resistance groups.
Key Actors:
Both CNDF and CDF are armed groups primarily composed of fighters from the Zo ethnic community, which shares cultural and ethnic ties with Mizo people in India.
Geographical Context:
Humanitarian Impact:
Significance:
Source: THE HINDU
Maternal Mortality Ratio (MMR) is a key health indicator reflecting the quality of maternal healthcare in a country.
As per the Sample Registration System (SRS) 2019-21, India’s MMR stands at 93 deaths per 1,00,000 live births, marking progress from 103 (2017-19). Despite national improvement, regional disparities remain high especially in Empowered Action Group (EAG) States.
1.“Empowered Action Group” (EAG) States that comprise Bihar, Jharkhand, Madhya Pradesh, Chhattisgarh, Odisha, Rajasthan, Uttar Pradesh, Uttarakhand and Assam;
2. “Southern” States which include Andhra Pradesh, Telangana, Karnataka, Kerala and Tamil Nadu
3.“Other” States that cover the remaining States/Union Territories.
1.Delay in Recognising Danger and Seeking Help
2. Delay in Reaching Healthcare Facilities
3.Delay in Receiving Adequate Care at the Facility
Preventable maternal deaths are not just a health issue, but a human rights concern. With political will, community involvement, and robust public health systems, India can move closer to zero preventable maternal deaths and ensure safe motherhood as a right, not a privilege.
Q “Despite a declining national Maternal Mortality Ratio (MMR), regional disparities in maternal health outcomes persist in India. Analyse the systemic and structural barriers contributing to maternal deaths. (250 words, 15 marks)
Phone tapping or communication interception involves surveillance by the state, raising critical concerns on individual privacy, due process, and state overreach. Recent rulings by Madras and Delhi High Courts have brought to the fore divergent judicial views on when and how such surveillance can be justified.
Phone tapping serves national interest and public security if done lawfully. Hence, balancing national interest and individual liberty remains the cornerstone of a democratic surveillance regime.
Q What is phone tapping, and under what circumstances is it legally permitted in India? Discuss the constitutional concerns it raises and suggest measures to ensure accountability and protection of individual rights. (250 words, 15 marks)