All posts tagged: environment

Kudankulam data leak, Semiconductor Mission (ISM) 2.0 and Intercontinental ballistic missile

Kudankulam data leak, Semiconductor Mission (ISM) 2.0 and Intercontinental ballistic missile

Published by Parlour News

NPCIL: Kudankulam data breach not linked to nuclear security Syllabus: Preliminary Examination: Current events of national and international importance Mains Examination: General Studies III: Science and Technology- developments and their applications and effects in everyday life. What’s the ongoing story: Following reports of a data breach at the Kudankulam Nuclear Power Plant, the Nuclear Power Corporation of India Limited (NPCIL) said on Wednesday that the leaked information does not pertain to any nuclear safety or security systems. Key Points to Ponder: • What is Nuclear Power Corporation of India Limited (NPCIL)? • What is the role of NPCIL? • What Information was leaked? • What exactly Nuclear Power Corporation of India Limited (NPCIL) said about data leak from the Kudankulam Nuclear reactor plant? • Did Kudankulam Nuclear reactor plant affected by the data leak? • Why is the Kudankulam data leak of significance? • What is Nuclear Energy? • Why do we need nuclear energy? • How does a nuclear Power Plant work? • What are the Components of a nuclear Power Plant? • What are the …

Bihar Environment Minister inaugurates ‘Ecotourism Investors Meet-2026’

Bihar Environment Minister inaugurates ‘Ecotourism Investors Meet-2026’

Published by Parlour News

Bihar’s Environment, Forest & Climate Change Minister Ram Chandra Prasad on Monday (July 13, 2026) inaugurated “Ecotourism Investors Meet-2026,” which was organised to boost ecotourism with the participation of private investors in the state. A day-long investors’ meet was organised at a city hotel, which was attended by potential investors from across the country who are likely to make investments in different ecotourism destinations of the State. Speaking on the occasion, Mr. Prasad assured the investors that the state government is committed to extend all possible help to them (investors). “The state government is committed to cooperate and help in every possible manner in resolving their (investors’) grievances and problems,” Mr. Prasad said. “Come (and invest) and be the part of a rapidly growing state of Bihar,” he said while adding that the investors meet is being organised under the able and efficient guidance of Chief Minister Samrat Choudhary. Giving a broad outline of the purpose of the meet, Department’s Additional Chief Secretary Anand Kishor asked the “investors to raise their points and give their …

UPSC Key:11th July, 2026-PM Modi in New Zealand, Kerala birth rate,E20

UPSC Key:11th July, 2026-PM Modi in New Zealand, Kerala birth rate,E20

Published by Parlour News

Preliminary Examination: Current events of national and international importance. Mains Examination: General Studies-II: Bilateral, regional and global groupings and agreements involving India and/or affecting India’s interests. What’s the ongoing story: Prime Minister Narendra Modi will meet New Zealand Prime Minister Christopher Luxon on Saturday, with talks focused on trade and investment, and high-tech innovation in dairying, farming and high-performance sports, sources said. Key Points to Ponder: — Know about the history of India-New Zealand relationship — What are the areas of cooperation between India and New Zealand? — What are the efforts taken by India for Indo-Pacific outreach? Why is it important? — What is the significance of the India-New Zealand Free Trade Agreement (FTA)? — What measures can further strengthen their relationship? — What do you understand to elevate a bilateral relationship to a ‘strategic partnership’? — Map work: Location of New Zealand and water bodies surrounding it Key Takeaways: — Modi arrived in Auckland on the final leg of his three-nation visit, where he was received by Luxon at the airport. This is …

Richa Chadha slams trolls for attacking Dia Mirza over son’s plastic remarks | Bollywood News

Richa Chadha slams trolls for attacking Dia Mirza over son’s plastic remarks | Bollywood News

Published by Webster

4 min readJul 2, 2026 09:04 PM IST Richa Chadha has come out in defence of fellow actor Dia Mirza after the latter faced backlash over her recent remarks on a podcast. On the podcast All About Her, Dia revealed that her five-year-old son Avyaan Azaad Rekhi schooled a coconut water delivery vendor for bringing the coconuts to their home in a plastic bag. “Plastic is not allowed in this house,” said Dia’s son, following in her footsteps of being a UNICEF celebrity advocate. Richa Chadha details Dia Mirza’s environmental contributions Richa Chadha took to her X handle on Thursday and spelled out all the positive contributions Dia Mirza has made towards the environment over the years. “Just FYI, @deespeak is involved with a bamboo paper company (means no trees are cut to manufacture paper), and WITHOUT, a plastic recycling start up that makes very cool sunglasses,” she pointed out. Richa added that Dia, under her production house One India Stories, produced a “lovely short on the climate”, which is all set to screen at …

AI Regulation, Graded Response Action Plan and Criminalisation of Politics

AI Regulation, Graded Response Action Plan and Criminalisation of Politics

Published by Parlour News

Unchecked AI progress may pose catastrophic risks, warns UN panel Syllabus: Preliminary Examination: Current events of national and international importance. Mains Examination: General Studies III: Awareness in the fields of IT, Space, Computers, robotics, nano-technology, bio-technology and issues relating to intellectual property rights. What’s the ongoing story: Developments in artificial ​intelligence are outpacing scientific understanding and government policy, meaning there are no guarantees the technology will not cause ‌catastrophic harm, a United Nations independent panel warned. Key Points to Ponder: • The AI for Good Global Commission-know its key takeaways • What are the use of AI in different areas? • Is Artificial Intelligence a Human-stein Monster? • ‘AI is not intelligence and idea that AI will replace human intelligence is unlikely’-Comment • Why AI regulation is needed? • If Regulated then what should be the limit? • If regulated, then what are the risks associated with regulating AI? • What has been India’s Response to demands for AI Regulation? • What is “AI colonialism”? • What defines “AI colonialism” in the context of the …

UPSC Weekly Concepts Snapshot | BGP Hijacking, Friendshoring, Omega Block

UPSC Weekly Concepts Snapshot | BGP Hijacking, Friendshoring, Omega Block

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UPSC doesn’t stop at ‘what happened’—it asks ‘why’ and ‘how’. Building conceptual clarity is what transforms current affairs into scoring answers in both Prelims and Mains.That is especially true in the most dynamic areas of the syllabus: Science, Economy and Environment. The UPSC Weekly Concepts Snapshot, every Wednesday, simplifies three important current themes from these subjects through an exam-oriented lens, focusing on concepts and clarity. If you missed the previous UPSC Weekly Concepts Snapshot | From solar-powered highways to coral reefs from the Indian Express, read it here. SCIENCE Border Gateway Protocol Core Concept: — The Border Gateway Protocol is the internet’s routing system. It tells networks across the world how to reach specific IP addresses. If a network falsely announces that it is the preferred route to a destination, traffic can be diverted, intercepted or blackholed. This is known as BGP hijacking. — Every major telecom operator, cloud provider, content delivery network and internet service provider runs an Autonomous System (AS), a large network identified by a unique number. BGP is the protocol these …

Environment and Geography (Week 167)

Environment and Geography (Week 167)

Published by Parlour News

UPSC Essentials brings to you its initiative of subject-wise quizzes. These quizzes are designed to help you revise some of the most important topics from the static part of the syllabus. Attempt today’s subject quiz on Environment and Geography to check your progress. 🚨 Click Here to read the UPSC Essentials magazine for June 2026. Share your views and suggestions in the comment box or at [email protected]🚨 Which of the following are the ecological factors responsible for the growth of corals? 1. Temperature 2. Salinity 3. High freshwater influx 4. Low availability of sunlight 5. Current flow of the Ocean (a) 1, 2, 3 and 5 only (b) 1, 3, 4 and 5 only (c) 1, 2, 3, 4 and 5 (d) 1, 2 and 5 only Relevance: Coral reefs are a recurring UPSC topic due to concerns over climate change, coral bleaching, marine biodiversity, and ocean conservation. Understanding these factors is essential for linking current environmental developments with topics related to marine ecosystems, biodiversity conservation, and coastal ecology. Explanation — The government body has also begun data collection to measure sediment deposition at …

QS World University Rankings, Free Trade Agreement and Small Modular Reactor

QS World University Rankings, Free Trade Agreement and Small Modular Reactor

Published by Parlour News

Trade to sailor safety, Modi and Trump look to turn a new page Syllabus: Preliminary Examination: Current events of national and international importance. Mains Examination: General Studies II: Bilateral, regional and global groupings and agreements involving India and/or affecting India’s interests. What’s the ongoing story: In their first meeting in over a year following the strain in bilateral ties, Prime Minister Narendra Modi and US President Donald Trump Wednesday walked the tightrope, projecting a positive path ahead with a trade deal soon, a strategic commitment to security, and remarks that rekindled hopes of skilled Indian professionals. Key Points to Ponder: • Prime Minister Narendra Modi and US President Donald Trump first meeting in over a year-what were the highlights of the meeting? • The relationship between India and the US-know in brief • How has the relationship between India and the US changed after operation Sindoor? • What are the areas of cooperation between India and the US? • What are the contentious issues between India and the US? • What steps and measures taken by GOI …

New cities, expressways and zones for environment rules: NCR Regional Plan 2041 explained

New cities, expressways and zones for environment rules: NCR Regional Plan 2041 explained

Published by Parlour News

After a delay of nearly five years, the National Capital Region’s development plan was cleared for approval on Tuesday, setting the direction for how 55,000sqkm of area across Delhi and three states will grow, get connected, and be governed over the next two decades. The National Capital Region’s (NCR) development plan for the next two decades was cleared for approval on Tuesday. Representational image (RAJ K RAJ /HT PHOTO) The Regional Plan 2041 was cleared at a meeting of the National Capital Region Planning Board (NCRPB) in New Delhi, chaired by Union Housing and Urban Affairs Minister Manohar Lal Khattar. Chief ministers and ministers from Delhi, Haryana, Uttar Pradesh and Rajasthan attended the meeting. A sub-committee of senior officials from the Union government and NCR state governments has been constituted to submit a final report by August 15. The plan will then go to the Union ministry of housing and urban affairs (MoHUA) for approval before it is implemented. What is Regional Plan 2041? The Regional Plan 2041 is a long-term blueprint governing land use, …

Why are ballistic missile defence, new WPI series and ‘brain-eating amoeba’ in the news?

Why are ballistic missile defence, new WPI series and ‘brain-eating amoeba’ in the news?

Published by Parlour News

Headlines tell you what happened, but UPSC asks why. The UPSC Civil Services Examination, whether at the Prelims or Mains stage, increasingly rewards conceptual clarity and the ability to apply core ideas. That is especially true in the most dynamic areas of the syllabus: Science, Economy and Environment. The UPSC Weekly Concepts Snapshot, every Wednesday, simplifies three important current themes from these subjects through an exam-oriented lens, focusing on concepts and clarity. Read the article, understand the concept, and then crack the quiz.             Q1 of 5  •  Science What distinguishes a ballistic missile from a cruise missile in terms of propulsion and flight path? Ballistic missiles use jet engines throughout their flight Ballistic missiles are powered briefly, then follow projectile motion along a parabolic arc Ballistic missiles always fly at low altitude, closer to the ground than cruise missiles Unlike cruise missiles — powered by jet engines throughout their flight — ballistic missiles are propelled only for a short initial phase. After that, gravity and physics alone govern their …