CURRENT AFFAIRS

The United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP) has launched a $134-million initiative aimed at phasing out mercury-based medical devices in healthcare settings. 

Four Panchdhatu statues of Adi Shankaracharya will be installed in Kedarnath, Badrinath, Uttarmanya (Jyotirmath) of Uttarakhand.

The Archaeological Survey of India (ASI) has documented eleven inscriptions during a comprehensive epigraphic survey in the Gundaram Reserve Forest, located about 10 km from Peddapalli district in Telangana.

Plastic pollution has become one of the most significant and urgent environmental challenges faced by the world today.

Recently, researchers made a concerning discovery microplastics have been found in human and canine testes, indicating the deep penetration of plastic pollution into biological systems.

Dredging is emerging as a common technique in efforts to restore the ecology of lakes. However, according to a recent study conducted on Lake Manjala, this process can lead to unpredictable and sometimes irreversible changes in the micro-ecology of the lake.

In May 2025, China will launch its first mission to survey and sample the near-Earth asteroid Kamo‘oalewa which orbits the Sun near the Earth.

The Global E-Waste Monitor 2024, released by the United Nations Institute for Training and Research (UNITAR), the International Telecommunication Union (ITU), and Fondation Carmignac, provides an in-depth analysis of the escalating global e-waste crisis. 

On August 22, 2022, the Ministry of Environment, Forest and Climate Change (MoEFCC) notified the Battery Waste Management Rules, 2022, superseding the previous Batteries (Management and Handling) Rules, 2001.

According to the Lancet Global Health Commission on Medical Oxygen Safety, South Asia and East Asia and the Pacific have the largest gaps in demand for medical oxygen and there is a clear and urgent need for action to improve it.