Daily Current Affairs 2025  

16/01/2026

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CA-16/01/2026

• Singapore retains the crown for the 6th consecutive year, underscoring Asia’s growing dominance in global mobility.
• European passports cluster at the top, reflecting strong regional agreements and Schengen access.
• The U.S. and U.K. have slipped slightly, now ranking 9th and 7th respectively, compared to their historic dominance in the early 2000s.
• Global divide widens: While top passports grant access to nearly 200 destinations, the weakest passports (like Afghanistan, Syria, Iraq) allow fewer than 30 destinations.

• Travel Freedom: A powerful passport reduces visa hassles, saving time and money.
• Economic Impact: Countries with strong passports often benefit from higher tourism, business travel, and global partnerships.
• Geopolitical Signals: Rankings reflect international relations, trade agreements, and diplomatic strength.

• Rank: 80th globally (up from 85th in 2025).
• Visa-Free/Visa-on-Arrival Access: 55 destinations.
• Trend: India’s passport strength has improved modestly, reflecting growing diplomatic outreach and international agreements.
• Comparison: Still far behind top passports like Singapore (192 destinations) and Japan/South Korea (188 destinations).

• Expanded Mobility: More destinations now accessible without lengthy visa processes.
• Regional Gains: Stronger ties with Asian, African, and some Latin American countries have opened up easier travel routes.

• Still Restricted: Compared to top-ranked passports, Indian citizens face significant visa requirements for Europe, North America, and advanced economies.
• Mobility Gap: The difference between India (55 destinations) and Singapore (192 destinations) highlights the global inequality in travel freedom.

• Diplomatic Push: India’s rise reflects efforts to strengthen bilateral ties, especially in Asia and Africa.
• Economic Impact: Easier travel supports business, tourism, and education opportunities abroad.

• Native species only: Plants chosen are indigenous to the region, ensuring ecological compatibility.
• Dense planting: 2–4 species per square meter, creating competition that accelerates growth.
• Climax species focus: Trees that naturally dominate mature forests are prioritized.
• Self-sustaining ecosystems: After 2–3 years of care, forests thrive without human intervention.

• Rapid growth: Forests grow up to 10 times faster than conventional plantations.
• High density: 30 times denser than traditional methods, improving carbon capture and microclimate regulation.
• Biodiversity boost: Supports diverse flora and fauna, unlike monoculture plantations.
• Climate resilience: Reduces erosion, filters water, and protects against storms, heat, and noise.
• Carbon credits: Increasingly recognized for carbon sequestration potential, offering revenue opportunities.

Feature	Miyawaki Method	Conventional Afforestation
Species choice	Native, diverse, climax species	Often monoculture or limited mix
Planting density	2–4 species per m²	Sparse spacing
Growth speed	10x faster	Slow, decades to mature
Maintenance	2–3 years, then self-sufficient	Long-term care needed
Biodiversity	Very high	Limited
Carbon sequestration	High, dense biomass	Moderate
Suitability	Urban & small plots (3m²+)	Large rural tracts

• High initial cost: Requires intensive soil preparation and sapling density.
• Water demand: Needs careful irrigation in early years.
• Space constraints: Works best in small to medium plots, not vast monoculture plantations.
• Knowledge gap: Requires trained experts for correct species selection and planting.

• Urban greening: Mini-forests in cities to combat pollution and heat islands.
• Community projects: Schools, parks, and residential areas adopt Miyawaki forests.
• Climate action: Governments and NGOs use it for carbon credit generation.

• The Open Network for Digital Commerce (ONDC) is an Indian government-backed initiative launched in April 2022 to democratize e-commerce.
• It enables sellers of all sizes—especially small businesses and rural entrepreneurs—to participate in online trade by using open protocols rather than being locked into big platforms.

• ONDC is a government initiative by the Department for Promotion of Industry and Internal Trade (DPIIT) under the Ministry of Commerce & Industry.
• Purpose: To create an inclusive, interoperable digital commerce ecosystem where buyers and sellers can transact seamlessly, independent of specific platforms.
• Methodology: Built on open-source specifications and protocols, similar to how UPI transformed digital payments.

• Seller Empowerment: Small businesses gain equal visibility and can compete with large players.
• Buyer Benefits: Consumers can shop across multiple categories in a single checkout experience.
• Tech Neutrality: Works across apps, platforms, and services—no monopoly of one marketplace.
• Population-Scale Inclusion: Aims to raise India’s e-retail penetration from 4.3% to much higher levels by onboarding millions of sellers.

• Economic Inclusion: Helps small-town and rural sellers access digital markets.
• Competition: Breaks platform monopolies, fostering fairer pricing.
• Innovation: Encourages tech companies to build services on top of ONDC protocols.
• National Strategy: Part of India’s broader digital infrastructure success (like UPI, Aadhaar).

• Adoption: Convincing sellers and buyers to shift from established platforms.
• Awareness: Many small businesses lack digital literacy.
• Trust & Logistics: Ensuring reliable delivery, returns, and dispute resolution.
• Scalability: Managing millions of sellers while maintaining quality standards.

• 3D‑Printed AWS: First time India has used 3D‑printing technology to manufacture weather stations, reducing costs and enabling rapid deployment.
• Mission Mausam: A ₹2,000 crore national programme led by the Ministry of Earth Sciences and the Indian Institute of Tropical Meteorology (IITM Pune).
• Urban Focus: Designed for hyper‑local forecasting, crucial for cities facing challenges like heatwaves, flash floods, and air pollution.
• Power Source: Solar‑powered, ensuring sustainability and continuous operation.

• Dense Observation Network: More stations mean finer resolution of weather data, improving forecasts at neighborhood level.
• Cost Efficiency: 3D‑printing reduces manufacturing costs compared to traditional AWS.
• Rapid Scaling: Quick production allows faster expansion of India’s meteorological infrastructure.
• Climate Resilience: Supports disaster preparedness in urban areas prone to extreme events.
• Data for Policy & Planning: Helps city administrations design better heat action plans, flood management, and pollution control.

• Positions India as a global leader in affordable weather tech.
• Enhances urban climate resilience, especially as cities face rising climate risks.
• Supports smart city initiatives by integrating weather data into urban planning.

• An Automatic Weather Station (AWS) is an automated version of a traditional weather station.
• It collects meteorological data continuously and transmits it to central databases or stores it for later retrieval.
• AWS are especially useful in remote or harsh environments (e.g., Antarctica, deserts, mountains) where manual monitoring is difficult.

• Weather Forecasting: Provides real-time data for meteorological models.
• Climate Research: Long-term monitoring of environmental changes.
• Agriculture: Helps farmers plan irrigation, crop cycles, and pest control.
• Aviation: Ensures safe flight operations by monitoring runway conditions.
• Disaster Management: Early warning for floods, cyclones, and heatwaves.

• Automation: Reduces need for human labor.
• Accuracy: Provides precise, continuous data.
• Remote Access: Operates in inaccessible areas.
• Real-Time Monitoring: Enables faster response to weather changes.

• Maintenance: Sensors require calibration and cleaning.
• Power Dependency: Solar/wind systems may fail in extreme conditions.
• Data Transmission Issues: Connectivity problems in remote areas.
• Cost: Initial setup can be expensive compared to manual stations.

Time Horizon	Top 1 Risk	Top 2 Risk	Top 3 Risk
Immediate (2026)	Geoeconomic confrontation	State-based armed conflict	Extreme weather events
Short-term (2028)	Geoeconomic confrontation	Mis- and disinformation	Societal polarization
Long-term (2036)	Extreme weather events	Biodiversity loss	Critical change to Earth systems

• Geoeconomic Confrontation : Defined as the "weaponization" of economic tools—such as sanctions, tariffs, and investment controls—for strategic advantage. It is identified as the most likely trigger for a material global crisis in 2026.
• Multipolarity without Multilateralism: The report warns of a fragmented global order where middle and great powers contest regional rules, leading to a retreat from the cooperative frameworks established post-WWII.
• Technological Disruptions:
  • AI Anxiety: "Adverse outcomes of AI" is the fastest-rising risk, in the 10-year outlook due to potential impacts on labor markets and security.
  • Information Integrity: Misinformation remains a top-2 threat, corroding public trust and destabilizing democratic systems.
• Environmental Deprioritization: While environmental risks dominate the long-term (top 3 risks), they have slipped in the immediate 2-year ranking as leaders focus on military and economic stability.
• Economic Reckoning: Risks of an economic downturn and inflation surged eight positions each, driven by high debt burdens and volatile markets. 

• Top Risk: Cyber insecurity remains the primary concern for India due to its rapidly digitizing economy and widespread use of digital payments.
• Societal Risks: Income and wealth inequality and insufficient public services (education, infrastructure, pensions) are identified as critical domestic challenges.
• Geopolitical Flashpoints: The report specifically flags the Indus River Basin as a potential source of future water conflict between India and Pakistan.
• Positive Note: India’s Unified Payments Interface (UPI) is cited as a global best practice for resilient Digital Public Infrastructure (DPI).

• Star Formation Studies: Molecular clouds are the nurseries of stars. Detecting one so close offer a rare opportunity to study early star-forming processes in detail.
• New Detection Techniques: The use of far-ultraviolet spectroscopy opens a new window into the interstellar medium, potentially uncovering more hidden clouds.
• Redefining the Local Environment: The discovery of Eos challenges prior assumptions about the emptiness of the Local Bubble and suggests our solar neighborhood is more dynamic than thought.

• Also known as dark nebulae or stellar nurseries when star formation occurs.

• Temperature: Very cold (~10–20 K).
• Density: High compared to other interstellar regions, allowing molecules to survive UV radiation.
• Composition: Mostly molecular hydrogen (H₂), but detected via carbon monoxide (CO) since H₂ is hard to observe directly.
• Opacity: Dust grains make them opaque, blocking visible light.

• Gravitational collapse : forms dense cores.
• Protostar stage : nuclear fusion begins.
• Leads to stellar clusters and sometimes planetary systems.

• Orion Molecular Cloud Complex – one of the most studied star-forming regions.
• Perseus Molecular Cloud – active star nursery.
• Chamaeleon I – observed by Webb telescope.

• A cluster of unexplained medical symptoms experienced by U.S. and Canadian diplomats, intelligence officers, and their families abroad.
• Other Names: Anomalous Health Incidents (AHIs) or Unexplained Health Incidents.
• First Reports: 2016, at the U.S. Embassy in Havana, Cuba.
• Its cause remains disputed, with theories ranging from directed energy attacks to mass psychogenic illness.

• Persistent headaches and migraines
• Dizziness and balance problems
• Tinnitus (ringing in the ears)
• Cognitive difficulties (memory, concentration issues)
• Insomnia and fatigue
• Nausea, vertigo, and sometimes bloody noses

Theory	Explanation	Evidence/Challenges
Directed Energy (Microwave/RF)	Suggests victims were targeted with pulsed microwave radiation.	Some scientific plausibility, but no conclusive proof.
Sonic Weapon	High-frequency sound waves causing inner ear damage.	Lacks strong evidence; many symptoms don’t align with sonic exposure.
Environmental Factors	Toxins, pesticides, or other local exposures.	No consistent environmental link found.
Mass Psychogenic Illness	Stress-induced psychosomatic symptoms spreading among groups.	Explains clustering, but doesn’t account for physical findings in some cases.

• Uncertainty: Despite years of study, the cause remains unresolved.
• Impact: Hundreds of cases reported worldwide, affecting diplomatic missions and intelligence operations.
• Policy Response: U.S. government provides medical care and compensation to affected personnel.

• Taxes on products with negative health impacts (e.g., tobacco, alcohol, sugar-sweetened beverages).
• Purpose: Reduce consumption, prevent disease, and mobilize revenue.
• WHO’s View: They are “win-win-win policies”—saving lives, advancing health equity, and funding health systems.

• Goal: Raise real prices of tobacco, alcohol, and sugary drinks by ≥50% by 2035.
• Rationale:
  • Combat rising noncommunicable diseases (NCDs) like cancer, diabetes, and heart disease.
  • Offset shrinking development aid and growing public debt.
  • Strengthen universal health coverage (UHC) funding.

• Save millions of lives.
• Provide new funding streams for public health programs.
• Support India’s push toward Ayushman Bharat and universal health coverage.

• Cause: Hepatitis A virus (HAV).
• Transmission:
  • Eating/drinking contaminated food or water.
  • Close contact with an infected person.
  • Poor sanitation and hygiene (dirty hands, unsafe water).
• Contagiousness: Highly contagious; outbreaks often occur in areas with inadequate sanitation.
• Severity: Usually mild and short-term, but can range from mild illness to severe liver inflammation. Rarely, it causes fulminant hepatitis (acute liver failure).

• Fatigue
• Nausea, vomiting, abdominal pain
• Loss of appetite
• Fever
• Dark urine, pale stools
• Jaundice (yellowing of skin/eyes)

• Vaccination: Highly effective and recommended, especially for travelers to endemic regions, children, and people at risk.
• Hygiene: Frequent handwashing, safe food handling, and clean water supply.
• Sanitation: Improving sewage and water systems reduces outbreaks.

Type	Cause	Transmission	Chronic Infection?	Vaccine Available?
Hepatitis A	HAV	Food, water, contact	No (always acute)	Yes
Hepatitis B	HBV	Blood, sexual, perinatal	Yes (can be chronic)	Yes
Hepatitis C	HCV	Blood (needles, transfusion)	Yes (often chronic)	No
Hepatitis E	HEV	Contaminated water	Usually acute	Limited (not widely available)

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