UPSC Current Affairs 04 May 2026

• OptoSAR Technology: Uses a proprietary "Sync Fused" sensor that integrates both Synthetic Aperture Radar (SAR) and high-resolution Optical/Multi-spectral Imaging (MSI).
• Resolution: Offers a high spatial resolution of approximately 1.25 to 1.8 metres.
• AI in Orbit: Equipped with NVIDIA Jetson Orin hardware, allowing the satellite to process data using onboard AI ("edge computing") to provide instant insights rather than just raw files.
• All-Weather Capability: Unlike traditional satellites, it can capture clear images through thick clouds, rain, smoke, and total darkness.
• Constellation Plan: Galax Eye aims to deploy a fleet of 8–12 satellites by 2029 to provide daily global updates.

• Defence & Security: A "game-changer" for the Indian Army, providing reliable intelligence during monsoon seasons or pitch-black nights when optical satellites fail.
• Disaster Management: Enables authorities to monitor floods, forest fires, or landslides in real-time, regardless of weather conditions.
• Agriculture: Helps track crop health and soil chemical makeup by capturing light frequencies invisible to the human eye.
• Infrastructure: Facilitates large-scale monitoring for urban planning, border surveillance, and maritime security.

Feature	Standard Optical	Standard SAR (Radar)	OptoSAR (Mission Drishti)
Daylight Only?	Yes	No (Works 24/7)	No (Works 24/7)
Sees Through Clouds?	No	Yes	Yes
Visual Clarity	High (Human-like)	Low (Technical/Grainy)	High (Fused Visuals)
Information Depth	Surface Visuals	Shape & Texture	Visual + Structural + Spectral

• Full Name: Cambodia-India Bilateral Army Exercise.
• The exercise is scheduled to take place from May 4 to May 17, 2026, marking a significant milestone in India-Cambodia defence relations.
• Edition: This is the 2nd edition of the exercise; the inaugural edition (CINBAX-I) was held in Pune, India, in December 2024.
• Location: The 2026 drill is being held at the Techo Sen Phnom Thom Mreas Provincial Training Centre (also known as Camp Basil) in Kampong Speu Province, Cambodia.
• Participants:
  • India: Approximately 120 personnel, primarily from a battalion of the Maratha Light Infantry Regiment.
  • Cambodia: Approximately 160 personnel from the Royal Cambodian Army.
• Primary Objective: To enhance interoperability, coordination, and operational synergy between the two armies, particularly for United Nations Peacekeeping Operations (UNPKO).
• Mandate: The exercise is conducted under the framework of Chapter VII of the United Nations mandate.

• Counter-Terrorism (CT): Heavy focus on joint operations against hostile forces in sub-conventional and semi-urban environments.
• Specialised Training: Troops will engage in specific skill training, including:
  • Drone operations.
  • Mortar and sniper tactics.
  • Tactical drills and joint planning.
• Modern Warfare: Discussions and drills will cover cyber warfare, hybrid warfare, and humanitarian assistance and disaster relief (HADR) operations.
• Indigenous Capability: The exercise serves as a platform for India to showcase its domestic weapons and equipment, promoting 'Atmanirbharta' (self-reliance) in defence production.

• Act East Policy: The exercise aligns with India's broader outreach to ASEAN nations to ensure regional security and stability.
• Global Peace: It demonstrates the commitment of both nations toward maintaining global peace through collaborative peacekeeping frameworks.
• Bilateral Ties: It reflects growing mutual trust and provides a forum to exchange "best practices" and operational experiences gained in diverse combat scenarios.

• Definition: A chronic metabolic disorder where the body either cannot produce enough insulin or cannot effectively use it, leading to high blood sugar levels.
• Type 1: An autoimmune condition where the pancreas produces little to no insulin; typically diagnosed in children and young adults.
• Type 2: The most common form (90–95% of cases), primarily driven by insulin resistance, obesity, and sedentary lifestyles.
• Gestational Diabetes: High blood sugar that first occurs during pregnancy, increasing future health risks for both mother and child.

• Once-Weekly Insulin: The FDA is reviewing Awiqli, the first once-weekly long-acting insulin, which could reduce injections from 365 to 52 per year.
• Stem Cell Progress: A patient with Type 2 diabetes in China was reportedly rendered drug-free for over a year using lab-grown islet cells derived from their own stem cells.
• AI Management: New "fully closed-loop" systems (like AIDANET) use Artificial Intelligence to automate insulin delivery without requiring the user to log meals or exercise.
• Non-Invasive Monitoring: Early versions of wearable bands using radio-frequency sensors are beginning to monitor blood sugar without skin pricks.

• Global Burden: Approximately 830 million people worldwide live with diabetes, a number projected to reach 853 million by 2050.
• India’s Status: India is often called the "diabetes capital," with over 10 crore (101 million) people living with the disease and another 13.6 crore (136 million) being prediabetic.
• Cost Factor: Diabetes is among the most expensive health conditions, accounting for roughly $1 trillion in annual global health expenditure.
• Complications: Uncontrolled diabetes remains a leading cause of kidney failure, adult blindness, heart attacks, and lower-limb amputations.

• Founder: Proposed by Denis Hayes, the same environmental advocate who coordinated the first Earth Day in 1970.
• Establishment: First proclaimed by U.S. President Jimmy Carter on May 3, 1978, during an energy crisis to promote solar power research.
• International Status: It became a global event in 1994 when the European Section of the International Solar Energy Society (ISES) expanded the tradition.
• Purpose: Created to raise awareness about the ecological and economic benefits of solar energy as an inexhaustible, clean resource.

• Health Benefits: Beyond energy, the day highlights the Sun as the primary source of Vitamin D, a regulator of circadian rhythms (sleep patterns), and a mood booster.
• Energy Security: Promotes the idea that solar power provides energy independence, as sunlight cannot be "embargoed" by any foreign nation.
• Sustainability: Solar energy is non-polluting and avoids the harmful carbon emissions associated with burning fossil fuels, which are major drivers of climate change.
• Economic Impact: The day showcases innovations like advancements in battery storage and cheaper solar panels, which are creating millions of "green jobs" globally.

• Age & Distance: The Sun is a 4.6-billion-year-old star located approximately 93 million miles from Earth.
• Light Travel: It takes about 8 minutes and 20 seconds for sunlight to reach our planet.
• Core Temperature: The Sun's core reaches roughly 15 million degrees Celsius (27 million degrees Fahrenheit).
• Energy Source: It generates energy through nuclear fusion, converting hydrogen into helium.

• Objective: To restore freedom of navigation for commercial shipping and provide safe passage for "neutral and innocent" bystanders caught in the regional dispute.
• Military Scale: Managed by U.S. Central Command (CENTCOM), the operation involves:
  • 15,000 service members.
  • Guided-missile destroyers.
  • Over 100 aircraft (land and sea-based).
  • Multi-domain unmanned platforms (drones).
• Scope: The U.S. Navy is guiding ships out of the restricted waterways but has stated these vessels should not return until the area is officially declared safe.
• Diplomatic Context: The launch coincides with high-stakes negotiations where Iran has submitted a 14-point peace proposal to end hostilities and lift sanctions.

• Global Economy: The Strait of Hormuz is the world's most important oil chokepoint; roughly one-quarter of global seaborne oil passes through it.
• Ceasefire Tensions: Iranian officials have argued that U.S. military interference in the strait constitutes a violation of the current ceasefire, adding a layer of risk to the operation.
• Neutrality: The U.S. maintains that this is a defensive mission intended solely to help third-party nations (such as those in Asia and Europe) whose trade has been choked by the blockade.

• Definition: A family of viruses primarily spread by rodents (mice and rats) that can cause severe, often fatal respiratory or kidney diseases in humans.
• Transmission: Humans typically get infected by inhaling aerosolized particles from dried rodent urine, droppings, or saliva (e.g., during cleaning).
• Types of Illness:
  • Hantavirus Pulmonary Syndrome (HPS): Common in the Americas; attacks the lungs and has a fatality rate of ~38%.
  • Hemorrhagic Fever with Renal Syndrome (HFRS): Common in Europe and Asia; primarily affects the kidneys.
• Human-to-Human Spread: Generally, not contagious between people, with the rare exception of the Andes virus strain in South America.

• Early Phase (1–8 weeks after exposure): Fever, fatigue, and severe muscle aches in large muscle groups (thighs, hips, back).
• Late Phase (4–10 days after early symptoms): Sudden onset of shortness of breath and coughing as lungs fill with fluid.
• Other Signs: Headaches, dizziness, chills, and gastrointestinal issues like vomiting or abdominal pain.

• No Cure or Vaccine: There is currently no specific treatment, vaccine, or FDA-approved antiviral for hantavirus; medical care is entirely supportive (oxygen, ventilation, or dialysis).
• Safe Cleaning: Do not sweep or vacuum rodent-infested areas, as this stirs the virus into the air. Instead, use a bleach-and-water solution to soak the area before cleaning.
• Rodent Control: Seal holes in your home, use traps, and keep food in tightly sealed containers to prevent infestations.
• Ventilation: Air out cabins, sheds, or attics for at least 30 minutes before entering or cleaning them.

• Unified Platform: Connects students with a vast ecosystem including 81,000+ companies, government ministries, PSUs, and startups.
• Verified Listings: Unlike private sites, every opportunity on the AICTE Portal is vetted to ensure it is genuine and provides structured learning.
• Diverse Domains: Offers internships in emerging fields such as:
  • Artificial Intelligence & Data Science
  • Electric Vehicles (EV) & Green Energy
  • Cybersecurity & Ethical Hacking
  • Space Technology (partnered with ISRO/DRDO)
• Credit Integration: Engineering students must complete 14–20 credits (600–700 hours) through these internships for degree completion.
• TULIP Track: Includes the The Urban Learning Internship Program (TULIP) for students to work on civic projects with Smart Cities and local urban bodies.

• Stipend Range: While some are unpaid for academic credit, many offer stipends ranging from ₹8,000 to ₹50,000 per month depending on the role.
• Global Recognition: Participants receive an AICTE-approved digital certificate recognized by both Indian and international employers/universities.
• Accessibility: The portal specifically bridges the gap for students in Tier-2, Tier-3, and rural areas, giving them equal access to major corporate internships.

• Definition: HLA-B is a gene that provides instructions for making proteins called MHC Class I, which sit on the surface of almost all cells.
• Function: These proteins act as "display cases," showing fragments of proteins (peptides) from inside the cell to the immune system. If the fragments are from a virus, the immune system triggers the cell's destruction.
• Extreme Diversity: HLA-B is the most polymorphic (variable) gene in the human genome, with over 10,870 known versions (alleles) as of early 2026.
• Nomenclature: Alleles are named using a code (e.g., HLA-B*27:05), where the first number identifies the group and the second identifies the specific protein subtype.

• Autoimmune Diseases:
  • HLA-B27: Strongly linked to Ankylosing Spondylitis (spinal inflammation); 90% of patients carry this allele.
  • HLA-B51: A primary risk factor for Behçet’s Disease, especially in Asian populations.
• Drug Hypersensitivity:
  • HLA-B*15:02: Patients with this allele have a high risk of life-threatening skin rashes (SJS/TEN) when taking the epilepsy drug Carbamazepine.
  • HLA-B*57:01: Linked to severe reactions to the HIV drug Abacavir; testing is now mandatory before prescription.
  • HLA-B*58:01: Increases the risk of severe reactions to Allopurinol (used for gout).
• Viral Control:
  • Elite Controllers: People with HLA-B27 or HLA-B57 often progress much slower to AIDS after HIV infection because their immune systems "see" the virus more effectively.

• Organ Transplants: HLA-B "matching" between donors and recipients is critical to prevent the recipient's immune system from rejecting the new organ.
• Pharmacogenomics: Doctors are increasingly using HLA-B genotyping to "screen" patients before giving them certain medications to avoid fatal side effects.
• Diagnostic Testing: In India, an HLA-B*15:02 test typically costs around ₹5,250, while HLA-B27 tests are routine for diagnosing chronic back pain in young adults.

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