CURRENT AFFAIRS QUIZ ENGLISH

Reference

• The Union Health Ministry has directed states and Union Territories to ensure that stem cell therapy for autism spectrum disorder is provided only through duly approved clinical trials and is not promoted as a routine or standard medical treatment.

What is stem cell therapy?

• Stem cell therapy utilizes the unique properties of stem cells, such as self-renewal and differentiation, to rebuild damaged cells and tissues in the human body or to replace these cells with new, healthy, fully functional cells.

Reference

• Recently, ISRO employee unions have expressed concerns over the proposal to transfer launch vehicle manufacturing and space port operations.

The emerging private space ecosystem in India

• India’s space economy is currently worth $8.4 billion, representing approximately 2–3% of the global space economy. It is expected to reach $40–45 billion by 2030.
• The Indian Space Policy, 2023 paved the way for the entry of the private sector into space-related activities in India.

Reference

• The US House of Representatives has passed the Russia and Iran Sanctions Act of 2026, introduced by Lindsey O. Graham. This would allow the US to impose tariffs of up to 100% on the five largest buyers of Russian oil.

About the Bill

• The bill requires the US Trade Representative to re-evaluate the five largest buyers of Russian oil every 180 days to revise tariff rates based on changes in their purchasing behavior.
• Besides China and India, other major buyers of Russian oil include Turkey, Slovakia and Hungary.

Reference

• The Prime Minister inaugurated the SEMICON India 2026 exhibition, which includes six country pavilions representing Japan, South Korea, Malaysia, the Netherlands, Singapore and Sweden.

Semiconductor ecosystem

• Global Status: Semiconductors have emerged as a strategic resource for economic growth, technological leadership, and national security.
• The global semiconductor market recorded a compound annual growth rate of 6.5 percent between 2014 and 2024. It is projected to grow at a rate of 8.5 percent over the next 5–10 years.

Reference

• The recent floods in Nepal following snow and rock avalanches have renewed concerns about rapidly warming Himalayan glaciers, outbursts of glacial lakes and their impact on India’s water and economic security.

About melting glaciers

• The Himalayas are the ecological foundation of the Indian subcontinent, as they influence the monsoon, sustain biodiversity and pilgrimage-based economies, and provide water to the Indus, Ganges, and Brahmaputra river systems.
• Glaciers act as natural reservoirs and release meltwater, especially during dry periods.

Tri-language policy

• The National Education Policy (NEP) 2020 continues the three-language formula of the National Education Policy (NEP) 1968 with greater flexibility.
• The NEP 1968 advocated making Hindi a compulsory language throughout the country.