Daily Current Affairs for UPSC IAS: 23rd May 2025

Financial Fraud Risk Indicator:

FRI is a multi-dimensional analytical tool that flags mobile numbers based on their likelihood of being involved in financial fraud.

• Launched By: Developed and introduced by the Department of Telecommunications (DoT) under the Ministry of Communications.
• Objective is to provide advance intelligence to financial institutions and prevent cyber-enabled financial frauds.
• Key Features:
  • Risk Classification: Categorizes mobile numbers as Medium, High, or Very High risk.
  • Integration with Digital Payments: Alerts banks and UPI platforms when a flagged number is involved in a transaction.
  • Stakeholder Empowerment: Enables banks, NBFCs, and payment service providers to take additional customer protection measures.
  • Proactive Cyber Shield: Acts as a pre-transaction validation tool to reduce fraud attempts.
  • Real-time Application: Works in coordination with fraud detection systems and verification protocols.

What Is Prostate Cancer?

Former US President Joe Biden has been diagnosed with Stage 4 metastatic prostate cancer, drawing global attention to the disease, its symptoms, and treatment options.

• Prostate cancer arises in the prostate gland, a small organ in men that produces seminal fluid.
• It is one of the most common cancers in men, particularly after age 50.
• Prostate cancer is the 2nd most diagnosed cancer in men with over 1.4 million new cases and nearly 400,000 deaths in 2022 (GLOBOCAN).
• India: It ranks among the top 10 cancers in men, with 37,948 new cases and 18,386 deaths in 2022, and rising incidence in urban areas.
• Symptoms of Prostate Cancer:
  • Frequent or painful urination: Indicates urinary tract irritation due to prostate enlargement or tumor pressure.
  • Weak urine flow or dribbling: Caused by blockage in the urethra due to prostate gland swelling.
  • Erectile dysfunction: Tumor or treatment may impair nerves or blood vessels linked to erection.
  • Blood in urine or semen: A sign of inflammation, prostate damage, or tumor-related bleeding.
  • Bone pain (in advanced stages): Metastatic cancer often spreads to bones, causing persistent pain.

INSV Kaundinya:

The Indian Navy has inducted the INSV Kaundinya, a reconstructed 5th-century stitched ship based on depictions found in the Ajanta Cave paintings.

• This initiative was launched in July 2023 under a tripartite agreement involving the Ministry of Culture, the Indian Navy, and Hodi Innovations.
• The Ministry of Culture funded the ship as a symbol of India’s ancient shipbuilding tradition and to promote maritime heritage awareness.
• INSV Kaundinya is scheduled to sail along the ancient maritime trade route from Gujarat to Oman later in 2025.
• The ship was constructed using ancient “stitched ship” techniques, where wooden planks are joined using coir ropes, coconut fibres, and natural resin, without metal nails.
• The design was based on a 5th-century maritime scene depicted in the Ajanta mural paintings.
• As there are no surviving blueprints, the design process involved interpreting 2D artistic representations through archaeological, naval architectural, and hydrodynamic analysis.

Kakapo : Critically Endangered

A team of researchers from Justus Liebig University Giessen (Germany), New Zealand’s Department of Conservation, Kakapo Recovery, and the University of Otago have successfully implemented artificial insemination (AI) to help breed the critically endangered Kākāpō.

• The Kakapo is the largest flightless parrot in the world, native to New Zealand.
• It is nocturnal, herbivorous, and the only lek-breeding parrot species, meaning males gather to perform mating displays at specific sites.
• It is named for its owl-like face, with moss-green plumage mottled with yellow and black, grey bill, and grey legs with pale soles.
• The Kakapo reproduces infrequently, only breeding in years when certain native fruits, such as rimu berries, are abundant.
• Lek-breeding behaviour includes the digging of bowl-shaped depressions in the ground, which help amplify mating calls across long distances.
• The species faces multiple threats:
  • Predation by invasive mammals (rats, stoats, weasels) introduced by European settlers.
  • Infertility issues and high embryo mortality have severely restricted population growth.
  • Susceptibility to diseases such as aspergillosis, a dangerous fungal infection.
• Due to these pressures, the Kakapo is listed as Critically Endangered on the IUCN Red List.

Liquid Carbon:

Scientists have for the first time observed the atomic structure of liquid carbon using the high-power DIPOLE 100-X laser and ultrashort X-ray pulses from the European XFEL (X-ray Free Electron Laser) in Germany.

Major Findings of the Study

• Liquid carbon has a water-like structure, with four nearest atomic neighbours, resembling the structure of solid diamond.
• The experiment confirmed earlier theoretical simulations and helped to precisely determine the melting point of carbon under high pressure.
• Liquid carbon refers to carbon in a liquid state, which is not naturally stable under normal temperature and pressure conditions.
• Carbon typically exists in solid forms like graphite, diamond, or as gas (CO₂) when oxidised.
• Liquid carbon is a transient phase, and its study is important for understanding:
  • Planetary core compositions (e.g., carbon-rich exoplanets),
  • High-energy astrophysical processes,
  • And high-temperature material behaviour in laser-material interactions and nuclear science.
• Carbon does not melt under normal pressure; it transitions directly from solid to gas (sublimation), making lab-based liquid-phase studies almost impossible.
• Liquid carbon only forms under extreme conditions:
  • Temperatures ~4500°C,
  • Very high pressures,
• Conditions that no conventional container can withstand.
• Thus, laser-driven compression was employed to briefly liquefy solid carbon for nanoseconds, enabling real-time measurement.
• The DIPOLE 100-X laser was used to generate compression waves through the carbon sample, converting it to the liquid state for a billionth of a second.
• During this fleeting moment, the European XFEL’s ultrashort X-ray pulse was used to irradiate the sample, causing the X-ray light to diffract off atoms.
• The resulting diffraction pattern revealed the atomic arrangement of liquid carbon.
• Multiple iterations of the experiment with varying delays and conditions were used to create a step-by-step “movie” of the solid-to-liquid transition.

Central Equipment Identity Register (CEIR) Portal:

Telangana has emerged as the top-performing state in India for recovering stolen and lost mobile phones through the Central Equipment Identity Register (CEIR) portal.

• It was developed by the Department of Telecommunications (DoT), Ministry of Communications, to track lost or stolen mobile phones.
• It acts as a central database of all the mobile phones that are used and registered in India. It contains all the International Mobile Equipment Identity (IMEI) or Electronic Serial Number (ESN).
• IMEI is a 15-digit unique number attached to all the handsets. These numbers are attached to the registered service provider.
• The user can track the devices by providing the required information requested on the portal along with the IMEI and FIR copy.
• The CEIR shares a wide platform that supports all the network operators.
• It helps to receive information on the blacklisted mobile devices from the registered network to notify other networks.
• This helps to track the device even if the Subscriber Identity Module (SIM) has changed.
• The following are the types of lists in the EIR database:
  • White List: It contains all the authorised IMEI numbers that are allowed to access the network.
  • Grey List: It contains all the authorised IMEI numbers that are kept for observation to track the number.
  • Black List: It contains all the unauthorised IMEI numbers that are prohibited from registration in a cellular network.
• Objectives of CEIR:
  • Discourage mobile theft, identify fraudulent mobile markets, and protect consumer interest.
  • To centralise the database for identifying and blocking the lost, stolen, or illegal mobile phones/networks.
  • To track the lost or stolen mobile phones through IMEI numbers even if the SIM cards are changed or disabled.
  • Create an infrastructure to provide the services to track the mobile devices.
  • Create an infrastructure to access GSMA’s database to check the authentication of the mobile device.
  • To identify duplicate IMEI numbers, cloned, reprogrammed, stolen or unauthorised devices.

International Day for Biological Diversity 2025:

To raise a reminder of the pressing need to take action and protect biodiversity, International Day for Biological Diversity is commemorated on May 22 every year. Celebrated each year on May 22, IDB aims to increase understanding and awareness of biodiversity issues. IDB 2025 Theme: This year’s theme “Harmony with nature and sustainable development”, highlights how this campaign for nature connects with the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). The IDB 2025 seeks to focus the world’s attention on the linkages between the 2030 Agenda and its SDGs and the goals and targets of the Kunming-Montreal Global Biodiversity Framework (KMGBF), as two universal agendas must advance together as they support the recently adopted Pact for the Future.

Golden Dome:

US President Donald Trump announced the final design selection for the ‘Golden Dome’ missile defence shield. Golden Dome is a proposed next-gen missile defence system integrating space-based and terrestrial technologies. Conceptualized as a strategic shield for intercepting ballistic and hypersonic missiles at launch. Launched By: Announced by Donald Trump in January 2025, under the US Department of defence.Objective is to protect US territory from long-range missile threats including ICBMs from rival nations like Russia and China.

16th Asiatic Lion Census:

Gujarat Chief Minister announced the completion of the 16th Asiatic Lion Population Census, reporting a population of 891 lions. 16th Asiatic Lion Census Conducted By: Gujarat Forest Department under the supervision of the State Wildlife Division. Total Lion Population: 891 lions, including 196 adult males and rest include females, sub-adults, and cubs. Area Coverage: Spanned 35,000 sq km across 58 talukas in 11 districts.

WHO Certificate of Elimination of Trachoma:

India has officially received the WHO Certificate of Elimination of Trachoma as a Public Health Problem at the 78th World Health Assembly in Geneva. India is now the third country in WHO South-East Asia Region (after Nepal and Myanmar) to eliminate trachoma. Trachoma is a contagious bacterial eye disease caused by Chlamydia trachomatis. It is Spread via direct contact (hands, clothes, bedding) and vectors like flies carrying discharge from infected eyes/nose. Children are the main source of transmission in endemic communities.

Operation Abhyaas:

Operation Abhyaas, a large-scale civil defence preparedness drill, was recently held in several places in India as directed by the Ministry of Home Affairs (MHA) to assess emergency response readiness amid heightened national security concerns.A multi-agency civil defence exercise conducted to simulate coordinated emergency responses, especially in urban areas during crises like blackouts, terror strikes, and natural disasters. Organised by: Civil Defence Organisation under the Ministry of Home Affairs, with participation from SDRF, Fire Services, NDRF, Police, Home Guards, CRPF, NCC, and medical teams.Aim is to strengthen inter-agency coordination and build community awareness in responding to large-scale emergencies or wartime-like situations.

Bengaluru Urban Flooding:

Bengaluru witnessed over 130 mm rainfall in just 12 hours, leading to severe urban flooding that left 3 dead, 500 homes inundated, and major roads, underpasses, and lakes overwhelmed.Urban flooding refers to the overflow of water in densely built environments due to poor drainage and excessive rainfall. Unlike rural floods, it occurs rapidly and overwhelms infrastructure—seen in cities like Mumbai (2005), Chennai (2015), and Hyderabad (2020).