Daily Current Affairs for UPSC IAS: 18th April 2025

WAVES 2025 – Anti-Piracy Challenge:

A key initiative under “Create in India” to promote indigenous innovation in Digital Content Security.

• The Anti-Piracy Challenge is a flagship initiative under the Create in India Challenge, part of WAVES (World Audio Visual and Entertainment Summit) 2025.
• Organized by the Ministry of Information and Broadcasting, Government of India, WAVES 2025 will be held from May 1–4, 2025, in Mumbai, Maharashtra.
• The challenge aims to advance technologies like fingerprinting and watermarking to combat the rising threat of digital piracy in India.
• WAVES 2025 : WAVES (World Audio Visual & Entertainment Summit) is a global event organized by the Government of India.
• It aims to position India as a hub for media innovation, IP creation, and content development.
• Sectors covered include: Broadcasting, Films, TV, Radio, Animation, Gaming, Comics, Advertising, and Emerging tech like Generative AI, Augmented/Virtual/Extended Reality (AR/VR/XR) and Digital Media Platforms.
• Supports the Creative Economy, which is valued at $30 billion and employs nearly 8% of India’s workforce.
• Contributes to the growth of India’s Media and Entertainment (M&E) sector, projected to reach $44.2 billion by 2028, currently the 5th largest globally.

Meghayan-25:

The Indian Navy hosted the 3rd edition of its Meteorological and Oceanological Symposium, titled Meghayan-25.

• The event commemorated the formation of the World Meteorological Organization (WMO) and celebrated World Meteorological Day 2025 (23rd March every year).
• Meghayan-25 was held under the WMO Day 2025 theme, ‘Closing the Early Warning Gap Together’, which highlights the importance of improving early warning systems for climate and disaster preparedness.
• MOSDAC-IN Web Services were launched, a joint initiative of the Directorate of Naval Oceanology and Meteorology (DNOM) and SAC-ISRO.
• It provides customised satellite-derived weather products with secure, individual log-ins for Naval Meteorological Offices.
• The Navy also relaunched its professional journal, “Sagarmanthan”, with the 10th edition being published after a decade-long gap.

EXERCISE DUSTLIK-VI:

The 6th edition of the India-Uzbekistan Joint Military Exercise DUSTLIK-VI officially commenced on 16 April 2025 at the Foreign Training Node, Aundh (Pune).

• Exercise DUSTLIK is an annual bilateral military exercise conducted alternatively in India and Uzbekistan, with the previous edition (DUSTLIK-V) held in Termez District, Uzbekistan in April 2024.
• The first edition was held in November 2019 in Uzbekistan, marking the beginning of a structured defence partnership.
• The Indian contingent consists of 60 personnel, including troops from a battalion of the JAT Regiment and the Indian Air Force (IAF).
• The Uzbekistan contingent is represented by troops from the Uzbekistan Army, reflecting their ongoing military cooperation with India.
• The central theme of DUSTLIK-VI is “Joint Multi-Domain Sub-Conventional Operations in a Semi-Urban Scenario”.
• The exercise simulates response mechanisms to terrorist activities, specifically territorial capture by hostile forces, with coordinated joint battalion-level operations.

Type 5 Diabetes : Recognized

Type 5 diabetes has been officially recognised as a distinct form of diabetes by the International Diabetes Federation.

• Type 5 diabetes primarily affects lean, undernourished teenagers and young adults in low- and middle-income countries (LMICs).
• It is caused by malnutrition-induced reduction in insulin production, unlike Type 2 diabetes, which involves insulin resistance with continuing insulin secretion.
• In Type 5, the pancreatic beta cells function abnormally, resulting in severely reduced insulin secretion.
• This form of diabetes has long been neglected in medical research and often misdiagnosed.
• The condition was first reported in Jamaica in 1955 under the term J-type diabetes.
• No autoimmune or genetic cause is associated with this condition.
• Patients have very low BMI (<18.5 kg/m²), much lower than typical Type 2 diabetic patients.
• Insulin levels are extremely low, significantly below Type 2 diabetes and slightly above Type 1 diabetes.
• Body fat percentage is substantially lower than in Type 2 patients.
• Dietary intake of protein, fibre, and micronutrients is notably inadequate.

Silkyara Bend-Barkot Tunnel:

Union Minister of Road Transport and Highways recently termed the breakthrough in the Silkyara bend-Barkot road tunnel a historic milestone, saying this transformative tunnel will save one hour of travel time.

• It is a 531 km long, two-lane bi-directional tunnel with an escape passage, located on the Dharasu-Yamunotri section in Uttarakhand.
• Barkot and Silkyara are the two ends of the tunnel.
• Part of NH-134 (formerly NH-94), the project is being constructed under the Engineering, Procurement, and Construction (EPC) Mode.
• Around ninety percent of the tunnel is being excavated in phyllite, which is very weak rock.
• The New Austrian Tunnelling Method (NATM) is used for the construction of the tunnel.
• NATM is a method of modern tunnel design and construction employing sophisticated monitoring to optimize various wall reinforcement techniques based on the type of rock encountered as tunnelling.
• Funded under the National Highway (Original) [NH(O)] Scheme of the Ministry of Road Transport & Highways, it is a key component of the ambitious Chardham Plan.
• It promises to cut travel time by about an hour and improve accessibility, particularly during adverse weather conditions.
• Yamunotri is just about 50 km from this tunnel. It will provide easy access to devotees to Badrinath and Kedarnath.

MacGregor Memorial Medal:

Five military personnel were recently conferred the MacGregor Memorial Medal by Chief of Defence Staff for outstanding contributions in military reconnaissance, exploration and adventure for the years 2023 and 2024.

• It was instituted on 03 July 1888 to commemorate the memory of Gen. Sir Charles Metcalfe MacGregor, the founder of the United Service Institution of India (USI).
• Initially this medal was awarded for military reconnaissance and journeys of exploration such as British Army expeditions in Central Asia, Afghanistan, Tibet, and Burma.
• After independence, it was decided to award this medal for adventure activities as well.
• The medal is open to all ranks, serving and retired, of the Indian Armed Forces, Territorial Army, and Assam Rifles.
• Among the notable recipients of this in the past are Capt F E Younghusband (1890), Maj. Gen. Orde Charles Wingate (1943), ZC Bakshi, VrC (1949), Col. Narinder Kumar for Siachen Glacier exploration (1978-81) and Cdr. Dilip Donde and Lt. Cdr.

Navy-Marine Expeditionary Ship Interdiction System:

Philippines recently confirmed the deployment of US anti-ship missile system NMESIS for this year’s Balikatan military exercises.

• It is an anti-ship missile system developed for the US Marine Corps (USMC) to support land-to-sea attacks performed by the US Navy.
• It features the US Navy’s latest anti-ship missile, the Naval Strike Missile (NSM), mounted atop the chassis of an unmanned variant of the Oshkosh Joint Light Tactical Vehicle (JLTV).
• The ground vehicle platform, known as Remotely Operated Ground Unit for Expeditionary (ROGUE) Fires vehicle, is supplied by Oshkosh Defense, United States, while the NSM is jointly manufactured by Raytheon Missiles & Defense (Raytheon), United States, and Norwegian company Kongsberg Defence & Aerospace.
• NMESIS is not considered an autonomous launcher, as its fire control system is not controlled by the self-driving system and autonomy technology.
• The system is operated by a marine who is responsible for mission planning and firing of the missile.
• It is a multi-mission cruise missile that can ably neutralise highly secure maritime and land targets.
• The missile can destroy enemy ships located more than 100 nm (185 km) away.
• Equipped with an advanced seeker, it provides high-precision capabilities.
• The missile can escape enemy radars by performing manoeuvres and flying close to sea level.
• It carries a 226.79 kg-class warhead and programmable fuse.

Mount Lewotobi : Erupted

Mount Lewotobi, located in Indonesia’s East Nusa Tenggara province, erupted recently, triggering a flight warning and safety advisories.

• Lewotobi is located in Indonesia’s East Nusa Tenggara province on Flores Island.
• It is situated along the famous ‘Ring of Fire’ in the Pacific region.
• It is one of the most frequently active volcanoes in the region.
• It has two peaks arranged on a NW-SE line separated by 2 km and a 1232 m high saddle. This gave the twin volcano its name, Lewotobi, “husband and wife”.
• The two peaks correspond to the Lewotobi Lakilaki (man) and Lewotobi Perempuan (woman) stratovolcanoes.
• Lewotobi Lakilaki (1584 m) has a summit crater of 400 m diameter open to the north.
• Lewotobi Perampuan (1703 m)’s crater is 700 m wide.
• Lewotobi Lakilaki has been frequently active during the 19th and 20th centuries, while the taller and broader Lewotobi Perempuan has erupted only twice in historical time.
• Small lava domes have grown during the 20th century in the summit craters of both volcanoes.
• A prominent flank cone, Iliwokar, occurs on the east flank of Lewotobi Perampuan.

Justice B.R. Gavai Set to Become the 52nd CJI:

Chief Justice of India (CJI) Sanjiv Khanna has recommended Justice Bhushan Ramkrishna Gavai to be appointed as the 52nd CJI.Justice B.R. Gavai, currently is the second-most senior Supreme Court judge and will become the 2nd Dalit CJI after Justice K.G. Balakrishnan (2007).Key Judgments by Justice B.R. Gavai: Upheld 2016 demonetisation and he is a part of the Bench that upheld abrogation of Article 370.

India’s Exports Rise Marginally by 0.7% in March 2025:

India witnessed marginal growth in exports and a notable rise in imports in March 2025. The trade deficit for the month widened to $21.54 billion, reflecting pressure on the current account. For the fiscal year 2024–25, merchandise exports showed almost stagnant growth, while overall trade, including services, saw a moderate increase, indicating resilience in service exports despite global uncertainties.In March 2025 Exports: Grew by 0.7% year-on-year to $41.97 billion. Imports: Rose by 11.3% to $63.51 billion. Trade Deficit: Widened to $21.54 billion, up due to a sharper increase in imports.

World Heritage Day 2025:

World Heritage Day, also known as the International Day for Monuments and Sites, is observed on April 18 every year. It aims to raise awareness about the importance of conserving and protecting cultural and natural heritage around the world. This observance is vital for promoting sustainable tourism, community participation, and safeguarding history for future generations. In 2025, the day emphasizes disaster preparedness and conflict resilience, aligning with the global need to protect heritage sites under threat.

Santosh Kumar Appointed Deputy CFO of IndusInd Bank:

IndusInd Bank has appointed Santosh Kumar as its Deputy Chief Financial Officer (CFO). This move comes following the end of Deputy CEO Arun Khurana’s tenure as acting CFO. The bank has been facing mounting challenges due to elevated bad loans in the microfinance sector and accounting discrepancies in its derivative transactions, leading to considerable financial impact and regulatory scrutiny.

India’s First Quantum Key Distribution (QKD) Over Multi-Core Fibre:

the Centre for Development of Telematics (C-DOT), in collaboration with Sterlite Technologies Ltd. (STL), has successfully tested India’s first Quantum Key Distribution (QKD) transmission over a 4-core Multi-Core Fibre (MCF). This achievement marks a significant leap forward in India’s efforts to establish a secure and cost-effective national quantum communication network.First in India: Successful demonstration of QKD over a 4-core Multi-Core Fibre — a national first. Partners: Joint initiative between C-DOT (India’s telecom R&D center under the DoT) and Sterlite Technologies Ltd. (a global optical networking leader). Distance Achieved: QKD transmission tested and sustained over a distance exceeding 100 km.