CURRENT AFFAIRS UPSC

  NASA's experimental X-59 aircraft outside a hangar. NASA’s experimental ‘silent’ supersonic jet X-59 moves into flight line The space agency on Wednesday released a sequence of images showing its experimental X-59 aircraft sitting on the flight line at the Lockheed Martin Skunk Works in California. The flight line refers to the space between the hangar and the runway . The aircraft is designed to demonstrate technology that will allow supersonic flight while reducing the sonic boom to a “quiet sonic thump, ” according to NASA. Front view of the X-59 aircraft. “ Sonic boom” refers to the sound that is associated with shock waves created when an object travels faster than the speed of sound . The sound that you hear when a whip is cracked is like a miniature version of the sonic boom. But the sonic boom of flights can generate massive amounts of energy, sounding like an explosion or a thunderclap . can also cause some damages to structures, like shattering glass and more . This...

  The Centre has asked e-commerce companies to not use “dark patterns” on their platforms that may deceive customers or manipulate their choices. The government has set up a 17-member task force to prepare guidelines to protect consumers. What are dark patterns? Dark patterns, also known as deceptive patterns , is the term used to describe the ways in which websites or apps make their users do things that the users do not intend to do or would not otherwise do , as well as to discourage user behaviour that is not beneficial for the companies. The term dark patterns was coined by Harry Brignull, a London-based user experience (UX) designer, in 2010. The Internet is replete with examples of dark patterns. Think of that annoying advertisement that keeps popping up on your screen, and you can’t find the cross mark ‘X ’ to make it go away because the mark is too small to notice (or to click/ tap). Worse, when you try to click/ tap on the tiny ‘X’, you sometimes end up tapping the ad in...

 India is a country of diversity, and unity in diversity is our identity . Prime Minister Narendra Modi has given the mantra of “One India, Great India” to maintain this diversity. We are envisioning an India where every Indian is concerned about having a life of quality. Continuous efforts are being made by the Government of India to ensure that the benefits of the country’s advanced healthcare facilities reach every individua l, even those on the bottom rungs of the social ladder. In India, there are approximately 706 different tribal communities, which constitute 8.6 per cent of the total population . Our tribal population is an integral part of our country’s rich cultural heritage. PM Modi has said, “the past, present, and future of India will never be complete without the indigenous communities.” The Government of India is fully committed to the health and development of the tribal population as a national priorit y, taking into account their ethical values, traditions, socio...