24 June 2025
(Current Affairs Notes - Prelims)

Complex Proliferation Financing and Sanctions Evasions Schemes Report

• By the Financial Action Task Force (FATF)

• It highlights major vulnerabilities across the global financial system in countering the Proliferation Financing (PF).

• Proliferation Financing (PF) involves raising, moving or making available funds, other assets or resources to persons or entities for the purposes of Weapons of Mass Destruction (WMD).

• The report recommends enhancing information sharing to strengthen the ability to detect Proliferation Financing.

Intergovernmental Science-Policy Panel on Chemicals, Waste and Pollution

• A new global science-policy panel to support the management of chemicals and waste and to prevent pollution.

• It will provide countries with scientific advice on chemicals, waste, and pollution prevention.

• The triple planetary crisis:

  • • crisis of climate change

    • crisis of nature and biodiversity loss

    • crisis of pollution and waste

• Panels for the first two crises were already existing, i.e.,

  • • Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) and

    • Intergovernmental Science-Policy Platform on Biodiversity and Ecosystem Services (IPBES)

• The new panel thus completes a global scientific trifecta alongside the IPCC and the IPBES.

• The new panel will be hosted by the United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP).

National Rare Blood Donor Registry

• By the National Institute of Immunohaematology (NIIH), under the Indian Council of Medical Research (ICMR).

• Rare blood refers to a type of blood that has an uncommon combination of antigens on the surface of red blood cells, making it difficult to match for transfusions.

• It is typically defined based on the absence or rarity of certain antigens in the general population.

• Example of rare blood types include Rh-null (also called "golden blood"), U-negative, Bombay blood group (hh phenotype).

• Rare blood types pose significant challenges in emergency medicine, surgery, and managing chronic diseases. It requires specialized blood banks and registries to track and store rare blood types.

Thirstwaves

• A new term for prolonged periods of atmospheric thirst has been coined.

• It refers to a combination of factors that drive evaporative demand, including temperature, wind speed, and sunshine.

• Evaporative demand refers to how ‘thirsty’ Earth’s atmosphere is, or how readily it sucks up moisture from plants, soil, and bodies of water.

• A thirstwave is defined as at least three consecutive days when daily evaporative demand is greater than its historical 90th percentile value for that period.

Ambubachi Mela

• An annual Hindu fair held during Monsoon.

• At the Kamakhya Temple in Assam.

• Kamakhya Temple is situated on the Nilachal Hills near Guwahati.

Qatar

• Capital: Doha

• A peninsula located on the west bank of the Arabian Gulf.

• Shares its only land border with Saudi Arabia.