Prelims
ISRO–AST SpaceMobile BlueBird Satellite Collaboration
Why in News: ISRO to launch U.S.-based AST SpaceMobile’s Block 2 BlueBird communication satellite within 3–4 months. Follows successful Indo-U.S. collaboration on NISAR mission (launched on July 30).
BlueBird Block 2 Satellite
Developed by: AST SpaceMobile (USA)
Purpose: Communications satellite
Expected arrival in India: September 2025
Launch Details
- Launch vehicle: LVM3 (formerly GSLV Mk III)
- Launch site: Satish Dhawan Space Centre, Sriharikota
ISRO’s Past Indo-U.S. Mission
- NISAR: Earth observation using dual-frequency synthetic aperture radar.
About LVM3 (Launch Vehicle Mark-3)
Category: Medium to heavy-lift launch vehicle
- Entirely indigenously developed
Launch History
- First suborbital flight: 18 Dec 2014
- First successful orbital flight: 5 June 2017
Dimensions
- Height: 43.5 m
- Diameter: 4.0 m
- Heat shield diameter: 5.0 m
- Lift-off mass: 640 tonnes
Payload Capacity
- To GTO (Geosynchronous Transfer Orbit): 4,000 kg
- To LEO (Low Earth Orbit): 8,000 kg
Stages and Propellants
1. Booster Stage (S200)
- Fuel: HTPB (solid fuel)
2. Liquid Core Stage (L110)
- Two Vikas engines
- Fuel: UH25 + N₂O₄
3. Cryogenic Upper Stage (C25)
- Engine: CE-25 (Indigenous high-thrust cryogenic engine)
- Fuel: LOX + LH2
Significance
- Powers key missions like Chandrayaan-2, OneWeb, and upcoming BlueBird satellite.
- Enhances India’s capability in commercial satellite launches and Gaganyaan mission.
Banking Laws (Amendment) Act, 2025
Why in News: The Banking Laws (Amendment) Act, 2025 recently came into effect (from August 1, 2025) bringing major reforms in banking.
Effective Date: Came into force on 1 August 2025
Scope: Amends 19 provisions across five major laws:
- RBI Act, 1934
- Banking Regulation Act, 1949
- State Bank of India Act, 1955
- Banking Companies (Acquisition and Transfer of Undertakings) Acts, 1970 & 1980
Key Amendments:
1. Substantial Interest Redefined
- Threshold increased from ₹5 lakh to ₹2 crore for bank directorship eligibility
2. Director Tenure in Cooperative Banks
- Extended from 8 years to 10 years (except chairperson and whole-time directors)
- Aligns with 97th Constitutional Amendment
3. Transfer of Unclaimed Amounts to IEPF
- Public Sector Banks can transfer unclaimed shares, interest, and bonds to Investor Education and Protection Fund
- Aligns banking practice with Companies Act
4. Empowering Statutory Auditors
- PSBs allowed to remunerate statutory auditors
- Expected to improve audit quality and transparency
5. Reporting Timelines Revised
- Banks report to RBI fortnightly, monthly, or quarterly instead of weekly
- Reduces compliance burden.
Barbados Thread Snake
Why in News: World’s smallest snake, Barbados thread snake (Tetracheilostoma carlae), was recently rediscovered under a rock during an ecological survey in central Barbados.
Scientific Name: Tetracheilostoma carlae
Family: Leptotyphlopidae
Named After: Carla Ann Hass, wife of discoverer S. Blair Hedges (Herpetologist)
Size: 3–4 inches (9–10 cm)
Appearance: Pale orange dorsal lines, rostral scale on nose, no gland lines on head
Habitat: Tropical dry forests – under leaf litter, loose soil, and limestone rubble
Distribution: Endemic to Barbados (Caribbean)
Adaptation: Nearly blind – reduced to light-sensing dots for energy conservation in darkness
Resembles: Brahminy blind snake (flowerpot snake)
Reproduction: Sexual; lays one egg per clutch. (Brahminy blind snake reproduces via parthenogenesis)
Diet: Termite and ant larvae
Conservation Status: Critically Endangered – IUCN Red List
Defamation Case
Why in News: Supreme Court extended stay on defamation proceedings against Congress MP Shashi Tharoor over his 2018 “scorpion on Shivling” remark.
Defamation – Legal Classification:
Civil Defamation:
- Based on tort law
- Includes libel (written) and slander (spoken)
- Punishable with monetary compensation
Criminal Defamation:
- Defined under Section 356, Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (BNS)
- Punishable under Section 357, BNS– up to 2 years imprisonment, with or without fine
- Requires proof beyond reasonable doubt
Key Supreme Court Judgments:
Subramanian Swamy vs. Union of India (2016):
- Right to reputation is part of Article 21
- Criminal defamation is a reasonable restriction on free speech under Article 19(2)
- Kaushal Kishore vs. Union of India (2017):
- No restrictions on free speech beyond Article 19(2)
Shreya Singhal vs. Union of India (2015):
- Struck down Section 66A of IT Act, 2000
- Held it violated Article 19(1)(a) and was not protected by Article 19(2) due to vagueness of the term “offensive”
Constitutional Provisions:
Article 19(1)(a): Freedom of speech and expression
Article 19(2): Allows reasonable restrictions for:
- Sovereignty & integrity of India
- Security of the State
- Friendly foreign relations
- Public order, decency, morality
- Contempt of court, defamation, incitement to offence
Cromer Blood Group Discovered
Why in News: A new rare blood group has been discovered and officially named ‘CRIB’.
- CRIB stands for Cromer–India–Bengaluru, acknowledging its origin.
- It is part of the Cromer (CR) blood group system, associated with CD55/DAF (Decay-Accelerating Factor) on red blood cells.
- The Cromer system consists of 12 high-prevalence and 3 low-prevalence antigens.
- Blood group antigens are molecules found on the surface of red blood cells (RBCs).
- A rare blood type is defined as being found in less than 0.1% of the population.
- This is the first time this blood group has been identified anywhere in the world.
