Art and Culture 

The historic Tea Horse Road, connecting India and China through Tibet - Indian Express

China’s Ambassador to India Xu Feihong recently posted on X about the historic Tea Horse Road which spanned more than 2,000 km, and connected China to India via Tibet.

Tea Horse Road

• Overview: A network of trade routes connecting southwest China to the Indian subcontinent.
• Key Routes: Passed through Dali and Lijiang (Yunnan province), Lhasa (Tibet), and extended to India, Nepal, and Bangladesh.
• Features: Challenging terrain with elevations reaching 10,000 feet.
• Historical Origin:
  • Tang Dynasty (618-907 CE): Trade route mentioned in Buddhist monk Yijing’s writings.
  • Early trade: Sugar, textiles, rice noodles (from China) and horses, leather, gold, saffron, medicinal herbs (from Tibet and India).
• Evolution of Trade:
  • Song Dynasty (960-1279 CE): Trade became tea and horse-centric.
  • Not all traders covered the entire route.
• Tea Demand in Tibet: Tibetan nomads and royalty relied on tea due to limited beverage options.
• Legend: A 7th-century princess brought tea to Tibet as dowry.
• Importance of tea: Essential in cold climates, often consumed as yak butter tea for warmth and nutrition.
• Horse Trade for China:
  • Horses were crucial for military and transport.
  • China’s central plains lacked horses, leading to imports from Tibet and Yunnan.
• Tea-Horse Exchange Market: Trade was mutually beneficial, forming an organized tea-horse exchange system.
• Trade regulation: By the 10th century, official trade facilities were set up along China’s borders for regulation. Trade fluctuated with the rise and fall of kingdoms.
• Post-Qing Era (1912): Continued significance due to internal turmoil and foreign interventions, fostering trade in southwest China.
• World War II: Key supply route for China’s battlefront as Japan controlled major coastal and aerial access.
• People’s Republic (1949): Gradual decline with modern road construction; porters' labor reduced after Mao’s land reforms.
• Tourism Promotion: China revived interest in the route; Lijiang became a UNESCO World Heritage Site in 1997, highlighting cultural and architectural exchanges.

Geography 

32 Indian fishermen from Tamil Nadu arrested by Sri Lankan Navy - The Hindu 

In a fresh incident, 32 fishermen from Rameswaram, Thangachimadam and nearby areas in Ramanathapuram district in Tamil Nadu were arrested by Sri Lankan Navy personnel on charges of poaching along the Palk Straits. Five trawlers were also seized.

Palk Strait

• About: Inlet of the Bay of Bengal, located between southeastern India and northern Sri Lanka.
• Boundaries:
  • South: Pamban Island (India), Adam’s Bridge, Gulf of Mannar, Mannar Island (Sri Lanka).
  • Southwestern portion: Also called Palk Bay.
• Naming: Named after Robert Palk, former governor of Madras Presidency (1755-1763).
• Dimensions: 40-85 miles wide, 85 miles long, and less than 100m deep.
• River mouth: Vaigai (India).
• Jaffna Port: A major commercial hub of northern Sri Lanka is located on its shores.
• Topography: Shoals and islands restrict navigation, allowing only small vessels to pass through.

 

Economy 

Internet shutdowns highest in 2024 globally, India tops in government-ordered curbs - The Hindu

India did not impose the highest number of Internet shutdowns last year, with Myanmar seeing one additional disruption in 2024, according to a report by the advocacy body Access Now. However, the number of shutdowns imposed by the government in charge — the Union and State governments here — is still higher in India.

Internet Shutdowns in India (2024)

• Global Comparison: India had the second-highest number of shutdowns (84), after Myanmar (85).
• State-wise Data: Manipur (21), Haryana (12), and Jammu & Kashmir (12) had the most shutdowns in India.

Reasons for Shutdowns:

• 41 due to protests
• 23 due to communal violence

• Global Statistics: 296 shutdowns worldwide, with India accounting for 28%.
• Exam-related Shutdowns: India imposed five, including:
  • Jharkhand (Sept 22): 5.5-hour shutdown during Graduate Level exam.
  • Assam (Sept): Shutdowns across most districts for government exams.
  • Rajasthan (Jan): Shutdown for RPSC exam.
• Criticism: Shutdowns for exams considered excessive and disproportionate.

 

Why are pilots asking for more rest hours? - The Hindu

After at least a year-long tussle over the new relaxed duty norms for pilots brought out by the Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA), the Delhi High Court ruled that a vast chunk of these rules would come into effect from July 1, 2025.

Rest and Duty Regulations:

• Weekly rest increased from 36 hours to 48 hours.
• Airlines must submit quarterly fatigue reports to DGCA.
• Night duty redefined (extended from 00:00-05:00 hrs to 00:00-06:00 hrs).
• Pilots limited to two consecutive nights of flying.
• Landings restricted to two during night duty.
• Flight duty capped at 8 hours, total duty at 10 hours.
• Unforeseen duty extension reduced from 3 hours to 2 hours, with increased rest.

Reasons for Pilot Rest Demands

• Increased Workload Post-COVID: More flights, up to four landings per day, leading to 10-13 hours of duty.

Night Flying Issues:

• DGCA’s 2019 rules allow two consecutive nights of flying, disrupting circadian rhythm.
• Short-haul international routes have increased night flights, often without hotel rest.

Extended Work Hours:

• Pilots fly 50-90 hours per month, but total duty 140-150 hours (including pre/post-flight tasks).
• Weekly rest only on the 8th day.
• Limited leave: Casual (6), Sick (12), Privilege (30 in Air India, 42 for IndiGo Captains, 22 for First Officers).

Fatigue Factors:

• Restrictive cockpit environment, poor airflow, noise, low light, oxygen level fluctuations.
• Unstable rosters affecting rest patterns.
• Pilots often sleep 1.5-2.5 hours in-flight due to exhaustion.
• Lack of Union Rights: Unlike global standards, Indian pilots cannot negotiate duty norms.

Pay Structure Changes: 

• Air India & Air India Express (2023) reduced fixed pay from 70 to 40 hours, incentivizing more flying.

Airline Perspectives

• Fatigue Management: Air India claims robust protocols, including:
  • Fatigue Risk Management (FRM) with bio-mathematical analysis.
  • Fatigue Safety Action Group (F-SAG) for review.
  • Confidential fatigue reporting system.

Financial Constraints:

• Airline profit margins are low (3.6% globally in 2025).
• Pilot salaries form 8.7% of total airline costs.

Pilot Demand Growth:

• 11,775 pilots (Nov 2024) for 800 aircraft in India.
• With 1,000 aircraft on order (Air India & IndiGo) by 2035, pilots’ demand is expected to rise.

 

Surveillance capitalism: the power to control personal data - The Hindu

A look at how surveillance capitalism relies on the commodification of personal data; its impact on privacy and autonomy; and its deep ties to state surveillance

Surveillance Capitalism

• Concept: Extracts human experience as raw data to predict behavior and influence decisions.
• Nature: Data sold to advertisers, political campaigns, and corporations.
• Instrumentarian power: Shapes behavior subtly via predictive analytics and targeted content.
• Social physics: Analyzes human interactions to model, predict, and influence collective behavior.

Difference from Industrial Capitalism

• Industrial capitalism: Profits from labor and material production.
• Surveillance capitalism: Profits from behavioral data extraction; users act as both consumers and raw material for data-driven predictions.
• State collaboration: Governments access private surveillance data for intelligence and policing.

Erosion of Autonomy

• Large-scale data collection increases systemic fragility.
• Cambridge Analytica Scandal (2014): Facebook user data exploited for voter targeting.
• Data monitoring influences personal choices, reducing individual autonomy.
• Algorithmic content subtly conditions user behavior for corporate gains.

Regulatory Challenges

• Weak existing laws: E.g., GDPR, DPDPA, fail to address commodification of personal data.
• Political issues: Corporate lobbying and political influence weaken regulatory efforts.
• Tech leaders in politics: Reinforce pro-business regulations, limiting accountability.

 

Strategy for fertilizers - Indian Express

Capping or even reducing the consumption of urea, di-ammonium phosphate (DAP) and muriate of potash (MOP) has become a strategic imperative of sorts for India.

Import Dependency

• MOP: Fully imported from Canada, Russia, Jordan, Israel, Turkmenistan, Belarus (India has no potash reserves).
• Urea: 85% demand met domestically, but production relies on imported liquefied natural gas (LNG) from Qatar, US, UAE, Angola.

DAP:

• Imported as a finished product (Saudi Arabia, China, Morocco, Russia, Jordan).
• Raw materials imported (rock phosphate, sulphur, phosphoric acid, ammonia from multiple countries).

Reasons to Limit Usage

• Import costs: Rupee depreciation increases the import burden.
• High-analysis fertilisers:
• Urea: 46% nitrogen (N)
• DAP: 46% phosphorus (P) + 18% N
• MOP: 60% potash (K)

• Need for Balanced Fertilisation:
  • Crops need a mix of primary (N, P, K), secondary (sulphur, calcium, magnesium), and micronutrients (zinc, iron, copper, boron, manganese, molybdenum).
  • Reducing reliance on high-analysis fertilisers improves nutrient absorption and optimises use of imported materials and foreign exchange.

 

Sci and Tech 

XR Creator Hackathon throws open opportunities for myriad aspirants - The Hindu

The XR Creator Hackathon was recently organised under the Information and Broadcasting Ministry’s “WAVES” initiative.

World Audio Visual & Entertainment Summit (WAVES) 2025

• About: Initiative of the Ministry of Information and Broadcasting, Government of India.
• Aim: To foster ideas, collaboration, and innovation in the media & entertainment (M&E) industry.
• Role: Seeks to position India as a global leader in content creation, technology integration, and creative industry growth.

Extended Reality (XR)

• About: Fusion of immersive technologies integrating Virtual Reality (VR), Augmented Reality (AR), and Mixed Reality (MR).
• Enhances reality: Blends the physical and virtual worlds or creating fully immersive experiences.

Augmented Reality (AR)

• About: Overlays virtual elements (images, text, animations) onto the real world.
• Usage: Accessible through AR glasses, screens, tablets, and smartphones.

Virtual Reality (VR)

• About:  Fully immersive experience in a simulated digital environment.
• Usage: Requires a VR headset to provide a 360-degree view of artificial worlds.
• Role: Creates realistic simulations, such as space exploration or underwater diving.

Mixed Reality (MR)/ Hybrid reality

• About: Combines real and digital objects that interact in real time.
• Usage: Requires MR headsets and high processing power.
• Role: Enables advanced interactions between the physical and virtual environments.

 

HKU5-CoV-2 - Indian Express 

A newly discovered bat coronavirus, HKU5-CoV-2 has been identified in China.

HKU5-CoV-2

• About: A newly discovered bat coronavirus, closely resembling SARS-CoV-2.
• Genus: Belongs to the Merbecovirus subgenus, which includes the MERS virus.
• Potential: 
  • Can bind to human ACE2 receptors, indicating potential animal-to-human transmission.
  • Lower binding affinity to ACE2 than SARS-CoV-2, making large-scale human infection uncertain.
  • Can bind to multiple mammalian species, suggesting possible spread through intermediate hosts.
• Human transmission: No confirmed human cases yet, so symptoms remain unknown.