1) Nordic-Baltic Eight (NB8) nations: External Affairs Minister has said that India’s engagement with the NB-8 nations has significantly strengthened in recent years.
- NB8 is an informal (non-institutionalized) regional cooperation format established in 1992 that includes
- The five Nordic countries (Denmark, Finland, Iceland, Norway, and Sweden) and The three Baltic countries (Estonia, Latvia, and Lithuania)
- The format is unique as it includes both members and non-members of the EU (Norway and Iceland) and NATO (Sweden)
2) Exercise Vajra Prahar: It is a joint exercise conducted between the Indian Army and US Army Special Forces.
3) Tantalum: Researchers found the presence of tantalum in the Sutlej river sand in Punjab.
- It is a rare metal.
- Grey, heavy, Ductile and very hard metal.
- Possesses high corrosion resistance
- It is almost completely immune to chemical attacks at temperatures below 150°C.
- Extremely high melting point.
- Uses of tantalum:
- In industries like Electronics and semiconductors, nuclear power plants, aeroplanes, biomedicals etc.
- Substitute for Platinum due to its high melting point and lower cost
4) SATHEE: Ministry of Education (MoE) asked States to encourage use of online coaching platform SATHEE (Self Assessment Test and Help for Entrance Exams).
- It is an initiative by the MoE in association with IIT-Kanpur.
- It is an open learning and assessment platform available to students at no cost.
- It uses Artificial Intelligence (AI) to interact with students, and can be customised to each student’s pace of learning
Places in News:
1) Mozambique (Capital: Maputo):
- INS Sumedha arrived at Maputo, Mozambique as a part of the ongoing Extended Operational Deployment to Africa.
- Historical Aspect: Mozambique was governed from Portuguese India (Goa) until 1752.
- Political Features:
- Southeast African nation bordered by the Indian Ocean to the east.
- Bordering nations: Tanzania, Malawi and Zambia to the north, Zimbabwe to the west, South Africa and Swaziland to the south.
- Geographical Features:
- The Tropic of Capricorn passes through it
- Major rivers: Zambezi, Ruvuma, Maputo etc.
- Highest Point: Mount Binga
- Minerals: Gold, emeralds, copper, iron ore, natural gas etc.
