Short Articles

Topic: International Relations

India to assume chairmanship of Wassenaar Arrangement

India would assume chairmanship of Wassenaar Arrangement on January 1, 2023.

About

• The Wassenaar Arrangement is an elite club of countries which subscribe to arms export controls, similar to the Nuclear Suppliers Group and the Missile Technology Control Regime.
• The body came into being in 1996.
• Members: The WA has 42 members, the latest entrant being India.
  • With the exception of China, all the other permanent members of the U.N. Security Council are signatories of the WA, which is headquartered in Vienna.

Topic: International Relations

Singapore and India conclude Exercise Agni Warrior (XAW) 2022

The Singapore Army and the Indian Army successfully concluded Exercise Agni Warrior (XAW) 2022, in Devlali, India.

About

• It is a Bilateral Artillery Exercise.
• It is held in India since 2004.
• This year's exercise was the twelfth in the series.
• The exercise culminated in a joint live-firing exercise involving the Singapore Armed Forces' (SAF) Singapore Light Weight Howitzer, Field Artillery Meteorological System, and the Indian Army's 155mm Field Howitzer 77B.

Topic: Science & Technology

SpaceX delays launch of Hakuto-R moon lander

SpaceX delayed the launch of Japanese firm ispace's HAKUTO-R Mission 1 to the Moon.

About

• Hakuto-R M1 is a Japanese commercial technology demonstration lunar landing mission.
• This will be the first privately-led Japanese mission to land on the lunar surface.
• Following landing, HAKUTO-R's M1 will deploy a small United Arab Emirates rover, called Rashid.
• SpaceX will also be launching NASA's Lunar Flashlight mission along with HAKUTO-R Mission 1.

Topic: Science & Technology

Digi Yatra rolls out at three airports

Domestic passengers at three airports, including Delhi’s, will be now able to authenticate their travel through facial recognition, as the first phase of the Digi Yatra system rolls out.

About

• The 'DigiYatra' is a Biometric Enabled Seamless Travel experience (BEST) based on Facial Recognition Technology.
• It aims to provide paperless and seamless travel experience to the passengers.