04 March 2025: Daily Current Affairs Updates

Auroville; GS-1 (Culture) ▪️Why in the News:

Auroville celebrated its 57th birth anniversary with bonfire meditation at the Amphitheatre, Matrimandir, recently.

• Definition:

• Auroville is an experimental international townshipsituated in Tamil Nadu, near Pondicherry, where people from over 60 countries have come together to explore alternative ways of living, working, and coexisting peacefully.

• It was founded on February 28, 1968, by Mirra Alfassa, also known as "The Mother'; who was the spiritual collaborator of Sri Aurobindo.

• The township was designed by renowned architect Roger Anger.

• It is recognized as the largest and longest-surviving international intentional community in the world.

- Development and Growth:

• Auroville has transformed from a barren landscape into a thriving township, covering 3,000 acres with a rich biodiverse ecosystem, including the planting of over 3 million trees.

• The township is home to 2,700 residents from 50 nations and includes nine schools, various social enterprises, and ecological initiatives.

Bond Central ; GS-3 (Economy) ▪️Why in the news: SEBI has launched Bond Central, a centralised database portal for corporate bonds.

- Definition:

• Bond Central is a centralized database portal designed to provide comprehensive information on corporate bondsissued in India.

• It has been developed by the Online Bond Platform Providers Association (OBPP

Association) in collaboration with stock exchanges and depositories (Market Infrastructure Institutions - MIls).

• The OBPP Association, a not-for-profit entity, is responsible for operating the platform with support from Mlls.

> Objective:

• The primary goal of Bond Central is to function as a single, reliable source of corporate bond informationin India.

• It serves as a public information repository that is accessible to all users free of cost.

> Key Features:

• Comprehensive Bond Listings - Provides a consolidated view of corporate bonds across different exchanges and issuers, ensuring better transparency and enabling easy comparisons.

• Price Comparison Tool - Allows investors to compare corporate bond prices with Government Securities (G-Secs) and other fixed-income indices to make well-informed investment decisions.

Euclid Space Telescope; GS-3(SNT) ▪️Why in the news: The European Space Agency's (ESA) Euclid space telescope has discovered a rare ring of light, known as an Einstein ring, around a galaxy nearly 590 million light-years away from Earth.

> Euclid Space Telescope:

• The Euclid Space Telescope is a space-based observatory launched by the European Space Agency (ESA) on July 1, 2023.

Its mission is to investigate the dark universe, focusing on the study of dark matter and dark energy.

> Objective:

• The telescope is designed to map the large-scale structure of the universe and analyze the evolution of cosmic structures over time.

> Mission Goals:

Understanding Dark Energy - Euclid will examine how dark energy affects the expansion rate of the universe.

• Mapping Dark Matter - By studying gravitational lensing, Euclid will provide critical insights into the distribution of dark matter in the cosmos.

• Observing Galaxy Evolution - The telescope will observe billions of galaxies, tracing their formation and growth over a span of 10 billion years.

Exercise Desert Hunt; GS-3(Defence) ▪️Why in the news:

The Indian Army, Navy, and Air Force Special Forces conducted 'Exercise Desert Hunt 2025', a high-intensity war drill aimed at enhancing joint combat readiness, coordination, and counter-terrorism tactics.

• Definition:

• This exercise is an integrated Tri-Service Special Forces drill conducted under the leadership of the Indian Air Force.

• It involves participation from elite Special Forces unitsof all three branches of the Indian Armed Forces.

- Participating Units:

• Para (Special Forces) from the Indian Army.

• Marine Commandos (MARCOS) from the Indian Navy.

• Garud (Special Forces) from the Indian Air Force.

> Objective:

• The primary goal of the exercise is to enhance interoperability, coordination, and synergy among the Special Forces of the Army, Navy, and Air Force.

• The drill aims to refine joint operational strategies and strengthen combat readiness for real-world scenarios.

> Training and Tactical Operations:

The exercise includes a series of high-intensity combat drills and strategic operations, such as:

Airborne insertion of troops into hostile environments.

• Precision strikes on designated enemy targets.

• Hostage rescue operations in critical situations.

• Counter-terrorism missions to neutralize potential threats.