24 December 2024: Daily Current Affairs Updates

Panama Canal; GS-1 (Geography) ▪️Why in the News: US President-elect Donald Trump has hinted that his administration might

attempt to regain control of the Panama Canal.

‣ About the Panama Canal:

• The Panama Canal is a man-made waterway that connects the Atlantic and Pacific Oceans through the Isthmus of Panama.

• It spans 40 miles from shoreline to shoreline and is owned and operated by Panama.

• Originally constructed by the United States, the Panama Canal was completed in August 1914.

• It is considered one of the two most strategically important artificial waterways in the world, the other being the Suez Canal.

‣ History of Control:

• From its opening in 1914 until 1979, the Panama Canal was under the exclusive control of the United States:

• In 1979, the Panama Canal Commission, a joint agency of the United States and Panama, took over the canal's administration.

• Complete control of the Panama Canal was handed over to Panama on December 31, 1999, at noon.

Hybrid Aerogel; GS-3 (Science and Technology)

▪️Why in the news: A group of researchers from Pune have developed a novel

hybrid aerogel capable of easily extracting gold from electronic waste.

‣ About:

• Aerogels are some of the lightest solid materials in existence.

• They are produced by combining a polymer with a solvent to create a gel, which is then dried to replace the liquid with air.

‣Properties:

• Extremely porous and exceptionally low in density.

• Surface chemistry can be tailored to specific needs.

• Often referred to as "solid air' or 'frozen smoke?'

• Known for being outstanding adsorbents, aerogels are lightweight and effective in removing contaminants.

‣ Applications:

• Commonly used for environmental clean-up, such as oil spills.

Widely employed for insulation purposes.

Green Deposits; GS-3 (Economy) ▪️ Why in the news: Considering the threat that climate change poses globally, the Reserve Bank of India (RBI) issued a comprehensive framework for lenders to accept green deposits in April 2023

‣ About:

• Green deposits are fixed-term, interest-bearing deposits where the proceeds are exclusively allocated to finance green and sustainable projects.

• These deposits are available only in Indian rupees, in line with the framework set by the Reserve Bank of India (RBI).

‣ Purpose: The funds raised through green deposits are utilized for environmentally friendly and sustainable projects, which include:

• Renewable energy projects, such as solar, wind, biomass, and hydropower.

• Initiatives aimed at improving energy efficiency and promoting clean transportation.

‣ Climate change adaptation efforts and sustainable water and waste management solutions.

Development of green buildings and projects aimed at protecting coastal and marine environments.

• Support for certified organic farming practices.

Speed Gun; GS-3 (Science and Technology) ▪️Why in the news: Speed guns are devices widely used by law enforcement officials to monitor traffic speed, by coaches to gauge the performance of their athletes, and in various other industries in need of accurate motion tracking.

‣ About Speed Gun:

• A speed gun is a device used to measure the speed of a moving object without coming into direct contact with it.

• It works by bouncing electromagnetic radiation of a specific frequency off the object, capturing the reflected signal, and using the Doppler effect to calculate the object's speed

• Speed guns are electronic devices that incorporate complex circuitry to emit the necessary radiation for measurement.

• Originally developed during World War Il for military purposes, speed guns use radio waves instead of sound waves to apply the Doppler effect.

‣ How It Works:

• A speed gun consists of a radio transmitter and a receiver.

• The transmitter emits radio waves that are directed at the moving object. The receiver then captures the waves reflected back by the object.

• If the object is moving towards the speed gun, the frequency of the returned waves will be slightly higher than that of the transmitted waves.

• The speed gun's internal computer processes this frequency difference to calculate the speed of the object.