Current Affairs 21 October 2025
Nauru
Nauru is a micronation in the southwestern Pacific Ocean, recognized as the world’s third-smallest country by land area and population. It functions as a unitary parliamentary republic with a 19-member legislature.
Located 25 miles south of the Equator, Nauru lies in southeastern Micronesia, about 800 km northeast of the Solomon Islands and 300 km west of Kiribati’s Banaba Island.
Its land area is only 21 sq. km, making it one of the most compact sovereign states globally.
International Maritime Organization (IMO)
- The IMO is a specialized agency of the United Nations responsible for regulating international shipping safety, security, and environmental performance, ensuring uniform global maritime standards.
- Established in: Created by a UN convention in 1948, the IMO came into force in 1958 and held its first meeting in 1959, marking the start of global cooperation on maritime governance.
- Headquarters: The organization is headquartered in London, United Kingdom.
Chandra’s Atmospheric Composition Explorer-2 (CHACE-2) Payload
- CHACE-2 is a neutral gas mass spectrometer payload onboard the Chandrayaan-2 orbiter, developed by ISRO to study the composition and dynamics of the Moon’s extremely thin atmosphere, known as the lunar exosphere.
- Launched in: The payload was launched on July 22, 2019, as part of India’s Chandrayaan-2 mission aboard the GSLV Mk-III M1 rocket.
Graded Response Action Plan (GRAP)
- The Graded Response Action Plan (GRAP) is a statutory framework that specifies stage-wise measures to be implemented to combat deteriorating air quality in the National Capital Region. It provides predefined actions based on the severity of pollution.
- Established in: GRAP was first introduced in 2017 under the directives of the Supreme Court of India and the Environment (Protection) Act, 1986.
- Later revised by the CAQM in December 2024 to include predictive action based on IMD and IITM forecasts.
- Aim: The plan aims to create a graded and preemptive response system for air quality management by identifying specific interventions to be taken as the AQI worsens in Delhi-NCR.
The New Arc of India–Australia Collaboration
- Strategic Convergence: India and Australia aligned over shared democratic ideals and a free Indo-Pacific, collaborating through the Quad and regular ministerial dialogues to counter regional instability.
- Operational Deepening: Regular joint drills such as Talisman Sabre, logistics pacts, and air-refuelling frameworks improved coordination and interoperability between their armed forces.
- Industrial and Logistics Convergence: The relationship expanded toward joint ship repair, maintenance, and defence manufacturing—turning strategic dialogue into operational outcomes.
