1. Gamburtsev Subglacial Mountains (GSM)

A recent study in Earth and Planetary Science Letters has unveiled that the Gamburtsev Subglacial Mountains (GSM) were formed over 500 million years ago, during the assembly of the Gondwana supercontinent.

What are the GSM?
The Gamburtsev Subglacial Mountains lie completely hidden beneath the East Antarctic Ice Sheet, located at its thickest point. First discovered in 1958 by a Soviet seismic team, they are unlike the partially exposed Transantarctic Mountains and remain buried under several kilometres of ice.

Their formation poses a geological mystery, as such large mountain ranges typically form along tectonic boundaries—yet East Antarctica has been tectonically stable for hundreds of millions of years.

Clues from Zircons
Scientists examined zircon crystals from ancient river-deposited sandstones found in the Prince Charles Mountains. These zircons, containing uranium, helped determine geological timelines:

• Uplift began ~650 million years ago

• Peaks formed around ~580 million years ago

• Crustal activity ceased ~500 million years ago

2. Afrikaners – Africa’s White Tribe

The U.S. Deputy Secretary of State recently welcomed the first group of Afrikaner refugees into the United States.

Who Are the Afrikaners?
Afrikaners are a white ethnic group native to South Africa, often referred to as “Africa’s White Tribe” due to their long-standing presence since the 17th century.

Origins
The community began in 1652 when Jan van Riebeeck, under the Dutch East India Company, established a supply post at the Cape of Good Hope. The settlers were mostly Dutch Protestants, later joined by French Huguenots fleeing persecution, as well as Germans and enslaved people from India, Indonesia, Madagascar, and East Africa.

Cultural Identity Formation
Afrikaner identity emerged from interactions among settlers, slaves, and indigenous Khoikhoi, characterized by patriarchal family structures, rigid social systems, and the development of Afrikaans.
Calvinist values, frontier life, and the independent spirit of the Trekboers—who ventured inland in the 18th century—shaped a militant and self-reliant culture, often at odds with indigenous communities.

3. Ayurveda Day – September 23rd

Starting in 2025, the Government of India will observe Ayurveda Day annually on September 23rd.

Why September 23rd?
This date marks the autumnal equinox, when day and night are nearly equal—a natural symbol of balance that aligns with Ayurveda’s philosophy of harmony between mind, body, and spirit.

What is Ayurveda?
Derived from ‘Ayu’ (life) and ‘Veda’ (knowledge), Ayurveda means “science of life.” It includes:

• Nara Ayurveda – Human health

• Satva Ayurveda – Animal care

• Vriksha Ayurveda – Plant health

Ayurveda emphasizes holistic well-being and spiritual growth, offering both preventive and curative approaches tailored to an individual’s constitution (prakriti) and dosha imbalances.

Practice & Regulation
Preventive care includes hygiene, lifestyle discipline, and seasonal regimens.
Curative therapies use herbal remedies, dietary guidance, external applications, and physical treatments.
The Indian Medical Council Act of 1971 formally recognizes Ayurveda alongside Unani and Siddha systems.

Core Concepts

• Tridosha theory: Vata (air/space), Pitta (fire/water), and Kapha (water/earth)

• Seven body tissues (dhatus): Rasa, Rakta, Mamsa, Meda, Asthi, Majja, Shukra

• Waste products (malas): Mala (feces), Mutra (urine), Sweda (sweat)

Health is seen as the balanced state of doshas, dhatus, and malas.

4. Active Galactic Nuclei (AGNs)

Astronomers from the Russian Academy of Sciences have discovered 11 new Active Galactic Nuclei (AGNs) using the Spektr-RG (SRG) space observatory’s all-sky X-ray survey.

What are AGNs?
AGNs are extremely energetic cores of galaxies that emit vast amounts of electromagnetic radiation, often outshining their host galaxies. These emissions typically result from matter accreting onto supermassive black holes or intense star formation.

The 11 newly found AGNs were identified through optical and X-ray analysis of the ARTSS1-5 catalog, using the ART-XC telescope. The team has also previously detected over 50 AGNs and several cataclysmic variable stars.

Key Characteristics

• Redshifts: 0.028 to 0.258 (cosmically nearby)

• X-ray Luminosity: 2 to 300 × 10³⁹ erg/s

Classification
All 11 are Seyfert galaxies:

• 7 Seyfert Type 1 – Broad optical emission lines

• 3 Seyfert Type 1.9 – Partially broadened lines

• 1 Seyfert Type 2 – Narrow emission lines

Seyfert galaxies appear normal in visible light but are intense infrared and X-ray emitters due to activity at their galactic centers.

5. Mearim River & the Pororoca Tidal Bore

A Brazilian surfer, famed for riding long tidal waves, is using the pororoca of the Mearim River to spotlight climate change and environmental damage.

About the Mearim River
Located in Maranhão state, northern Brazil, the Mearim River spans ~800 km, flowing from the south into the São Marcos Bay. It shares its estuary with the Pindaré and Grajaú rivers and winds through rainforests and mangroves. The river’s upper and middle reaches are rapid-filled, but the lower course is navigable.

It forms the southern edge of the Tocantins–Araguaia–Maranhão moist forests, a vital biodiversity zone.

The Pororoca Phenomenon
The pororoca is a powerful tidal bore—an ocean tide that surges upstream into the river.
Derived from the Tupi word for “great roar,” it describes the thunderous sound produced by this collision of tidal and river waters. Pororocas typically occur during spring tides and supermoons and can travel inland for up to 30 minutes after high tide.

Wave height is often greater near the riverbanks. The Mearim’s pororoca remains one of Brazil’s strongest, attracting surfers and scientists alike.

6. Centralised Information Management System (CIMS)
The Reserve Bank of India (RBI) has mandated that all regulated entities (REs) report details of their digital lending apps (DLAs) through its Centralised Information Management System (CIMS) portal.

What is CIMS?
CIMS is a data management system launched by the RBI to handle large-scale data aggregation, analysis, and dissemination across multiple sectors—financial, fiscal, corporate, and real. It employs advanced technologies for big data handling, enabling activities like data mining, visual analytics, and statistical evaluation.

Key Benefits:

• Streamlines regulatory reporting for REs via a cloud-based platform.

• Enhances the accuracy, speed, and quality of regulatory submissions.

• Strengthens RBI’s ability to monitor the financial ecosystem and respond promptly to risks.

• Improves communication and data exchange between RBI and regulated entities.

7. SAMRIDH Scheme
Two individuals, including a chartered accountant, were arrested for defrauding the Ministry of Electronics and IT (MeitY) of over ₹3 crore under the SAMRIDH scheme for startups.

What is SAMRIDH?
The Startup Accelerator for Product Innovation, Development, and Growth (SAMRIDH) is an initiative under the 2019 National Policy on Software Products. Run by MeitY and implemented through the MeitY Startup Hub (MSH) and Digital India Corporation (DIC), it supports accelerators to help scale IT-based startups.

Objectives:

• Provide startups with access to customers, investors, and global markets.

• Offer funding of up to ₹40 lakh per startup through matched investments from accelerators.

Support Services Include:

• Market research and product positioning diagnostics

• Tech-based mentoring

• Legal assistance (IP, incorporation, etc.)

• Networking and collaborative learning

• Investment facilitation and Demo Day with VCs and angel investors

8. Mera Yuva Bharat (MY Bharat)
MY Bharat is enrolling civil defence volunteers as part of efforts to strengthen youth participation in disaster management.

About MY Bharat:
An autonomous body under the Ministry of Youth Affairs and Sports, MY Bharat aims to promote youth development through a technology-driven platform that supports youth-led initiatives. It targets youth aged 15–29 years, and 10–19 years for adolescent-focused programmes.

MY Bharat Portal:
A phygital platform (physical + digital), the portal offers volunteering opportunities, training, and event participation. It enables youth to contribute actively to nation-building instead of being passive beneficiaries.

Key Features:

• Nationwide access to development initiatives

• Collaborative events with government bodies like police and ULBs

• Skill-building and networking opportunities

9. Chambal River – Key Highlights
Illegal sand mining in the Chambal region poses a severe environmental threat across Madhya Pradesh, Rajasthan, and Uttar Pradesh.

About the Chambal River:

• Ancient Name: Charmanvati

• Tributary of the Yamuna River, part of the Gangetic basin

• Originates in the Vindhya Range near Mhow, Madhya Pradesh

• Length: 960 km, flowing through Madhya Pradesh, Rajasthan, and Uttar Pradesh

• One of India's cleanest rivers

Geography and Tributaries:

• Left-bank: Banas, Mej

• Right-bank: Parbati, Kali Sindh, Shipra

• Drains the Malwa Plateau and parts of the Aravalli and Vindhyan regions

Major Dams:
Gandhi Sagar, Rana Pratap Sagar, and Jawahar Sagar

Notable Site:
Pachnada, where it merges with the Yamuna, Kwari, Sind, and Pahuj rivers

Conservation Efforts:
National Chambal Sanctuary (est. 1979) protects gharials, river dolphins, and crocodiles.

10. Treasury Bills (T-Bills)
India recently renewed a $50 million T-Bill with the Maldives via the State Bank of India to extend financial support.

What Are T-Bills?
Treasury Bills are short-term, zero-coupon debt instruments issued by the Indian government through the RBI to meet short-term financial needs.

Key Features:

• Tenures: 91, 182, and 364 days

• Issued at a discount and redeemed at face value (no interest paid)

• Minimum investment: ₹25,000 (or multiples)

• Issued via auction on RBI’s E-Kuber platform

Buyers:
Open to banks, financial institutions, corporations, mutual funds, state governments, and individual investors in both primary and secondary markets.

Purpose:
Used by the RBI for managing liquidity under its Open Market Operations (OMO) and by the government for temporary funding needs.