upsc gs pt pickups | pt pointers

After Pakistan’s deadline expired for undocumented foreigners, about 1.7 million people were forced to leave Pakistan across the Torkham border. The Torkham border crossing is a major border connecting Nangarhar province of Afghanistan with Pakistan's Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province.

Dholes

Dholes, also known as Asiatic wild dogs, are wild dogs native to Asia and genetically similar to African wild dogs. In India, they are found in 3 clusters (Western and Eastern Ghats, central Indian landscape and North East India). Conservation Status CITES – Appendix II IUCN - Endangered. A pair of elusive wild dogs, often referred to as Dholes, have made a rare appearance in Debrigarh Wildlife Sanctuary of Odisha recently.

Mouse embryos in Space

Japanese scientists have said that Mouse embryos were grown in space (International Space Station) for first time. The embryos cultured under microgravity conditions developed normally into blastocysts, cells that develop into the foetus and placenta and demonstrates that gravity had no significant effect. This is the world's first experiment that cultured early-stage mammalian embryos under complete microgravity of ISS.

Colombo Security Conclave (CSC)

It was formed as a trilateral maritime security grouping between India, Sri Lanka and Maldives operating in the Indian Ocean region. It focuses on Maritime security, Countering terrorism and Cybersecurity. In 2020, Mauritius was added as a member of the grouping, with Bangladesh and the Seychelles as observers. Bangladesh and Seychelles are observers and have been invited to join the group and are likely to join as full members.

Golden Globe Race

2 women navy officers trained to undertake the first women solo-circumnavigation as part of the Navy’s ‘Sagar Parikrama’. The Golden Globe Race (GGR) is a solo sailing race around the globe in a yacht. It started off on 2018, to celebrate the 50th anniversary of the Sunday Times Golden Globe Race when Sir Robin Knox-Johnston became the first person to make a non-stop solo circumnavigation trip. The GGR is modeled on the race that took place in 1968. This m