Virtual Digital Assets

Recently, all virtual digital assets (VDAs) was brought under the ambit of the Prevention of Money Laundering Act, 2002 (PMLA).

• Virtual Digital assets means any information, code, number or token generated through cryptographic means or otherwise.
• They provide a digital representation of value exchanged with or without consideration with the promise or representation of having inherent value.
• It functions as a store of value or a unit of account including its use in any financial transaction or investment.
• It can be transferred, stored or traded electronically.
• Non-fungible tokens and any other token of similar nature are also included.
• In Budget 2022-23, a 30% tax on income from virtual digital assets was announced.

Prevention of Money Laundering Act (PMLA) with respect to Virtual Digital Assets

• Aim - Curbing the process of converting illegally earned money into legal cash.
• The Act empowered the Enforcement Directorate (ED) to control money laundering, confiscate property, and punish offenders.
• ED has discretionary powers to search and seize suspected property without any judicial permission.

Fluorescence microscopy

• A Fluorescence microscope views an object by studying how it reemits light that it has absorbed.
• A fluorescence microscope uses a much higher intensity light source which excites a fluorescent species in a sample of interest.
• This fluorescent species in turn emits a lower energy light of a longer wavelength that produces the magnified image instead of the original light source.
• It is also used to visually enhance 3-D features at small scales.

Optical Microscope - views an object by how it absorbs, reflects or scatters visible light.

Applications

• Imaging structural components of small specimens, such as cells.
• Conducting viability studies on cell populations.
• Imaging the genetic material within a cell (DNA and RNA)
• Viewing specific cells within a larger population with techniques such as FISH.

Artemis II

• Partnership – USA and Canada
• Aim - To test NASA's foundational human deep space exploration capabilities.
• Orion will serve as the exploration vehicle that will carry the crew to space, provide emergency abort capability.
• Mission’s first
  • The mission aims to land the first woman and first person of color (used to describe any person who is not white) on the Moon.
  • It will be the 1st crewed mission of the Artemis program.

Artemis – I

• It is the first in a series of missions that are planned to take humans back to the Moon.
• Artemis 1 is an unmanned lunar Orbiter mission with Orion Space Capsule.
• It also explores the possibilities of extended stay in the moon and to investigate the potential to use the Moon as a launch pad for deep space explorations.
• NASA’s previous moon landing missions were named after Apollo. Artemis is Apollo’s mythological twin sister.
• Artemis – III - NASA’s First Human Mission to the Lunar South Pole.

Least Developed Country (LDC)

Bhutan recently came out of the Least Developed Countries (LDC) list.

Criteria for LDC

• The UN identifies three criteria for a country to be classified as an LDC:

1. Human Assets- A country must perform poorly on index based on indicators including nutrition, health and education
2. Income - It must have a gross national income (GNI) per capita below the threshold of USD 1,230 over a three-year average.
3. Economic Vulnerability - The country must demonstrate economic vulnerability such as being prone to natural disasters and possessing structural economic constraints.

• Countries must meet a selection from all three criteria simultaneously and are reviewed on a three-year basis by the UN.
• Currently, the UN lists 46 countries that qualify as LDCs.
• Of those, 33 are from Africa, 9 from Asia, 3 from the Pacific and 1 from the Caribbean.

Parameters to get off of LDC

• Income - A nation must have a GNI per capita of at least USD 1,242 for two consecutive triennial reviews and it must be sustained over long term.
• Human Capital - A nation must show that it has improved its human capital in order to achieve the human assets requirement.
• This also includes expanding literacy rates, lowering malnutrition rates, and enhancing access to healthcare and education.
• Economic Vulnerability - It ensures to withstand external economic shocks like natural catastrophes or shifts in commodity prices due to economic vulnerability.

Humayun’s Tomb

• It is built in 1570, is of particular cultural significance as it was the first garden-tomb on the Indian subcontinent.
• It inspired several major architectural innovations, culminating in the construction of the Taj Mahal.
• It was built under the patronage of Humayun’s son, the great Emperor Akbar.
• It is also called the ‘dormitory of the Mughals’ as in the cells are buried over 150 Mughal family members.
• It is an example of the charbagh (a four quadrant garden with the four rivers of Quranic paradise represented), with pools joined by channels.
• Humayun’s tomb is the first garden-tomb on the Indian subcontinent.
• The architecture of the mausoleum is a mixture of Persian and Indian traditions.
• Nila Gumbad or Blue tome is a tomb located within the Humayun's tomb complex.