News in Shorts: 20 November 2025

Trade Intelligence and Analytics (TIA) Portal

Context: Union Commerce Minister Piyush Goyal launched the Trade Intelligence and Analytics (TIA) Portal to enhance transparency and data-driven decision-making in India’s trade ecosystem.

About the Trade Intelligence and Analytics (TIA) Portal

• The Trade Intelligence and Analytics Portal is a one-stop digital platform developed by the Department of Commerce to consolidate global and bilateral trade data for analytical use.
• Objective: The portal aims to strengthen evidence-based policymaking and empower stakeholders through accessible, integrated and automated trade intelligence tools.
• Key Features of the TIA Portal
• • Integrated Trade Databases: The portal consolidates multiple global and bilateral databases, including UN Comtrade, into a unified analytics system.
  • Extensive Visual Analytics: It offers over 270 interactive visualisations across more than 28 dashboards covering India-level, global and bilateral trade patterns.
  • Trade Watch Tower: It provides country and commodity-level intelligence and identifies champion products by mapping global demand with India’s supply capabilities.
  • Automated Workflows: Monthly Trade Reports, surge reports and data extraction processes are automated, reducing manual effort and ensuring real-time accessibility.
  • Specialised Dashboards: The portal includes dashboards for Production Linked Initiative (PLI) commodities, critical minerals, surge monitoring, and market diversification, with tariff analysis tools under development.
  • Advanced Trade Indices: Tools such as Trade Complementarity, Revealed Comparative Advantage and Trade Intensity Index support deeper competitiveness and market assessments.
  • Open-Source, Cost-Efficient Model: The platform operates on an open-source framework with minimal server costs, ensuring scalability and long-term sustainability.

Kodaikanal Solar Observatory (KSO)

Context: Using 100+ years of Kodaikanal Solar Observatory solar data, scientists have reconstructed the Sun’s past polar magnetic behaviour to improve future solar-cycle predictions.

Key Findings of KSO

• Century-long Magnetic Reconstruction: Historical Ca II K images enabled mapping of polar magnetic fields before direct measurements began in the 1970s.
  • Ca II K images are images of the Sun taken in the specific ultraviolet light of the Calcium II K-line at a wavelength of 393.4 nm.
  • These images show the Sun’s chromosphere, revealing magnetic structures like plages, network regions, and fibrils that are not visible in white-light images
• Polar Network Identified: Feature-recognition algorithms detected bright “polar network” structures that reliably indicate past polar field strength.
• Global Data Integration: KSO archives were combined with Rome-PSPT observations to generate a continuous, high-quality solar magnetic dataset.

About Solar Cycle

• The solar cycle refers to the periodic rise and fall in the Sun’s magnetic activity, reflected in variations in sunspots, solar flares, and coronal mass ejections.
  • Period: The solar cycle lasts about 11 years on average.
• A full magnetic cycle (polarity reversal and return to original) takes approximately 22 years.
• Phases of the Solar Cycle
  • Solar Minimum: Few sunspots, low solar activity.
  • Solar Maximum: Peak sunspot numbers, frequent flares and CMEs.
• Magnetic Field Reversal: Occurs around the maximum, when the Sun’s north and south magnetic poles flip.
• Key Features
  • Driven by the Sun’s magnetic dynamo mechanism.
  • Tracked using sunspot counts and solar irradiance variations.
  • Influences solar wind, radiation levels, and interplanetary magnetic field.

Significance of Findings on Solar Magnetic data

• Better Solar Cycle Forecasting: Strengthens predictions for Solar Cycle 25 and future cycles.
• Enhanced Space-Weather Alerts: Supports early warning of solar storms affecting satellites and power systems.
• Open Scientific Access: Public release of PNI data advances global heliophysics research.

About Kodaikanal Solar Observatory (KSO)

• Kodaikanal Solar Observatory (KSO), established on 1 April 1899  is a premier solar observatory operated by the Indian Institute of Astrophysics (IIA) under the Department of Science & Technology.
• Location: Situated in the Palani Hills, Tamil Nadu, offering ideal atmospheric conditions for solar observations.
• Features
• • Extensive Archives: Over 200,000 glass plates and century-long Ca II K solar records.
  • Solar Telescopes: Includes H-alpha telescope, twin telescopes, and WARM telescope.
  • Scientific Instruments: Spectrograph, photoheliograph, full-disc spectroheliographs, and radio spectrograph.

enFnCas9

Context: India has advanced its gene-therapy capabilities through a major collaboration between CSIR-IGIB and the Serum Institute of India to scale the indigenous enFnCas9 platform.

About enFnCas9

• enFnCas9 is an engineered high-fidelity CRISPR-Cas9 genome-editing system designed for precise and efficient correction of genetic mutations.
• Developed By: CSIR–Institute of Genomics and Integrative Biology (CSIR-IGIB) as part of India’s indigenous CRISPR technology initiatives.
• Built on IGIB’s expertise, including earlier breakthroughs like FELUDA, India’s first CRISPR-based COVID-19 diagnostic.
• It is Suitable for both ex vivo (cell-based) and in vivo (direct delivery) gene therapy approaches.

About Clustered Regularly Interspaced Short Palindromic Repeats (CRISPR):

• CRISPR is a natural immune system found in bacteria that allows them to defend against viruses by cutting foreign DNA. 
• Scientists have adapted this system for gene editing, allowing precise changes to DNA in living organisms.
• Key Components
• • CRISPR sequences: Repeated DNA segments in bacteria that store viral signatures.
  • Cas proteins (like Cas9): Molecular “scissors” that cut DNA at targeted locations.
  • Guide RNA: Directs Cas9 to the exact DNA sequence that needs to be edited.

Significance of indigenous enFnCas9

• Advances Indigenous Gene Therapy: Demonstrates India’s capability in developing high-precision, home-grown CRISPR technologies like enFnCas9, reducing dependence on foreign platforms.
• Addresses High-Burden Diseases: Enables affordable gene-editing therapies for conditions such as sickle cell disease, especially among vulnerable tribal populations.
• Boosts Biomanufacturing Capacity: Leverages Serum Institute’s global-scale production to translate laboratory innovations into mass-deployable therapies.
• Strengthens Genomic Sovereignty: Helps India secure strategic leadership in genomics, precision medicine, and future biotech innovation.
• Promotes Equitable Healthcare: Ensures cutting-edge treatments become accessible, affordable, and community-focused, aligning with national health priorities.
• Enhances Global Scientific Standing: Positions India as a frontline contributor in CRISPR research and next-generation genetic medicine.

20th G20 Summit 2025

Context: Prime Minister Narendra Modi to participate in the 20th G20 Leaders’ Summit hosted by South Africa.

About G20 Summit 2025

• The 20th G20 Summit marks the fourth consecutive meeting hosted in the Global South, reflecting growing southern leadership in global governance.
• 2025 Motto: ‘solidarity, equality and sustainability’
• Venue: Johannesburg, South Africa.
  • It is the first G20 summit to be held in Africa.
• Secretariat: The Group does not have a permanent secretariat.
• Present Troika:  Brazil (2024), South Africa(2025) and the United States of America (2026).
• Key Focus Areas of 2025 G20  Summit
  • Inclusive & Sustainable Growth: Trade facilitation, development financing, and addressing global debt vulnerabilities.
  • Global Resilience: Disaster risk reduction, climate change action, just energy transitions, and strengthening global food systems.
  • A Fair Future: Cooperation on critical minerals, improving labour standards, and governing emerging technologies like artificial intelligence.

About the G20

• The G20 is the premier global forum for international economic cooperation involving major economies and regional blocs.
• Origin: Established in 1999, it initially served as a platform for finance ministers and central bank governors, later expanding to leaders’ summits from 2008 onwards.
• Members
• • 19 countries: Argentina, Australia, Brazil, Canada, China, France, Germany, India, Indonesia, Italy, Japan, Mexico, Russia, Saudi Arabia, South Africa, South Korea, Turkey, UK, and USA.
  • 2 regional bodies: European Union and African Union.
• Finance Track and the Sherpa Track: Finance Ministers and Central Bank Governors lead the Finance Track while Sherpas lead the Sherpa Track after Finance Track.

Significance

• The G20 represents 90% of global GDP, 80% of world trade, two-thirds of global population, and half of the world’s land area, making it central to shaping global economic and developmental agendas.

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