News in Shorts: 03 May 2025

Operation Hawk-2025

Context: The Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) has launched Operation Hawk-2025, a major crackdown on cybercrime networks involved in online child sexual exploitation with international linkages. 

• The action was based on intelligence inputs received from the United States.

Significance of the Operation

• Reflects India’s global cooperation on cybercrime, especially with U.S. agencies.
• Demonstrates CBI’s growing capabilities in tackling online child sexual exploitation (OCSE).
• Shows the use of social media platforms (Discord) as a tool for cross-border cybercrimes.
• Emphasizes the role of intimidation and coercion in online exploitation cases.

SHRESHTA Scheme

Context: The Directorate of Education (DoE) has asked all Delhi schools to promote the SHRESHTA scheme among eligible Scheduled Caste (SC) students.

About the SHRESHTA Scheme

• SHRESHTA  refers to Scheme for Residential Education for Students in High Schools in Targeted Areas
• Launched by : The Ministry of Social Justice & Empowerment in 2022-23.
• Objective: Aims to provide quality education in private residential schools to promising SC students from disadvantaged backgrounds.
  • Only SC students with parental income up to ₹2.5 lakh are eligible.
• The scheme involves grant-in-aid institutions (run by NGOs) and private residential high schools that provide high-quality education.

Places in News – Bagram

Context: US President Donald Trump claimed that China now occupies Bagram Airfield, which US forces vacated in July 2021.

About Bagram

•  Bagram Airfield, the largest air base in Afghanistan, lies  60 km to the north of Kabul, in the strategic Parwan province.
• Located at:  It is located at the meeting point of Ghorband and Panjshir Valleys near Charika
• Built by:  The Soviets built it  in the 1950s during the Cold War to enhance their influence in Afghanistan.
  • It became a major Soviet base during the Soviet-Afghan War (1979-1989).
• Used for:  Deploying troops and launching air missions using Sukhoi Su-25 aircraft against mujahideen fighters.

Other important points 

• Major River : Panjshir River flows near Bagram, providing water resources to the region.
• Mountain Peak : Hindu Kush Mountain Range is located near Bagram.
• Lakes: There are no major lakes directly in Bagram.
  • Nearby water bodies include Qargha Lake and Band-e-Amir Lakes, located further away in Afghanistan.

ITER – Tokamak Reactor

Context: Recently, the world’s largest nuclear fusion project completed its main magnet system with India as a key player. 

About International Thermonuclear Experimental Reactor 

• ITER is designed to generate 500 MW of fusion power using 50 MW of input heating power, achieving a tenfold energy gain (Q≥10). 
  • This means the reactor is designed to produce 10 times the energy it consumes for these short durations. 
• Objective: The system powers the core of ITER.
  • To demonstrate fusion energy as a safe and carbon-free power source.
• ITER will not produce electricity but serve as a research facility.
• Member Countries: More than 30 countries involved, including India, China, the US, Russia, Japan, South Korea, and the European Union.
• India’s Role in ITER: Key Infrastructure Built by India
• • India built the cryostat, a large cooling chamber that holds the Tokamak.

About Tokamak Reactor 

• A tokamak is a type of fusion reactor design.
• It uses powerful magnetic fields to confine and control the hot plasma in a doughnut-shaped (toroidal) chamber so that fusion reactions can take place.
• ITER Tokamak reactor: Situated in Saint-Paul-lès-Durance, southern France.
• Relationship Between ITER and Tokamak Reactors
  • ITER is built based on the tokamak design.
  • This means ITER is a tokamak reactor, but it represents just one implementation of this design concept.
  • There are several other tokamak reactors worldwide (like JET in the UK, EAST in China, and KSTAR in South Korea), each designed using similar principles.

Mt. Makalu

Context: The Indo-Tibetan Border Police (ITBP) has successfully scaled Mt. Makalu in Nepal.

• This is the first successful summit of Mt. Makalu by any Central Armed Police Force (CAPF).

About Mt. Makalu

• Height: Mt. Makalu is 8,485 metres tall, making it the fifth highest mountain in the world.
• Location: It is located in the Mahalangur range of the Himalayas, on the border between Nepal and the Tibet Autonomous Region of China. 
• First Ascent: First successfully climbed in 1955 by a French expedition led by Jean Franco.
• Environmental Significance: It is part of the Makalu-Barun National Park, a protected area known for its alpine ecosystem.

MICE Tourism

Context: The Ministry of Tourism is promoting India as a global MICE tourism (Meetings, Incentives, Conferences, and Exhibitions) destination.

About MICE Tourism

• MICE stands for Meetings, Incentives, Conferences, and Exhibitions. 
• It is a specialized niche of tourism where large groups are brought together for professional, educational, or promotional purposes.

India and MICE Tourism

• India is rapidly emerging as a global MICE destination, especially after successfully hosting events like the G-20 Summit.
• Major cities like Delhi, Mumbai, Hyderabad, Bengaluru, and Jaipur are becoming prominent MICE hubs.
• The Tourism Ministry has also formulated a National Strategy and Roadmap for the MICE Industry to promote the growth of the MICE industry in the country.