Current Affairs 07 January 2026

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First 3D Imaging of Popocatepetl Volcano’s Interior

Scientists have produced the first-ever three-dimensional (3D) image of the interior of Popocatépetl, one of the world’s most active and dangerous volcanoes, located in Mexico. Popocatepetl affects nearly 25 million people living within a 100-km radius.

• Popocatepetl volcano formed over 20,000 years ago.
• It has been continuously active since 1994.
• The most recent volcanic eruption was recorded in 2023.

Gangasagar Setu Foundation Stone Laid in West Bengal

West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee laid the foundation stone for the Gangasagar Setu, a major infrastructure project aimed at improving connectivity to Sagar Island.

Key facts

• Project cost: ₹1,670 crore.
• Length: About 5 km.
• River crossed: Muriganga River.
• Gangasagar setu connects Sagar Island with the mainland of West Bengal.
• Sagar Island hosts the Gangasagar Mela, one of the largest religious gatherings in India.

Remote Sensing Technology

Advances in remote-sensing technology are enabling scientists to map plants, forests, water bodies, minerals, oil, and groundwater from space with high accuracy, without physically accessing the ground.

What is remote sensing?

• Remote sensing is the technique of collecting information about the Earth’s surface using satellites and drones by analysing reflected or emitted electromagnetic radiation.
• Different materials reflect and absorb light differently, producing unique spectral signatures that act like fingerprints.

Key applications

1. Vegetation and forests

• Healthy plants absorb red light and reflect near-infrared (NIR) light due to chlorophyll.
• Scientists use NDVI (Normalized Difference Vegetation Index) to assess plant health.
• Helps estimate forest biomass and carbon storage, crucial for climate change studies.

2. Water bodies and floods

• NDWI (Normalized Difference Water Index) and MNDWI help map water using optical data.
• Synthetic Aperture Radar (SAR) is used to detect water during cloud cover, cyclones, or night, as calm water appears dark in radar images.
• Used in flood mapping and disaster management.

3. Minerals and hydrocarbons

• Hyperspectral sensors split light into hundreds of narrow bands, allowing identification of specific minerals, rock types, alternation zones.
• Oil and gas exploration uses, vegetation stress due to micro-seepage, geological structures like anticlines and gravity and magnetic field data to infer sedimentary basins.

4. Groundwater monitoring

• NASA’s GRACE mission measured changes in Earth’s gravity to estimate groundwater storage.
• A 2009 study revealed rapid groundwater depletion in North India.

U.S. Remarks on Greenland Spark Sovereignty Debate with Denmark

Greenland’s leadership and European allies strongly rejected renewed remarks by U.S. President Donald Trump suggesting that the United States needs to acquire Greenland for defence purposes.

Background

• Greenland is an autonomous territory within the Kingdom of Denmark.
• It is strategically important due to its Arctic location, proximity to North America, and relevance for defence, shipping routes, and natural resources.
• The issue highlights sensitivities around sovereignty, self-determination, and Arctic geopolitics.
• Denmark is one of the Nordic countries. Denmark, Norway, Sweden, Finland and Iceland are collectively called as Nordic Countries.
• Denmark is also part of Scandinavian countries. Denmark, Norway and Sweden are Scandinavian countries.

Blowout at ONGC Gas Well in Andhra Pradesh

A natural gas blowout occurred at an ONGC-owned gas well (Mori-5) in Irusumanda village, Malkipuram Mandal, located in Dr. B. R. Ambedkar Konaseema district, Andhra Pradesh. This incident happened during a production enhance operational maintenance.

“Khutbat-e-Modi: Lal Qila Ki Faseel Se” Book Released

Union Minister for Education Shri Dharmendra Pradhan released the book “Khutbat-e-Modi: Lal Qila Ki Faseel Se” in New Delhi. It is a compilation of Independence Day addresses from 2014 to 2025 delivered by Prime Minister Narendra Modi from the Red Fort. The book is published in Urdu.

Three-Year PPP Project Pipeline

In line with the Union Budget 2025–26 announcement, the Department of Economic Affairs (DEA) under the Ministry of Finance has created a three-year Public Private Partnership (PPP) project pipeline. The total projects are 852 and the total project cost (TPC) is around ₹17 lakh crore.

Andhra Pradesh performance

• Total Number of projects: 270.
• Total Project Cost: ₹1,15,578.81 crore.
• Andhra Pradesh stood at top in India in terms of number of PPP projects and highest allocation.

Contact Binary Stars

Aryabhatta Research Institute of Observational Sciences (ARIES) astronomers have studied W Ursae Majoris–type (W UMa) contact binary stars, providing new insights into binary star evolution, mass transfer, and magnetic activity.

What are contact binary stars?

Short-period contact binary stars where two stars orbit extremely close to each other. They share a common outer atmosphere, giving them a dumbbell-like shape. These stars act as natural laboratories to study stellar masses, radii, temperatures and evolution of binary star systems.

Disclaimer: This article is prepared for competitive exam preparation using publicly available information.