Current Affairs 10 January 2026

India Becomes First to Produce Bio-Bitumen.

• India is the first nation to commercially use bio-bitumen, a green binder replacing crude-oil bitumen in road construction.
• Announced by Nitin Gadkari at CSIR’s Tech Transfer meet, it cuts pollution from crop-residue burning.
• Supports Viksit Bharat 2047, Waste-to-Wealth and Atma Nirbhar Bharat goals.
• Bitumen is a black, viscous mixture of hydrocarbons produced by fractionation of crude oil.

ISRO’s DEX confirms frequent cosmic dust hits on Earth.

• ISRO developed Dust EXperiment (DEX), India’s first cosmic dust detector.
• DEX confirms a cosmic dust particle hits Earth’s atmosphere every ~1,000 seconds (16 minutes).
• 3 kg instrument, launched onboard XPoSat mission.
• Detects Interplanetary Dust Particles (IDPs) from comets and asteroids.
• IDPs form the atmospheric meteor layer and appear as shooting stars.

Centre Allocates Rs 37,952 Cr Fertiliser Subsidy for Rabi Season.

• The Centre will spend ~Rs 37,952 crore on fertiliser subsidy for the Rabi 2025-26 season under Nutrient-Based Subsidy scheme about Rs 736 cr. more than the Kharif requirement.
• Subsidy covers phosphatic & potassic fertilisers like DAP & NPKS to keep prices affordable for farmers.
• The NBS scheme has boosted domestic fertiliser output & supports balanced soil nutrition, transparency & supply.

Gujarat CM Launches "Asha Van" for Cancer Care.

• Gujarat CM Bhupendra Patel inaugurated the Asha Van mobile unit in Gandhinagar for early cancer screening and diagnosis.
• Equipped with EVA-Pro diagnostics, mammography, and teleconsultation, it can screen for 10 cancers, including lung, breast, and cervical.
• The van was handed to the Indian Red Cross Society to support rural healthcare under PM Modi’s Health for All vision.

Iran Enforces Nationwide Internet Blackout Amid Massive Protests.

• Iran imposed a near-total internet blackout as anti-government protests entered their 13th day across all 31 provinces.
• The protests were primarily triggered by prolonged economic devastation, currency crashes, and the erosion of middle-class savings.
• At least 45 protesters were killed and over 2,200 arrested since Dec 28, amid crackdowns, airspace limits, and airport shutdowns.