India and Kazakhstan signed an agreement to establish Indo-Kazakh Joint Venture Company- IREUK Titanium Limited for production of Ti Slag in India. 

About Titanium

• It is a hard, shiny, light and strong refractory metal.
• It is 9th most abundant element on Earth. It occurs naturally in chemical combinations, usually with oxygen and iron. 
• Ores of Titanium: Rutile (Ti02), ilmenite (FeTiO3).
• Properties: Low Density; High strength, Low thermal conductivity, Non-magnetic; offer low level of toxicity; Resists corrosion. 
• Uses: Ti alloys are used in aircraft, spacecraft, missiles, ships, etc., surgical applications like joint replacement, titanium (IV) oxide used in paints, sunscreens, toothpastes etc.

Researchers have discovered a specific protein IL-35 that protects against type 1 and autoimmune diabetes.

• In type 1 diabetes body doesn’t produce enough insulin while in type 2 diabetes, the body produces insulin, but it’s unable to use it effectively.
• Autoimmune diabetes has characteristics of both type 1 and type 2 diabetes.

About IL-35 Protein 

• Protects the immune system by lowering particular immune cells that produce inflammatory chemicals. 
• It regulates macrophage activation, T-cell proteins, and regulatory B cells.
  • Macrophages form from monocytes (type of White blood cells (WBC) ), which themselves derive from the bone marrow.
  • T cells and B cells are types of WBC called lymphocytes.

Ministry of Social Justice and Empowerment has inaugurated ‘TULIP’ brand - A Digital Platform for Craft and Community Empowerment.

About TULIP

• Its goal is to empower marginalized artisans (SCs, OBCs, sanitation workers, and persons with disabilities) by providing them with a platform for global exposure and sales of their products through e-marketing. 
• TULIP Digital Platform for e-commerce will provide a platform for economic self-reliance and global exposure to artisans via an e-marketplace.

Third edition of high-level virtual interaction MAHASAGAR was conducted by the Indian Navy.

About MAHASAGAR

• Launched by Indian Navy in 2023, it is a bi-annual initiative promoting cooperation and high-level interactions among Indian Ocean Region (IOR) countries. 
• It brings together naval leaders and maritime officials from Bangladesh, Comoros, Kenya, Madagascar, Maldives, Mauritius, Mozambique, Seychelles, Sri Lanka, and Tanzania.
• It aligns with India's SAGAR (Security and Growth for All in the Region) vision, launched in 2015 to strengthen economic and security ties with its maritime neighbors.

The world's first wooden satellite, developed by Japan, has been launched.

• The satellite will study how wood withstands space's extreme conditions. 

About LignoSat

• It is a small, palm-sized satellite made from honoki wood, a type of magnolia tree native to Japan.
• It also incorporates traditional aluminium structures and electronic components.

Significance:

• Wooden satellite is part of a plan to use renewable materials for space structures.
• Wood can better withstand space conditions than metal, as there’s no water or oxygen to cause decay.
• When decommissioned, wooden satellites burn up without releasing harmful pollutants, unlike metal ones. 

Indonesia’s Mount Lewotobi Laki-Laki volcano has erupted. 

About Mount Lewotobi Laki-Laki

• Located on Flores Island in East Nusa Tenggara province. 
• Volcano is part of twin-volcano system that local residents perceive as male and female mountains. Ongoing volcanic eruption has occurred at male counterpart of system (Lewotobi Lakilaki).
  • Twin volcanoes are in close proximity to each other and have similar shape and size.
• Two mountains are classified as stratovolcanoes  which are the most commonly occurring volcanoes around world. They are formed by layers of lava that repeatedly oozes out of crater.

Recently, Sea Foam concept was widely seen in news.

About Sea Foam

• Sea foam in ocean is created by organic material, wind, and waves, forming bubbles on beach. 
• It is made up of micelles, which are small spheres made of surfactants surrounding air. These surfactants are proteins and fats that came from decaying marine life, like plankton. 
  • Surfactants (surface active agents) are found in soaps and detergents, industrial processes etc.
• Algal blooms are one common source of thick sea foams.

International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) marks the 60th anniversary of the Red List.

About Red List

• Established in 1964, it is the world's most comprehensive information source on the global conservation status of animal, fungi and plant species. 
• Red List include nine categories: Not Evaluated, Data Deficient, Least Concern, Near Threatened, Vulnerable, Endangered, Critically Endangered, Extinct in the Wild and Extinct
  • Assessors place species into List, based on a series of assessment criteria.

About IUCN

• Created in 1948, the IUCN is a membership union of over 1,400 government and civil society organizations. 
• It works to develop best practices and approaches that enable effective conservation.