World's largest coral found (as big as two basketball courts and at least 300 years old) near the Pacific's Solomon Islands. 

• Corals are animals from the phylum Cnidaria, typically found along tropical coastlines. 
• They comprise hundreds to thousands of living organisms called polyps. 

About Solomon Islands

• Location: Scattered archipelago of mountainous islands and low-lying coral atolls, the Solomon Islands stretche in the south-easterly
•  direction from the Shortlands Islands to the Santa Cruz islands. 
• Climate: The climate is tropical, though temperatures are rarely extreme due to cooling winds blowing off the surrounding seas
• Economy: Fisheries & timber and exports copra and palm oil are main source of income. 

Study led by IIT-KGP revealed tropical rainforests could survive global warming. 

• The study included confirming PETM age of Gujarat’s Vastan coal layers. 

About PETM period.

• Timelines: PETM was an interval of global warming that occurred 56 million years ago (Ma). 
• Characteristic: 4–5 °C global mean surface temperature increase. 
  • PETM is considered to have the highest carbon release rates for the past 66 million years.
• Triggers for warming: Volcanism associated with the North Atlantic Igneous Province, dissociation of methane hydrates, variations in Earth’s orbit that controlled massive carbon release from permafrost meltingor oceanic methane hydrates and an extraterrestrial impact. 

First Bodoland Mahotsav was inaugurated in New Delhi to celebrate Bodo language, literature, and culture.

About Bodo Tribe

• Inhabiting areas: The Bodos are one of Assam's largest indigenous communities concentrated in Assam’s Bodoland Territorial Region (BTR) covering Kokrajhar, Baksa, Udalguri, and Chirang districts.
  • BTR is governed by Bodoland Territorial Council established under the Sixth Schedule of the constitution.  
  • They also live in Bangladesh, Nepal and other states of North-East India. 
• Bodo language: It is part of the Tibeto-Burman language sub-family and is also in 8th schedule Constitution. 
• Bodo Peace Accord (2020): Signed between the Centre, state government of Assam and Bodo Groups.

DRDO completed Flight Tests of the indigenously developed Guided Pinaka Weapon System. 

• It was developed by the Armament Research and Development Establishment (in Pune) of DRDO in collaboration with private players including Tata Advanced Systems Limited and Larsen & Toubro.

About Pinaka Weapon System

• Pinaka is a Multi-Barrel Rocket Launcher (MBRL) system.
• Precision strikes: It can launch a salvo of 12 rockets within 44 seconds covering an area of 700x500 meters. 
• Range: 38Km (Pinaka I), 60 Km (Pinaka II), 75 Km (Pinaka III, the latest version)
• Export Potential: Already bought by Armenia and under consideration by the French military.

Ministry of Environment, Forest and Climate Change (MoEF&CC) removed the dual compliance of Environmental Clearance (EC) and Consent to Establish (CTE) for setting up of new industries.

• Now, non-polluting white category industries will not be required to take CTE or Consent to Operate (CTO) at all.
• Also, industries who have already taken EC will not be required to take CTE.

About Consent to Establish (CTE)

• CTE is required under the Water (Prevention and Control of Pollution) Act, 1974 and Air (Prevention and Control of Pollution) Act, 1981.
• A CTE from the State Pollution Control Board is required to industries that discharge effluents or emit pollutants into the environment.

Bureau of Indian Standards (BIS) began the fourth phase of mandatory hallmarking under the Hallmarking of Gold Jewellery and Gold Artefacts Amendment Order, 2024.

• Hallmarking Order mandates all gold jewellery to be hallmarked.
• Now, 361 districts have been covered under mandatory hallmarking.

About Hallmark

• Hallmarking is the accurate determination and official recording of the proportionate content of precious metal in precious metal articles.
• It acts as a guarantee of purity or fineness of precious metal articles. 
• At present, two precious metals namely gold and silver have brought under the purview of hallmarking in India. 

Australia is introducing a new scheme - Mobility Arrangement for Talented Early-professionals Scheme (MATES).

• It is a visa stream that allows Indian graduates and early career professionals to live and work in Australia for up to 2 years. 
• Eligible fields of study: renewable energy, mining, engineering, information and communication technology, artificial intelligence, financial technology and agricultural technology. ​
• MATES is the centrepiece mobility offer in the Australia-India Migration and Mobility Partnership Arrangement.

Ministry of Defence launched the AI-enabled e-Tarang System.

About AI-enabled e-Tarang System

• It is a unique software, developed by Integrated Defence Staff in collaboration with Bhaskaracharya National Institute for Space Applications and Geo-informatics (BISAG-N).
• Key Features:
  • It will enable automated, efficient planning and management of Defence Spectrum.
  • By streamlining the spectrum management process, it ensures interference-free operation of equipment in both peacetime and wartime.
  • It will support development of newer technologies in higher frequency bands.