United Kingdom (UK) handed over the sovereignty of the Chagos Archipelago to Mauritius.

About Chagos Archipelago (British Indian Ocean Territory)

• Location: Central Indian Ocean, ~1,600 km south of the southern tip of the Indian subcontinent.
• Comprises: Seven Atolls with Diego Garcia being the largest.
• History: Britain purchased it for three million pounds in 1965 however, Mauritius claims it was forced into the deal for its independence.
• Biodiversity: Great Chagos Bank supports good quality reefs. 
• Strategic: USA’ military base on Diego Garcia.
  • UK to pay Mauritius $136 million annually to lease back the base for at least 99 years.

NATO Parliamentary Assembly arrived in Dayton (Ohio, USA) where Dayton Peace Agreement was reached at.  

About Dayton Peace Agreement (DPA)

• Signed: 1995 in Paris (Peace agreement was earlier reached at Wright-Patterson Air Force Base near Dayton). 
• Significance: Also known as General Framework Agreement for Peace in Bosnia and Herzegovina, it had put an end to the three and half year-long Bosnian War, in the former Socialist Federative Republic of Yugoslavia. 
  • Current Constitution of Bosnia and Herzegovina is the Annex 4 of the DPA.

The Supreme Court has directed the Centre to constitute the National Road Safety Board within 6 months.

About National Road Safety Board

• Legal Framework: Section 215B of the Motor Vehicles Act, 1988.
  • Section 215B deals with the constitution of a National Road Safety Board by the Central Government consisting of a Chairman, and representatives from state governments along with other members.  
• Role: To advise the Central and State Governments on all aspects pertaining to road safety and traffic management including, standards for road safety and road infrastructure, road design, etc.

Recently, Prime Minister inaugurated 103 redeveloped railway stations under the Amrit Bharat Station Scheme.

About Amrit Bharat station scheme

• Origin: Traced to 2021, when Gandhinagar became the first Railway station to undergo modernization. 
• Aim: Enhance and Modernize railway stations with the ultimate goal to transform them into vibrant city centres
• 1275 stations are currently targeted. 
• Ministry: Ministry of Railways 
• Features: 
  • Detailed plans for each station to make them cleaner, more comfortable, and easier to use. 
  • Designs of redeveloped station buildings is inspired by local culture, heritage and architecture. For e.g. Modhera Sun Temple for Ahmedabad Station. 

Net FDI into India dropped by over 96% in 2024–25 compared to the previous year. 

• Fall was due to more money being taken out by foreign companies and increased overseas investments by Indian firms.

About Foreign Direct Investment (FDI)

• Definition: An “FDI” refers to an investment through equity instruments by a resident outside India, in 
  • an unlisted Indian company, or 
  • in 10% or more of the post-issue paid-up equity capital, on a fully diluted basis of a listed Indian company.
• Nodal Department: Department for Promotion of Industry and Internal Trade (DPIIT)
• Significance:
  • Source of non-debt finance for the economic development of India. 
  • FDI brings in capital, technology, and exposure to global managerial practices, which helps in creating jobs and boost sectors.

President conferred Kirti Chakras and Shaurya Chakras to the personnel of the 

• Armed Forces, 
• Central Armed Police Forces and 
• State/Union Territory Police.

About Gallantry Awards

• wartime awards: Param Vir Chakra, Maha Vir Chakra, and Vir Chakra which were established in 1950.
• Peacetime awards: Established in 1952, Ashoka Chakra Class-I, Class-II, and Class-III, but renamed as Ashoka Chakra, Kirti Chakra, and Shaurya Chakra (respectively) in 1967. 
• Announcement is made Twice a year:  On Republic Day and Independence Day. 
• Order of Precedence: Param Vir Chakra, Ashok Chakra, Maha Vir Chakra, Kirti Chakra, Vir Chakra and Shaurya Chakra.
• They could be awarded posthumously also.

Scientists studied the structure of liquid carbon for the first time using in situ X-Ray Diffraction.

About Liquid carbon

• So far, only very little was known about carbon in its liquid form because in this state it was practically impossible to study in the lab. 
  • Under normal pressure, carbon does not melt but immediately changes into a gaseous state.
  • It only becomes liquid at around 4,500°C and under very high-pressure conditions in which no container can survive.
• It can be found, for example, in the interior of planets.
• It can play an essential role in future technologies like nuclear fusion 

Ministry of Environment, Forest and Climate Change has granted in-principal forest clearance for an iron ore beneficiation plant in Maharashtra’s Gadchiroli district. 

About Iron Ore Deposits in India 

• India has Asia’s largest iron ore reserves. 
• Iron ores in India are mainly haematite and magnetite, which are of high quality. 
• Most reserves are found near coal fields in the northeastern plateau. 
• 95% of the total reserves of iron ore is located in Odisha, Jharkhand, Chhattisgarh, Karnataka, Goa, Telangana, Andhra Pradesh and Tamil Nadu. 

Mallakhamb is being showcased as a demonstration (non-medal) sport at the first-ever Khelo India Beach Games in Diu.

About Mallakhamb Martial Art

• Meaning: "Malla" means wrestler and "khamb" means pole, thus Mallakhamb means "wrestling on a pole."
• Historical Roots: Mentioned in the Ramayana, ancient pottery from Chandraketugarh (2nd–1st century BCE), and Chinese Buddhist travel accounts.
  • First direct literary reference in Manasollasa (12th century) penned by Chalukya king Someshvara III.
• Modern Presence: Traditionally practised in akhadas, especially in Madhya Pradesh and Maharashtra.
• Recognition: Mallakhamb Federation of India was established in 1980.
  • Gained international attention at the 1936 Berlin Olympics as a demonstration sport.
  • First Mallakhamb World Championship held in Mumbai in 2019.