The World Economic Forum (WEF) recently released Energy Transition Index (ETI), 2025.

Key Findings 

• Sweden ranked first followed by Finland, Denmark and Norway
• India’s rank dropped from rank 63 in 2024 to rank 71 in 2025.

About ETI

• It ranks countries on their progress towards energy transition from fossil fuels to clean energy.
• It takes into account two main aspects to put together the Index:
  • System Performance (energy security, equity & sustainability)
  • Transition Readiness (regulation, infrastructure, investment etc.)
• The Index uses 43 indicators under these broad categories using data from multiple sources and scores countries on a scale of 0 to 100.

United Nations Secretary-General released Annual report on Children in Armed Conflict.

Key Findings of the Report

• 25% surge in grave violations against children under the age of 18.
  • 41,370 grave violations against children in 2024.
• Highest number of children affected in Israel and the Occupied Palestinian Territory, the Democratic Republic of the Congo, Somalia, Nigeria and Haiti.
• Most prevalent violations in 2024: Killing and maiming, denial of humanitarian access, recruitment and use.
• Perpetrators: Non-State armed groups (50% of grave violations) and government forces (killing, attack on schools etc.)

Researchers have uncovered a mysterious star named A980 that belongs to a rare class called Extreme Helium (EHe) stars.

• For the first time researchers also detected germanium in A980 which never before observed in this type of star.

About Extreme Helium (EHe) Stars

• It is a low-mass supergiant that is almost devoid of hydrogen, the most common chemical element of the universe. 
• Their atmospheres are dominated by helium, with high amounts of carbon, nitrogen, and oxygen.
• The exact origin and evolution of EHe stars are still debated.

Union Government announced ₹ 10 crore prize for drug development to treat Sickle cell disease on World Sickle Cell Day.

About Sickle Cell Disease

• It is a group of inherited red blood cell disorders where abnormal hemoglobin causes Red Blood Cells (RBCs) to become rigid and crescent-shaped, resembling a sickle. 
• The sickle cells die early, which causes a constant shortage of RBCs.
• Causes: It is a genetic condition that is present at birth. It is inherited when a child receives two genes—one from each parent—that code for abnormal hemoglobin.
• There is only a single drug available as on date for the management of Sickle Cell Disease.

Indian Council of Medical Research (ICMR) has launched its first high performance computing facility named NAKSHATRA at National Institute of Virology (NIV) Pune.

About Nakshatra

• Developed under PM Ayushman Bharat Health Infrastructure Mission (PM ABHIM)
• It is a state-of-the-art computing cluster that enables enhanced storage and optimises the pipeline for genomic research.
• Aims to improve early detection of disease threats, faster outbreak response, and support AI-driven vaccine and drug development.

An Oarfish, also known as the "doomsday fish", was recently caught off the Tamil Nadu coast by fishermen.

About Doomsday fish

• It is strikingly large, odd-looking fish known for its distinctively long, ribbon-shaped body that enables the species to float inconspicuously throughout the water column. 
• It is referred to as the doomsday fish because its appearance near the surface is thought to be a warning of impending natural disasters. (Japanese belief)
• Oarfish can grow to more than 30 feet.
• They are filter feeders and primarily eat krill, plankton and other small crustaceans. 
  • Filter feeder is an animal (such as a clam or baleen whale) that obtains its food by filtering organic matter or minute organisms from a current of water that passes through some part of its system.
• They are deep-sea dwellers, thriving most often in the zone least explored by scientists to date.

Rajkot turned Nakrawadi, a decades-old dumpsite, burdened with 16 lakh tonnes of legacy waste, into a 20-acre green urban forest.

• It was developed as part of Swachh Bharat Mission's "Lakshya Zero Dumpsite" initiative aiming to remediate legacy waste dumpsites and achieve "Garbage Free Cities".

About Rajkot Model

• The model involved Planting 2.35 lakh native and fast-growing trees using Miyawaki technique.
  • Miyawaki technique, developed by Japanese botanist Akira Miyawaki in the 1970s involves creating dense forests quickly using native trees.
• It also included waste-to-energy techniques, used secondary treated water for irrigation etc.
• It demonstrates a circular economy approach by transforming a degraded dumpsite into a thriving eco-friendly urban space.

NASA’s Axiom Mission-4 got delayed again owing to problems in the SpaceX Dragon spacecraft. 

About Axiom Mission-4

• It is the fourth private astronaut mission to the International Space Station (ISS), for up to 14 days docked to the ISS.
  • It will launch to the orbiting laboratory on a Dragon spacecraft aboard a SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket. 
• It is jointly co-ordinated by NASA, and private US companies SpaceX and Axiom Space.
  • Axiom-1 was the first all-private mission, launched in 2022.
• This mission will realize return to human spaceflight for India, Poland, and Hungary.
  • It will be the first time all three nations will execute a mission on board the ISS.

NIXI commemorates 20 years since its establishment.

About NIXI

• It is a not-for-profit organization registered under Section 8 of the Companies Act, 2013, established in 2003.
• It was set up to enable peering among ISPs within India, allowing domestic internet traffic to remain within the country.
• In 2004, NIXI was delegated the responsibility to manage India’s .IN Country Code Top-Level Domain (ccTLD) through the INRegistry.
• NIXI operates on a neutral and non-discriminatory basis, in accordance with global best practices.