Supreme Court tightened safeguards for protecting GIB by revising conservation areas with respect to Green Energy Corridor (GEC) projects in Rajasthan and Gujarat.

About GIB 

• Habitat: Ground-dwelling bird of grasslands and semi-arid regions. 
• Distribution: Endemic to Indian Subcontinent, mainly Rajasthan and Gujarat, with small populations in Maharashtra, Karnataka, and Andhra Pradesh. 
• Characteristics: Feeds on grass seeds, insects like grasshoppers and beetles, and sometimes small rodents and reptiles.
• Threats: Habitat loss due to infrastructure development like electricity lines.
• Protection Status: 
  • IUCN: Critically Endangered
  • Wildlife (Protection)Act, 1972: Schedule I
  • CITES: Appendix I
  • One of the species for recovery programme under Integrated Development of Wildlife Habitats

India, Netherlands signed a MoU to collaborate on NMHC.

About NMHC

• Location: Lothal, Gujarat to showcase 4,500 years old maritime heritage of India. 
  • Lothal (or Mound of the Dead) is the site of the Indus Valley Civilisation where the earliest man-made dockyard was discovered. 
• Development: Under Projects category of Sagarmala programme under Ministry of Shipping, Ports, and Waterways. 
• Projects under NHMC Master Plan: National Maritime Museum; Monuments Theme Parks, State Pavilion, etc. 

GeM raised Rs 2,200 crore over last four years through disposal of assets such as scrap, e-waste, old vehicles, etc. 

About GeM

• Section 8 company setup under administrative control of Department of Commerce, Ministry of Commerce and Industry.
• Launched: 2016
• Function: Facilitates online procurement of common use Goods & Services required by various Government Departments/Organisations/PSUs.
• Significance: Enhance transparency, efficiency and speed in public procurement.

Recent surge in Dark Stores shows rising trends in India's Quick-commerce market. 

• Quick Commerce refers to rapid delivery of goods ordered online, usually between 10-30 minutes.

About Dark Stores

• They are stocked like standard retail stores but used only for storage and not open to public.
• They are a critical working infrastructure for Quick commerce firm.
• They offer automated order details using a dispatch software that swiftly redirects it to warehouse staff and delivery personnel offering quick and efficient delivery. 

FSSAI firmly rejected claims linking eggs to cancer risk. 

AboutFood Safety and Standards Authority of India (FSSAI) 

• Ministry: Ministry of Health and Family Welfare.
• Establishment: Under Food Safety and Standards Act, 2006.
• Mandate: Lays down science-based standards and regulate food manufacture, storage, distribution, sale and import ensuring safety.
• Key Initiative: Eat Right India
• Governing Structure: Includes Food Authority with Chairperson and 22 members (one-third being women). 

Soil tests in Kuttanad paddy fields (part of Kuttanad Wetland Agricultural System) show increased aluminium levels above safe limits.

• Aluminium becomes more soluble and toxic as soil pH drops below five. 
• Excessive levels damage roots and disrupts uptake of key nutrients like phosphorus, calcium, potassium and magnesium.

About Kuttanad Wetland Agricultural System (Kerala)

• The system is a complex mosaic of fragmented agricultural landscapes divided in three structures: 
  • Wetlands used for paddy activities and fish catching 
  • Garden lands used for food crops plantation 
  • Water areas used as inland fishing and shells.
• It is the only system in India that favours rice cultivation below sea level in the land created by draining delta swamps in brackish waters.
• It comes under Globally Important Agricultural Heritage Systems (GIAHS) of FAO.

An international research team including from IIT-Bombay and the Indian Institute of Astrophysics, Bengaluru reported a possible second version of Superkilonova.

About Superkilonova

• A superkilonova is a rare kind of cosmic explosion where a star’s death appears to involve two explosive processes in sequence, a supernova followed shortly by a kilonova from the same source. 
• The supernova core may produce two neutron stars that merge and cause kilonova.
  • Supernova: A massive star ends its life in a powerful explosion called supernova.
  • Kilonova: A kilonova is a powerful explosion that occurs when two neutron stars collide.

A new study has reported that the deep waters in Southern Ocean are rising; this has increased carbon dioxide pressure in the subsurface layer. 

About Southern Ocean:

• It is one of the five great ocean basins on Earth.
• It is also known as the Antarctic Ocean.
• It lies between 60 degrees south latitude and the coast of Antarctica and encompasses 360 degrees of longitude
• It includes Amundsen Sea, Bellingshausen Sea, part of the Drake Passage, Ross Sea, a small part of the Scotia Sea, Weddell Sea, and other tributary water bodies
• It plays an important role in the circulation of water around the globe. 

CERT-In has issued advisory warning Indian users about the WhatsApp Account takeover campaign (GhostPairing).

About Ghost Pairing

• What It Is: A new cyber scam that allows hackers to take over a WhatsApp account without needing a password or SIM card.
• How It Works: The attack exploits WhatsApp’s device-linking feature by tricking users into approving a fake but authentic-looking pairing code.
  • Victims receive deceptive messages like “Hi, check this photo,” which initiates the account compromise.
• Account Hijacking: Once linked, the attacker’s device gains full access as a hidden trusted device.