French President urged the use of European Union (EU)’s trade ‘Bazooka’ for first time to counter US tariffs over European countries amidst standoff over Greenland.

About EU's  ‘Bazooka’ or Anti‑Coercion Instrument (ACI)

• Meaning: It is a means to act in situations where a non-EU country interferes in policy choices of EU or its Member States by applying or threatening to apply measures affecting trade or investment.
• Objective: Primary objective is deterrence and respond to rising economic coercion. 
• Measures Involved: Import/export restrictions on goods and services, intellectual property rights, foreign direct investment; restrictions on access to EU market, etc. 

Union Minister of State for Earth Sciences launched India’s first-ever open-sea Marine Fish Farming project from Andaman Sea.

About the Project

• Implementation: Collaboration between Ministry of Earth Sciences; its technical arm the National Institute of Ocean Technology (NIOT), and UT of Andaman and Nicobar Islands.
• Objective: Focus on open-sea cultivation of marine finfish and seaweed in natural ocean conditions, integrating with livelihood generation.
• Two major livelihood-oriented interventions Launched:Marine flora component (seaweed cultivation) and marine fauna component (finfish seeds for cage-based cultivation).
• Significance: Unlocking economic potential towards realizing the Blue Economy.

Despite huge potential, India lags behind China and Indonesia in terms of Social Commerce.

About Social Commerce

• Social commerce is the buying and selling of goods or services directly within a social media platform.
• Three forms: Livestream selling, influencer-led discovery and group buying (consumers making a purchase as a group, getting better deals). 
• Reasons for low adoption in India: low-trust society, Infrastructure issues with customization needed in terms of language, Logistics and Scale, Preference for Cash Payments, Regulation and Misinformation by creators etc.

CIC ruled that advocates cannot use the RTI Act to obtain case details for clients.

About CIC

• Genesis: Statutory body under Right to Information Act, 2005 to ensure greater information access to citizens.
• Functions: Receive and inquire into complaints from any citizen regarding RTI act, etc.
• Members: One Chief Information Commissioner (CIC) and not exceeding 10 Information Commissioners (IC).
• Appointment: By President on recommendation of a committee consisting of
  • Prime Minister (PM) (Chairperson)
  • Leader of Opposition in Lok Sabha
  • Union Cabinet Minister nominated by PM.

Andhra Pradesh Government would develop a satellite launching facility as part of the Space City project on the Hope Island (part of Coringa Wildlife Sanctuary). 

About Hope Island

• Relatively young island, 16-kilometre-long sand spit from the sand carried by waters of Godavari delta.
• Protects Kakinada city from strong storm surges and acts as sort of natural break water providing tranquillity to ships making Kakinada Port one of the safest natural ports.

About Coringa WLS

• Location: East Godavari District of Andhra Pradesh, at the confluence of Godavari River with Bay of Bengal
• Part of Godavari Mangroves, was declared a wildlife sanctuary by Andhra Pradesh in 1978. 

Crustacean "Indiaphonte bijoyi" discovered from the Kavaratti lagoon in the Lakshadweep islands has been established as a new genus and a new species.

About Crustaceans

• Crustaceans are invertebrate animals in the phylum Arthropoda, subphylum Crustacea.
• Members: lobsters, crabs, crayfish, shrimp, copepods, barnacles.
• Size: Varies from microscopic plankton less than 1 mm long to enormous crabs.
  • Smaller crustaceans form the basis of many ocean food chains.
• Characteristics: Two eyes and two pairs of antennae, a hard exoskeleton, jointed, paired appendages, and three body regions (head, thorax, and abdomen).

Findings of Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA) constituted Inquiry committee on large-scale flight delays and cancellations by IndiGo released. 

Key Findings

• Over-optimisation of operations prioritising commercial utilisation over resilience.
• Inadequate operational buffers in aircraft and crew planning.
• Non-Compliance with Revised Flight Duty Time Limitation (FDTL) Norms
• Lack of effective crisis management and internal escalation.
• Financial penalties levied.

About DGCA (HQ: New Delhi)

• Regulatory body in the field of Civil Aviation, primarily dealing with safety issues. 
• Responsibility: Regulation of air transport services to/from/within India and for the enforcement of civil air regulations, air safety, and airworthiness standards.
• Under Ministry of Civil Aviation, coordinates all regulatory functions with the International Civil Aviation Organisation (ICAO).

Prime Minister participated in “Bagurumba Dwhou 2026”, celebrating rich heritage of the Bodo community in Assam.

About Bagurumba Dance

• Traditional folk dance of the Bodo community of Assam.
• Inspired by nature, symbolises blooming flowers, reflects harmony between human life and the natural world.
• Traditionally performed by young Bodo women, men accompany as musicians, playing traditional instruments.
• Usually performed in groups, forming circles or lines that enhance its visual elegance.
• Cultural Significance: Dance represents peace, fertility, joy and collective harmony, and is closely associated with festivals such as Bwisagu, the Bodo New Year, and Domasi.