India was absent as the US President announced the formation of a ‘Board of Peace’.

• It was attended by representatives from 19 countries, including Argentina, Canada, Egypt, Saudi Arabia and Turkey.

About Board of Peace

• A proposed international organisation and transitional governing body aimed at managing post-conflict transitions, particularly in Gaza.
• Objective: To oversee and coordinate post-conflict governance, security, and reconstruction by mobilising international resources and ensuring accountability.
• Membership: Chaired by US President with an executive board of select global leaders; invitation-based members, including fixed-term and paid permanent members.

The Beti Bachao Beti Padhao (BBBP) campaign has completed 11 years (launched in 2015).

About BBBP

• Centrally Sponsored Scheme implemented under Sambal vertical of Mission Shakti.
• Joint initiative of Ministry of Women and Child Development, Ministry of Health and Family Welfare
  and Ministry of Education
  • Later joined by Ministries of Skill Development & Entrepreneurship and Minority Affairs.
• Key Objectives
  • Improve Sex Ratio at Birth (SRB).
  • Ensure institutional deliveries at 95% or above.
  • Increase girls’ secondary education enrolment and skilling by 1% annually.
  • 1% increase in 1st Trimester Anti-Natal Care (ANC) Registration per year
• Key Achievements: 
  • National SRB increased from 918 (2014-15) to 930 (2023-24)
  • Percentage of institutional deliveries increased from 61% (2014-15) to 97.3% (2023-24)

Election Commission of India (ECI) launches ECINET Digital Platform at International Conference on Democracy and Election Management (IICDEM) 2026.

• Its beta version was successfully piloted during 2025 Bihar Assembly Elections.

About ECINET Platform

• Integrated digital ecosystem of ECI, enabling end-to-end management of electoral processes through a single unified platform.
• World’s largest electoral service platform.
• Key services offered: Voter registration, electoral roll search, Track Your Application, Know Your Candidate, Connect with Election Officials, e-EPIC download, grievance redressal, etc
• Significance: Enhances transparency, efficiency and real-time election monitoring.

The U.S. withdrew its tariff threat linked to Greenland, stating that the U.S. and NATO have developed a framework for a future arrangement.

About NATO (North Atlantic Treaty Organization)

• Origin: In 1949, through the North Atlantic Treaty (also known as the Washington Treaty). 
• Headquarters: Brussels, Belgium 
• Nature:
  •  It is a political and military alliance of 32 countries from Europe and North America (Sweden is the latest member). 
  • It operates on the principle of collective defense (Article 5), meaning an attack on one member is considered an attack on all. 

Government sanctions over 10,000 km of rural roads across six states under PMGSY-IV.

About PMGSY

• Ministry: Ministry of Rural Development
• Launched in: December 2000
• Type: Centrally Sponsored Scheme
• Objective: Provide all-weather road connectivity to eligible unconnected rural habitations as a poverty alleviation strategy, including construction/modernisation of bridges along road alignments.
• Phases:
  • Phase I (2000): Universal rural access and village–market–service linkages.
  • Phase II (2013): Upgradation and consolidation of rural road network.
  • Phase III (2019): Upgrading 1,25,000 km of roads to improve connectivity to socio-economic institutions. E.g. schools
  •  PMGSY-IV (2024–29): 25,000 unconnected habitations to be connected via 62,500 km of roads.

Blue Origin to deploy thousands of satellites for the new ‘TeraWave’ communications network.

About TeraWave Communications Network

• A hybrid constellation of 5,408 satellites spanning both low Earth orbit (LEO) and medium Earth orbit (MEO).
• It provides symmetrical bandwidth through radio frequency and optical connectivity.
  • Optical Connectivity transmits data using light pulses through fiber optic cables or free space, rather than electrical signals.
  • It relies on the modulation of light waves to achieve high-speed, high-bandwidth, and low-latency information transfer.

Target: Services strictly support enterprise, government, and data center clients providing reliable connectivity for critical operations.

The European Union has extended the suspension of preferential trade benefits for India under its Generalised Scheme of Preferences (GSP).

About EU's GSP

• First introduced in 1971, establishing a policy of unilateral trade preferences for-
  • Poverty reduction: By expanding exports from vulnerable countries
  • Promoting Sustainable development and good governance
• Consists of 3 tiers:
  • General GSP: Duty reductions on 66% of tariff lines for eligible developing countries.
  • GSP+: Zero duties on 66% of tariff lines for countries that implement core human rights, labor, and sustainability conventions.
  • Everything but Arms (EBA): Full duty-free access for Least Developed Countries (LDCs) on all imports except weapons.