Indian Ocean Ship (IOS) SAGAR, INS Sunayna, arrived at Changi Naval Base in Singapore. 

About Changi Naval Base

• Strategic Position: Offers direct access to the Strait of Malacca and the South China Sea.
• 2017 Logistics Agreement between India and Singapore grants Indian Navy access to the base for logistical support.

Other Overseas ports with India’s strategic presence 

• Port of Duqm: In South-east Oman overlooking Arabian sea
• Sabang Port: On the northern tip of Sumatra, Indonesia at the entrance of the Strait of Malacca
• Others: Chabahar Port, Iran; Haifa Port, Israel; Sitwee Port, Myanmar; Chattogram and Mongla Ports, Bangladesh.

UAE quit Organisation of the Petroleum Exporting Countries (OPEC) and OPEC+.

About OPEC

• It is a permanent intergovernmental organization of oil-exporting developing nations.
• Genesis: Created at the Baghdad Conference in 1960, by Iran, Iraq, Kuwait, Saudi Arabia and Venezuela.
  • Other members include Algeria, Congo, Equatorial Guinea, Gabon, Libya and Nigeria.
• HQ: Vienna (Austria)
• Objective: To coordinate and unify petroleum policies among Member Countries, to secure fair and stable prices for petroleum producers.
• OPEC+: In response to falling oil prices driven by a significant increase in U.S. shale oil output, OPEC signed an agreement with 10 other oil-producing countries in 2016 to create OPEC+.
  • Other than OPEC countries it has Russia, Azerbaijan, Bahrain, Brunei, Kazakhstan, Mexico, Malaysia, Oman, South Sudan, and Sudan.

India has introduced Underground Coal Gasification (UCG)-enabled coal mines for the first time by signing agreements for four commercial coal blocks.

• UCG is an in-situ process where coal is converted into gas while still in the ground, eliminating the need for traditional physical mining.

About Coal Gasification

• It is a thermochemical process that converts coal into a gaseous mixture known as synthesis gas (or syngas).
  • It is primarily composed of carbon monoxide and hydrogen. 
• This technology allows syngas to be utilized as a fuel for power generation or as a feedstock for producing synthetic fuels and fertilizers.
  • It enables cleaner utilisation of coal, producing syngas for power generation, methanol, ammonia, urea, and liquid fuels.
• The Government of India has launched the National Coal Gasification Mission, which aims to gasify 100 million tonnes of coal by 2030.

An Indian Navy Fast Attack Craft (FAC), INS Kalpeni has arrived at Addu Atoll, marking a significant step in the ongoing maritime engagement between India and the Maldives.

• INS Kalpeni is a Car Nicobar class Waterjet FAC commissioned in 2010.
• It is named after Kalpeni Island in the Lakshadweep group of Islands. 

About Addu Atoll

• It is the southernmost atoll of the Maldives, lies north of the Chagos Archipelago in the central Indian Ocean.
  • An atoll is a ring-shaped island formed of coral that surrounds a lagoon.
• It consists of 30 islands arranged around a semi-enclosed lagoon.
• It is also part of UNESCO's Man and Biosphere Programme.

A new food alert platform, the World Food Programme’s AI-assisted Hunger Map, enhances real-time monitoring to support humanitarian efforts in combating global hunger. 

About WFP (HQ: Rome)

• The WFP is the largest humanitarian agency saving lives in emergencies & using assistance to help communities become self-sufficient and resilient to shocks.
• WFP was established in 1961 by United Nations General Assembly & Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO).
• It has a presence in over 120 countries.
• Funding: Voluntary donations from governments, corporates and private donors.
• WFP was awarded Nobel Peace Prize in 2020.

Pakistan has widened its objections to include Kiru and Kawar Hydel projects on the Chenab, even though they are not under formal Indus Water Treaty (IWT) arbitration.

About IWT

• It was signed in 1960 between India and Pakistan mediated by the World Bank.
• Eastern Rivers (Ravi, Beas, Sutlej): Full control granted to India for unrestricted use.
• Western Rivers (Indus, Jhelum, Chenab): Primarily allocated to Pakistan, with limited rights for India.

Dispute Resolution Mechanism (Three Level Graded Mechanism) under IWT

• Permanent Indus Commission: First-level body where India and Pakistan exchange data and resolve questions on treaty interpretation or possible breaches.
• Neutral Expert: Appointed(by World Bank or jointly by the Governments of India and Pakistan) to decide technical disputes when PIC fails to agree.
• Court of Arbitration: A 7-member tribunal set up to legally adjudicate disputes unresolved at PIC/Neutral Expert stages.

Breakthroughs in integrating electronics with plants have brought cyborg botany into focus for smart agriculture.

About Cyborg Botany

• Definition: Cyborg Botany is an interdisciplinary field that creates hybrid systems by integrating living plants with electronic components (such as sensors and conductive materials).
• Objective: It aims to tap into the plant's internal biochemical signals at the source, effectively turning the biological organism into a living circuit board that can monitor and report on its own environmental health.
  • Scientists aim to use these systems to detect two types of plant stress (for precision agriculture):
    • Biotic Stress: Pest infestations and diseases.
    • Abiotic Stress: Environmental factors like drought and extreme temperatures.