A study found that the explosive rise of satellites launched into space since 2019 is causing potent, long-lasting black carbon or soot pollution in the upper atmosphere.

• Black carbon is a component of fine particulate air pollution (PM2.5). It is formed by incomplete combustion of wood, waste and fossil fuels.

Impact on the atmosphere

• Deposition of soot particles is reducing the amount of sunlight (acting like a form of geo-engineering) reaching the Earth’s surface.
  • The soot lingers in the upper layers of the atmosphere longer than soot from earthbound sources resulting in a 500-fold greater impact on the climate.
• Satellite launches can also release chemicals such as chlorine into the atmosphere that can degrade ozone by reacting directly with it.

India’s first satellite-tagged Indian soft-shell turtle has been released in Kaziranga National Park.

About Indian Soft-shell Turtle

• It is also known as the Ganges Softshell turtle.
• Characteristics: 
  • Found in freshwater habitats
  • Distinguished by its prominent, tube-like snout and flattened shell.
  • Differentiated from other riverine turtles by its distinct arrowhead-shaped markings on the top of the head.
• Distribution and Range: Found throughout the northern plains of the Indian Subcontinent, in the Indus, Ganga, Narmada, Mahanadi basins and Brahmaputra basin. 
  • It is also found in countries like Bangladesh, Nepal, and Pakistan 
• Conservation Status:
  • WPA, 1972: Schedule I
  • CITES: Appendix I
  • IUCN: Endangered

The Madhya Pradesh High Court recently declared the disputed Bhojshala complex a Hindu temple, quashing a 2003 Archaeological Survey of India order.

About Bhojshala

• Origins: Established by Parmara King Raja Bhoja in 11th-century Dhar, Madhya Pradesh.
  • It was turned into the Kamal Maula Mosque by the subsequent Muslim rulers of Dhara.
• Temple of Goddess Vagdevi Saraswati (idol now in the British Museum, London)
• Key Features:
  • Served as a premier college and centre of Sanskrit learning.
  • Engraved slabs contain two odes to the Kurmavtara or crocodile incarnation of Vishnu written in Prakrit, classical poetry etc.
  • Two sarpabandha pillar inscriptions detailing Sanskrit grammar.

A canopy bridge was constructed bypassing railway track in Assam's Hollongapar Gibbon Sanctuary for Western Hoolock Gibbon.

About Western Hoolock Gibbon (Hoolock hoolock)

• It is the only ape species native to India.
• Found in: India (between south of the Brahmaputra river and east of the Dibang river in the northeastern states); Bangladesh and Myanmar.
• Habitat: Tropical evergreen rainforests, semi-evergreen forests, tropical mixed deciduous forests, and subtropical broadleaf hill forests.
• They swing from tree to tree in a mode of locomotion known as Brachiation.
• Threats: Hunting, logging, Mining & quarrying etc.
• Conservation Status: Endangered (IUCN), Schedule 1 of WPA 1972
  • Eastern hoolock gibbon is listed as Vulnerable.

In context of worker protests in Noida, Supreme Court highlighted State’s obligation to provide a “living wage” to workers, in accordance with the Constitution’s Directive Principles of State Policy (DPSP).

• Article 43 (DPSP) mandates that the State shall endeavor to secure a "living wage" and a decent standard of life for all workers.

About Living Wages

• A living wage, or living income, is the remuneration received for a standard workweek that is sufficient to afford a decent standard of living for a worker and their family.
• Often, the living wage is higher than the minimum wage.
  • Minimum wages are the lowest legally mandated remuneration that employers must pay their workers.

Iran's Foreign Minister highlighted Chabahar Port as a key India-Iran cooperation symbol, calling it a golden gate to Central Asia.

• In 2018, an Indian company, India Ports Global Limited (IPGL) took over the operations of Chabahar Port. 
• In 2024, a 10-year contract was signed for operating the Shahid Beheshti Terminal of Chabahar Port.

About Chabahar Port

• Location: Sistan and Baluchestan province on the Makran coast in South-eastern Iran, on the Gulf of Oman.
• Two terminals: Shahid Kalantari and Shahid Beheshti.
• It is the only Iranian port with the direct access to the Indian Ocean.
• It is a key component of the International North-South Transport Corridor (INSTC), enhancing trade between India, Central Asia, and Russia.

Union Minister inaugurated new Manufacturing facilities in Rajasthan.

About the Facilities

• India’s first Small and Medium Enterprise (SME)-led Semiconductor facility at Bhiwadi, Rajasthan.
  • ATMP (Assembly, Testing, Marking, and Packaging) and OSAT (Outsourced Semiconductor Assembly and Testing) facility.
  • Developed under MeitY’s Scheme for Promotion of Manufacturing of Electronic Components and Semiconductors (SPECS)
    • SPECS scheme provides 25% financial incentive on capital expenditure for targeted electronic goods.
    • The sunset date for applications under SPECS was 31 March 2024.
• ELCINA Electronics Manufacturing Cluster (EMC) at Salarpur.
  • EMC Scheme provides financial assistance for building infrastructure to attract global investments and boost domestic electronics manufacturing. 

Tripura became the first state to complete all priority areas under Deregulation Phase-II of the National Compliance Reduction and Deregulation initiative.

• Deregulation is reduction or elimination of government oversight of an industry.

About National Compliance Reduction and Deregulation initiative

• Genesis:Task Force on Compliance Reduction and Deregulation was constituted in 2025 under the chairmanship of the Cabinet Secretary.
• Objective:Identifying redundant or outdated compliances and recommending their rationalisation; guiding states in amending laws and procedures to align with principles of minimal regulation.
• The Task Force identified 23 Priority Areas across 5 broad sectors.
• Phase II was rolled out in January 2026 to cover priority areas, including land, building and construction, utilities and permissions, environment, education, health, labour, and overarching reform.