DRDO completes development trials of ULPGM-V3.

About ULPGM-V3

• A fully indigenous, lightweight, fire-and-forget, precision-guided missile designed to be launched from Unmanned Aerial Vehicles.
• Developed by: DRDO along with Bharat Dynamics Limited, and Adani Defence Systems.
• Key Capabilities
  • Range: up to 10 kilometres 
  • Dual Operational Modes- 
    • Air-to-Ground Mode: for anti-armour and anti-tank precision strikes.
    • Air-to-Air Mode fordrones, helicopters, and other low-flying airborne threats.

• Other: Integrated Ground Control System; Dual-channel seeker for high accuracy and day and night operations.

10th edition of the Global Status Report for Buildings and Construction (Buildings-GSR) has been published by UNEP and the Global Alliance for Buildings and Construction (Global ABC). 

Key Finding of the Report  

• Buildings and construction contribute 11–13% of global GDP and employ about 9% of the global workforce
• It accounts for 37% of global emissions, 50% of material extraction (largest of any sector), and 28% of global energy use.
• Energy efficiency improvements: Global building floor space expanded by 20%, while energy demand rose by 11% (2015 -2024)
• In 2024, renewables supplied just 17.3% of buildings’ energy demand, far below what is needed for a net zero pathway.
• Highlights several Indian initiatives like Energy Conservation and Sustainable Building Code 2024, administered by Bureau of Energy Efficiency, 

Scientists have revealed groundbreaking details about the Moon's upper surface at the Shiv Shakti landing site of Chandrayaan-3, utilizing data gathered during the "hop" experiment.

About Hop Experiment

• Executed toward the end of the Vikram lander's planned active mission life, this maneuver demonstrated ISRO’s capability to reignite the lander's engines. 
• The thrust successfully lifted the vehicle off the lunar surface, proving a critical capability for future sample-return missions. 

Key Findings

• Layered Structure: The lunar surface has distinct layered “cake-like” strata formed by long-term micrometeorite impacts.
• Soil Variability: Lunar soil becomes denser and more cohesive just a few centimeters below the surface.
• Twilight Thermal Changes: Chandra’s Surface Thermophysical Experiment recorded rapid temperature drops at lunar twilight due to the Moon’s airless environment.

Recently, scientists using data from NASA's MAVEN mission made the first-ever observation of the Zwan-Wolf effect occurring in a planetary atmosphere rather than just a magnetosphere

• MAVEN (Mars Atmosphere and Volatile Evolution) spacecraft is a robotic orbiter dedicated to surveying the upper Martian atmosphere.
• A magnetosphere is the region around a planet dominated by the planet's magnetic field.

About Zwan-Wolf effect

• It is a phenomenon where electrically charged particles are squeezed along magnetic structures known as flux tubes, similar to toothpaste being squeezed out of a tube
• This effect plays a key role in deflecting solar wind around the planet

Sweden joins India's Shukrayaan (Venus Orbiter) mission.

• Venus, the closest planet to Earth and believed to have formed in conditions similar to Earth.

About Venus Orbiter Mission (VOM)

• It is India's first scientific mission designed to explore the planet Venus, approved in 2024.
• Objective: For a better understanding of the Venusian surface and subsurface, atmospheric processes and the influence of the Sun on the Venusian atmosphere
• It is planned to be launched in March 2028.
• ISRO will be responsible for the development of the spacecraft and its launch. 
• LVM-3 has been identified as the candidate launch vehicle which will place the spacecraft in an Elliptical Parking Orbit (EPO).

The Judges Inquiry Committee submitted its report to Parliament in accordance with the statutory requirements under the Judges (Inquiry) Act, 1968.

• The committee was constituted by the Lok Sabha Speaker to inquire into allegations against former High Court judge Justice Yashwant Varma.

About Judges (Inquiry) Act, 1968

• It is an Act to regulate the procedure for the investigation and proof of the misbehaviour or incapacity of a judge of the Supreme Court or of a High Court.
• Procedure:

• A removal motion signed by 100 members (in case of Lok Sabha) or 50 members (in case of Rajya Sabha) is to be given to the Speaker/Chairman.
  • If admitted, the Presiding Officer appoints a 3-member judicial committee (typically a Supreme Court Judge, a High Court Chief Justice, and an eminent jurist) to investigate the charges.
• If guilt or incapacity is proven, both Houses must pass the motion with a special majority (Not less than two-thirds of the members present and voting)in the same session.
• Thereafter, an address is sent to the President for removal.

National Stock Exchange of India (NSE) has announced the launch of Electronic Gold Receipts (EGRs).

About Electronic Gold Receipts (EGRs)

• EGRs are exchange-traded securities linked to standardised gold, enabling market-based price discovery, electronic holding, and the flexibility to buy and sell in defined denominations and purity.
• It has the option to convert to/from physical gold as per the prescribed process.
• Regulator: Securities Exchange Board of India (SEBI)
• Benefits: Unified pricing (one nation, one price), Easily tradable on exchange, convenient than physical gold, etc.

Ministry of MSME is accelerating the digital transformation of India’s smallest businesses through the TEAM Initiative.

About TEAM Initiative 

• Type: Central Sector Scheme, launched in 2024.
• Objective: To provide end-to-end e-commerce support to Micro and Small Enterprises (MSEs), enabling them to participate effectively in digital commerce ecosystems through the Open Network for Digital Commerce (ONDC).
  • ONDC aimed at promoting open networks for all aspects of exchange of goods and services over digital or electronic networks.
• It is a transformative sub-scheme under the World Bank-supported Raising and Accelerating MSME Performance (RAMP) Programme.
  • RAMP Programme launched in 2022 to scale up the implementation capacity and coverage of MSMEs.
• Duration : 3 years from 2024 to 2027
• Implementing Agency: National Small Industries Corporation (NSIC)