New Study on Wave-driven turbulence generated by Alfvénic/kink waves may explain the extremely high temperature of the Sun’s corona compared to its surface.

• Solar Corona: Outermost layer of the Sun’s atmosphere extending millions of kilometres above the surface into space.
• Temperature Paradox:Corona temperature reaches about 1 million °C, much hotter than the Sun’s surface/photosphere (~5,500°C).

About Alfvénic/Kink Waves

• Alfvénic/Kink Waves: Transverse magnetohydrodynamic (MHD) waves that travel along magnetic field lines in the Sun’s corona, causing sideways oscillation of coronal plasma structures.
• They play a crucial role in understanding coronal heating.

FAO honours India’s Prime Minister with its prestigious Agricola Medal.

• FAO’s Agricola Medal is the organization’s highest honour, awarded to extraordinary leaders for their commitment and contributions towards FAO’s mission of eradicating hunger, reducing poverty, and ensuring global food security and nutrition.

About FAO

• Genesis: Established in 1945.
• It is a specialized agency of the United Nations leading international efforts to defeat hunger.
• Headquarters: Rome, Italy
• Members: 193 Member Nations, one Member Organization, and two Associate Members. 
• Flagship Reports: The State of Food and Agriculture, The State of the World's Forests etc. 

• PRAGATI stands for Partnership of Regional Armies for Growth and Transformation in the Indian Ocean Region.
• Multilateral military exercise led by the Indian Army at Umroi Military Station, Meghalaya.
• Participating Countries: 12 nations (Bhutan, Cambodia, Indonesia, Laos, Malaysia, Maldives, Myanmar, Nepal, Philippines, Seychelles, Sri Lanka and Vietnam)

RBI announced a $5 billion dollar-rupee swap auction for a tenor of three years to inject liquidity.

• The swap is in the nature of a simple buy/sell foreign exchange swap from the Reserve Bank side. 
• A bank shall sell US dollars to the RBI and simultaneously agree to buy the same amount of US dollars at the end of the swap period.

About Dollar-Rupee Swap

• Forex liquidity management tool in which the Reserve Bank of India exchanges US dollars and Indian rupees with an agreement to reverse the transaction at a future date.
• Purpose: To manage rupee liquidity, stabilize forex markets and reduce exchange rate volatility.

Yang Shuang-zi, Taiwanese writer and author of 'Taiwan Travelogue' and translator Lin King win International Booker Prize 2026.

About International Booker Prize

• It is awarded annually for a single book, translated into English and published in the UK or Ireland.
• It was established in 2005 as the Man Booker International Prize.
• Indian Winners of International Booker Prize:
  • Geetanjali Shree-Tomb of Sand (2022), translated by Daisy Rockwell. It was the first Hindi work to win this prize.
  • Banu Mushtaq- Heart Lamp (2025), translated by Deepa Bhasthi which was the first Kannada work to win this prize.

Note: International Booker Prize id different from Booker Prize which rewards work written in English.

Union government informed Supreme Court that is it not in favour of permitting any other new hydro-electric project in Alaknanda and Bhagirathi river basin. 

About Bhagirathi Eco-sensitive Zone

• Notified in 2012. 
• Coverage:  4179.59 sq. kilometre area from Gaumukh to Uttarakashi. 
• Zonal Master Plan (ZMP): Mandates Uttarakhand Government to prepare ZMP based on watershed approach. 
• Eco-Sensitive Zones (ESZ): Serve as “Shock Absorber” for specialized Ecosystem, such as Protected Areas or other natural sites. 

Researchers discovered one of shortest-period stellar binary systems known so far, featuring a blue straggler star paired with rare brown dwarf companion in ultra-compact orbit.

• Blue straggler stars: Appear brighter and bluer than other stars of similar age in star clusters, defying standard models of stellar evolution.
• Brown Dwarfs: Celestial objects too massive to be planets but too small to sustain nuclear fusion like stars.

Details of Binary System Discovered

• It lies within “brown dwarf desert”, a region where such companions are considered extremely rare. 
• Orbital Period: 5.6 hours (0.234 days). 
• Mass of Companion: Nearly 0.056 times of Sun, placing it below hydrogen-burning limit. 

Union Minister for Development of North Eastern Region and Communications launched Mission on “Arunachal Kiwi: The USP of Arunachal Pradesh. 

• Mission is within "Brand North East" — one USP for every State: Organic State (Sikkim), Ginger (Mizoram), Queen Pineapple (Tripura), Coffees (Nagaland), Lakadong Turmeric (Meghalaya). 

About Arunachal Organic Kiwi

• Major cash crop of Arunachal Pradesh, embedded with indigenous farming practices of Lower Subansiri district.
• Favourable Conditions: Temperate climate, well-defined seasons, fertile soil enriched with organic matter. 
• Organic Certification: Arunachal Pradesh became India’s first state to receive organic certification for kiwi cultivation in 2020 under Mission Organic Value Chain Development for North Eastern Region(MOVCD-NER).