Ministry of Law and Justice notified the appointment of 30 judges across four High Courts (Madras, Calcutta, Madhya Pradesh, and Karnataka).

Appointment of Judges: 

• SC and HC judges are formally appointed by President under Articles 124 (2) & 217 respectively, based on Collegium’s (group of judges) recommendations.
  • For appointment in SC: CJI and four other senior-most judges of SC. 
  • For appointment in HC: CJI and two senior-most Judges of SC.
• Supreme Court
  • For Chief Justice of India (CJI): Appointed by President. By convention, senior-most eligible SC judge is appointed. 
  • Other SC Judges: President appoints after consultation with CJI and other judges as deemed necessary. 
• High Court
  • Chief Justice: President appoints after consulting CJI and concerned State Governor. 
  • Other HC Judges: President consults CJI, State Governor and concerned HC Chief Justice. 

US Senate passed a bill (Lindsey O. Graham Sanctioning Russia and Iran Act, 2026) to sanction Russia and key buyers of its petroleum products, including India.

• It has yet to be ratified in House of Representatives.

About Bill

• It gives President Donald Trump the power to impose tariffs of up to 100% on goods from top five importers of Russian oil and gas: China, India, Azerbaijan, Hungary and Slovakia.

Possible Impact on India

• India is among largest buyers of Russian energy, so it could put Indian exports to US at risk of additional tariffs, potentially affecting bilateral trade.
• Bill could increase pressure on India to choose between access to US market and continued purchases of cheaper Russian energy, potentially affecting India-US trade, energy security and strategic relations.

11th BRICS Culture Ministers’ Meeting in Bhopal concluded with adoption of Bhopal declaration. 

About Bhopal declaration 

• It provides a framework for strengthening cultural cooperation among BRICS Member and partners.
• Also announced cooperation in creative industries, UNESCO multinational nominations, restitution of cultural property, Traditional Knowledge Systems, protection of creators rights, museums, libraries etc. 
• Announced a pilot initiative to develop a Voluntary Artist Registry to facilitate cultural exchanges.

Recently, Government launched first-of-its-kind 'Eco-Educational Hub' Prakriti Gyan Dham at Lucknow.  

About Eco educational Hub

• Developed by CSIR National Botanical Research Institute, Ministry of Science and technology. 
• It provides a direct interface between scientific knowledge and public engagement, by making it accessible through experiential and interactive learning.
• Key Features and enclaves 
  • PAaVan (Plants and Associated Vegetations for Appreciating Nature) Path: an interpretive heritage trail 
  • Vibhav Enclave: for rare, endangered, and threatened plant
  • Bhairav Enclave: comprising various State Plants
  • Others: Bamboosteum, Indian Heritage Garden

Typhoon Dolphin made dual landfalls in eastern China (Zhejiang province), triggering Beijing's highest red alert warning.

About Typhoons

• Mature tropical cyclones in Western North Pacific.
• Region: China, Japan, Philippines, Taiwan, Vietnam & South China Sea.
• Intensity:Typhoon ≥118–119 km/h sustained winds; Super Typhoon ≥185 km/h.

About Tropical Cyclones

• Definition:Warm-core, non-frontal, low-pressure systems developing over tropical/subtropical waters with organised, closed circulation.
• Formation Conditions:High Sea Surface Temperature (SST), primary fuel is water vapour evaporated from warm ocean surfaces, presence of coriolis force, low vertical wind shear, pre-existing low-pressure disturbance, atmospheric instability and high mid-tropospheric humidity.
• Other names: Hurricane, Typhoon, Willy- willy, etc.

Government launches E-Samudra a comprehensive digital platform aimed at transforming maritime governance.

About E-Samudra 

• Ministry: Ministry of Ports, Shipping and Waterways.
• It is a digital platform that integrates services for seafarers, shipping companies, ports and other maritime stakeholders.
• Objective: to digitize maritime governance, make it more transparent and accessible while strengthening the welfare of India’s seafarer workforce.
  • India is the second-largest supplier of seafarers globally after the Philippines.
• Benefits: ease of governance as it will bring maritime services into a single window, improve service delivery, reduce compliance burdens.

Union Minister of Cooperation launched Bank in a Box though which Urban Cooperative Banks will receive core banking, and several modern banking facilities on a single integrated platform.

About Bank in a Box 

• It is plug-and-play, suite of banking services that enables financial institutions to deploy and operate fully functional banking services often through cloud-based platforms.
• Bank-in-a-Box vs Banking-as-a-Service (BaaS)
  • Bank-in-a-box provides a pre-packaged suite of banking solutions, enabling institutions launch a digital bank with integrated functionalities.
  • BaaS allows non-bank third parties to integrate specific banking services via APIs, offering modularity and scalability.

CSIR demonstrated its indigenously developed Modified Mix Seal Surfacing Plus (MSS+) at Jaipur.

About MSS+ technology 

• Developed by: CSIR-Central Road Research Institute.
• Purpose: It is a road construction and maintenance technology for low to medium volume traffic roads.
• Current status: Implemented on more than 100 Kms of roads in UP.
• Composition: crushed natural aggregate, customized modified bitumen emulsion, and mineral admixture
• Benefits
  • Environmentally Friendly: Unlike conventional hot mix asphalt, MSS+ is prepared at ambient temperatures eliminating the need to pre-heat cutting down carbon emissions
  • Cost-Effective, Highly Durable, All-Weather Flexibility, enhances skid resistance etc.