Union Minister of State (Independent Charge) for Earth Sciences has inaugurated India's 51st state-of-the-art DWR at Sambalpur, Odisha to bridge observational gap in region. 

• Odisha now has three DWRs, following the installations at Gopalpur and Paradip. 

About Doppler Weather Radar (DWR)

• DWR are remote sensing instruments and are capable of detecting particle type (rain, snow, hail, insects, etc), intensity, and motion. 
• Radar data can be used to determine structure of storms and to help with predicting severity of storms.
• In India, DWR of varying frequencies (S, C- and X-band) are used by IMD to track movement of weather systems and cloud bands. 

Researchers have identified a new species of wild cat Leopardus tilcayo in Bolivia for the first time in a century,

About Leopardus tilcayo

• Slender and spotted, with rounded ears. 
• It lives in Bolivian Yungas, a mountainous region where forests are covered in clouds and high humidity.
• The cat is only about 46 centimetres long and weighs around 1.4 kilograms, making it smaller than the average domestic cat.

Report was published by Food and Agriculture Organization of United Nations (FAO), and developed jointly with Landscape Alliance.

• It highlights importance of forests in reducing hunger and poverty and calls on countries to include them into agrifood system policies. 

Key Highlights

• More than 50,000 wild species are used for food, medicine and other purposes, including at least 10,000 species consumed directly as food. 
• In some forest-dependent communities, forest foods can supply up to 80% of daily protein requirements. 
• Forests generate up to 20% of rural household income.
• Forested watersheds provide freshwater to more than 85% of major cities and support agriculture, livestock production.

Supreme Court allowed Delhi government to restore Central Ridge area by removing over 13,000 “invasive species” of trees across 70-hectare area and replacing it with indigenous species.

Key invasive Species

• Vilayati Keekar (Prosopis juliflora): Leguminous tree highly resistant to drought and salinity. 

• Native to Mexico, first introduced by British in 1920s to ‘green’ Delhi and by Gujarat forest department in 1961. 
• India's first green methanol plant will use Prosopis juliflora as a raw material to produce fuel for ocean-going ships.

• Babool tree (Vachellia nilotica): Belongs to legume family, widely distributed across Africa, Middle East, and Indian subcontinent, where it has adapted to heat, drought, and nutrient-poor soils. It plays a role in improving soil fertility.
• Eucalyptus: Used in commercial forest plantations due to their high growth rates, adaptability to various ecological conditions (elevation, climates, soils) and multiple uses (timber, pulp and paper).

• Parliament of New Zealand passed a legislation to give effect to the India-New Zealand Free Trade Agreement (FTA), signed in New Delhi in April, 2026.

Key provisions of India-New Zealand FTA

• 100% duty-free access: For all Indian exports to New Zealand from the date of entry into force. 
• USD 20 billion investment into India: Committed by New Zealand.
• Sensitive Sectors Protected: Dairy, animal products, Agricultural products, sugar, artificial honey, Arms and Ammunition etc.
• Skilled Visa Pathway: 5,000 Indian professionals in IT, healthcare, engineering, and specialised workers can work in New Zealand for up to 3 years.
• Partnership in Health & Traditional Medicine Services: Promoting Ayurveda, Yoga, and wellness.

Skills4Future EV & Green Skills Lab was inaugurated at the National Skill Training Institute (NSTI), Bengaluru.

About Skills4Future programme.

• It is a collaborative initiative of Shell India, Directorate General of Training (DGT), Ministry of Skill Development and Entrepreneurship (MSDE) and Edunet Foundation.
• Objective: Equipping youth with future-ready skills in Electric Vehicles (EVs) and green technologies.

India rejects Pakistan-China Boundary Joint Commission (BJC), whose  inaugural meeting recently concluded in Pakistan, as legally invalid.

About Pakistan-China BJC 

• It was envisaged under the 2013 China-Pakistan Agreement on the Boundary Management System.
  • Article 45 of the agreement provides for the establishment of the joint commission to oversee the implementation of border management arrangements

India’s official stance

• Pakistan has no locus standi to enter into arrangements concerning Indian territory under its illegal and forcible occupation.
• The entire Union Territories of Jammu & Kashmir and Ladakh are integral and inalienable parts of India. 
• India does not recognise thee1963 China-Pakistan Boundary Agreement.
• There is no boundary between Pakistan and China.

A FASTag portability service ‘OneTag’ has been launched on the NHAI Rajmargyatra mobile app.

• The initiative enables FASTag users to change their issuer bank while retaining the existing FASTag.

AboutFASTag

• Launched: In 2016 by the Ministry of Road Transport and Highways.
• Operated by: The National Highways Authority of India (NHAI).
• FASTag is an electronic toll collection device that employs Radio Frequency Identification (RFID) technology.
  • RFID is a wireless communication technology that uses radio frequency electromagnetic waves to capture data from tags attached to objects without requiring direct physical contact or line-of-sight optical scanning.
• Objective: Reducing idling and congestion of vehicles on toll plazas as it automatically debits toll charges at plazas using RFID scanners.

The US Congress has passed The Lindsey O. Graham Sanctioning Russia and Iran Act of 2026, sending legislation to the US President.

• The Bill imposes tariffs up to 100% on the top five buyers of Russian energy, including India and China.

Impact on India

• India imports over 88% of its crude oil needs, with Russia supplying roughly 45% to 50%.
• Gives Washington an economic pressure point during ongoing bilateral trade agreement talks.