About INS Tarangini:

• It is the Indian Navy’s first Sail Training Ship (STS).
• It became the first Indian naval ship to navigate the globe in 2003-2004.
• The primary role of the ship is to foster time-honored virtues of courage, camaraderie, and endurance in officer cadets embarking on a naval career.
• It provides an ideal setting for firsthand experience of the natural elements by imparting training which includes sailing, setting and furling of sails, watch-keeping, and sail manoeuvres.

About Lake Michigan:

• It is the third largest of the five Great Lakes of North America and the only one lying wholly within the United States.
• It is the fourth largest freshwater lake and the fifth largest lake in the world, ranked by surface area.
• It is connected directly to Lake Huron, into which it drains, through the broad Straits of Mackinac.
• Water flows into Lake Michigan from several rivers, including the Fox-Wolf, the Grand, the St. Joseph, and the Kalamazoo rivers, among others.

About Khorramshahr-4 Missile:

• Also known as the Kheibar missile, it is a medium-range ballistic missile developed by Iranian state-owned defence company Aerospace Industries Organization (AIO).
• Features:
  • It is liquid-fuelled and has an operational range of approximately 2,000 kilometers.
  • The missile travels faster than the speed of sound.

About Tulbul Navigation Barrage Project:

• The Tulbul Navigation Barrage Project, also known as the Wular Barrage, is a navigation lock-cum-control structure located at the outlet of Wular Lake, in J&K.
• It was designed to facilitate navigation on the Jhelum River during lean winter months.
• The barrage, once completed, would regulate the water of the Wular Lake to maintain a minimum draft in the river up to Baramulla during the winter season.
• Besides, the project would provide water and helped in firming up power generation in downstream hydroelectric plants such as the Uri I and II hydro projects.

Key Facts about Wular Lake:

• It is the largest freshwater lake in India and the second largest freshwater lake in Asia.
• It is located in the Bandipore district of Jammu and Kashmir.
• It is fed by the Jhelum River.
• The lake basin was formed as a result of tectonic activity.
• In 1990, it was designated as a Wetland of International Importance under the Ramsar Convention.

About Lepidocampa sikkimensis:

• It is a new species of Diplura discovered in Ravangla, Sikkim.
• Diplura are small, wingless, soil-dwelling arthropods.
• It represents the first time a species within this primitive hexapod group has been described by an Indian research team.
• Morphological Distinctiveness: The species is distinguished by its unique arrangement of body scales, specific chaetotaxy (bristle patterns), and specialized appendage structures.
• Ecological Role: As primitive, blind hexapods, Diplurans (two-pronged bristletails) are fundamental to soil health, playing a critical role in nutrient cycling and the maintenance of soil structure.
• Beyond the description of a new species, the study provides a comprehensive update to Indian soil fauna records:
  • Rediscovery: The team successfully relocated a rare Indian Diplura subspecies, Lepidocampa juradii bengalensis, which had not been recorded in nearly 50 years.
  • Molecular Breakthrough: The study provides the first-ever DNA barcode data globally for an Indian Lepidocampa species, bridging a significant gap between traditional morphology and modern molecular phylogenetics.

About South Korea:

• Location: It occupies the southern half of the Korean Peninsula.
• Bordering Country: North Korea
• Maritime Borders: To the east by the East Sea (Sea of Japan), to the south by the East China Sea, and to the west by the Yellow Sea.
• To the southeast it is separated from the Japanese island of Tsushima by the Korea Strait.
• Capital:
• Geographical Features of South Korea:
  • Climate: South Korea has a continental climate, with hot, rainy summers and cold winters. 
  • Major Rivers: Han River, Nakdong River.
  • Major Islands: Jeju Island in the Korea Strait is the largest island.
  • Mountains: The country is dominated by the Taebaek Mountain range along the eastern coast.
  • Highest Peak: Mount Halla on Jeju Island 
  • Natural Resources: The most important reserves are of anthracite coal, iron ore, graphite, gold, silver, tungsten, lead, and zinc.

About Nitric Oxide:

• It exists in a gaseous state and is composed of one nitrogen and one oxygen atom.
• Formation: It is formed through nitrogen oxidation.
• It can be created when lightning occurs, uniting nitrogen and oxygen in the air, or commercially by burning ammonia.
• Properties of Nitric Oxide:
  • It is a colorless, toxic gas.
  • It is noncombustible but accelerates the burning of combustible material.
  • It can be found in the natural environment and within parts of the human body.
• Roles of Nitric Oxide:
  • It plays important chemical signaling roles in humans and animals, plus some medical uses.
  • In animals, nitric oxide transmits signals to cells in the cardiovascular, nervous, and immune systems.
  • The body synthesizes it from the amino acid L-arginine with the help of nitric oxide synthase.
  • It helps regulate blood pressure by dilating blood vessels and acts as a neurotransmitter. 
  • Impact on Environment: Nitric oxide is generated by automotive engines and thermal power plants, making it a serious air pollutant.

About SAHI and BODH Initiative:

About SAHI:

• The Strategy for Artificial Intelligence in Healthcare for India (SAHI) is a national guidance framework to enable the safe, ethical, evidence-based, and inclusive adoption of Artificial Intelligence across India’s healthcare system.
• It aims to provide strategic direction on governance, data stewardship, validation, deployment, and monitoring of AI solutions, while supporting States and institutions in responsible adoption aligned with public health priorities.

About BODH:

• The Benchmarking Open Data Platform for Health AI (BODH)developed by the Indian Institute of Technology Kanpur in collaboration with the National Health Authority,
• It is a privacy-preserving benchmarking platform that enables rigorous evaluation of AI models using diverse, real-world health data without sharing underlying datasets.
• It is a digital public good under the Ayushman Bharat Digital Mission,
• Significance: It is designed to strengthen trust, transparency, and quality assurance in Health AI deployment.

About Food Safety and Standards Authority of India:

• It has been established under the Food Safety and Standards Act, 2006.
• FSSAI is responsible for setting food standards, regulating the manufacture, storage, distribution, sale and import of food and ensuring the availability of safe and wholesome food for human consumption. 
• Nodal Ministry: It was established under the Ministry of Health and Family Welfare, Government of India.
• Functions:
  • Standards Development: It formulates standards for various food products, ensuring they are safe for consumption.
  • Food Safety Management Systems: It provides guidelines for businesses to implement effective food safety management practices.
  • Licensing and Registration: FSSAI manages the licensing process for food businesses, ensuring they comply with food safety regulations.
  • Surveillance and Monitoring: Regular inspections and audits are conducted to assess compliance with food safety standards.
  • Consumer Awareness: Initiatives to educate the public about food safety, hygiene, and nutrition are a key focus area.
• FSSAI also directly monitors compliance of food regulations food licence issued by FSSAI., especially in the area of food imports to India. 
• The FSSAI is also responsible for the accreditation of food testing laboratories throughout India.

About Loggerhead Turtle:

• It is a species of oceanic turtle belonging to the family Cheloniidae.
• It is named Loggerhead for their large heads that support powerful jaw muscles.
• It is the world’s largest hard-shelled turtle, slightly larger at average and maximum mature weights than the green sea turtle and the Galapagos tortoise.
• It is also the world’s second largest extant turtle after the leatherback sea turtle. 
• It uses the geomagnetic field as a map when navigating large distances.
• Habitat: They may be found hundreds of miles out to sea, as well as in inshore areas such as bays, lagoons, salt marshes, creeks.
• Distribution: It inhabits the Atlantic, Indian and Pacific Oceans and the Mediterranean Sea.
• Diet: It is omnivorous, feeding mainly on bottom-dwelling invertebrates, such as gastropods, bivalves, and decapods.
• Conservation status:
  • IUCN: Vulnerable
• Threats: Climate change, direct harvest of turtles and eggs, Loss and degradation of nesting habitat, Ocean pollution/marine debris and by catch in fishing gear.