About Dark Eagle Long Range Hypersonic Weapon (LRHW):

• It is a hypersonic missile system of the United States Army.
• It is a non-nuclear, ground-launched hypersonic missile weapon system.
• The missile component of the LRHW is reportedly being developed by Lockheed Martin and Northrop Grumman.
• Built for strategic attack missions, the weapon is capable of penetrating anti-access/area-denial (A2/AD) defenses, suppressing long-range enemy fires, and delivering rapid precision effects when and where they are needed.
• Features:
  • It is a land-based hypersonic weapon designed to strike targets at distances of up to 2,735 kilometers.
  • It comprises a mobile ground-based battery equipped with Transporter Erector Launchers (TEL), supported by command and control elements.
  • The system’s ballistic missile features two stages, one of which includes a hypersonic glide warhead (C-HGB), an unpowered but highly maneuverable vehicle capable of reaching extreme speeds of Mach 17, making interception particularly difficult.
  • The missile climbs to the edge of space, flies through the upper atmosphere out of reach of most enemy defenses, then maneuvers toward its target.
  • Each hypersonic missile is powered by a solid-fueled two-stage rocket booster.

About Kavachi Volcano:

• It is a shallow submarine volcano located in the South Pacific Ocean, south of the remote Vangunu Island in the Solomon Islands.
• It sits on the Pacific Ring of Fire, a tectonically active region.
• It is one of the world's few active and visible undersea volcanoes.
• It has been erupting on a regular (though thoroughly unpredictable) basis for many years, including several temporary island-building events.
• Eruptions typically produce steam plumes, ash, lava, and water discoloration due to volcanic gas release.
• The new islands formed are not large enough and coated with solid lava flows to be able to resist wave erosion.
• Notable eruptive activity has been recorded repeatedly since it was first documented in 1939.

About Sashastra Seema Bal (SSB):

• The Sashastra Seema Bal, previously known as the Special Service Bureau, was established in 1963 after the Sino–Indian Conflict of 1962.
• It was created with the objective of guarding India’s international borders with Nepal and Bhutan.
• SSB is a part of the Central Armed Police Forces (CAPF) and falls under the Ministry of Home Affairs.
• Role of SSB:
  • The primary responsibility of SSB is to protect the safety of India’s designated borders with neighbouring nations Nepal and Bhutan.
  • To foster an understanding of security among people residing in those border communities.
  • To stop smuggling, illegal immigration, and other transnational crimes.
  • To stop unlawful entry or exit on or from the Indian Border.
  • To implement social responsibility initiatives in the relevant jurisdiction, for instance, establishing schools, buildings, restrooms, and roads by a border region development plan.
  • To perform any additional tasks, such as UN missions, Law & Order missions, Counter The uprising Operations, Election duty, the central government may assign.
• Organisation: Headed by a Director General (IPS officer or senior CAPF officer); includes infantry-style battalions, specialized units (engineering, signals, medical, dog squads), and training centers.

About Candida auris (C.auris):

• It is a fungal pathogen that is often multi-drug-resistant.
• This pathogen can live on the skin, inside the human body (e.g. in the gut), or in the environment.
• It is capable of causing invasive infections in the human body.
• auris causes serious infections such as bloodstream infections, meningitis, bone infections, burns/wound infections, and urinary tract infections.
• It was first identified in Japan.
• How is it contracted?
  • Most cases of the fungus have been reported in healthcare settings, such as hospitals and nursing homes.
  • It is generally thought to be spread through contact with contaminated surfaces or by person-to-person transmission.
  • People who are already suffering from other medical conditions, recent hospital stays, and invasive devices are most at risk of contracting the fungus.
• How does the fungus act on the body? There are two ways auris can affect the body,
  • The fungus can either live on a specific region, such as the skin, rectum, or mouth, in a process called “asymptomatic colonization,” where a patient has no symptoms but can spread it to other people.
  • It can enter the bloodstream or wounds, where it can cause severe invasive infections.
• Symptoms:
  • Its symptoms are often similar to those of other common diseases, and hence diagnosis is difficult.
  • The most common symptoms of C. auris include fever and chills that don’t go away after treatment with antibiotics.
• Mortality Rate: It is estimated to be between 30-60%.
• Treatment:
  • Most C. auris infections are treatable with antifungal drugs called echinocandins.
  • However, some C. auris infections are resistant to the main types of antifungal medications, making them more difficult to treat.
  • In this situation, multiple antifungals at high doses may be required to treat the infection.

About Udanti Sitanadi Tiger Reserve:

• It is located in Chhattisgarh.
• It was established by joining the regions represented by Sitanadi and Udanti wildlife sanctuaries.
• The drainage system of the reserve consists of the Mahanadi as the main river, along with the Udanti, Sitanadi, Indravan, and Pairi Rivers as tributaries.
• The location of the reserve is strategic since it also connects with the Kanker and North Kondagaon forest divisions, forming a contiguous forest corridor to Indravati Tiger Reserve in the Bastar region.
• Flora:
  • The forest type here is predominantly tropical dry and moist deciduous.
  • The forest is dominated by Sal (Shorea robusta), which forms dense patches across the landscape.
  • Alongside, species such as Teak (Tectona grandis), Bamboo, Tendu, Mahua, Bija, and Harra contribute to the green diversity of the region.
• Fauna:
  • Along with the Indravati Tiger Reserve, the Udanti Sitanadi Tiger Reserve is an important refuge for the last few herds of the highly endangered Wild Buffalo.
  • Apart from the tiger, other endangered and rare species are the Indian Wolf, Leopard, Sloth Bear, and Mouse Deer.

About Autophagy:

• It is a key biological process where cells clear out damaged and unwanted materials.
• The autophagy pathway, which removes damaged material and defends against infections, is disrupted in diseases like Alzheimer’s and Huntington’s.
• When a cell fails to clear waste, its health suffers, especially in long-lived neurons.
• Autophagy is body’s cellular recycling system.
• It allows a cell to disassemble its junk parts and repurpose the salvageable bits and pieces into new, usable cell parts.
• Importance of autophagy:
  • It recycles damaged cell parts into fully functioning cell parts.
  • It gets rid of nonfunctional cell parts that take up space and slow performance.
  • It destroys pathogens in a cell that can damage it, like viruses and bacteria.
  • Autophagy plays an important role when it comes to aging and longevity, too. 
• Autophagy and Disease Linkages
  • Autophagy initially prevents cancer but later supports tumour growth and acts as a tumour suppressor by maintaining genome integrity and cellular homeostasis.
  • In certain types of cancer, cells hijack autophagy for their own survival and propagation.

About Competition Commission of India:

• It is a statutory body which was established under the Competition Act, 2002.
• The priority of the Commission is to eliminate practices having adverse effects on competition, promote and sustain competition, protect the interests of consumers, and ensure freedom of trade in the markets of India. 
• Nodal Ministry: Ministry of Corporate Affairs
• Headquarters: New Delhi
• Composition of Competition Commission of India:
  • It has the composition of a quasi-judicial body, with one chairperson and six additional members.
  • All members of the CCI are appointed by the Central Government.
• Eligibility of Members: Appointments to the CCI require a minimum of 15 years of professional experience in areas like international trade, finance, or law, with members serving a five-year term.
• Functions of Competition Commission of India
  • Promoting Fair Competition and Consumer Protection: The CCI prevents anti-competitive practices like price-fixing and collusion, ensuring competitive pricing and quality to protect consumer interests.
  • Maintaining Market Freedom: It restricts unfair practices by dominant players, safeguarding a level playing field and reviewing mergers and acquisitions to prevent monopolistic control.
  • Investigation and Penalties: The CCI conducts inquiries into violations, imposes penalties on offenders, and promotes awareness of competition law through training programs.
  • Advisory and Collaborative Role: The CCI provides advisory opinions on competition matters to government bodies and collaborates with other regulators to ensure consistency with competition laws.

About Netherlands:

• Location: It is located in Northwestern Europe.
• Bordering Countries: It is bordered by Germany in the east; and Belgium in the south.
• Maritime Borders: It is bounded by the North Sea in the north and west. 
• Capital City: Amsterdam
• Geographical Features of Netherlands:
  • Three primary geographic regions form the Netherlands: the Lowlands, Veluwe and Utrecht Hill Ridge, and the Limburg Hills.
  • Rivers: Rhine,Meuse and the Scheldt. 
  • Ports: Port of Rotterdam is the country's ports along the North Sea.
  • Climate: It mostly has temperate; marine; cool summers and mild winter climate.
  • Major lake: Ijsselmeer is the largest freshwater lake of Switzerlands.
  • Highest Point: The highest point on continental Netherlands is Vaalserberg at 322 m.
  • Natural resources: It has natural gas, petroleum, peat, limestone, salt etc.

About Bharat Taxi Initiative:

• It is a first-of-its-kind cooperative-driven, citizen-first national ride-hailing initiative.
• It is a government-supported initiative developed under the Union Ministry of Cooperation and the National e-Governance Division (NeGD).
• It is India’s first cooperative taxi network, allowing drivers to become shareholders and co-owners.
• Promoted: It is being jointly promoted by leading cooperative and financial institutions including NCDC, IFFCO, AMUL, KRIBHCO, NAFED, NABARD, NDDBand NCEL.
• Key Features of Bharat Taxi Initiative:
  • Driver-Owned Fleet: Drivers can purchase shares and become cooperative members, giving them transparency and decision-making power.
  • Zero Commission: Unlike private cab aggregators that take a large cut, Bharat Taxi transfers the full fare to the driver.
  • Transparent, No-Surge Pricing: Fares will remain predictable, with no surge charges.
  • Deep Digital Integration: Services will connect with government platforms such as DigiLocker and UMANG.
  • Platform Integration & Technical Architecture: Integration of the Bharat Taxi platform with national digital platforms such as DigiLocker, UMANG, and API Setu to enable seamless identity verification and service delivery.
  • Security, Compliance & Infrastructure: Ensuring adherence to Government of India’s data protection norms and cybersecurity standards and advising on robust technical infrastructure.