About Qeshm Island:

• It is the largest island in the Persian Gulf near the Straits of Hormoz.
• It belongs to Iran.
• The Arabic name means “long island.”
• It lies parallel to the Iranian coast, from which it is separated by the Clarence Strait.
• It lies close to the mainland city of Bandar Abbas in Hormozgan Province.
• It is about 2.5 times larger than Bahrain Island, often cited as the second-largest island in the Persian Gulf.
• It has an irregular outline and a generally rocky coast except for sandy bays and mud flats fringing the northwest.
• Irregular table-topped hills almost cover Qeshm.
• It has a hot and arid climate, typical of the Persian Gulf region.
• The island comprises 59 towns and villages with a population of about 120,000.

About Acidoxantha paratotoflava and Hemilea suneriae:

• They are two new species of fruit flies.
• They were identified from the Solan region of Himachal Pradesh.
• Acidoxantha paratotoflava:
  • It is a medium-sized, greenish-yellow fly.
  • It is distinguished from its closest relatives by having four distinct black stripes on its thorax and larger black spots on its abdomen.
  • It has unique "hook-like" structures in the male’s anatomy.
  • Its name, paratotoflava, was chosen because of its striking resemblance to another known fly, A. totoflava, which the researchers now believe may have been misidentified in India in the past.
• Hemilea suneriae:
  • It is a reddish-brown fly covered in prominent black dots.
  • It has a unique wing pattern, which features a single clear "window" (hyaline indentation) in an otherwise dark area, whereas its closest relatives usually have two.

Other Findings:

• The study marked a major milestone by recording the genus Rhagoletis in India for the first time.
  • This group of flies is known worldwide for affecting fruit crops, yet it had remained undetected in India until this investigation.
• Additionally, the researchers finally solved a century-old mystery by capturing and describing the male of Euphranta nigripeda, a species where only the female had been known to science since 1913.

About Blue Sparrow Missile:

• It is part of a family of three air-launched ballistic missiles, which also includes the Black Sparrow and the Silver Sparrow.
• They are developed by Rafael Advanced Defense Systems, an Israeli defense technology company.
• They were built as practice targets for Israel's Arrow missile defence system.
• Blue Sparrow is part of Israel’s Sparrow family of air-launched target missiles developed to simulate ballistic missile threats for testing the Arrow missile defence system.
• Features:
  • The missile measures 6.5 metres in length and weighs about 1.9 tonnes.
  • It is typically launched from fighter aircraft, including Israeli F-15 jets, whose booster rockets propel the missile to high altitude before it begins its descent.
  • It has a range of roughly 1,995 km.
  • Unlike many conventional munitions, it follows a quasi-ballistic trajectory.
  • After launch, the missile ascends rapidly, leaving the Earth's atmosphere before re-entering and descending toward its target.
  • This ability to exit and re-enter the atmosphere complicates interception by air defence systems.

About Deinococcus radiodurans:

• It is a bacterium best known for its extreme resistance to the lethal effects of ionizing radiation.
• This bacterium is gram-positive (which means it has a certain kind of cell wall), doesn't move on its own (it's nonmotile), and has a reddish color.
• It was first found in 1956 in canned meat that had been treated with radiation to kill germs.
• Dubbed “Conan the Bacterium” for its extraordinary ability to tolerate the harshest of conditions, D. radiodurans can withstand radiation doses thousands of times higher than what would kill a human.
• It is one of the most radiation-resistant organisms known.
• The secret behind this impressive resistance is the presence of a collection of simple metabolites, which combine with manganese to form a powerful antioxidant that is more resistant to radiation.
• radiodurans has special ways to fix its own DNA if it gets damaged. An enzyme called thioredoxin reductase helps its cells fix broken DNA strands.
  • It can also get rid of damaged DNA parts and has extra copies of its important genes.
  • This helps it recover from being very dry (called desiccation) or from not having enough food (called starvation).
• It can live through extreme cold, dehydration, vacuum, and even acid.

About Koala:

• It is an iconic Australian animal.
• Often called the koala “bear,” this tree-climbing animal is a marsupial—a mammal with a pouch for the development of offspring.
• Scientific Name: Phascolarctos cinereus
• It is the only extant representative of the family Phascolarctidae, and its closest living relatives are the wombats.
• Habitat and Distribution:
  • The koalas live in eastern Australia and range from northern Queensland to southwestern Victoria.
  • Koalas are arboreal, remaining mostly in the branches of the eucalyptus trees, where they are able to feed and stay out of reach of their predators.
  • ​​Koalas occur in eucalypt forests and woodlands across eastern and southeastern Australia.
• Features:
  • It is about 60 to 85 cm long and weighs up to 14 kg in the southern part of its range (Victoria and South Australia) but only about half that in subtropical Queensland to the north.
  • In both areas, they exhibit sexual dimorphism, with the males being larger.
  • Virtually tailless, the body is stout and gray, with a pale yellow or cream-coloured chest and mottling on the rump.
  • The broad face has a wide, rounded, leathery nose, small yellow eyes, and big fluffy ears.
  • The feet are strong and clawed.
  • They are slow-moving and sleep up to 18 hours a day.
• Conservation Status:
  • IUCN Red List: Vulnerable

About THAAD System:

• The Terminal High Altitude Area Defence (THAAD) system is one of the most advanced missile defence platforms.
• It is developed by the United States to counter ballistic missile threats.
• Key Features of THAAD System:
  • It is designed to intercept missiles during the final stage of their flight,
  • It can destroy incoming threats both inside and outside Earth’s atmosphere, providing a critical defensive layer against short-medium-and limited intermediate-range ballistic missiles. 
  • THAAD uses “hit-to-kill” technology.
    • This means its interceptor missiles destroy incoming targets by directly colliding with them at extremely high speeds, relying on kinetic energy rather than an explosive blast.
  • THAAD can engage ballistic missile targets at ranges of roughly 150–200 kilometres.
  • The THAAD weapon system is a major element of the broader Ballistic Missile Defence System (BMDS) architecture.
• Key components includes:
  • Interceptors that destroy incoming missiles through kinetic impact;
  • Truck-mounted launchers used to deploy the interceptors;
  • Powerful AN/TPY-2 radar, which detects and tracks missile threats at a long range;
  • A tactical fire control and communications unit that coordinates targeting and engagement; and additional logistics and support equipment.
  • A typical THAAD battery includes around 90 personnel, six launchers, and 48 interceptors, with each launcher carrying eight missiles.

About Solomon Islands:

• Location: It is located in the south-western Pacific Ocean.
• The Solomon Islands are two parallel chains of volcanic islands and small coral atolls.
• These are situated to the southeast of Papua New Guinea and to the northwest of Vanuatu.
• These islands were once a British protectorate and achieved independence in 1978.
• Capital: The capital, Honiara, is located on Guadalcanal, the largest island.
• Government: It is a parliamentary democracy within the Commonwealth, with a unicameral Parliament and a ministerial system of government. 
• Geographical Features of Solomon Islands:
  • It consists of nearly 1,000 islands (6 large main islands and over 900 smaller islands), of which 147 are inhabited.
  • Topography: The country is mainly mountainous and covered in forests, although it has some extensive plains. 
  • Ethnic groups: Melanesian 93%, Polynesian 4%, Micronesian 1.5%, other 1.5%.

About Commission on the Status of Women:

• It is a functional commission of the Economic and Social Council (ECOSOC), it was established by ECOSOC resolution of 21 June 1946.
• It is the principal global intergovernmental body dedicated to the promotion of gender equality and the empowerment of women.
• It is part of the United Nations, and works to promote women’s political, economic, civil, social, and educational rights. 
• Mandate: It is instrumental in promoting women’s and girls’ rights, documenting the reality of their lives throughout the world, and shaping global standards on gender equality and the empowerment of women and girls.
• In 1996, ECOSOC expanded the Commission’s mandate
  • It was decided that it should take a leading role in monitoring and reviewing progress and problems in the implementation of the Beijing Declaration and Platform for Action and in mainstreaming a gender perspective in UN activities.
    • The Beijing Declaration and the Platform for Action, adopted by 189 countries, is the most comprehensive and transformative global agenda for the achievement of gender equality and the empowerment of women and girls.
  • Member States: Forty-five Member States of the United Nations serve as members of the Commission at any one time.
    • Member States elected by the Economic and Social Council on the basis of equitable geographical distribution:
    • Members are elected for a period of four years.

About Syphilis:

• It is a preventable and curable bacterial sexually transmitted infection (STI).
• Cause: It is caused by the bacteria, Treponema pallidum.
• Transmission
  • People usually get syphilis from sexual contact with someone who has it.
  • People get it if any part of their body touches the sore or rash of someone with syphilis.
  • It can also pass from mother to baby during pregnancy, childbirth.
• Symptoms of Syphilis:
  • Syphilis develops in stages. 
  • The disease starts as a sore that’s often painless and typically appears on the genitals, rectum, or mouth.
  • Sometimes it causes swelling in nearby lymph nodes.
  • Many people do not notice symptoms for years. Symptoms can go away and come back.
  • Without treatment, syphilis can damage the heart, brain, or other organs.
  • Syphilis in pregnancy, when not treated, treated late, or treated with the incorrect antibiotic, results in 50−80% of cases with adverse birth outcomes.
• Treatment of Syphilis
  • It is easy to cure with antibiotics, especially during the early stages.
  • Penicillin is the most commonly used medication for syphilis.

About Khelo India Tribal Games:

• The Khelo India Tribal Games are part of the Khelo India Scheme.
• The Games will feature seven medal sports – athletics, football, hockey, weightlifting, archery, swimming and wrestling.
• There will be two demonstration sports – mallakhamb and kabaddi.
• Host State: Chhattisgarh will be the first state to host this landmark national event.
• KITG will see representation from most states and Union Territories of India.
• It will be jointly managed by the Ministry of Youth Affairs & Sports, Sports Authority of India (SAI), Indian Olympic Association, National Sports Federations and the Chhattisgarh state organising committee
• Mascot: ‘Morveer’, derived from two powerful words — ‘Mor’, meaning mine or our own in Chhattisgarhi, and ‘Veer’, symbolising courage and valour

Key Facts about Khelo India Scheme

• It is a flagship Central Sector Scheme of the Ministry of Youth Affairs & Sports, Government of India.
• It is aimed at promoting mass participation and sporting excellence.
• Khelo India Games have been declared an ‘Event of National Importance’ in 2020 under the Sports Broadcasting Signals Act, 2007.