Central Drugs Standard Control Organisation (CDSCO) has approved 2nd Living drugs, Qartemi, a Chimeric Antigen Receptor (CAR) T-cell therapy for treating blood cancer.

• A "living drug" is a therapy that involves extracting a patient's cells, modifying them, and then reintroducing them into the patient's body.

About CAR T-cell Therapy

• CAR T-cell therapy is an innovative form of immunotherapy where a patient’s T-cells are genetically engineered to target and attack cancer cells.
  • T-cells are special cells (types of white blood cells) whose primary function is cytotoxic, meaning killing other cells.
• T cells are taken from patient blood and are changed in the lab by adding a gene for a man-made receptor (called CAR).
  • CARs are proteins that assist the T-cells to recognise and attach to a specific protein present on cancer cells.
• CAR-T cells are then given back to the patient to recognise the cancer cells and kill them.

The National eGovernance Division, under Ministry of Electronics and Information Technology, has developed Entity Locker.

About Entity Locker

• It is a secure, cloud-based solution that simplifies  storage, sharing, and verification of documents for large organisations, corporations, micro, small, and medium Enterprises,etc.
  • It is a critical component of India’s Digital Public Infrastructure.
• Entity Locker offer:
  • Real-time access and verification of documents through integration with government databases
  • Consent-based mechanisms for secure sharing of sensitive information
  • Aadhaar-authenticated role-based access management to ensure accountability.
  • 10 GB of encrypted cloud storage and Legally valid digital signatures for authenticating documents

Tactical ballistic missile Pralay & long-range Pinaka rocket system will be part of Republic Day parade.

About Pralay missile

• Surface-to-surface short-range ballistic missile (SRBM)
• Developed by Defence Research and Development Organisation.
• Missile has a range of 150-500 km and can be launched from a mobile launcher. 
• Missile guidance system includes a state-of-the-art navigation system and integrated avionics.

About  Pinaka Pinaka multi-barrel rocket launcher (MBRL) system

• It is a long-range artillery system capable of striking targets up to 75 kilometers away.
• Developed by DRDO, it has multiple variants, which offer flexibility in terms of payload, firepower, and range.

Recently, Jharkhand Forest department initiated a study to revive the dwindling population of Bison at Palamu Tiger Reserve. 

About Indian Bison

• Characteristics: Massively built, very strong, and social animal.
  • Grazing animal and munches on leaves, fruits, stems, flowers and seeds.
  • Diurnal by nature and remain active during the daytime. 
  • Their pregnancy period is 9 months same as humans. 
• Habitat: Western Ghats. 
  • Prefer evergreen forests and moist deciduous forests. 
  • They generally stick to the foothills. 
• Threats: Food Scarcity, Poaching, etc. 
• Conservation Status: IUCN (Vulnerable); Wildlife Protection Act, 1972 (Schedule I); CITES (Appendix I). 

Recently, annual Edelman Trust Barometer was released before the start of the World Economic Forum Annual Meeting. 

• Released by Edelman Trust, it is a survey of 28 countries that studies the influence of trust across society — government, media, business, and NGOs. 

Key Findings

• India slipped to 3rd position, after China & Indonesia in terms of people's trust in the government, businesses, media etc. (in low income population group).
  • Within high income group, India was ranked 4^th. 
• India ranked 13th when it comes to trust of people in other countries, in companies with Indian headquarters.

Indonesia’s Mount Ibu, on the remote island of Halmahera,erupted 1,000 times this month. 

About Mount Ibu:

• As an active volcano, Mount Ibu is part of the Pacific Ring of Fire, a region known for frequent volcanic activity and earthquakes. 
  • The Ring of Fire, also called the Circum-Pacific Belt, is a path along the Pacific Ocean characterized by numerous active volcanoes and seismic activity.
• Indonesia has numerous volcanoes due to its location on converging tectonic plates, particularly the Pacific, Eurasian, and Australian plates. 
• Other Recent Eruptions in Indonesia: Mount Sinabung and Mount Merapi.

Recently, Supreme Court (SC)  highlighted the Doctrine of Merger. 

About Doctrine of Merger

• It was explained in Kunhayammed v. State of Kerala, (2000). 
• As per this doctrine, that there cannot be more than one decree or operative order governing the same subject matter at a given point in time. 
• Hence, once the superior court disposes of a case whether by setting aside, modifying, or confirming the lower court's decree, the superior court's order becomes the final, binding, and operative,  merging the lower court's decision into it.

Recently, Karnataka forest department initiated talks to relocate Sheribikanahalli hamlet located within Chincholi Wildlife Sanctuary.

About Chincholi Wildlife Sanctuary

• Location: Kalburgi District, North Karnataka.
  • Declared  a sanctuary in 2011. 
  • First dry land Wildlife Sanctuary in South India.
• Vegetation: Dry deciduous and Moist deciduous forest in the core with Acacia and Teak plantations on the fringes.
• Major Flora: Red Sanders and Sandalwood.
• Major Fauna: Black Buck, Four-horned Antelope, Fruit bat, Hyena, Indian Wolf etc.
• Key Highlights:
  • Chandrampalli Dam: Provide water to this wildlife Sanctuary.
  • Local Tribes: Lambani Tandas