India hosted first-ever 3GPP (3rd Generation Partnership Project) RAN Meetings on 6G Standardization. 

• The meeting is being hosted by Telecommunications Standards Development Society, India (TSDSI).
  • TSDSI is recognized Standards Development Organization (SDO) of India.
  • TSDSI develops standards for access, back-haul, and infrastructure systems, solutions and services that best meet India specific Telecom/ICT needs.

About 3rd Generation Partnership Project (3GPP)

• Genesis: Established in 1998 to develop 3G mobile standards.
• Function: Global body responsible for developing specifications for mobile communications technologies, including 5G and 6G.
• 3GPP specifications form the foundation of global mobile networks.

Two multi-mission stealth frigates of Project 17A – INS Udaygiri and INS Himgiri, were commissioned into the Indian Navy.

• Frigates are versatile multi-mission platforms, designed to protect other ships of the fleet from threats emanating from the sea.

About Project 17 A

• Follow-on ships of Shivalik-class (Project 17) frigates.
• Seven Frigates being indigenously built by Mazagon Dock (Mumbai) and GRSE (Kolkata).
• Configured with Combined Diesel or Gas (CODOG) main propulsion plants, comprising a Diesel Engine and Gas turbine.
• The weapon suite comprises supersonic Surface-to-Surface missile system, Medium-Range Surface to Air Missile system, and rapid-fire gun Systems.

The International Chess Federation (FIDE) announced that the FIDE World Cup 2025 will be hosted in Goa, India.

About FIDE World Cup

• It is a major chess event organized by the FIDE, the international governing body for chess.
  • FIDE was constituted as a non-governmental institution in Paris in 1924, but is now headquartered in Lausanne, Switzerland.
• Top three finishers qualify for the 2026 Candidates Tournament.

Scientists discover a rare quadruple star system – UPM J1040−3551 AabBab – in the Milky Way.

• It consists of a pair of cold brown dwarfs orbiting a pair of young red dwarf stars.

About Brown Dwarfs

• Brown dwarfs are celestial bodies that form like stars (from collapsing gas and dust) but lack enough mass for sustained hydrogen fusion (a process that heats the star ine). 
  • Thus, they are often known as “failed stars”.
• They have atmospheres similar to gas giant planets such as Jupiter. 
  • The major difference between brown dwarfs and planets is their mass and occurrence of deuterium (heavy hydrogen) in brown dwarfs. 

The Supreme Court has strongly criticized NGT for ordering an ED probe, deeming it a violation of law and beyond its jurisdiction.

About NGT

• Established in: 2010 under the National Green Tribunal Act 2010.
• Objective: effective and expeditious disposal of cases relating to environmental protection and conservation of forests and other natural resources
  • Mandated to make and endeavour for disposal of applications or appeals finally within 6 months of filing of the same.
• Not be bound by the procedure laid down under the Code of Civil Procedure, 1908:  shall be guided by principles of natural justice.
• Principal Place of Sitting: New Delhi
• Other four places of sitting: Bhopal, Pune, Kolkata and Chennai 

CCMB’s seminal work on programmed cell revival offers hope for regenerative medicine.

Programmed Cell Revival (PCR)

• Usually Programmed Cell Death (PCD) is irreversible.
  • PCD is a genetically regulated mechanism by which cells undergo self-destruction. Examples: Apoptosis, Autophagy, Necroptosis.
• CCMB discovered a “genetically encoded revival code”  to enable cells to recover from a near-death state, termed as PCR.
• Potential significance: Regenerative medicine (stimulating injured neurons or cardiac cells to survive instead of die),  Cancer research (where unwanted “cell revival” may help tumor cells resist therapy), Stem cell biology etc.

The forest elder (Kuttimathan Kani) who revealed Arogyapacha died in Kerala.

About Arogyapacha

• Arogyapacha literally means “the green that gives strength”. 
• It is a rare, indigenous medicinal plant of India known for its use as an instant energy stimulant, anti-fatigue and therapeutic properties.
• Medicinal Properties: Anti-oxidant, antistress, anti-microbial, anti-inflammatory, anti-tumor, anti-ulcer, anti-diabetic etc.
• Famous for its traditional use by the local tribal people (known as Kani tribes, settled in Agastya hills, Western Ghats).
• A drug named ‘Jeevani’ has been developed using “Arogya Pacha” with three more ingredients by Tropical Botanic Garden and Research Institute (TBGRI), Thiruvananthapuram, Kerala. 
  • Kani Tribes gets a share of 50% on commercial returns.