India announced two cross-border railway projects to link Bhutan.

• It includes 69-km Kokrajhar (Assam)-Gelephu (Bhutan) line and the 20-km Banarhat (West Bengal)-Samtse (Bhutan) line.

Strategic significance:

• Enhanced connectivity to Bhutan’s Gelephu Mindfulness City (GMC) provides opportunities for sustainable economic development for both countries.
  • GMC is a Special Administrative Region (SAR) to operate under the concept of "One Country, Two Systems" with higher autonomy.
• Connectivity to Samtse, a major industrial town of Bhutan will promote trade. E.g. Bhutan exports of dolomite, quartzite etc. 
  • India is Bhutan's top trading partner accounting for nearly 80% of Bhutan's total trade.

Bathukamma Festival celebrations in Telangana create 2 Guinness World Records.

About Bathukamma Festival

• It is a floral festival celebrated by the women folk of Telangana and some parts of Andhra Pradesh.
• It is celebrated every year for nine days during Durga Navratri.
• It involves preparation of Bathukamma - the traditional art of flower arrangement using seasonal flowers with medicinal values.
• Bathukamma means “come back to life-Mother” and it is dedicated to Goddess Parvati.
• It is declared as Telangana State Festival.

X (formerly Twitter) to appeal Karnataka High Court judgement upholding Sahyog portal.

About Sahyog Portal

• Objective: Automates the process of sending legal notices to online intermediaries (platforms/ISPs) for the removal or disabling of access to unlawful content.
• Nodal Agency: Ministry of Home Affairs (MHA).
• Legal Backing: Operates under Section 79(3)(b) of the IT Act, 2000, to enforce swift action against cyber-enabled unlawful activities.
• Significance: Creates a centralized platform for various authorized government agencies to coordinate in real-time with digital platforms, enhancing digital security and governance.

India is exploring new ways to boost domestic gold production by extracting it from gold tailings.

About Gold Tailings        

• Definition: Fine, slurry waste remaining after gold extraction, containing unrecovered metals and hazardous processing chemicals.
• Hazards: Major risks include Acid Mine Drainage (AMD), heavy metal (Arsenic, Lead) leaching and catastrophic Tailings Storage Facility (TSF) failures.

India's status in Gold

• Production: In FY 2024-25 domestic gold production was 1.62 tonnes.
• Reserves: RBI's official gold reserves reached  ∼880 tonnes in 2025 (7th globally).
• India is the world's second-biggest gold consumer after China.

Mumbai-based docu-series, The Resurrection Quest secured the prestigious Gold Dolphin at the 16th Cannes Corporate Media and TV Awards.

•  Northern White Rhino IVF was one of the events captured in the four-part series.

About Northern White Rhino

• Subspecies of the white rhinoceros, once widespread across Central Africa.
  • Known for its massive size, broad mouth, and two horns.
• IUCN Status: Critically Endangered (Possibly Extinct in the wild). 
  • Only two females (Najin and Fatu) remain globally, residing in Ol Pejeta Conservancy (Kenya).
• Last Male: Sudan died in 2018, confirming the subspecies' functional extinction and ending natural breeding prospects.
• Conservation Efforts: Focus on advanced technologies like In Vitro Fertilisation (IVF), using cryopreserved sperm and surrogate Southern White Rhino mothers.

According to ECI’s notification, penultimate round of EVM counting shall be taken up only after complete counting of Postal Ballots.

About Postal Ballot

• Allows voters to cast their votes on an electronically received postal ballot, Avoiding the need to visit polling stations physically.
• Legal Framework: Governed by Conduct of Election Rules, 1961 and Representation of People Act, 1951.
• Eligibility: Service voters, special voters,absentee voters (seniors above 85, persons with disabilities,etc.) those under preventive detention, and election duty personnel.
  • Service Voters include Members of the Armed Forces, central armed police forces, government servants posted abroad etc.
  • Special voters include the President, Vice President, Governors, Cabinet Ministers, other high-ranking dignitaries, etc. and their spouses.

Some experts believe that Arrangement is failing to adequately regulate modern technology transfers such as cloud services and Software-as-a-Service (SaaS).

About Wassenaar Arrangement:

• Established: Multilateral export control regime established in 1996 at wassenaar (Netherland).
• Purpose: Aiming to promote transparency and responsibility in the transfer of conventional arms and dual-use goods and technologies. 
• Membership: Comprises 42 participating states.
• Control Lists: Divided into two categories:
  • Munitions List (covers conventional arms)
  • And Dual-Use Goods and Technologies List (covers sensitive technologies that have both civilian and military uses)
• India’s Membership: Joined in 2017.

Indian Army has awarded a contract to Bharat Electronics Limited (BEL) for development and supply of ‘Anant Shastra’ air defence system.

About Anant Shastra

• It is an indigenous Quick Reaction Surface-to-Air Missile (QRSAM) system.
• Developed by: DRDO in collaboration with Bharat Electronics Limited (BEL) and Bharat Dynamics Limited (BDL).
• Capabilities: Highly mobile and agile with a range of around 30 km.
• Integration: Works alongside MR-SAM, Akash, Spyder, and Sudarshan S-400 systems.
• Deployment: To be stationed along western and northern borders once approved.