The Battle of Haifa occupies a curious place in the intertwined histories of India, Israel, and Palestine.

• The Battle of Haifa was fought on September 23, 1918, where Indian soldiers liberated the strategic port city of Haifa from Ottoman and German control.

About Haifa Port

• It is located in northern Israel, adjacent to the city of Haifa along the Mediterranean sea.
• The Haifa port is one of the two biggest commercial ports in Israel.
• It handles nearly half of the country’s container cargo and is also the nation’s principal port for passenger traffic and cruise ships.
• The Port of Haifa was constructed in 1933 by the British. Since 1948, it has been rebuilt and developed by the Israeli government

Poompuhar, the 2,000-year-old port city built by the early Cholas and lost to Tsunamis, throws up evidence of a glorious past.

About Poompuhar

• Poompuhar, also known as Kaveripoompattinam, served as a major port city of the early Chola kings around the 3rd century BCE to 3rd century CE.
• It was a bustling hub for international trade, exchanging pearls, silk, pottery, and spices with Rome, Greece, and Southeast Asia.
• Famous ancient Tamil epics like Silappatikaram and Manimekalai describe the port's immense wealth, busy markets, and grand lighthouses.

The Union environment ministry has extended the validity period of environmental clearances (ECs) for ports, harbours from the existing 10 years to 20 years.

About Environmental Clearances (ECs)

• It is a mandatory government approval process in India for projects and industrial activities that may cause environmental pollution.
• Legal Mandate: Environment (Protection) Act, 1986, and the Environmental Impact Assessment (EIA) Notification, 2006.
• Key Categories of Projects: Projects are divided into two main groups under the EIA Notification:
  • Category A: Large-scale projects approved by the Ministry of Environment, Forest and Climate Change (MoEFCC).
  • Category B: Smaller projects reviewed and approved by the State Level Environment Impact Assessment Authority (SEIAA).
• Steps in the Process
  • Screening
  • Scoping
  • Public Consultation
  • Appraisal

The bilateral air exercise Veer Guardian 2026 concluded at Air Force Station Jodhpur.

About Veer Guardian Exercise

• Forces Involved: Indian Air Force (IAF) and Japan Air Self-Defence Force (JASDF).
• Frequency: Bilateral (held alternatively or in respective countries).
• Significance: served as a vital platform for enhancing interoperability and strengthening the strategic partnership between the two Air Forces.

Planetary Health Check 2026 released by Planetary Boundaries Science Lab at Potsdam Institute for Climate Impact Research (PIK), Germany. 

• Planetary boundaries highlights rising security risks from human pressure on 9 critical global processes that regulate stability and resilience of Earth.

Key Highlights

• 7 of 9 planetary boundaries have transgressed from safe operating limits with all transgressed boundaries showing worsening trends. 
  • These 7 are: climate change; change in biosphere integrity; modification of bio geochemical flows; introduction of novel entities; land system change; freshwater change; ocean acidification. 
  • Other 2 being Stratosphere Ozone depletion; Atmospheric aerosol loading. 

Recently World Rhino Day was celebrated 

About Rhinos

• Five species of rhino: 2 African (White Rhino, Black Rhino) and 3 Asian (Indian rhino, Sumatran Rhino, and Javan Rhino).
  • Only Indian and Javan rhinos have one horns 
• Indian Rhino: also called as the greater one-horned Rhino. It is the largest of all Asian Rhinos 
• Assam now holds nearly 80 percent of the world’s rhinos
• IUCN Conservation Status: Critically Endangered (Sumatran, Javan and Black Rhino) Vulnerable (Indian Rhino), Near threatened (White Rhino)
• Difference between Asian and African Rhinos
  • Largest Rhino: White Rhino
  • African rhinos have Less armoured look, are More aggressive and are poor swimmers as compared to Asian rhinos 

RBI absorbed 71,971 crore rupees from the banking system through an overnight VRRR auction

About VRRR

• It is a monetary policy tool used by the RBI to absorb excess money from banks for a short period.
• RBI takes money from banks and offers them interest in return.
  • The term variable rate means the interest rate is not fixed and is decided by the market based auctions.
  • In the Reverse Repo Rate the rate is fixed by RBI.