About Weimar Triangle:

• It is a regional political grouping of France, Germany and Poland.
• It was formed by a joint declaration issued in Weimar, Germany, by the Foreign Ministers of the three countries.
• It had three objectives:
  • To involve France in German-Polish reconciliation by building on the Franco-German experience;
  • To strengthen dialogue and political cooperation between the three countries.
  • To support Poland in its process of integration into NATO and the European Union (EU).
• Regular meetings at levels including heads of government, foreign ministers, and European affairs ministers have enabled coordination on EU policies, with notable outcomes including Poland's accession to NATO in 1999 and the European Union in 2004.
• Although the Weimar Triangle still has no institutional structure, it remains a framework of reference at the political level.
• Beyond diplomacy, it encompasses civil society efforts like youth exchanges, academic collaborations, and business networks to promote intercultural dialogue and mobility.

About Long Range Anti-Ship Missile (LRAShM):

•  It is a hypersonic glide missile developed by the Defence Research and Development Organisation (DRDO).
  • Hypersonic glide vehicles (HGVs) like the LRAShM differ from traditional ballistic missiles, which follow a fixed trajectory.
  • HGVs are launched on a rocket, ascend to the upper atmosphere, and then glide towards their target in an unpredictable manner.
  • This combination of exceptional speed and maneuverability makes them extremely difficult to intercept with existing air defense technologies.
• It outperforms similar missiles like China’s DF-17 in terms of range and technology.
• It is being built for anti-ship roles (to target enemy warships and carrier groups) and may also evolve into a land-attack variant.

Features

• The missile’s standout feature is its incorporation of a delta-wing hypersonic glide vehicle (HGV), which allows it to follow highly complex and adaptive flight paths.
• It is reported to have a range of over 1,500 kilometers.
• This missile operates at 10 Mach, making it 10 times faster than the speed of sound.
• The missile's radio frequency (RF) seeker, designed to operate effectively at hypersonic speeds, ensures accurate strikes against moving targets, such as warships, a capability that very few weapons possess.
• It is configured for launches from both land-based platforms and naval vessels, offering versatility in combat scenarios.
• It is capable of carrying various payloads, including both conventional and nuclear warheads,
• The incorporation of special heat-resistant materials ensures the missile can withstand extreme temperatures without disintegrating during flight, setting a new benchmark in scramjet and glide technology.

About M-STrIPES:

• The MSTrIPES (Monitoring System for Tigers: Intensive Protection and Ecological Status) is a software-based monitoring system created to assist patrol and protect tiger habitats.
• It was launched by the National Tiger Conservation Authority (NTCA) along with the Wildlife Institute of India in 2010.
• It is designed to assist wildlife protection, monitoring, and management of Protected Areas.
• The programme consists of two parts: an analytical engine with a central desktop software and an online analysis tool, and an Android-based mobile application that records field observations and tracks using real-time GPS.
• It uses Global Positioning System (GPS), General Packet Radio Services (GPRS), and remote sensing,
  • to collect information from the field
  • create a database using modern Information Technology (IT)-based tools
  • analyze the information using GIS and statistical tools
  • to provide inferences that allow tiger reserve managers to better manage their wildlife resources.
• Under MSTrIPES protocols, forest guards are expected to patrol their beats and record their tracks using a GPS, in addition to recording observations in site-specific data sheets.
  • Beat is the smallest unit of forest administration in India since British time and usually one forest guard is assigned for one beat.

Key Facts about Anamalai Tiger Reserve:

• It is located in the Anamalai Hills.
• It lies south of the Palakkad gap in the Southern Western Ghats.
• It is surrounded by the Parambikulum Tiger Reserve on the east, Chinnar Wildlife Sanctuary, and Eravikulum National Park on the southwestern side.
• It is inhabited by six indigenous communities,, Kadar, Muduvar, Malasar, Malai malasar, Eravalar, and Pulayar.
• Vegetation:
  • It supports diverse habitat types, viz. Wet evergreen forests, semi-evergreen forests, moist deciduous, dry deciduous, dry thorn, and shola forests.
  • Other unique habitats like montane grasslands, savannah, and marshy grasslands are also present.
• Flora: The reserve is rich in wild relatives of cultivated species like mango, jackfruit, wild plantain, ginger (Zingiber officinale), turmeric, pepper (Piper longum), cardamom, etc.
• Fauna: The important wild animals of the reserve include: Tiger, Asiatic elephant, Sambar, Spotted deer, Barking deer, Jackal, Leopard, Jungle cat, etc.

About Agricultural and Processed Food Products Export Development Authority (APEDA):

• APEDA is a statutory body established by the Government of India under the Agricultural and Processed Food Products Export Development Authority Act passed by the Parliament in December, 1985.
• The Authority replaced the Processed Food Export Promotion Council (PFEPC).
• It works under the Ministry of Commerce and Industry.
• Objective: To develop and promote the export of scheduled products.
• The products specified under the APEDA Act are called scheduled products, and exporters of such scheduled products are required to register under APEDA.
• Examples of scheduled products: Fruits, Vegetables, Meat, Poultry Products. Dairy Products, Confectionery, Biscuits, Bakery Products, Honey, Jaggery, etc.
• APEDA is responsible for providing financial assistance, information, and guidelines for the development of scheduled products.
• In addition to this, APEDA has been entrusted with the responsibility of monitoring the import of sugar as well.
• APEDA also functions as the Secretariat to the National Accreditation Board (NAB) for the implementation of accreditation of the Certification Bodies under National Programme for Organic Production (NPOP) for Organic exports.
• Functions:
  • Setting the standards and specifications for the scheduled products.
  • Registration of exporters of the scheduled products on payment of required fees.
  • Improving packaging and marketing of the Scheduled products.
  • Carrying out an inspection of products to ensure the quality of such products.
  • Training in various aspects of the industries connected with the scheduled products.
  • Development of industries relating to the scheduled products and undertaking surveys, feasibility studies, etc.
  • Collection of statistics from the owners of factories or establishments and publication of such statistics.
• APEDA is headed by a Chairman appointed by the Central Government.
• Headquarters: New Delhi
• APEDA has set up 15 Regional Offices at Mumbai, Bengaluru, Telangana, Kolkata, Guwahati, Ahmedabad, Varanasi, Chandigarh, Bhopal, Chennai, Kochi, Tripura, Srinagar, Jammu, and Ladakh.

Key Facts about BHARATI Startup Challenge:

• BHARATI—short for Bharat’s Hub for Agritech, Resilience, Advancement, and Incubation for Export Enablement was launched by the APEDA to encourage innovation and entrepreneurship in the agricultural and processed food export sector.
• The initiative aims to support export-ready startups by providing mentorship, market access, and policy facilitation.
• The top 10 startups emerging from the challenge will be provided international exposure through participation in Gulfood in Dubai and BIOFACH in Germany, enabling them to explore global market opportunities and strengthen India’s agri-export ecosystem.

About Mayon Volcano:

• It is an active stratovolcano located in Albay province on Luzon Island in the Philippines.
• It is part of the Pacific Ring of Fire.
• It is the Philippines' most active volcano.
• It is called the world’s most perfect volcanic cone because of the symmetry of its shape.
• It has steep upper slopes capped by a small summit crater.
• Popular with climbers and campers, the volcano is the centre of Mayon Volcano National Park.

 What is a Stratovolcano?

• It is a tall, steep, and cone-shaped type of volcano.
• Unlike flat shield volcanoes, they have higher peaks.
• They are typically found above subduction zones, and they are often part of large volcanically active regions, such as the Ring of Fire that frames much of the Pacific Ocean.
• Stratovolcanoes comprise the largest percentage of the Earth’s individual volcanoes, and most are characterized by eruptions of andesite and dacite, lavas that are cooler and more viscous than basalt.
• These more viscous lavas allow gas pressures to build up to high levels. Therefore, these volcanoes often suffer explosive eruptions.
• They are usually about half-half lava and pyroclastic material, and the layering of these products gives them their other common name of composite volcanoes.
• At the peak, stratovolcanoes usually have a small crater.

About North Island:

• It is one of the two main islands of New Zealand in the South Pacific Ocean.
• It is separated from the South Island by Cook Strait.
• Many important cities are found on the North Island.
  • These include Auckland, which is the largest city.
  • The capital city of New Zealand, Wellington, is also located here.
  • Other major cities are Hamilton, Tauranga, and Rotorua.
• Important bodies of water on the island include:
  • Lake Taupō
  • Waikato River
  • Whanganui River
• The North Island has several active and dormant volcanoes:
  • Auckland Volcanic Field
  • Mount Ruapehu
  • Mount Taranaki (also called Taranaki Maunga)
  • Mount Tarawera
  • Whakaari/ White Island
  • North Island Volcanic Plateau.

About Barak River:

• It is a river in northeastern India that flows through Manipur, Mizoram, and Assam before entering Bangladesh.
• It is the second largest river in Northeast India after the Brahmaputra.
• Course:
  • It rises from the Manipur hills.
  • It flows then along the Nagaland-Manipur border through hilly terrains and enters Assam.
  • In Assam, the Barak Valley gets its name from the river.
  • Just before flowing into Bangladesh, the Barak splits into the Surma River and the Kusiyara River.
  • These two rivers meet to form the Meghna River, which flows southward, joins the Padma River, and finally drains into the Bay of Bengal.
• The Barak River basin, formed by the Barak and its tributaries, drains India, Bangladesh, and Myanmar.
  • In India the basin spreads over states of Meghalaya, Manipur, Mizoram, Assam, Tripura, and Nagaland.
  • It is bounded by the Barail range separating it from the Brahmaputra basin on the north, by the Naga and Lushai hills on the east, and by the Mizo hills and the territory of Bangladesh on the south and west.
  • The entire basin falls in the Eastern Himalayan region of the Agro Climatic Zone.
  • The major part of the basin is covered by forest.
  • Due to the hilly topography, terrace farming is common in this region.
• Tributaries: The principal tributaries of the Barak are Jiri, Chiri, Modhura, Jatinga, Harang, Dhaleswari, Singla, Longai, Sonai, and Katakhal.
• There are four major dams, namely Khoupum Dam, Mawphlang Dam, Gumti Hydro Dam, and Myntdu-Leshka Dam.

About Directorate General of Mines Safety (DGMS):

• It is the Regulatory Agency under the Ministry of Labour & Employment, Government of India, in matters pertaining to occupational safety, health and welfare of persons employed in mines.
• It has its headquarters at Dhanbad (Jharkhand) and is headed by the Director-General of Mines Safety.
• The mission of the DGMS is to continually improve safety and health standards, practices, and performance in the mining industry and upstream petroleum industry by implementing:
  • proactive safety and health strategies;
  • continuous improvement of processes;
  • effective use of resources;
  • commitment and professional behaviour in its personnel.
• Under the Constitution of India, the safety, welfare, and health of workers employed in mines are the concern of the Central Government (Entry 55-Union List-Article 246).
  • The objective is regulated by the Mines Act, 1952, and the Rules and Regulations framed thereunder.
  • These are administered by the DGMS. 

About Vera C.Rubin Observatory:

• It is located atop the Cerro Pachón mountain in the Chilean Andes, where dry air and dark skies provide one of the world's best observing locations.
• It is named after American astronomer Vera C. Rubin, who provided evidence about dark matter for the first time in the 1970s.
• It is jointly funded by theS. National Science Foundation and the U.S. Department of Energy's Office of Science.
• The observatory has four main scientific goals:
  • Understand the nature of dark matter and dark energy.
  • Create an inventory of the asteroids, comets, and other objects in the solar system.
  • Map the Milky Way and help reconstruct its history.
  • Explore objects — like exploding stars and black holes — that change position or brightness over time.
• The centrepiece of the observatory is the Simonyi Survey Telescope.
  • It has the world’s largest digital camera.
  • It is the fastest-slewing telescope in the world and takes just five seconds to move and settle from one target to another.
  • This speed is due to the telescope’s compact structure (owing to the three-mirror design) and its mount, which floats on a film of oil.
• This observatory will provide comprehensive images of the night sky unlike anything astronomers have seen before.
• It will constantly scan the sky of the southern hemisphere, creating an ultra-wide, ultra-high-definition time-lapse record of the universe.
• The amount of data gathered by Rubin Observatory in its first year alone will be greater than that collected by all other optical observatories combined.

Key Facts about 2025 MN45:

• It is a newly discovered asteroid.
• It resides in the main asteroid belt between Mars and Jupiter.
• It completes one rotation every 1.88 minutes, making it "the fastest-spinning asteroid”.