About Monroe Doctrine:

• The Monroe Doctrine, articulated by U.S. President James Monroe in 1823, is a significant S. foreign policy statement aimed at preventing European intervention in the Americas.
• Primarily the work of Secretary of State John Quincy Adams, the Monroe Doctrine forbade European interference in the American hemisphere but also asserted U.S. neutrality in regard to future European conflicts.
• The United States invoked the Monroe Doctrine to defend its increasingly imperialistic role in the Americas in the mid-19th century.
• The doctrine has had lasting impacts on U.S. relations with its southern neighbors, reflecting America's desire to assert its influence while advocating for independence and self-determination in the region.
• It was also a cornerstone of U.S. foreign policy in the 19th century.

About Bluetongue Virus (BTV):

• It is responsible for causing the severe haemorrhagic disease, bluetongue (BT).
  • It is an infectious, non-contagious, vector-borne
  • It can infect domestic ruminants, including cattle, sheep, and goats, along with wild animals such as buffalo, deer, antelope, and camels.
  • Of the domestic species, sheep are the most severely affected.
• Transmission:
  • BTV is predominantly spread between ruminants through the bites of infected Culicoides midges, tiny blood-feeding insects that can be found in large numbers on most farms.
  • Some BTV strains can be transferred from a ruminant mother to her fetus during pregnancy.
• Can the BTV Spread to Humans?
  • BTV does not infect humans.
  • There are no food safety issues, and meat and dairy products are safe to consume.
• BT can result in high rates of morbidity and even mortality in flocks and herds and can affect production (e.g. milk yields) and trade.
• Treatment:
  • There is no effective treatment for bluetongue.
  • Vaccines are available for certain types of the disease and are used in Africa, Asia, and parts of Europe.

About Bankim Chandra Chattopadhyay:

• Bankim Chandra Chattopadhyay, also known as Bankim Chandra Chatterjee, was one of the greatest novelists and poets of India.
• He is famous as the author of Vande Mataram, the national song of India.
• His famous novels include Durgeshnandini, Kapalkundala (1866), Mrinalini (1869), Vishbriksha (1873), Chandrasekhar (1877), Rajani (1877), Rajsimha (1881), and Devi Chaudhurani (1884).
• Bankim Chandra Chatterjee's most famous novel was Anand Math (1882).
  • It was set in the background of the Sannyasi Rebellion in the late 18th century.
  • Anand Math contained the song “Vande Mataram”, which was later adopted as the national song.
    • The patriotic song was written in Sanskrit.
    • In the year 1896, Rabindranath Tagore sang this melodic poem for the first time at the Calcutta session of the Indian National Congress.
    • It was officially adopted as the national song by the Constituent Assembly of India on 24th January 1950.
  • He is often regarded as the “Sahitya Samrat” (Emperor of Literature) in Bengali literature.

About C-130J Super Hercules:

• It is a four-engine turboprop military transport aircraft.
• It was developed by Lockheed Martin, a US security and aerospace company.
• It is the US Air Force’s principal tactical cargo and personnel transport aircraft.
• It is the current variant of the C-130 Hercules.
• The largest operators are the US Air Force, US Marine Corps, Australia, Canada, India, Italy, and the United Kingdom.
• The Indian Air Force (IAF) currently operates 12 C-130J Super Hercules.
• Features:
  • The aircraft is capable of operating from rough, dirt strips and is the prime transport for airdropping troops and equipment into hostile areas.
  • It can accommodate a wide variety of oversized cargo, including everything from utility helicopters and six-wheeled armored vehicles to standard palletized cargo and military personnel.
  • Equipped with an Infrared Detection Set, the aircraft can perform precision low-level flying, airdrops, and landing in blackout conditions.

About INS Gharial:

• INS Gharial (L23) is a Magar-class amphibious warfare vessel of the Indian Navy.
• It is the second indigenously built Landing Ship Tank (Large).
• It was built by Hindustan Shipyard Limited and Garden Reach Shipbuilders and Engineers.
• It is one of the largest ships of the Indian Navy.
• It was commissioned as a part of the Eastern Fleet under the Eastern Naval Command.
• It is capable of carrying helicopters and Landing Craft Assault (LCA).
• It is also armed with guns and rocket launchers.

About Sudden Stratospheric Warming event:

• It refers to a rapid rise in stratospheric temperatures that weakens or distorts the polar vortex (a cold-air mass typically stabilized over the Arctic).
• Occurrence of the event:
  • It begins with large-scale atmosphere waves (called Rossby waves) getting pushed higher into the atmosphere.
  • These waves can “break” (like waves in the ocean) on top of the polar vortex and weaken it.
  • If waves are strong enough, the winds of the polar vortex can weaken so much that they can reverse from being westerly to easterly.
  • This leads to cold air descending and warming rapidly.
  • It can lead to a displacement or splitting of the polar vortex, so instead of cold air being locked above the polar region, it can push further south into the mid-latitudes.

What is Polar Vortex?

• It is a large area of low pressure and cold air surrounding both of the Earth’s poles. 
• It extends from the tropopause (the dividing line between the stratosphere and troposphere) through the stratosphere and into the mesosphere.
• It always exists near the poles, but weakens in summer and strengthens in winter.
• Many times, during winter in the northern hemisphere, the polar vortex will expand, sending cold air southward with the jet stream.
  • Jet streams are relatively narrow bands of strong wind in the upper levels of the atmosphere.
• This occurs fairly regularly during wintertime and is often associated with large outbreaks of Arctic air in the United States.

About India International Science Festival:

• It was launched in 2015.
• IISF aims to bring together people and the scientific community both nationally and internationally to collaborate, interact, and experience the joy of doing science for the wellbeing of India and humanity, guided by the spirit of swadeshi.
• Mission of IISF: Bridging traditional knowledge systems with modern scientific research thereby strengthening the link between India’s indigenous knowledge heritage and contemporary scientific inquiry.

Key Facts about India International Science Festival 2025

• It is organised by the Ministry of Earth Sciences (MoES) and coordinated by Indian Institute of Tropical Meteorology (IITM) Pune.
• The theme of India International Science Festival (IISF) 2025: “Vigyan Se Samruddhi: for Aatmanirbhar Bharat.”
• The event will feature technical and thematic sessions across science, technology and innovation.
• IISF 2025 will focus on five broad themes:
  • Science, Technology and Ecology of North-West India and the Himalayan Region;
  • Science for Society and Education;
  • Atmanirbhar Bharat through Science and Technology;
  • Biotechnology and Bio-economy; and
  • Integration of Traditional Knowledge with Modern Science.

About National Mission on Edible Oils

• It aims to strengthen the country’s oilseed ecosystem and achieve self-reliance in edible oil production.
• Targets of the mission
  • It targets to increase the area coverage and primary oilseed production.
  • It targets domestic edible oil production and seeks to expand oilseed cultivation mainly by targeting rice and potato fallow lands.
• It has two-pronged approach:
  • NMEO – Oil Palm (2021):
    • It is a Centrally Sponsored Scheme, with the aim to enhance the edible oilseeds production and oils availability in the country by area expansion and increasing Crude Palm Oil (CPO) production.
    • It is focused on expanding oil palm cultivation and increasing domestic crude palm oil output.
    • It focuses on increasing production of seedlings by establishment of seed garden, and nurseries of oil palm in order to assure domestic availability of seedlings as per target fixed under NMEO-OP.
  • Implementation: The Department of Agriculture & Farmers Welfare (DA&FW) serves as the nodal central authority.
  • NMEO – Oilseeds (2024):
    • It is aimed at improving productivity, seed quality, processing, and market linkages for traditional oilseed crops.
    • Focus: It focuses on increasing production of key primary oilseed crops such as Rapeseed-Mustard, Groundnut, Soybean, Sunflower, Sesamum, Safflower, Niger, Linseed and Castor.
    • It also focuses on increasing collection and extraction efficiency from secondary sources like cottonseed, coconut, rice bran as well as Tree-Borne Oilseeds (TBOs).
  • Implementation: It will be implemented in all States/UTs with the funding pattern of 60:40 in case of general States, Delhi & Puducherry and 90:10 in case of North-Eastern States and hill States, and 100% funding for UTs and Central Agencies.

About UN Environment Assembly:

• It is the world’s highest-level decision-making body on the environment.
• Member Countries: It the universal membership of all UN Member States and the full involvement of major groups and stakeholders.
• It is organised every 2 years.
• Background: UNEA was created in 2012, as an outcome of the UN Conference on Sustainable Development (Rio+20), held in Brazil.
• Functions of UN Environment Assembly:
  • It sets the global environmental agenda, provides overarching policy guidance, and defines policy responses to address emerging environmental challenges.
  • It undertakes policy review, dialogue and the exchange of experiences, sets the strategic guidance on the future direction of the UN Environment Programme (UNEP).
  • It fosters partnerships for achieving environmental goals and resource mobilization.
• Seventh UNEA session (2025) Theme: "Advancing sustainable solutions for a resilient planet".

About Japan:

• It is an island nation in East Asia, situated in the Northwestern Pacific Ocean.
• Maritime borders: It is bordered by Pacific Ocean (East), Sea of Okhotsk (North), Sea of Japan (West East) and East China Sea (Southwest).
• Political Structure: Parliamentary government under a constitutional monarchy.
• Capital City: Tokyo, located in east-central Honshu.
• Geographical Features of Japan:
  • It comprises a chain of islands.
  • Main Islands(north to south): Hokkaido, Honshu, Shikoku, and Kyushu.
  • Terrain: Over 80% mountainous, with rugged terrain.
  • Volcanic activity: It is located on the Pacific Ring of Fire.
  • Highest peak: Mount Fuji
  • Major mountain ranges: Japanese Alps
  • Major rivers: Shinano River (longest), Tone River, Kiso River.
  • Climate: It ranges from subarctic in the north to humid subtropical in the south.
  • It is often disturbed by earthquakes, tsunamis, and volcanic eruptions due to tectonic activity.