TROPEX (Theatre Level Operational Readiness Exercise) is the Indian Navy’s largest biennial maritime exercise, conducted in the Indian Ocean Region.

• Involves the Indian Army, Indian Air Force (IAF), and Indian Coast Guard, ensuring joint operational coordination.
• TROPEX-25 demonstrates India’s combat readiness, material preparedness, and operational capabilities.
• INS Vikrant participated in TROPEX-25, marking a defining moment for the Indian Navy.
• First-ever convergence of India’s Eastern and Western Fleets operating as a single maritime force.
• Western Fleet (based in Mumbai) focuses on the Arabian Sea.
• Eastern Fleet (based in Visakhapatnam)secures the Bay of Bengal and Indo-Pacific.

R Praggnanandhaa won the Tata Steel Masters 2025 title in the Netherlands on February 2, 2025.

• He defeated D Gukesh 2-1in a thrilling tie-breaker to claim his first-ever Tata Steel Masters title.
• Gukesh had been leading the tournament but lost to Arjun Erigaisi in the final round, allowing Praggnanandhaa to win.

• It is observed annually on 6 February, provides an opportunity to highlight progress and raise awareness to end this harmful practice.
• This year, with the theme Step up the Pace, there is a focus on strengthening alliances and building movements to end FGM.
• The United Nations aims to eliminate FGM by 2030.

Forbes has released its 2025 list of the world’s most powerful countries, ranking them based on leadership, economic influence, political power, strong international alliances, and military strength.

The top 10 countries are:

1. United States
2. China
3. Russia
4. United Kingdom
5. Germany
6. South Korea
7. France
8. Japan
9. Saudi Arabia
10. Israel

India is ranked 12th on this list.

Andhra Pradesh has launched ‘Mana Mitra’, becoming the first state to offer governance services via WhatsApp.

• Citizens can access 161 public services by messaging ‘Hi’ to 9552300009.
• A total of 36 government departments are involved in this initiative.
• Total Services in(Phase 1):161 public services
• Total Services in (Phase 2):360 additional services

The 13th edition of the joint military exercise ‘Ekuverin’ between the Indian Army and the Maldives National Defence Force is being held in the Maldives from February 2 to 15, 2025.

• The exercise focuses on enhancing interoperability between the two forces in counter-insurgency and counter-terrorism operations, as well as conducting joint humanitarian assistance and disaster relief missions.
• ‘Ekuverin’, meaning ‘Friends’ in the Dhivehi language, is an annual bilateral exercise initiated in 2009, conducted alternately in India and the Maldives.
• The 12th edition of ‘Ekuverin’ was held in Chaubatia, Uttarakhand, India, from June 11 to 24, 2023.

The Union Budget allocated ₹600 crore to the Deep Ocean Mission, which includes the Samudrayaan project.

• The National Institute of Ocean Technology (NIOT), under the Ministry of Earth Sciences, is leading the project.
• It is India’s first manned ocean mission for deep-sea exploration and mining of rare minerals like polymetallic manganese nodules, gas hydrates, hydrothermal sulfides, and cobalt crusts.
• India has been allocated a site of 75,000sq km in the Central Indian Ocean Basin by the International Sea Bed Authority (ISA) for the exploration of polymetallic nodules from the seabed in a 15-year contract.
• Matsya 6000 is the indigenously developed manned submersible under the mission, designed to carry three persons to a depth of 6,000 meters.
• It is an indigenously developed by ISRO in collaboration with NIOT.

• The Indian U19 women’s cricket team scripted history by securing a dominant nine-wicket victory over South Africain ICC U19 Women’s T20 World Cup 2025 final at the Bayuemas Oval in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia.
• India U19 women’s cricket team clinched their second consecutive ICC U19 Women’s T20 World Cup title.
• Gongadi Trisha was the undisputed star of the tournament, earning the Player of the Tournament

DRDO conducted three consecutive flight trials of the Very Short-Range Air Defence System (VSHORADS) on February 1, 2025, from Chandipur, Odisha.

• The system successfully intercepted and destroyed low-altitude aerial threats, including drones with reduced thermal signatures.
• It is a man-portable air defence system (MANPADS) designed and developed by DRDO’s Research Centre Imarat in collaboration with other DRDO laboratories.
• VSHORADS is intended for deployment by the Indian Army, Navy, and Air Force to counter airborne threats.

• The Rafah border crossing between Gaza and Egypt has reopened for medical evacuations after being closed since May 2024.
  It serves as the southernmost exit from the Gaza Strip.
• It shares its border with Egypt’s Sinai Peninsula and is the only crossing that does not lead into Israeli territory.
• The crossing is crucial for the movement of people and goods, especially during times of crisis.
• The other two crossings, Erez and Kerem Shalom, are controlled by Israel and are currently closed, making Rafah the sole exit for humanitarian needs.