Recently, the Karnataka Health Department issued an order to implement the Supreme Court’s ruling, allowing terminally ill patients to die with dignity.

• Karnataka is the second state, after Kerala, to implement this directive.
• Euthanasia, or the intentional act of ending a person’s life to relieve suffering from a painful, incurable disease, is a sensitive and complex issue.

Legal Recognition in India:

• In 2018, the Supreme Court of India legalized passive euthanasia, recognizing the right to die with dignity under Article 21 of the Constitution.
• In 2023, the Supreme Court further clarified that passive euthanasia could be carried out using Advance Medical Directives—instructions to withdraw life-supporting treatment when patients are in a state where they cannot communicate their wishes.

Recently, the World Health Organization (WHO) declared Niger the first African nation to eliminate onchocerciasis as a public health threat.

• As of now, WHO has verified five countries as onchocerciasis-free: Colombia (2013), Ecuador (2014), Mexico (2015), Guatemala (2016), and Niger (2025).
• Onchocerciasis, commonly known as river blindness, is a neglected tropical disease caused by the parasitic worm Onchocerca volvulus.
• It is transmitted through the bite of infected black flies (Simulium species).
• Symptoms include severe itching, rashes, and skin discoloration.
• The disease is prevalent in Africa and Yemen, with more than 99% of infected people living in these regions.
• The Onchocerciasis Control Programme (OCP), launched in 1974, utilized larvicide spraying and, from 1988 onwards, the use of ivermectin to treat infected people as a core treatment therapy.
• Ivermectin is currently the only known effective and safe drug used for mass treatments against onchocerciasis.

India will host the BRICS Youth Council Entrepreneurship Working Group Meeting from March 3 to 7, 2025under the theme “Youth Entrepreneurship for Sustainable Growth.”

• Around 45 youth representatives from BRICS nations (Brazil, Russia, India, China, and South Africa) will participate.
• The meeting aims to establish the BRICS Youth Council’s Entrepreneurship Working Group and align entrepreneurship work plans across BRICS countries.
• The BRICS Youth Council was launched in 2023 during the South Africa Youth Summit to promote collaboration in education, entrepreneurship, innovation, volunteerism, and health.
• BRICS was established in 2006and includes Brazil, Russia, India, China, and South Africa.
• BRICS nations account for 42% of the world’s population, contribute 27% to global GDP, and represent 16% of global trade.

Recently, the Russian nuclear-powered icebreaker 50 Let Pobedy collided with the cargo vessel Yamal Krechet in the Kara Sea.

• The icebreaker sustained damage to its port side edge plating, but its seaworthiness remained intact.
• The Kara Sea is a marginal sea of the Arctic Ocean, located north of Siberia, Russia.
• It is separated from the Barents Sea to the west by the Kara Strait and Novaya Zemlya and from the Laptev Sea to the east by Severnaya Zemlya.
• Major rivers draining into the Kara Sea include the Yenisey, Ob, Pyasina, and Kara.
• The sea’s salinity varies from 10–12 ppt near river mouths to 33 ppt at Franz Josef Land.
• The Kara Sea is part of Russia’s Northern Sea Route, a crucial passage for Arctic shipping.

A recent report by a joint committee established by the National Green Tribunal (NGT) highlighted alarming levels of biochemical oxygen demand (BOD) in the Ghaggar River, rendering it unfit for bathing.

• The river has been categorized under priority-I, indicating the highest level of pollution, with BOD levels exceeding 30 mg/l against the prescribed standard of 3 mg/l.
• Ghaggar River originates in the Shivalik Hills of Himachal Pradesh and flows through Haryana, Punjab, and Rajasthan before disappearing in the Thar Desert.
• The river is approximately 494 km long and has tributaries like Kaushalya, Markanda, Sarsuti, Tangri, and Chautang.
• It is often called a “dead river” due to its seasonal nature, relying on monsoon rains for flow.

Historically, it is believed to be part of the lost Saraswati River.

• Every year on 4 February World Cancer Day is observed globally and is celebrated by WHO to aware people of the disease Cancer and how to cure it.
• This year 2025, theme is “UNITED BY UNIQUE”.
• It places people at the centre of care and will explore new ways of making a difference. It offers a three- year journey from raising awareness to taking action.

India’s first paragliding school was inaugurated by Chief Minister Sukhvinder Singh Sukhu on January 25, 2025, at Bir-Billing, Himachal Pradesh.

• The facility was constructed by the Himachal Pradesh Tourism Development Board under the Swadesh Darshan Scheme.
• Built at a cost of ₹9 crore, the center was completed three years ago but faced delays due to the absence of paragliding regulations.
• The complex includes office rooms, lecture halls, conference rooms, dormitories, single-bed rooms, a dining hall, and a modern kitchen.
• The institute will be jointly managed by the Himachal Pradesh Tourism Development Corporation (HPTDC)and the Atal Bihari Vajpayee Institute of Mountaineering and Allied Sports, Manali.
• The school aims to train over 100 youths annually in paragliding.

Guinea has successfully eliminated the gambiense form of human African trypanosomiasis (HAT), also known as sleeping sickness, becoming the first country to do so.

• This milestone was recognized by the World Health Organization (WHO)on January 29, 2025, ahead of Neglected Tropical Diseases Day observed on January 30.
• Sleeping sickness is transmitted by the bite of the tsetse fly and has two stages:

• The hemolymphatic stage involves symptoms like fever, headaches, joint pain, and itching.
• The neurological stage leads to confusion, sleep disturbances, and other severe neurological symptoms

• Other countries, including Togo, Benin, Uganda, and Equatorial Guinea, have also made progress toward eliminating this disease.

On January 29, 2025, a tragic stampede occurred at the Maha Kumbh Mela in Prayagraj, Uttar Pradesh, leading to at least 30 fatalities and over 60 injuries.

• The stampede was caused by overcrowding as millions of devotees gathered for the ritual bath at the confluence of the Ganges, Yamuna, and mythical Saraswati rivers.
• A three-member panel was set up by the Uttar Pradesh government under Clause 3 of the Commission of Inquiry Act, 1952 to investigate the incident.
• The commission members include Justice Harsh Kumar(retired High Court judge), K. Singh (retired IAS officer), and V.K. Gupta (former DGP).
• The Maha Kumbh Mela is a major Hindu pilgrimage that occurs every 12 years at four locations: Allahabad (Prayagraj), Haridwar, Ujjain, and Nashik.
• The 2025 festival was a Maha (Great) Kumbh Mela, which occurs only every 144 years.

Union Home Minister Amit Shah released the book “Indian Renaissance: The Modi Decade” on January 30, 2025, at the NDMC Convention Center in New Delhi.

• The anthology, edited by  Aishwarya Pandit, is published by Westland Non-Fiction.
• It features contributions from 27 distinguished authors, exploring political, economic, social, and cultural transformations in India during Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s tenure from 2014 to 2024.