World Interfaith Harmony Week is observed from 1^st  to 7^th  February every year.

• The 2025 theme is “Uniting for Peace.”
• Observed By: United Nations General Assembly (UNGA)
• Objective: Promote interfaith dialogue, mutual understanding, and cooperation among different religious communities.

New Zealand granted Mount Taranaki legal personhood, recognizing it as having the same rights and responsibilities as a human.

• This move follows previous cases in New Zealand, including the Whanganui River (2017)and Te Urewera forest (2014), which were also granted legal personhood.
• Mount Taranaki, also known as Taranaki Maunga, is a dormant stratovolcano in New Zealand’s North Island.
• It stands at 2,518 meters (8,261 feet), making it the second-highest peak in the North Island after Mount Ruapehu.
• It is located within Egmont National Parkand is known for its symmetrical cone shape.
• It has a secondary peak, Fanthams Peak (1,966 meters or 6,450 feet), located on its southern side.

The Union Budget 2025-26 of India, presented by Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman, focuses on stimulating balanced growth across all sectors

• The Union Budget 2025-26focuses on four key engines of development: agriculture, MSMEs, investment, and exports.
• The theme of the budget is “Sabka Vikas,” aiming to promote inclusive growth across all sectors.
• It proposes measures to support the poor (Garib), youth, farmers (Annadata), and women (Nari).
• A Makhana Board will be established in Bihar to enhance production, processing, and value addition of Makhana.
• A National Institute of Food Technology, Entrepreneurship, and Management will be set up in Bihar to promote food processing, skilling, and entrepreneurship.
• A new urea plant with a capacity of 12.7 lakh metric tons will be established in Assam to boost agricultural productivity.
• The Prime Minister Dhan-Dhaanya Krishi Yojana will cover 100 low agricultural productivity districts, benefiting 1.7 crore farmers by improving irrigation and storage facilities.
• The budget proposes no income tax for annual incomes up to ₹12 lakh, with an extension to ₹75 lakh for salaried taxpayers with deductions.
• The Kisan Credit Card (KCC)limit is raised from ₹3 lakh to ₹5 lakh to benefit 7.7 crore farmers.
• Greenfield airports will be developed in Bihar, with expansions at Patna and Bihta (Patna) airports.
• The Economic Survey for 2024-25 projects a real GDP growth for FY26 between 6.3% to 6.8%.

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.