(b) Statement 1 is wrong. Statement 2 and 3 are correct. Why in news? Recently, Taiwan scrambled its aircraft, naval ships, and land-based missiles after spotting 11 Chinese military aircraft that breached the sensitive median line of the Taiwan Strait. ■ Taiwan Strait, also called Formosa Strait, is a 180-kilometre-wide strait separating the island of Taiwan and continental Asia. ■ The strait extends from southwest to northeast between the South China Sea and East China Sea respectively. ■ The strait is part of the South China Sea . The South China Sea is a marginal sea of the Western Pacific Ocean. Thus Taiwan Strait is part of the Western Pacific Ocean. ■ People’s Republic of China claims to enjoy “sovereignty, sovereign rights and jurisdiction over the Taiwan Strait” and regards the waterway as “internal territorial waters” instead of being international waters.

(d) Why in news? ■ Primatologists have proposed a solution to address the division caused by a 1.65-km long railway track within the Hollongapar Gibbon Sanctuary in eastern Assam, dedicated to the western hoolock gibbon. ■ The sanctuary, home to about 125 hoolock gibbons, is facing habitat fragmentation due to the track’s presence, which has separated gibbon populations on either side. ■ The Hollongapar Gibbon Sanctuary, formerly known as the Gibbon Wildlife Sanctuary or Hollongapar Reserved Forest is an isolated protected area of evergreen forest located in Assam. ■ The Hollongapar Gibbon Sanctuary contains India’s only gibbons – the hoolock gibbons, and North-eastern India’s only nocturnal primate – the Bengal slow loris.

(b) Statement 1 and 3 are correct. Statement 2 is wrong. ■ In northeast India, the hoolock is found south of Brahmaputra and the North Bank areas and east of the Dibang Rivers. ■ Its range extends into seven states covering Arunachal Pradesh, Assam, Manipur, Meghalaya, Mizoram, Nagaland, and Tripura (The seven northeastern states of India). ■ They are native to eastern Bangladesh, Northeast India, Myanmar, and Southwest China. ■ The hoolock gibbons are three primate species of genus Hoolock in the gibbon family. ■ Like the other gibbons, they are diurnal. ■ The three species of hoolock gibbon are : 1 . Western hoolock gibbon ; 2 . Eastern hoolock gibbon ; 3 . Skywalker hoolock gibbon ■ In India Western hoolock gibbon are found. ■ Conservation Status: IUCN Red Data Book : Western Hoolock Gibbon – Endangered ; Eastern Hoolock Gibbon – Vulnerable . Schedule 1 of the Indian (Wildlife) Protection Act 1972.

(c) ■ ISRO’s Space Applications Centre in Ahmedabad has developed a device called ‘Nabhmitra’, which has been successfully tested. ■ This device is aimed at enhancing the safety of fishermen. ■ It operates through satellite-based communication and enables two-way messaging between boats at sea and authorities on land. ■ The system can convey weather alerts, cyclone warnings, and other information in the local language. ■ In cases of emergencies like boat accidents or fires, fishermen can activate the device to alert the control centre. ■ The control centre receives the boat’s location and the crew onboard gets a response from the control centre. ■ Additionally, the device provides details about shipping routes, maritime boundaries, and fishing areas.

(d) Why in news? ■ The Army has signed contracts for the procurement of 130 tethered drones and 19 tank-driving simulators under Emergency Procurement (EP) and they will be delivered in 12 months. ■ A tethered drone is an unmanned aerial vehicle tethered to the ground. ■ It consists of a base station on the ground and the drone, which is connected to the station through the tether (cable). ■ This tether provides power and data communication to the drone, allowing it to operate for extended periods without the limitations of a finite onboard battery. ■ The drone can be operated remotely to perform specific tasks. ■ Tethered UAVs are perfect for data capture and telemetry due to the reliability of tethered connections. ■ They dramatically reduce technical and human error crashes in flight. ■ They provide a secure line of communication between the ground station and the aircraft. ■ The physical connection to the ground makes tethered drones less vulnerable to interference or hacking compared to wireless drones. ■ It also does not require GPS navigation. ■ Many tethered drones have longer flight times compared to free-flying, battery-operated drones. ■ Due to the restricted movement of a tethered drone, the operator does not need piloting skills and can mainly focus on their tasks.