MAN-MADE METEOR SHOWER TO PROTECT EARTH FROM ASTEROIDS
Why in news? If all goes according to plan, in September 2022, a NASA spacecraft, the Double Asteroid Redirection Test mission, or DART, will slam into a space rock with the equivalent energy of three tonnes of TNT. Why is DART going to slam into a space rock? The goal is to nudge the orbit […]
INDIA RESUMES IMPORT OF MALAYSIAN PALM OIL
Why in news? Indian buyers have resumed purchases of Malaysian palm oil after a four-month gap following a diplomatic row, with buying spurred by a fall in domestic inventories and discounted prices. The renewed purchases come amid improving trade relations between the two countries after the formation of a new government in Kuala Lumpur. Malaysia […]
CHANGED DYNAMIC ALONG INDIA-CHINA BORDER
Why in news? Indian and Chinese troops have been involved in as many as four incidents in recent weeks along the undefined LAC. A greater capability by India to patrol up to the Line of Actual Control (LAC) coupled with an increasingly assertive Chinese posture is fuelling new tensions along the border, according to former […]
REFORM OR FACE PERMANENT FUNDING CUTS, TRUMP TELLS WHO
Why in news? The U.S. President Donald Trump told the World Health Organization (WHO) that the U.S. will make permanent its funding cuts to the organisation and consider leaving it, if it did not commit to “major substantial reform” within the next 30 days. Background on Developments Mr. Trump had temporarily stopped the funding on […]
INDIA, U.S. TO COLLABORATE ON COVID-19 VACCINE TRIALS
Why in news? India and the U.S. plan to work together on vaccine research and testing for COVID-19. U.S. and Indian scientists have been collaborating on key research questions fostering the development and testing of safe, cost-effective vaccines against a range of infectious diseases that could save innumerable lives in India, the United States, and […]
HOTTER OCEANS SPAWN SUPER CYCLONES
Why in news? Meteorologists and Atmospheric Science Experts say: Higher than normal temperatures in the Bay of Bengal (BoB) may be whetting ‘super cyclones’ and the lockdown, indirectly, may have played a role. Super cyclone Amphan that is barrelling towards West Bengal is the strongest storm to have formed in the BoB since the Super […]
UNODC: COVID-19 UNLIKELY TO AFFECT ILLICIT DRUG SUPPLY
Why in news? A report from the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC) says that Movement restrictions owing to the COVID-19 pandemic may lead to an initial statistical reduction in drug seizures, but the Pandemic will not have a real change in terms of supply in the East and Southeast Asia region Details […]
A.P. GAS LEAK: SC DECLINES TO INTERFERE WITH NGT ORDER
Why in news? The Supreme Court did not interfere on 19th May with an order passed by the National Green Tribunal (NGT). The NGT had ordered LG Polymers to pay ₹50 crore as interim compensation for the gas leak at its Visakhapatnam plant. NGT also set up a five-member fact-finding committee to inquire into the incident […]
INDIA ISN’T PREPARED TO MEET ITS DEFENCE NEEDS
Introduction India’s military security challenges, both current and long-term, came into unintended focus in this month, with the increase in foreign direct investment in defence manufacturing to 74% being announced as a part of the Economic Stimulus Package. India’s Military Security Situation The eastern Ladakh sector saw a stand-off between Indian and Chinese soldiers in […]
SELF-RELIANCE, NOT SELF ISOLATION
Introduction The spread and severity of Covid-19 have proved to be the perfect foil to re-ignite fears about open borders and stretched out supply chains India’s Position on Globalisation with Aatmanirbhar Bharat In his May 12 address to the nation the PM made it clear that an Atmanirbhar Bharat wouldn’t be ‘self-absorbed’ but would rather integrate […]