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House and Senate Democrats introduced a bill that would make Washington, D.C., the 51st state of the USA.  The measure was reintroduced in the House by Del. Eleanor Holmes Norton, a Democrat who represents the District of Columbia. BACKGROUND After the United States became independent from British rule, it was decided that the new national capital would be founded on a federal district, and not be a part of any state.  In 1802, Congress granted Washington its first city government, providing for a mayor (to be appointed by the president).  In 1961, the 23rd Amendment to the US Constitution was passed, giving D.C. residents the right to vote for president starting in 1964. In 2016, in an Obama era referendum, 85% residents voted in favour of becoming a state. In 2020, the statehood question again came to the fore after Black Lives Matter protests rocked US.  In Washington D.C., African Americans are the largest ethnic group, making up just less than half of ...

Eytan Stibbe, a former Israeli fighter pilot, Larry Connor, an American technology entrepreneur and Mark Pathy, a Canadian investor will be part of the crew of the first entirely-private orbital space mission.  The three men are paying a whopping $55 million each to fly aboard a SpaceX rocket for an eight-day visit to the International Space Station.  The trip is being organized by Houston-based spaceflight firm Axiom. The mission will be led by former NASA astronaut Michael Lopez-Alegria, who now works for Axiom space. AXIOM MISSION 1 The Axiom Mission 1 (AX 1) flight is being arranged under a commercial agreement with NASA.  While private citizens have travelled to space before, the AX 1 mission will be the first to use a commercially built spacecraft, the SpaceX Dragon 2. The three men will participate in research and philanthropic projects alongside the astronauts from all over the world who are already stationed at the ISS. Eytan Stibbe Stibbe will be the second Isra...

Recently, the Bombay High Court acquitted a man of sexual assault charges under the Prevention of Children from Sexual Offences (POCSO) Act for groping a child. He was instead convicted him under the Indian Penal Code (IPC) for a lesser offence.  The ruling drew large criticism for its restricted interpretation of the offence.  BACKGROUND The culprit 39-year-old Bandu Ragde was accused of luring the 12- year old girl to his house on the pretext of giving her a guava, and pressing her breast and attempting to remove her salwar.  The sessions court convicted Bandu Ragde under Section 8 of the POCSO Act, and sentenced him to three years in jail.  HC DECISION The Nagpur Bench of the Bombay High Court reversed the decision of a sessions court of Conviction under POCSO.  It acquitted the accused of charges under Section 8 (punishment for sexual assault) of the POCSO Act. However, HC upheld the conviction under IPC section 354 (Outraging the modesty of a woman) which c...

The index ranks 180 countries and territories by their perceived levels of public sector corruption according to experts and businesspeople. 2020 INDEX The 2020 Corruption Perceptions Index (CPI) was released by Transparency International.  It revealed that persistent corruption is undermining health care systems and contributing to democratic backsliding amid the COVID-19 pandemic. Denmark ranked 1st and South Sudan was at the last position.  India’s ranking for 2020 slipped from 80 to 86.  India's score also decreased by a point from 41 in 2019 to 40 in 2020. 

The WEF summit is an annual event held at the ski resort of Davos in Switzerland. The WEF 2021 was held virtually at Davos in Switzerland. WORLD ECONOMIC FORUM Initially, the name was the European Management Forum which got established in 1971. It changed its name to the World Economic Forum in 1987. It Sought to broaden its vision to include providing a platform for resolving international conflicts. Headquarters: Cologny, Switzerland. Head: Klaus Schwab.  SUMMITS OF WEF The World Economic Forum and its annual meeting in Davos are criticised regarding the public cost of security, the formation of a wealthy global elite without attachment to the broader societies, undemocratic decision processes, gender issues and a lack of financial transparency. THE GREAT RESET The theme "The Great Reset" represents a commitment to jointly and urgently build the foundations of the global economic and social system for a more fair, sustainable and resilient future. The meeting aims at connec...

The Padma Awards are one of the highest civilian honours of India announced annually on the eve of Republic Day.  The Awards are given in three categories: Padma Vibhushan (for exceptional and distinguished service), Padma Bhushan (distinguished service of higher order) and Padma Shri (distinguished service).  The award seeks to recognize achievements in all fields of activities or disciplines where an element of public service is involved. The Padma Awards are conferred on the recommendations made by the Padma Awards Committee, which is constituted by the Prime Minister every year.  HISTORY   The Government of India instituted two civilian awards- Bharat Ratna & Padma Vibhushan in 1954. The latter had three classes namely Pahela Varg, Dusra Varg and Tisra Varg. These were subsequently renamed as Padma Vibhushan, Padma Bhushan and Padma Shri through a Presidential Notification issued on January 8, 1955. PADMA AWARDS 2021: KEY POINTS 119 Padma awards in 2021: seve...

Invasion Day protest rallies were held across Australia, on 26th January, 2021.  Sydney saw the biggest rallies in protests.  AUSTRALIA DAY OR INVASION DAY The Australian government celebrates 26th January as ‘Australia Day’.   On 26th January, 1788, the first British fleet had landed at Sydney Harbour, with the aim of establishing a colony and it marks the start of Australia's colonisation. As a reason, the day is controversial.  For years, a "change the date" campaign led by Indigenous Australians has lobbied to move the national day.  Branded by its critics as "Invasion Day", it attracts annual protest rallies drawing attention to the injustices faced by Indigenous people. In the 2020 series, Cricket Australia pitched in their support for the cause.  Cricket Australia also decided to not market high profile international games as ‘Australia Day’ events. TIMELINE 1605 – Dutch explorer Willem Jansz sets foot on Australia, in his voyage from the Dutch ...

SpaceX broke a world space record by launching 143 satellites in quick succession.  It beat India’s record of deploying 104 satellites which was made in February 2017.  The launching vehicle for India's 2017 mission was PSLV C-37 SPACEX LAUNCH The launch vehicle for the SpaceX record-breaking flight was the Falcon 9.  The mission was designated as Transporter-1.  The lift-off happened at Cape Canaveral in Florida. The launch marks the first dedicated mission for SpaceX’s SmallSat Rideshare Program, which enables small-satellite customers to book a ride to orbit with SpaceX directly. The 143 satellites launched included commercial and government CubeSats, microsats, what are known as orbiter transfer vehicles and 10 Starlink satellites.  This batch of Starlink satellites was the first in the constellation to be placed in the polar orbit.  With these satellites, SpaceX aims to provide near-global broadband internet coverage all over the world by 2021.

This day marks the date on which the Constitution of India came into effect on 26 January, 1950.  The constitution replaced the Government of India Act (1935) as the governing document of India. Republic day is celebrated with a parade on Rajpath in Delhi.  REPUBLIC DAY 2021 This year marked the 72nd Republic Day. The event commenced with Prime Minister Narendra Modi visiting the Amar Jawan Jyoti at India Gate for the wreath-laying ceremony. A wreath laying ceremony is a traditional practice during which funeral wreaths are laid at a grave or memorial site. The parade marched this year was 3.5 km as opposed to earlier distance of 8.5 km  The size of every contingent was also cut short to 96 members instead of 144.  The route of the marching contingent ended at the India Gate C-Hexagon instead of Red Fort. ARMY CONTINGENTS 90% of the Territorial Army’s contingent comprised of people from Andaman and Nicobar Islands, who came to the mainland for the first time. The on...

The World Economic Forum recently released the sixteenth edition of the Global Risks Report, 2021.  The report was released based on the Global Risks Perception Survey.  This was the 15th edition of the Global Risks Report. THE RISKS As per the report the following can lead to dire consequences and lost opportunities for large parts of the global population: Risk of job losses A widening digital divide Disrupting social interactions Abrupt shifts in markets HIGHEST LIKELIHOOD RISKS Extreme Weather Climate Action Failure  Human-led Environmental Damage  Digital Power Concentration Digital Inequality and Cybersecurity Failure   WORLD ECONOMIC FORUM Founded: January 1971 Headquarters: Cologny, Switzerland Founder & Head: Klaus Schwab

Gujarat's Kevadiya railway station is India's first railway station with a green building certification. It has been registered with the Indian Green Building Council for being India’s first station to be Green Building certified. STATUE OF UNITY The station will contribute in increasing access to Statue of Unity.  PM Narendra Modi recently showed the green signal to eight new trains to Gujarat’s Kevadiya to connect the Statue of Unity with other parts of India. Also, to enhance the connectivity PM Modi launched a new Broad Gauge line of 32 km from Chandod to Kevadiya. 

Australian government has decided to award Margaret Court, a former tennis player, the country’s highest honour.   She will be awarded Companion in the General Division of the Order of Australia (AC). She holds the record of 24 Grand Slam singles titles. WHY CONTROVERSY? Her views on the LGBTQI (lesbians, gays, bisexuals, transgenders, queers and intersex) community have rendered her an infamous figure among a large group of fans and former players. She has been quite vocal about her anti-homosexual views. In 2017, when the Australian government was poised to legalise same-sex marriages, in an interview, she talked about how tennis is “full of lesbians” and how transgender children were the work of “the devil.” For a few years, there have been calls to have her name removed from the Margaret Court Arena – the second-largest stadium at Melbourne Park, the venue for the Australian Open. Prime Minister Scott Morrison has refused to talk about the issue.

The Australian government plans to bring a new code that would force Google and Facebook Inc to pay media companies for the right to use their content. In reaction, Google has threatened to remove its search engine from Australia.  Facebook said it could block Australian users from posting or sharing news links if the proposed norms on royalty payments were put into operation. AUSTRALIA'S NEW CODE Australia’s new proposed ‘News Media Bargaining Code’ would require Google and Facebook to negotiate with local news organizations for content.  There will be a government-appointed arbitrator making decisions, if an agreement cannot be made. The code has been designed to help the struggling local media industry, that has accused large platforms of benefiting from its work without paying for it.  It was developed by Australia’s competition watchdog, the ACCC, after talks broke down between the local media and the multi-national tech companies. If passed in the Parliament, the ne...

The first-ever treaty to ban nuclear weapons entered into force on January 22. However, it was strongly opposed by the world’s nuclear-armed nations.  The International Campaign to Abolish Nuclear Weapons (ICAN) had received the 2017 Nobel peace prize.  SIGNED IN 2017 In July 2017, the UN negotiating conference had adopted the legally binding Treaty on the Prohibition of Nuclear Weapons (TPNW). It limited signatories to not “develop, test, produce, manufacture, otherwise acquire, possess or stockpile nuclear weapons or other nuclear explosive device”.  It also bans any transfer or use of nuclear weapons or nuclear explosive devices. When the treaty was approved by the UN General Assembly in July 2017, more than 120 approved it.  However, none of the nine countries known or believed to possess nuclear weapons — the United States, Russia, Britain, China, France, India, Pakistan, North Korea and Israel — supported it. The 30-nation NATO alliance also didn't support it. ...

Russian Opposition leader Alexei Navalny called for nationwide protests after he was arrested. The Russian authorities arrested him after he returned to Moscow from Germany for the first time since his poisoning in August 2020.  Thousands of people have taken to the streets demanding the Navalny’s release. WHO IS ALEXEI NAVALNY Navalny, a lawyer-turned-activist, is a Russian Opposition Coordination Council member, the leader of the Russia of the Future party and the founder of the Anti-Corruption Foundation (FBK). He came to prominence in 2008 after he started exposing corruption in Russian politics through a blog.  In 2018, he was barred from standing against Putin in the presidential elections. ALEXEI NAVALNY POISONING Alexei Navalny was poisoned with a Novichok nerve agent and was hospitalized in a serious condition.  During a flight from Siberian city of Tomsk to Moscow, he became violently ill and was taken to a hospital in Omsk after an emergency landing there, and ...

Food served in Parliament canteen will no longer be subsidised, Lok Sabha Speaker Om Birla said.  It is not yet clear how the decision will be implemented. The low rate of food in the Parliament canteen has often attracted controversy, with critics objecting to lawmakers enjoying a dirt-cheap meal at the taxpayers’ expense.  Others have pointed out that the subsidy doesn’t benefit just MPs, as a host of other Parliament staff and security personnel also take their meals at the canteen. PARLIAMENT CANTEEN The Parliament canteen had for the past 52 years been run by Northern Railway.  The officials said the annual revenue from Parliament catering was to the tune of Rs 15 to Rs 18 crore.  The Northern Railway would be paid whatever cost it incurred on running the canteen from the Ministry of Finance through Parliament.  From this year, the catering will be done by Indian Tourism Development Corporation (ITDC). A major furore over the subsidy had erupted in 2015, wh...

Under the UDAN scheme of the central government, India’s first air taxi service has recently started from Haryana.  State Chief Minister, Manohar Lal Khattar inaugurated the small aircraft service which was scheduled to operate from Chandigarh to Hisar. Air Taxi Aviation Company is operating the aircraft service.  The taxi aircraft features a total of 4 seats. According to Khattar, the air services would also start from Hisar to Dehradun in the second phase, while in the third phase two more routes will be added. UDAN Ude Desh Ka Aam Naagrik (UDAN) was launched as a regional connectivity scheme under the Ministry of Civil Aviation in 2016. It is an innovative scheme to develop the regional aviation market. The objective of scheme is to create affordable yet economically viable and profitable flights on regional routes so that flying becomes affordable to the common man even in small towns. The scheme is operational for a period of 10 years. UDAN 4.0 was announced in 2019.

India has begun exporting indigenously made coronavirus vaccines. India had announced a vaccine rollout for Bhutan, Maldives, Bangladesh, Nepal, Myanmar and Seychelles from January 20.  India plans to offer 20 million doses of coronavirus vaccine to its neighbours.  Bhutan became the first country to receive the COVID-19 vaccines, as a gift from India. The vaccines sent to Bhutan was COVISHIELD, manufactured by the Serum Institute of India (SII).

Five workers were killed in the major fire broke out at a plant of the Serum Institute of India (SII) in Manjri area of Pune. The fire broke out at an under-construction building at the Serum Institute's premises. Prima facie it seems that the fire was caused by an electric fault. SERUM INSTITUTE OF INDIA   Founded: 1966 by Cyrus S. Poonawalla. CEO: Adar Poonawalla. The Serum Institute of India is the world's largest vaccine manufacturer. It is manufacturing the Covishield vaccine developed by the Oxford University and AstraZeneca.  Covishield is one of the two Covid-19 vaccines that have been granted emergency use approval in India.  Officials clarified that fire at the Serum Institute has not affected the production of Covishield vaccine. FIRE ACCIDENTS IN INDIA In the India Risk Survey 2019, significant events of fire outbreaks have been reported from different parts of the country. From 2010 to 2014, the number of deaths due to Electric Short Circuit was about 7...

The S&P BSE Sensex breached the 50,000-mark for the first time during the early trade on January 21. The current rise is primarily on account of stability in US politics and a smooth transition of power after the siege at Capitol Hill on January 6. The boost was aided by market heavyweight Reliance Industries (RIL) and the Bajaj twins comprising of Bajaj Finserv and Bajaj Finance.  This has come on top of the Biden’s proposed stimulus of $1.9 trillion, which is likely to keep the markets at elevated levels for now. BSE BSE Limited, formerly known as the Bombay Stock Exchange Ltd. Was established in 1875.  It is the oldest stock exchange in Asia.  It is the world's 10th largest stock exchange in terms of market capitalization. WHAT IS SENSEX? Sensex, a stock market indexes was launched in 1986 by BSE. The term Sensex was named by a stock market analyst Mr. Deepak Mohoni. The word is a portmanteau of Sensitive and Index. It evaluates the fluctuations in stock prices of ...

U.S. ramped up pressure on the Nord stream 2 project with new sanctions. The U.S. State Department placed sanctions on the pipelaying vessel Fortuna, that was slated to work on the project Some companies have also walked away from the project. NORD STREAM 2 Nord Stream 2 is a 1200 km pipeline that is under construction from Russia to Germany and via Baltic Sea.  It is still under construction and is the reason for quite some tensions between Russia and Germany.  This would begin from Russia's Ust Luga and would continue till Greifswald in Germany. It will double the amount of gas being funneled through the Baltics to 110 billion cubic meters per year. Nord Stream 1 was inaugurated on November 8, 2011, by Angela Merkel and Dmitry Medvedev.  It is called North Transgas and North European Gas Pipeline.  OPPOSITION The counterparts of Russia like the USA and the eastern neighbours of Germany like Poland, the Czech Republic have criticised the move saying a dependence can...

After months away from public view — which fuelled speculation — Chinese billionaire Jack Ma resurfaced on January 20, and was seen addressing rural educators at an event that was streamed live. JACK MA NOT SEEN Ma was not seen in public after he delivered a speech at a conference in Shanghai in October 2020. In the speech at the conference, he had severely criticised the market regulation system put in place in China, called the banks ‘pawnshops’, and and suggested that the system “stifled business innovation”. The absence came to notice early in January, when Ma didn't appear in the final episode of Africa’s Business Heroes, a TV show in which he was to be a judge.  The Alibaba Group, which Ma co-founded more than two decades ago, cited a scheduling conflict as reason for his absence. However, the absence was seen with suspicion as it had come at a time when Ma and his companies were facing a crackdown from Chinese regulators. CRACKDOWN ON ALIBABA   Ma had founded Aliba...

Tunisian youth is protesting economic woes, social inequality, political corruption and other problems. Simultaneous, often-violent demonstrations in cities around Tunisia are being staged. They are demanding jobs, better government services and an end to police violence, among other changes. WHY THE PROTESTS? The precise causes are unclear, but the dire economic outlook of the North African country is at the heart of the dissatisfaction. The protesters are angry over the broken promises of democratically elected President Kaïs Saied and his government. The government hasn’t been able to change the economy which has been on the verge of bankruptcy. TUNISIAN REVOLUTION The protests have reminded people of Tunisian revolution which had triggered the 2011 Arab Spring revolutions. The Tunisian Revolution, also called the Jasmine Revolution, was an intensive 28-day campaign of civil resistance.  It included a series of street demonstrations which took place in Tunisia, and led...

The government of Netherlands collectively resigned due to an escalating scandal over the mismanagement of childcare subsidies. Due to the scandal, thousands of Dutch families — particularly ethnic minorities — are still facing insurmountable debt. WHAT WAS THE SCANDAL?  A parliamentary inquiry found that the country’s tax service had wrongly accused over 26,000 Dutch parents of fraud since 2012, and ordered as many as 10,000 of these families to repay tens of thousands of euros worth of child subsidies.  The inquiry report, published in December 2020, concluded that “unprecedented injustice” had been done to these innocent families, as a result of which many faced unemployment, bankruptcy and divorce. Fraud investigations into the families were often triggered by something as simple as an administrative error, such as a missing signature. Soon after the report was published last month, the Dutch government announced a compensation of at least 30,000 euros for each of the fami...

Pakistan Prime Minister Imran Khan waded into the controversy over leaked conversations between a television channel head and the chief of television ratings agency Broadcast Audience Research Council (BARC). He said that they proved that the Modi government had planned the Balakot air strikes in February 2019 in order to “win general elections”, and to “push our nuclearised region to the brink of a conflict it cannot afford”. THE CHAT LEAK CONTROVERSY The Alleged leaked WhatsApp chats pertain to discussions between Arnab Goswami and former BARC CEO Partho Dasupta. So far there is no evidence to confirm the genuineness of these chats. The source of these alleged leaked chats is rather unknown till now. TRP SCAM The chat leak brought the TRP scam in focus as Arnab is seen asking help from PMO with relations to the TRP Scam in the chats. Mumbai police had arrested Partho Das in the TRP scam. The scam is about a ‘major racket’ which was “fraudulently involved in manipulating Televisio...

The United Kingdom has invited Indian Prime Minister as a guest to attend the 47th G7 summit that is scheduled to be held in June 2021. Apart from India, Australia and South Korea are also invited to participate in the proceedings of the summit as “guest countries”. India has also participated at the 45th summit in Biarritz, France, in August 2019. India was also invited for the 2020 summit hosted by the USA which could not take place due to the pandemic. G-7 It is an intergovernmental organisation that was formed in 1975. The members are France, Germany, Italy, the United Kingdom, Japan, the United States, and Canada. The G7 was known as the ‘G8’ for several years after the original seven were joined by Russia in 1997. The Group returned to being called G7 after Russia was expelled as a member in 2014 following the latter’s annexation of the Crimea region of Ukraine. The G-7 does not have a formal constitution or a fixed headquarters.  The decisions taken by leaders duri...

Russia announced that it was leaving the Open Skies Treaty (OST). In November, the United States had left the OST first after accusing Russia of violating the pact– allegations that Russia denied.  US accused Russia of non-compliance with OST protocols, blaming Moscow of obstructing surveillance flights on its territory, while misusing its own missions for gathering key tactical data. Moscow has now blamed Washington for its own decision of leaving the treaty. OPEN SKIES TREATY The concept of "mutual aerial observation" was initially proposed to Soviet Premier Nikolai Bulganin at the Geneva Conference of 1955 by President Dwight D. Eisenhower. The treaty was signed in 1992 in Helsinki, Finland between NATO members and former Warsaw Pact countries. It came into effect in 2002. The treaty currently has 35 signatories along with one non-ratifying member (Kyrgyzstan). India is not a member of this treaty. PROVISIONS It is an agreement that allows its 35 signatories countries to m...

Archaeologists discovered the world’s oldest known cave art. It is a life-sized picture of a wild pig that was painted at least 45,500 years ago in Indonesia. The picture was found in the Leang Tedongnge cave in a remote valley on the island of Sulawesi, Indonesia. The painting was made using red ochre pigment. It depicts a pig with a short crest of upright hairs and a pair of horn-like facial warts in front of the eyes, who is likely observing a social interaction or fight between two other warty pigs. 

India has been ranked 85th in the most powerful passport report ‘Henley Passport Index 2021’. THE INDEX The Henley Passport Index is the original ranking of all the world’s passports according to the number of destinations their holders can access without a prior visa. It was created by Dr. Christian H. Kaelin (chairman of Henley & Partners). The ranking is based on exclusive data from the International Air Transport Association (IATA). It was launched in 2006 and includes 199 different passports. RANKINGS Japan continues to hold the number one position on the index, with passport holders able to access 191 destinations around the world visa-free. Syria, Iraq and Afghanistan continue to be the countries with the worst passport to hold with a passport score of 29, 28 and 26 respectively. India ranks 85th, with a visa-free score of 58. The Indian passport ranked higher in both 2020 (84th)

The external affairs ministry confirmed that this year’s Republic Day parade would not have any foreign head of State or government as chief guest owing to the pandemic. This is the fourth time in history that no foreign guest will be present at the Republic Day. The announcement came nine days after British Prime Minister Boris Johnson, who was to be the chief guest at the parade, cancelled his visit to India because of the countrywide lockdown in the UK. HISTORY The last time it had happened was in 1966, and before that in 1953 and 1952. The event in 1966 was held days after the demise of Prime Minister Lal Bahadur Shastri in Tashkent and the death of nuclear scientist Homi Bhabha in an air crash.

The House of representatives impeached President Donald Trump for a second time. He was charged with “incitement of insurrection”, focused on a speech he delivered to thousands of supporters shortly before the pro-Trump mob rampaged through the Capitol .  It is the first time in American history when a president has been impeached twice.   SIGNIFICANCE A Senate trial to determine whether to remove him cannot begin until Jan. 19, his final full day in office.  This means any conviction would almost certainly not be completed until after he leaves the White House. However, the biggest consequence for Trump could be disqualifying him from holding office again. Conviction in an impeachment trial would not automatically disqualify Trump from future public office.  But if the Senate were to convict him, the Constitution allows a subsequent vote to bar an official from holding “any office of honor, trust or profit under the United States.” That vote would require...

 IMPEACHMENT IN US   Members of the House of representatives consider whether to impeach the president which can be said to be the equivalent of an indictment in a criminal case.  The members of the Senate then consider whether to remove him, by holding a trial in which senators act as the jury.  The test, as set by the Constitution, is whether the president has committed “treason, bribery, or other high crimes and misdemeanors.” The House vote requires only a simple majority of lawmakers to agree that the president has committed high crimes and misdemeanors. The Senate vote requires a two-thirds majority. IMPEACHMENT IN INDIA Article 61 of the constitution provides for the Impeachment of the President of India. The President can be removed from office by impeachment for violation of the Constitution.  The charges of impeachment can be initiated in either house of the Parliament.  The charges need to be signed by 1/4th of the members of the House and a 14 d...

The Supreme Court suspended the implementation of the laws until further notice.  It also decided to set up a committee comprising experts to hear the parties and understand the ground situation. The court’s sharp remarks came during a hearing on petitions challenging the farm laws and the farmer agitation at the Delhi borders. A bench comprising Chief Justice of India SA Bobde, Justices V Ramasubramanian and AS Bopanna gave the ruling. THE COMMITTEE The committee comprises 4 members.  The committee has been appointed for the purpose of listening to the grievances of farmers relating to the farm laws and views of the government to make recommendations.  The four members are: Bhupinder Singh Mann: He is currently the president of the Bhartiya Kisan Union (BKU). Anil Ghanwat: He is currently the president of the Shetkari Sanghatana, a Maharashtra-based union that was founded by the legendary farm leader Sharad Joshi. Dr Pramod Kumar Joshi: He is a known name in the fie...

A Sriwijaya Air Boeing 737-500 plunged into the Java Sea shortly after takeoff in Indonesia. It has once again cast the limelight on the safety of the Indonesia's aviation industry. POOR AVIATION IN INDONESIA Indonesia's aviation record is one of the worst in Asia, with more civilian airliner passenger accidents since 1945 than any other country in the region. The country has had several incidents linked to safety issues in the past, including poor maintenance, pilot training, communications or mechanical failures and air-traffic control problems. In the last 15 years itself, there have been 6 air crashes killing 844 people. In 2007, both the US and the EU banned all Indonesian carriers from their airspace for “not complying with international standards”. The US lifted the ban in 2016 and the EU in 2018. WHY POOR CONDITION Poor weather: Indonesia has one of the highest incidences of thunderstorms and lightning strikes in the world, along with volcanic eruptions that spew out to...

India’s first Lithium refinery will be set up in Gujarat.  It will process Lithium ore to produce battery-grade material. Manikaran Power Limited, one of the country’s largest power trading and renewable energy company will invest over ₹1,000 crore to set up this refinery.  The company is exploring Sanand and Dholera, in Gujarat to set up this refinery. The company will import Lithium ore from Australia and process it in India. LITHIUM Lithium is a rare element not usually found in India.  Lithium is the lightest metal and the least dense solid element.  The most important use of Lithium is as a component of high energy-density rechargeable lithium-ion batteries.

Mike Pompeo, US secretary of state, lifted longstanding restrictions that limit US diplomatic relations with Taiwan. TAIWAN Taiwan, officially known as the Republic of China (ROC). It is an island off the southern coast of China. It has full diplomatic relations with 14 out of 193 United Nations member states. It has been governed independently from mainland China since 1949. The People’s Republic of China (PRC) views the island as a province.  TAIWAN REPRESENTATION IN UN Washington’s position began to shift under the Nixon administration. The ROC lost its seat representing China at the United Nations in 1971 to Beijing. Since 1971, the PRC replaced the Republic of China. Washington formally recognised PRC in 1979. ‘ONE CHINA’ PRINCIPLE Beijing and Taipei sharply disagree on the island’s status.  The PRC asserts that there is only “one China” and that Taiwan is an inalienable part of it. Washington cut ties with Taiwan in 1979 in favour of those with China. CHINA’S RESPONSE Ch...

Twitter suspended Trump's personal account, @realDonaldTrump, permanently.  It cited "the risk of further incitement of violence." It was the first time Twitter has banned a head of state. COMMUNICATION DECENCY ACT The ban was imposed under the Section 230 of the US’ Communications Decency Act. Section 230 of the Communications Decency Act was passed in 1996 and provides legal immunity to internet companies for content that is shared on their websites.  So, if a user posts something illegal on the website, the company is protected from lawsuits. The act was first introduced to regulate pornography online.  Section 230 is an amendment to the act, which holds users responsible for their comments and posts online. FIRST AMENDMENT First Amendment gives right to free speech. It was adopted on December 15, 1791, as one of the ten amendments that constitute the Bill of Rights. Hence, there was the question of whether twitter can legally take such an action.  Howev...

The world's largest floating solar energy project, in Madhya Pradesh will begin power generation by year 2022-23.  The project is to be constructed at Omkareshwar dam on Narmada river in Khandwa district. It has a capacity of  600 MW.  It's a MP State government project. Aid for developing the project will come from: International Finance Corporation, World Bank and Power Grid.  India completed the primary feasibility study of the project in collaboration with the World Bank.

After bird flu (avian influenza) was confirmed in Kerala, Rajasthan, Madhya Pradesh, Haryana, and Himachal Pradesh, high alert has been sounded in Maharashtra.  Several states, which have been reporting deaths of birds, including crows and migratory species, are scrambling to have samples tested for the virus. THE INFECTION Bird flu or avian influenza is the name used to describe a viral infection that is reported mostly in birds. However, it has the potential to affect humans and other animals.  The most common strain of the virus that causes severe respiratory disease in birds is H5N1.  Various other strains like H7, H8 too, cause infection. The virus was first reported in geese in China in 1996.  Since then, outbreaks have been reported periodically across the world.  India reported the presence of the virus in Nandurbar, Maharashtra, in 2006, which led to large-scale culling of poultry birds. HUMAN TRANSMISSION The H5N1 virus can jump species and infect huma...

An armed and angry mob of Trump's supporters stormed Capitol Hill and clashed with police just as Congress convened to validate Joe Biden’s presidential win. A protester was also seen carrying the Confederate flag.  The flag stands for –– white supremacy and the social and political exclusion of coloured people. A woman was fatally shot in the violence that ensued as pro-Trump protestors breached barricades and advanced into the halls of the Capitol building. WHAT WAS GOING ON IN CAPITOL HILL? Lawmakers had begun to gather for a joint session in the House of Representatives to count the electoral votes. Trump supporters stormed the historic building and wreaked havoc in an attempt to stall the certification of the election results. Soon after law enforcement officials were able to clear the building of rioters, the lawmakers reconvened the joint session to count electoral votes from the presidential election and officially confirm Joe Biden’s victory. EVENTS THAT LED TO THE STORM H...

British Prime Minister Boris Johnson cancelled his visit to India. This came some hours after he announced a fresh lockdown in the United Kingdom over the new strain of coronavirus that has affected thousands of people in the UK. The Prime Minister said that it was important for him to remain in the UK so he can focus on the domestic response to the virus. HISTORY  President Sukarno of Indonesia was guest of honour for India’s first Republic Day celebrations in 1950. Chancellor of the Exchequer R. A. Butler Chancellor of the Exchequer R. A. Butler who was a prominent British Conservative politician was invited in 1956. The last British prime minister at the Republic Day parade was John Major in 1993. (This was the fifth invitation)

Saudi Arabia and its three Arab allies (Arabia, the United Arab Emirates, Bahrain and Egypt) would restore full ties with Qatar. The ‘solidarity and stability’ deal was signed at the 41st Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) summit held in Al Ula, Saudi Arabia.  It was brokered by US. White House senior adviser Jared Kushner, assigned to work on the dispute by U.S. President Donald Trump, helped negotiate the deal. WHAT WAS THE CRISIS? In 2017, Saudi Arabia led an Arab transport blockade against Qatar. It said that this was done to punish Doha for its ties with radical Islamist groups.  The bigger motivation probably was to pressure Qatar into reducing diplomatic and economic relations with Iran, Saudi Arabia’s great rival in the region. Coalition countries put 13 demands as conditions to resume relations. Qatar called the embargo a violation of international laws and instead, strengthened ties with Iran and Turkey. WHY QATAR ALWAYS HAD GREAT RELATIONS WITH IRAN? Qatar shares a...

The Supreme Court recently gave its nod to the Central Vista redevelopment project in a 2:1 verdict. Case: Rajeev Suri vs Union of India. A Bench of Justices A M Khanwilkar, Dinesh Maheshwari and Sanjiv Khanna pronounced the 2-1 judgment, with Justice Khanwilkar and Justice Maheshwari forming the majority.  Justice Khanna pronounced a separate judgment  WHAT WAS CHALLENGED? A petition was filed in the Supreme Court in April 2020, challenging the Centre’s change-of-land-use notification of March 2020 with regard to the 86 acres of land.  The petitioner, Rajeev Suri, submitted that the order violated the citizen’s Right to Life guaranteed under Article 21 by depriving people of open and green spaces. The court heard the challenge on three main grounds: change of land use; violations of municipal law; and violations of environmental law. WHAT THE COURT REASONED? In its 2:1 verdict, the court has held that there are no infirmities in the approvals granted.  Justices A M...

The Central Drugs Standard Control Organisation (CDSCO) has decided to accept the recommendations of its Subject Expert Committee (SEC), and approved the Covid-19 vaccines of both Serum Institute of India and Bharat Biotech for restricted use in the country. Along with that, permission was granted to Cadila Healthcare for the conduct of Phase III clinical trial. WHAT IS EMERGENCY USE AUTHORISATION? For vaccines and medicines, approval is granted after an assessment of their safety and effectiveness, based on data from trials.  The fastest approval for any vaccine until now — the mumps vaccine in the 1960s — took about four-and-a-half years after it was developed.  In emergency situations, like the current one, regulatory authorities around the world have developed mechanisms to grant interim approvals if there is sufficient evidence. WHICH ARE THE VACCINES? One vaccine is Covishield, the Indian variant of the AZD1222 vaccine developed by Oxford University and AstraZeneca. It w...

Loujain al-Hathloul, one of the most prominent women’s rights activists from Saudi Arabia, was sentenced to five years and eight months in prison by a Saudi Specialised Criminal Court (created in 2008).  The Saudi Arabian authorities have charged her under the state’s broad counter-terrorism laws for undermining national security and trying to change the political system of the country. However, al-Hathloul’s prison sentence will end in March 2021, since the court has suspended 34 months of her sentence and has calculated the prison verdict from May 2018 onwards, when she was first detained by the authorities. LOUJAIN AL-HATHLOUL AND HER ROLE al-Hathloul has been instrumental in the movement to lift the driving ban on women and the “Wilayah” male guardianship system. In 2014, al-Hathloul, who had a driving license issued in the UAE, was detained for 73 days for attempting to drive into Saudi Arabia from the UAE. In 2015, al-Hathloul stood for elections in Saudi Arabia, which w...

The government of Australia announced that it will remove a reference to the country being “young and free” in the national anthem.  WHY? The move comes weeks after Gladys Berejiklian, the leader of Australia’s most populous state, New South Wales, had urged the country to make changes to its national anthem. The issue was particularly with the line “we are young and free”, which Berejiklian had said dismissed centuries of indigenous history. Critics say the word “young” in second line of the national anthem had implied that Australia’s history only starts with colonisation. The change that takes effect on January 1, is the first amendment to ‘Advance Australia Fair’ since 1984.  Now the lyrics will read: “Australians all let us rejoice/ For we are one and free”. REACTION The reactions to the change have been mixed across the country. While some indigenous Australians, particularly political leaders, have welcomed the change, there have been others who have criticised it. Som...

Astronomers recently picked up an “intriguing” radio wave emission from the direction of Proxima Centauri. The beam was named BLC1 or Breakthrough Listen Candidate 1.  It was found in the archival data of the Parkes observatory, which picked up the beam in April and May last year.  It has not been spotted again.  The news has sparked renewed interest in Proxima Centauri, one of whose planets is believed to revolve in the star’s habitable zone, giving rise to the possibility that it could have, or does, sustain life. BREAKTHROUGH LISTEN The discovery was made by the astronomers at the $100 million Breakthrough Listen project. This is the world’s largest initiative to look for alien life.  It was started by the legendary physicist Stephen Hawking.  The astronomers here regularly spot blasts of radio waves using two powerful telescopes– the Parkes Observatory in Australia or the Green Bank Observatory in the US.  All of their findings so far, th...

A new COVID-19 virus strain has been identified which spreads faster. It was first identified in Britain.  The new mutant is called B.1.1.7.  The new variant has come due to several mutations in the spike protein of the virus along with other RNA content. WHY IT IS SPREADING FAST Some preliminary evidence from Britain suggests that people infected with the new variant tend to carry, greater amounts of the virus in their noses and throats than those infected with previous versions.  Hence when they breathe, talk, sing, cough or sneeze, it spreads easily. CAUSE FOR WORRY There is widespread concern that these mutations may prevent currently used tests from detecting the virus, make it more lethal. There is also the fear that the new strain may evade vaccines under development.  However, here is no evidence so far for any of these. RELIEF  Even though there are multiple mutations in the spike protein, most experts believe that vaccines currently in development wou...

The Lunar Gateway is a planned small space station in the orbit of the Moon.  The Gateway will be an outpost orbiting the Moon that provides vital support for a sustainable, long-term human return to the lunar surface, as well as a staging point for deep space exploration.  It is a critical component of NASA’s Artemis programme. Old name - Deep Space Gateway (DSG).  It was renamed as Lunar Orbital Platform-Gateway (LOP-G) in 2018. NASA focused Gateway development on the initial critical elements required to support the 2024 landing – the Power and Propulsion Element, the Habitation and Logistics Outpost (HALO), and logistics capabilities. ORBIT OF GATEWAY  It will have highly elliptical "near-rectilinear halo orbit." Its 6-day orbit will keep the Gateway out of the moon's shadow at all times, permitting constant communication with Earth. Once docked to the Gateway, astronauts will be able to stay there for three months at a time, conduct science experiments and take...

India Meteorological Department (IMD) inaugurated the highest (3,500 metres above sea level) Meteorological Centre (MC) of India in Leh, Ladakh.  The India Meteorological Department (IMD) will provide specialised weather forecasts for traffic movement on highways, agriculture, and defence personnel from the Ladakh centre. It will provide weather forecasts to two districts: Kargil and Leh. After Itanagar in Arunachal Pradesh, the Leh centre is the second MC located in the Himalayas. IMD The India Meteorological Department is an agency of the Ministry of Earth Sciences of the Government of India.  It is the principal agency responsible for meteorological observations, weather forecasting and seismology. Current Director General: Dr. Mrutyunjay Mohapatra.  IMD has six Regional Meteorological Centres, each under a Deputy Director General.  These are located in Chennai, Guwahati, Kolkata, Mumbai, Nagpur and New Delhi.