Ten relevant news updates from across the world, useful for examinations
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Headlines - 30 - 06 - 2021
- Defence and Military - Preventing a drone attack - The need for an anti-drone system shielding critical installations came under sharp focus after a drone attack on an IAF base in Jammu. Drones are increasingly used in the Middle East, particularly in Iraq and Syria, by the US to carry out targeted assassinations. The only option now is to shoot down the drones, but it is tough as it needs sniper fire and the drone to be within range. Also, sighting drones, especially during night, is not easy. Countering the drone threat - Several private defence contractors are offering off-the-shelf anti-drone tech to counter hostile Unmanned Aerial Vehicles (UAVs), popularly known as drones. Companies, based out of Israel, US, have developed anti-drone systems using technologies such as radars, optic and thermal sensors etc. These systems stand apart when it comes down to the range and the manner in which the threat is assessed and neutralised. Some systems simply monitor and alert the presence of a drone, while others are equipped with ballistics and even lasers. Local solution from India includes the one from Defence Research and Development Organisation (DRDO) called an ‘Anti Drone System’. It can detect and jam drones up to 3km and uses a laser weapon to fire at targets that are 1 to 2.5km away.
- Social Issues - Religious Freedom in India report by Pew - Most Indians, cutting across religions, feel they enjoy religious freedom, value religious tolerance, and regard respect for all religions as central to what India is as a nation. But the majority in each of the major religious groups show a preference for religious segregation and “want to live separately”. This was the result of a nation-wide survey on religious attitudes, behaviours and beliefs conducted by Pew Research Center, a non-profit based in Washington DC. The report found that 91% of Hindus felt they have religious freedom, while 85% of them believed that respecting all religions was very important ‘to being truly Indian’. For most Hindus, religious tolerance was not just a civic virtue but also a religious value, with 80% of them stating that respecting other religions was an integral aspect of ‘being Hindu’. Other religions showed similar numbers for freedom of religion and religious tolerance. While 89% of Muslims and Christians said they felt free to practice their religion, the comparative figures for Sikhs, Buddhists and Jains were 82%, 93%, and 85% respectively. Hindu nationalist sentiments were less prevalent in the South. Among Hindus, those in the South (42%) were far less likely to say that being Hindu was very important to being truly Indian.
- World Politics - President-elect Ebrahim Raisi - Hardliner Ebrahim Raisi became Iran’s president, succeeding Hassan Rouhani. Iran’s 13th presidential elections were held in June, and as per rules, the president should be a Shiite Muslim. Over 90 per cent of Iran’s population is comprised of Shiite Muslims. Raisi first came to prominence when he became the Prosecutor General of Karaj in 1980, when he became the Prosecutor of Tehran and the First Deputy to the Head of Judiciary from 2004 to 204 after which he became the Prosecutor General of Iran from 2014 to 2016. In 2019, Raisi was appointed the head of Iran’s judiciary, an appointment that sparked concerns because of his involvement in the mass executions of thousands of political prisoners in 1988 after the Iran-Iraq war. Amnesty International has identified Raisi as a member of the “death commission” that carried out “enforced disappearance and extrajudicial executions of several thousand political dissidents in Evin and Gohardasht prisons near Tehran between late July and early September 1988. Victims’ bodies were mostly buried in unmarked mass graves.” Raisi also has ties to the paramilitary group Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC).
- Environment and Ecology - India Bhutan environment cooperation - Friendly neighbours India and Bhutan signed an MoU for developing cooperation between the two in the area of environment. The MoU will open new vistas of bilateral co-operation in the area of climate change, waste management etc. The MoU is a platform to further enhance Indian and Bhutanese partnership and support, exchange best practices in areas like prevention of Air Pollution, Waste Management, Chemical Management, Climate Change, etc. Both nations are blessed with the Himalayas, which in turn are facing severe climate change issues.
- Environment and Ecology - Sea snot outbreak in Turkey reducing in intensity - After a month of research on the Marmara Sea, scientists aboard the Bilim-2 (Science-2) vessel announced in June end that the issue of the sea snot, or marine mucilage, blanketing the sea could soon be over. The sea snot (a massive cluster of microorganisms) was now stuck at a depth of 30 meters (98 feet) and its growth had partially stopped. A cleaning campaign was underway against the mucilage while strong winds occasionally emerge, helping with the disposal of sea snot. Currents at sea also affect the phenomenon. The Marmara has two major currents, with one hailing from the Black Sea in the north and another deeper one, a “static current.” But this also means trouble for other seas. Satellite data shows layers of mucilage drifting towards Aegean, through Çanakkale (Dardanelles Strait, in the southwest of Marmara). Still, having mucilage closer to the surface is “good news” as it is better than it reducing the oxygen level for flora and fauna living in deeper levels.
- Healthcare and Medicine - Covaxin effectively neutralises Alpha and Delta variants of COVID-19 - The COVID-19 vaccine Covaxin, produced by Bharat Biotech, effectively neutralises both Alpha and Delta strains of coronavirus, according to US National Institute of Health (NIH). Published results from a phase 2 trial of the vaccine indicate it is safe and well-tolerated, US' NIH said, adding that safety data from a phase 3 trial of Covaxin will become available later in 2021. This is indeed good news for the only indigenous vaccine from India, separately battling allegations of corruption in a huge deal done with Brazil, where payments were routed through a Singapore firm.
- Defence and Military - Germany's last troops out from Afghanistan, 20-year mission ends - German military concluded its withdrawal from Afghanistan after almost two decades in June end, finishing Germany's longest, most expensive and deadliest military mission since World War II. Germany had the second largest contingent of troops after the US in Afghanistan, with around 1,50,000 soldiers deployed over the past two decades. Fifty-nine German troops died in Afghanistan over the years. Afghanistan is now witnessing an intense power-struggle between the democratic government and the Taliban, and major changes are expected in coming months.
- Governance and Institutions - Rs.2,400 cr deal to buy India's Covaxin suspended by Brazil amid corruption allegations - Brazil's Health Ministry has suspended a Rs.2,400 crore deal to buy two crore doses of India's Covaxin COVID-19 vaccine amid corruption allegations. Brazilian federal prosecutors have opened an investigation into the deal over comparatively high prices, quick talks and pending regulatory approvals. However, the ministry claimed there are no irregularities in the deal. Bharat Biotech has refuted all charges. President Jair Bolsonaro's reputation has plunged over the past year due to his mishandling of the pandemic, and his involvement in this deal is not being ruled out.
- Science and Technology - Elon Musk updates - (a) Billionaire Elon Musk-led SpaceX was forced to call off its Transporter-2 mission after an aircraft entered the "keep out zone". A Falcon 9 rocket was just 11 seconds away from launching 88 small satellites into orbit before the mission was called off. Musk, in a tweet, called the aircraft "unreasonably gigantic", while adding, "The current regulatory system is broken." (b) A US-based YouTuber named Reid Williamson sent a tangible version of meme-inspired cryptocurrency Dogecoin to space to mark Tesla CEO Elon Musk's 50th birthday on Monday. In his YouTube video titled 'I Sent A LITERAL Dogecoin To Space', he showed how the Dogecoin was sent to space with a weather balloon. Dogecoin's co-creator Billy Markus shared Williamson's video on Twitter.
- Governance and Institutions - Government cracks down on media platforms - (a) Officials from Facebook and Google on Tuesday deposed before the Parliamentary Standing Committee on Information Technology. The panel, led by Congress MP Shashi Tharoor, directed the social media platforms to comply with new IT rules and follow the rules of the country, ANI reported. The officials were summoned to discuss certain issues including the prevention of social media platforms' misuse. (b) Delhi Police's Cyber Cell on Tuesday lodged an FIR against micro-blogging site Twitter over child pornographic content. The FIR has been lodged on a complaint by National Commission for Protection of Child Rights (NCPCR). The Cyber Cell has registered the case against Twitter under POCSO Act and IT Act.
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