Monthly Archives: November 2022

INDIA’S ACTION FRAMEWORK AT COP27

India will insist on “action” and a clear pathway that developed countries must follow to deliver long-promised finance to developing countries for adapting to climate change threats, ahead of the 27th edition of the United Nations Conference of Parties (COP) in Sharm-El-Shaikh, Egypt that begins on November 7. “This ought …

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CHINA’S 20TH PARTY CONGRESS OVER

China’s 20th Party Congress concluded with hardly any surprises, and a predetermined script was implemented without any hitch. Xi Jinping was anointed President for an unprecedented third term, and all six of his acolytes made it to the powerful Politburo Standing Committee. Li Qiang is widely expected to take over …

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RISAT-2 SATELLITE MAKES RE-ENTRY INTO EARTH’S ATMOSPHERE

ISRO’s RISAT-2 satellite, launched in 2009, has made an uncontrolled re-entry into the Earth’s atmosphere. The space agency on Thursday said the RISAT-2 satellite, weighing about 300 kg, made an uncontrolled re-entry in the Indian Ocean near Jakarta on October 30. “Weighing only about 300 kg, the satellite has now …

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KALPAKKAM ATOMIC PLANT

Tamil Nadu power utilities have voiced concern over the shutdown of Unit-1 of Madras Atomic Power Station (MAPS) at Kalpakkam since 2018. They have sought the probable date for it to resume operation. In a letter to the Southern Regional Power Committee (SRPC), Tamil Nadu Transmission Corporation Limited (Tantransco) said …

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DHARA MUSTARD HYBRID-11

The Genetic Engineering Appraisal Committee (GEAC), India’s apex regulator of genetically modified plants and food products, has approved the environmental release of Dhara Mustard Hybrid-11 (DMH-11), a genetically-engineered variant of mustard. Trials conducted over three years by the Indian Council of Agricultural Research (ICAR) suggest that DMH-11 has 28% higher …

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DRDO TESTS PHASE 2 OF BALLISTIC MISSILE DEFENCE

The Defence Research & Development Organisation (DRDO) on Wednesday conducted the maiden flight-test of Phase 2 of the ballistic missile defence (BMD) interceptor missile successfully. The AD-1 is a long-range interceptor missile designed for both low exo-atmospheric and endo-atmospheric interception of long-range ballistic missiles as well as aircraft. It is …

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INDIA-U.K. FTA WILL TIGHTEN SCREWS ON GENERIC DRUGS

The proposals on intellectual property (IP) rights in the draft India-U.K. Free Trade Agreement (FTA) will hurt the global supply of generic medicines, Doctors Without Borders (Médecins Sans Frontières or MSF) warned on Wednesday. In a press note, the international organisation said the intellectual property chapter of the India-U.K. FTA …

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HABITAT LOSS OF RHINO

The horns of rhinoceroses may have become smaller over time from the impact of hunting, according to a recent study which analysed artwork and photographs of the animal spanning more than five centuries. The study, published in the latest edition of People and Nature by the British Ecological Society, relied …

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CENTRE ‘DOUBLES’ FERTILIZER SUBSIDY

Considering the huge increase in the prices of fertilizers in global market, the Centre has “doubled” the fertilizer subsidy for this rabi season. A meeting of the Union Cabinet here on Wednesday approved a subsidy of ₹51,875 crore for nitrogen, phosphorus and potash (NPK) and sulphur for phosphatic and potassium …

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UNIFORM CIVIL CODE (UCC) IN UTTARAKHAND

The five-member team formed to frame the draft for a Uniform Civil Code (UCC) in Uttarakhand is currently struggling to read and analyse over three lakh handwritten letters, 60,000 e-mails, and 22,000 suggestions uploaded on its website by residents of the hill State sharing their view and recommendations on “One law for all”. Among …

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