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Recently, the defence minister addressed the 8th ASEAN Defence Ministers Meeting (ADMM) Plus. The ADMM-Plus is a platform for ASEAN and its eight Dialogue Partners. Important points: India called for an open and inclusive order in Indo-Pacific based upon respect for sovereignty and territorial integrity of nations. Supports freedom of …

The World Health Organization (WHO) in its recent report “Children and Digital Dumpsites” has underlined the risk that children working in informal processing are facing due to discarded electronic devices or e-waste. There are as many as 18 million children (as young as five years) and about 12.9 million women …

Recently, India has signed an agreement extending a USD 100 million Line of Credit (LOC) to Sri Lanka for projects in the Solar Energy Sector. The LOC is for a period of 20 years, with an interest of 1.75%. The agreement was signed between the Government of Sri Lanka and …

The Minister of Jal Shakti has urged all MPs to support the ongoing “Jal Shakti Abhiyan: Catch The Rain” campaign in their respective constituencies and states. Such interventions would ensure water source sustainability in rural areas and would strengthen the ongoing Jal Jeevan Mission being implemented by the Ministry. Important …

Recently, the Delhi High Court granted bail to student activists in a Unlawful Activities Prevention Act (UAPA), 1967 case. While delivering the judgement, the court redefined the boundaries of the otherwise “vague” Section 15 of the UAPA. Important points: Terrorist activity cannot be broadly defined to include ordinary penal offences. …

According to a recent report published in the SIPRI Yearbook 2021, the number of nuclear warheads which are ready and deployed have increased globally. The SIPRI Yearbook is released by the Stockholm International Peace Research Institute (SIPRI) which researches international armament and conflict. The SIPRI “Yearbook 2021” assesses the current …

Recently, the Union Minister of Agriculture and Farmers’ Welfare addressed the 42nd session of Food and Agriculture Organization’s (FAO) Conference. The Conference takes place every two years and is FAO’s supreme governing body. It determines the policies of the Organization, approves the budget, and makes recommendations to Members on food …

The Tulu speakers, mainly in Karnataka and Kerala, have been requesting the governments to give it official language status and include it in the eighth schedule to the Constitution. In 2020, there was a demand to include Tulu in the new National Education Policy (NEP). Official Language or Languages of …

Recently, a resolution was adopted by the European Parliament, urging the European Union (EU) Commission to consider the temporary withdrawal of the Generalised Scheme of Preferences Plus (GSP+) status given to Sri Lanka. Sri Lanka regained the GSP +, or the EU’s Generalised Scheme of Preferences in 2017. The EU …

Recently, the Indian Prime Minister addressed the 47th G7 Summit 2021 through video conferencing. Earlier, the Finance Ministers from the G7 nations reached a landmark accord setting a Global Minimum Corporate Tax Rate (GMCTR). Apart from India, Australia and South Korea were also invited to participate in the proceedings of …

Recently, the International Criminal Police Organization (Interpol) through its Operation Pangea XIV targeted the sale of fake medicines and products online. More than 1.10 lakh web links, including websites and online marketplaces, were taken down in the operation. Important points: Operation Pangea, is a well-established international effort of Interpol to …

Recently, the US’ President and UK’s Prime Minister signed a new version of the 80-year old Atlantic Charter. Important point: The Atlantic Charter was a joint declaration released by US President Franklin D. Roosevelt and British Prime Minister Winston Churchill on 14th August, 1941 (during World War II) following a …

Recently, the Maldives’ Foreign Minister Abdulla Shahid was elected the President of the 76th session of the United Nations (UN) General Assembly (GA) for 2021-22. The win was welcomed by India as Indian diplomats had been helping the Maldives and India expects close cooperation with Maldives at the UN. However, …

The Rengma Naga Peoples’ Council (RNPC) or Rengma Nagas have demanded an Autonomous District Council (ADC) in Assam. The Central and the State governments recently upgraded the Karbi Anglong Autonomous Council (KAAC) and the North Cachar Hills Autonomous Council (NCHAC) to territorial councils like the Bodoland Territorial Council. The ‘status …

The Rengma Naga Peoples’ Council (RNPC) or Rengma Nagas have demanded an Autonomous District Council (ADC) in Assam. The Central and the State governments recently upgraded the Karbi Anglong Autonomous Council (KAAC) and the North Cachar Hills Autonomous Council (NCHAC) to territorial councils like the Bodoland Territorial Council. The ‘status …

Recently, the Union Education Minister announced the release of the report of All India Survey on Higher Education (AISHE) 2019-20. This Report provides key performance indicators on the current status of Higher education in the country. It is the 10th in the series of AISHE annually released by the Department …

The Ministry of Education has developed an online module for compiling out-of-school (due to Covid-19 pandemic) children’s data identified by each State/UT. The collected data will be mapped with special training centres on the PRABANDH portal of Samagra Shiksha. Important point: Through the module, the government will facilitate age-appropriate admissions …

The Union Health Minister addressed the 75th session of the United Nations General Assembly (UNGA) on prevention of HIV/AIDS. The Resolution 75/260 of UNGA deals with the Implementation of the Declaration of Commitment on HIV/AIDS and the political declarations on HIV/AIDS. Important point: India’s unique HIV prevention model is centered …

Recently, China hosted a meeting of foreign ministers from the 10 Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) countries. The meeting marks the 30th anniversary of China-ASEAN dialogue. With this meeting China looks to deepen its economic ties with the region as well as push back the renewed effort at regional …

The BRICS Foreign Ministers, in a recent meet, put out a joint statement on multilateralism. BRICS is an acronym for the grouping of the world’s leading emerging economies, namely Brazil, Russia, India, China and South Africa. Important points: It is the process of organizing relations between groups of three or …