GS2

Recently, the Defence Minister of India held bilateral talks with the Defence Minister of the Republic of Kazakhstan in New Delhi. The two Ministers had last met in Moscow (Russia) in September 2020 on the sidelines of Shanghai Cooperation Organisation (SCO) Defence Ministers’ meeting. Important points: Agreed that both sides …

Widely known as the world’s “Atoms for Peace and Development” organization within the United Nations family, the IAEA is the international centre for cooperation in the nuclear field. The IAEA was created in 1957 in response to the deep fears and expectations generated by the discoveries and diverse uses of …

Iran and the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) have agreed to temporary measures to offset Iran’s decision to restrict access to inspectors. In December 2020, Iran’s Parliament passed the law demanding a suspension of some inspections if the USA failed to lift sanctions. Important points: Iran will stop the implementation …

The Supreme Court has asked the Centre and four States to file their response within three weeks on a plea seeking a direction to repeal the provisions criminalising begging. Important points: The plea has referred to the August 2018 verdict of the Delhi High Court which had decriminalised begging in …

Recently, India’s Prime Minister (PM) and the PM of the Netherlands held a Virtual Summit. It was the first high level Summit attended by the PM of Netherlands after the general elections held in March 2021. Earlier in 2019 the King and Queen of the Netherlands visited India to give …

The Prime Ministers of India and the Netherlands held a virtual summit. The two leaders had a detailed review of the entire spectrum of bilateral engagements and exchanged views on further expanding and diversifying the relationship in trade and economy, water management, agriculture sector, smart cities, science & technology, healthcare …

The ‘double mutant’ virus that is having a bearing on the spread of the pandemic in India, has been formally classified as B.1.617. Mutation is an alteration in the genetic material (the genome) of a cell of a living organism or of a virus that is more or less permanent …

There was reduced noise pollution on the surface of earth during the Covid-19 pandemic owing to lockdowns and stop of economic activities (like international trade). In the underwater world, too, anthrophony (human-made sounds) reduced substantially for long months. Important Points The three broad components of oceanic acoustics are: Geophony: Sounds …

Recently, a consultation meeting of Education Ministers of E9 countries was held. The meeting was held on the theme ‘E9 initiative: Scaling up digital learning to accelerate progress towards SDG4’. Important Points Scaling up Digital Learning to Accelerate Progress towards SDG4 (Concept): The United Nations (UN) is spearheading a global …

The United States, in a significant reversal to the earlier policy, has announced the restoration of at least USD 235 million in financial assistance to the Palestinians. The US administration had already announced USD 15 million in coronavirus relief to the Palestinians. Important Points The UNRWA funds would include educational …