Munich Security Conference In Germany: External Affairs Minister Dr S Jaishankar held a series of one-to-one meetings with Ministers from Europe, Asia and other parts of the world on the sidelines of the Munich Security Conference in Germany. The Munich Security Conference is an annual conference on international security policy that has been held in […]
Category: Current Affairs
Guidelines On Extended Producers Responsibility (EPR) On Plastic Packaging
Guidelines On Extended Producers Responsibility (EPR) On Plastic Packaging: The government has notified the Guidelines on Extended Producers Responsibility (EPR) on plastic packaging under Plastic Waste Management Rules, 2016. The guidelines will come into effect from 1st July 2022. Overview of the new guidelines: Four categories of plastic packaging specified: Category one will include rigid […]
UNEP Frontiers Report
UNEP Frontiers Report: The United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP) recently released its latest annual Frontiers report. This is the fourth edition of the Frontiers Report, which was first published in 2016 with an alert to the growing risk of zoonotic diseases, four years before the outbreak of the COVID-19 pandemic. The Report identifies and offers […]
Tonga Volcanic Eruption
Tonga Volcanic Eruption: NASA scientists say the Tonga volcano eruption shot out the highest ash plume satellites have ever captured. The eruption on January 15 shot a plume of ash into the mesosphere, where shooting stars form. The 36-mile-high plume makes this the largest volcanic eruption satellites have ever captured. Last month, a volcano erupted […]
Lakshya Zero Dumpsite
Lakshya Zero Dumpsite: The Centre has approved legacy waste remediation proposals in Andhra Pradesh as a part of the initiative to do away with legacy solid waste dump yards in cities. The housing and urban affairs ministry will provide assistance of Rs 77.7 crore for the Rs 235 crore proposal submitted by the state government […]
Nabin Chandra Sen: 175th Birth Anniversary
Nabin Chandra Sen Birth Anniversary: The nation is remembering revolutionary Bengali poet and writer Nabin Chandra Sen on his 175th birth anniversary. He described the battle of Plassey and the arrival of British rule in India as “A Night of Eternal Gloom”. Nabin Chandra Sen’s novel-in-verse Bhanumati and memoir of his travels ‘Prabaser Patra’ […]
Greater One-Horned Rhino
Greater One-Horned Rhino: A case of poaching of the world-famous one-horned rhino has been suspected inside the Kaziranga National Park in Assam. There are five species of rhino – white and black rhinos in Africa, and the greater one-horned, Javan and Sumatran rhino species in Asia. IUCN Red List Status: Black Rhino: Critically endangered. Smaller […]
Bent-Toed Gecko
What Are Geckos? A team of herpetologists have recorded a new species of bent-toed gecko from a wooded part of the Umroi Military Station in Meghalaya. Its scientific name is Crytodactylus exercitus and its English name is Indian Army’s bent-toed gecko. Further, another new bent-toed gecko, the Cyrtodactylus siahaensis named after Mizoram’s Siaha district where […]
Legislation For Refugees in India
Legislation For Refugees: The National Human Rights Commission (NHRC) recently held a discussion on “protection of the basic human rights of refugees and asylum seekers in India”. Many participants raised the issue of India not having a specific law for refugees and asylum-seekers. The discussion noted that, though India has not signed the United […]
What is Obstructive Sleep Apnoea (OSA)?
Obstructive Sleep Apnoea (OSA): Singer and music composer Bappi Lahiri (69) passed away following complications from Obstructive Sleep Apnoea (OSA), bringing attention to a widely prevalent but under-diagnosed medical condition. OSA is a disorder in which a person’s breathing stops and starts repeatedly in their sleep. Obstructive sleep apnoea occurs when muscles in the […]
