Oil surges as OPEC+ surprise output cuts shake markets Context: Oil prices surged on Monday, posting the biggest daily rise in nearly a year, after a surprise announcement by OPEC+ to cut more production jolted markets. Points to ponder: OPEC+ is a group of oil-producing […]
The Philippines allows 4 more military bases for U.S. troops Context: The Philippines announced on Monday the location of four additional military bases to be used by U.S. troops, with one site near the South China Sea and another not far from Taiwan. Points to […]
Just 9.3% of loans under PM SVANidhi given to vendors from minority communities Context: A total of 42.7 lakh loans amounting to ₹5,152.37 crore have been disbursed to street vendors under the PM SVANidhi scheme, out of which only 3.98 lakhs, or 9.3%, were to […]
On defamation law: a blow against freedom of speech and expression Context: Former Congress President Rahul Gandhi was recently sentenced to two years of prison over a 2019 defamation case Points to Ponder: In the past, defamation was prosecuted as a criminal offense to prevent […]
The demand for Scottish Independence Context: British Prime Minister Rishi Sunak rejected a call from the new First Minister of Scotland and leader of the governing Scottish National Party (SNP), Humza Yousaf, to hold a second referendum for Scotland’s independence from the U.K. In the […]
Why India should cut down on its salt intake Points to Ponder: Consuming too much salt puts Indians’ health at risk for hypertension, heart disease, and stroke. The average sodium intake in India is higher than the physiological requirement and surpasses the WHO’s recommendation of […]
Time to put a price on carbon emissions Points to ponder: A carbon tax is a tool that captures the external costs of Green House Gas (GHG) emissions—costs of emissions that the general public bears—and links them to their sources through a price, typically in […]