Finland joins NATO bloc; Russia says the move will escalate Ukraine conflict Context: Finland formally joined the North Atlantic Treaty Organisation on Tuesday, roughly doubling the length of the border that the alliance shares with Russia and bolstering its eastern flank as the war in […]
Security issues on the table as PM meets Bhutan King Context: King Jigme Khesar Namgyel and Narendra Modi discuss ‘entire gamut’ of ties and progress in boundary talks between China and Bhutan, particularly about Doklam, says Foreign Secretary Points to Ponder: India and Bhutan have […]
What was discussed at the UN water conference? Context: Because water problems are typically local, the water industry is prone to fragmentation. As a result, there is an inherent problem with mobilizing internationally for local issues. The conference culminated in 713 voluntary pledges from philanthropic […]
Invented names Context: India has categorically rejected China’s effort to assert sovereignty over areas of Arunachal Pradesh by renaming them. On Sunday, the Chinese Ministry of Civil Affairs announced a new effort to “standardize” 11 place names in what China refers to as “South Tibet […]
In controlled digital lending, the issue of public interest Context: An ongoing legal battle in the United States between four major publishers and the Internet Archive (IA), a non-profit organization attempting to build a globally accessible digital library, has raised a fundamental question about the […]
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 […]
