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 […]
India-Romania pact on defence to help in better cooperation Context: The defence cooperation agreement signed between India and Romania earlier this week will enhance collaboration through the exchange of expertise and knowledge on subjects of mutual interest including co-development and co-production of military hardware, says […]
India, Malaysia move beyond dollar to settle trade in rupee #GS03 Context: India and Malaysia have agreed to settle trade in the Indian rupee, the Ministry of External Affairs announced on Saturday. Points to ponder: India and Malaysia have agreed to settle trade in Indian […]
Poor testing of pashmina shawls still poses a problem #GS01 #GS03 Context: The Kashmir Chamber of Commerce and Industries (KCCI), a Valley-based traders’ body, has raised the issue of confiscation and poor testing of pashmina shawls with the Union Minister for Forest, Environment and Climate […]
No idols, no arms: the Pattanam mystery #GS01 Context: In the serene village of Pattanam in central Kerala lies the only multicultural archaeological site on the southwestern coast of the Indian subcontinent. Often referred to as the ‘first emporium’ of the Indian Ocean, Muziris — […]
Can countries be sued over climate change? #GS03 Context: On March 29, the United Nations General Assembly passed a resolution that asked the International Court of Justice at The Hague to provide an opinion on what kind of obligations countries have towards climate change reduction, […]
U.K. to join trans-Pacific partnership trade treaty #GS02 Context: The U.K. on Friday acceded to the Comprehensive and Progressive Agreement for Trans-Pacific Partnership (CPTPP), with Prime Minister Rishi Sunak describing the outcome as an example of “post-Brexit freedoms”. The agreement will now need to be […]