9 PM Current Affairs Brief – 4th December, 2017

A cyclone called Ockhi — why this is raising such an unusual storm Context Cyclones are no strangers to the Indian coast, our east coast in particular witnessing several cyclonic storms each year. Yet, Ockhi, the latest powerful cyclone, is unlike other recent ones Where do cyclones originate in India? In India cyclones originate in… Continue reading A cyclone called Ockhi — why this is raising such an unusual storm

The Brahmaputra conundrum Context Proposed water diversion of Brahmaputra’s upper stream i.e. Yarlung Tsangpo by China Author’s contention Author contends that the news of China planning to divert the waters of the Yarlung Tsangpo (the upper stream of India’s Brahmaputra) to its water-starved Xinjiang province is hardly surprising. It has been a long-standing part of… Continue reading The Brahmaputra conundrum

‘Resolve Rohingya refugee crisis through diplomacy’  Context Even though the crisis concerning Rohingya refugees in India seems to have subsided, veteran experts on statelessness and refugees have called for resolving the issue through diplomacy On Rohingya crisis Pointing out that the Rohingyas form a category distinct from stateless people in the country, K.M. Parivelan, associate… Continue reading ‘Resolve Rohingya refugee crisis through diplomacy’ 

How Chabahar Port could bring India and its partners a new spring Context Chabahar Port, inaugurated on Sunday, has been jointly developed by India, Iran and Afghanistan. The port, noted by both Al Biruni and Alexander the Great, could be a game-changer for its developers now Chabahar Modern Chabahar came into being in the 1970s.… Continue reading How Chabahar Port could bring India and its partners a new spring

Disability rights over time: Context A quick recap of how legislation for disabled persons has evolved Disability movement Disability as a social rights issue: The disability rights movement gained momentum in the 1970s when disability was started to be seen as a human rights issue. This is when the UN General Assembly proclaimed in 1976… Continue reading Disability rights over time:

A misleading hunger index: Context In its calculations, the Global Hunger Index assigns a disproportionate value to child undernourishment What has happened? Recently, International Food Policy Research Institute released Global Hunger Index IFPRI The International Food Policy Research Institute (IFPRI) provides research-based policy solutions to sustainably reduce poverty and end hunger and malnutrition in developing… Continue reading A misleading hunger index:

Capturing crime — on the NCRB data for 2016  Context NCRB Data for 2016 Author’s contention The National Crime Records Bureau data for 2016 on two important aspects, violent crime and crime against women, should prompt State governments to make a serious study of the underlying causes Data Not all States are equally affected from violent crimes… Continue reading Capturing crime — on the NCRB data for 2016 

The gag on free speech  Context Recent actions by the Indian judiciary suggest a trend of creeping censorship What has happened? A special Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) Court, hearing the Sohrabuddin Sheikh and Tulsiram Prajapati fake encounter cases, has issued a gag order prohibiting the press from reporting on the court proceedings This order,… Continue reading The gag on free speech 

BSF doubles down on Rohingya:   Context A total of 167 vulnerable points were identified along the Bangladesh border, and additional forces deployed to detect and push back the Rohingya What has happened? The Border Security Force, manning the 4096.7-km border, has asked the Union Home Ministry to sanction recruitment of 5,000 more men so as… Continue reading BSF doubles down on Rohingya:  

Watch out for ransomware in 2018: report: Context The McAfee Labs 2018 Threats Predictions Report What does the report say? Ransomware attacks in the cyberspace are likely to increase and become more sophisticated in 2018 targeting high net worth individuals and corporates Individual home users having greater inter-connected home devices will surrender consumer privacy to… Continue reading Watch out for ransomware in 2018: report:

What’s behind the bitcoin boom?:   Context As the price of the bitcoin leapt past $10,000 this week, marking a tenfold gain in 2017, many investors seemed to nurse a ‘missed-out’ feeling No valuation metric Bitcoin has no valuation measure. Its price is therefore decided mainly by demand-supply dynamics Limited stock Satoshi Nakamoto, the creator of… Continue reading What’s behind the bitcoin boom?:  

GST effect: shaky Budget in offing?: Context ‘With no clear number for targeted GST collections, is the Centre raking in as much as it should?’ News Revenue uncertainty due to the implementation of the Goods and Services Tax could pose very real problems for the government when the time comes for it to prepare the… Continue reading GST effect: shaky Budget in offing?: