9 PM Current Affairs Brief – April 26th, 2018

Ministry clears Indu Malhotra as SC judge What has happened? Senior advocate Indu Malhotra will be the first woman lawyer to be elevated as a Supreme Court judge after the Law Ministry cleared her name for the position The Supreme Court Collegium, headed by Chief Justice Dipak Misra and comprising among others Justices J. Chelameshwar… Continue reading Ministry clears Indu Malhotra as SC judge

Judges seek to fortify top court What has happened? Supreme Court judges have asked the Chief Justice of India to hold a ‘Full Court’ once in a while and also initiate frequent informal discussions where ideas can be shared freely among them Improving institutional strength The judges proposed to Chief Justice Dipak Misra that only… Continue reading Judges seek to fortify top court

If the nuclear deal stays, it stays in full, says Rouhani Context Iran rejects U.S. proposal to rewrite the 2015 agreement What has happened? Iran’s President Hassan Rouhani rejected any hopes of rewriting a nuclear deal with world powers on Wednesday, after the leaders of the United States and France called for a new pact… Continue reading If the nuclear deal stays, it stays in full, says Rouhani

Resume DACA, says U.S. court Context Judge stays move to end the scheme, asks Trump govt. to accept new applications What has happened? In the biggest setback yet for the Donald Trump administration in its attempt to end a programme that shields some young adults from deportation, a federal judge ruled on Tuesday that the… Continue reading Resume DACA, says U.S. court

Koreas to talk peace What has happened? The leaders of North and South Korea Kim Jong-un and Moon Jae-in, will meet in the demilitarised zone between the two countries on Friday to discuss the ‘denuclearisation’ of the Korean peninsula and the official end to the Korean War (1950-53) which has technically still not concluded How… Continue reading Koreas to talk peace

The global nuclear cloud is darkening Context India should make a credible and objective intervention What has happened? The word ‘historic’ is appropriate to describe the April 27 summit between South Korean president Moon Jae-in and North Korean leader Kim Jong-un. While there is considerable optimism that this meeting will mark the beginning of the… Continue reading The global nuclear cloud is darkening

BARC develops cheaper, lightweight bulletproof jackets Context Bhabha Kavach What has happened? The Bhabha Atomic Reseach Centre (BARC) has developed a next-generation bulletproof jacket for the Indian armed forces, which is not only cheaper but also much lighter. Bhabha Kavach Bhabha Kavach, named after nuclear physicist Dr. Homi J. Bhabha, the jacket was developed at… Continue reading BARC develops cheaper, lightweight bulletproof jackets

Mediterranean citrus under threat Context Citrus greening disease What has happened? After decimating orange groves in Florida and trees in California and Brazil, citrus greening disease now threatens the key producing region of the Mediterranean, according to researchers Mediterranean region According to the trade magazine FruitTrop, just over one fifth of the oranges, clementines and lemons… Continue reading Mediterranean citrus under threat

3-D map of Milky Way shows 1.7 bn stars Context 450 scientists from 20 countries were involved in the project to catalogue solar system objects What has happened? Europe’s Gaia satellite has produced a 3-D map of more than a billion stars in the Milky Way galaxy — complete with their distance from Earth, colour,… Continue reading 3-D map of Milky Way shows 1.7 bn stars

Revisit AFSPA Context Its revocation in some areas is welcome,but should it be on the statute books at all? What has happened? The Centre’s decision to revoke the Armed Forces (Special Powers) Act in Meghalaya and reduce its ambit in Arunachal Pradesh is welcome insofar as it signifies a willingness to reconsider the use of… Continue reading Revisit AFSPA

Bamboo Mission extended What has happened? The Union Cabinet on Wednesday approved the extension of the National Bamboo Mission (NBM) till 2019-20 at an expenditure of ₹1,290 crore Purpose The Mission will ensure holistic development of the bamboo sector by addressing complete value chain and establishing effective linkage of producers [farmers] with industry CCEA set… Continue reading Bamboo Mission extended

India shows jobs growth as 3.11 mn join PF in 6 months Context ‘Data may help fill missing link for policy-making’ What has happened? India added 4,72,075 employees to the State-run social security fund in February, after adding 6,04,557 in January, new data on payrolls released on Wednesday showed, giving a guide to how many… Continue reading India shows jobs growth as 3.11 mn join PF in 6 months

Didn’t order Aadhaar-SIM link: SC Context Says government using an order passed by it on February 6, 2017 for the seeding What has happened? The Supreme Court on Wednesday denied directing the mandatory linking of Aadhaar and SIM cards, and said the government was using an order passed by it on February 6 last year… Continue reading Didn’t order Aadhaar-SIM link: SC