9 PM Current Affairs Brief – March 27th, 2018

Principle & procedure Context The Delhi High Court verdict setting aside the disqualification of 20 Aam Aadmi Party MLAs in Delhi is a searing indictment of the manner in which the Election Commission handled the complaint that they held offices of profit while serving as parliamentary secretaries. For a body vested with the crucial power… Continue reading Principle & procedure

SC to examine polygamy in Muslim marriage What has happened? Seven months after it declared instant triple talaq unconstitutional, the Supreme Court on Monday decided to look into the constitutional validity of the prevalent practices of polygamy, ‘nikah halala’, ‘nikah mutah’ and ‘nikah misyar’ in the Muslim community. Petitions challenging the practices A Bench, headed… Continue reading SC to examine polygamy in Muslim marriage

India, China plan FTA breakthrough What has happened? Commerce Minister Suresh Prabhu and his Chinese counterpart, Zhong Shan, met here on Monday for the first high-level contact between both sides that decided to “reset” their ties this year in the run-up to a Xi-Modi summit meeting in China. Background 1th meeting of the India-China Joint… Continue reading India, China plan FTA breakthrough

U.S. expels 60 Russians, shuts consulate in Seattle What has happened? The U.S. on Monday expelled 60 Russian officials and ordered the closure of the consulate in Seattle, as ties between the nuclear powers continue to deteriorate. Of the 60 being asked to leave, 48 are posted at the Russian embassy and 12 are at… Continue reading U.S. expels 60 Russians, shuts consulate in Seattle

Gene panel challenge What has happened? In Nalgonda district of Telangana, Sai Chaitanya, 21, has been waiting for advancement in Indian genetic research. He has Ichthyosis, a condition caused by the mutation of a single gene, which has led to the growth of fish-like scales on his skin. Like him, many others are virtually locked… Continue reading Gene panel challenge

South Asia, a fertile ground Context Expansion of ISIS What makes ISIS different from other jihadist groups? A proto-state It’s an insurgency as well as a proto-state at the same time. Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi, established a proto-state that at one point of time was as big as the United Kingdom, ruling over about 2 million… Continue reading South Asia, a fertile ground

The non-politics of outrage What has happened? We are witnessing mass outrage over certain actions or non-actions of Facebook (FB) and a British political consulting firm, Cambridge Analytica (CA), regarding the use of personal data for political messaging during the U.S. presidential elections. CA’s role is long known Now after a whistle-blower’s account and an… Continue reading The non-politics of outrage

Residue of doubt Context Effects of Glyphosate exposure on humans What is Glyphosate? Glyphosate is the most popular herbicide in the world Since the 1970s, Monsanto has been marketing it to farmers under the trade name Roundup Glyphosate resistant seeds developed While glyphosate was initially welcomed by farmers because it saved them the cost of… Continue reading Residue of doubt

A perfect storm in the cotton field Context Why India is the only Bt cotton-growing country facing the problem of pink bollworm infestation The issue: Pink bollworm’s resistance to Bollgard 2 Bollgard 2, or BG-2, Monsanto’s second generation insecticidal technology for cotton, was supposed to protect crops against the pink bollworm, the pest has grown… Continue reading A perfect storm in the cotton field