Weekly Current Affairs Highlights – 10th to 15th May.

On this page, you can read all the major news/Current Affairs of the week.

On a daily basis, we are covering all relevant Current Affairs under our various initiatives. For further reading, you can refer to our following initiatives:

1. 9 PM: Daily Current Affairs Summaries For UPSC 
2. Daily Editorials: Daily Current Affairs Editorials For UPSC 
3. Factly: Daily Current Affairs For Prelims
   

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Updates in Polity and Governance

There are few updates received in the Polity and governance topics from the newspapers. The important updates are,

• FCRA Amendments are Crippling Work of NGOs
• What is “Article 311” of the Indian Constitution?
• Importance of Parliamentary Proceedings
• Gauhati High Court Questions FCRA Amendment Act
• [Yojana Summary] One Nation One Election
• Impact of New FCRA Rules on Relief Work of NGOs – Explained, Pointwise
• Judicial Governance during Pandemic – Explained, Pointwise

Update on Social Issues

This week health took the spotlight due to an increase in the Covid-19 spread. Similarly, there are few articles that highlight the Social Security issues. The important articles in this regard are,

Articles on Health:

• Ex-Defence doctors to provide online consultation on “e-Sanjeevani OPD”
• WHO warns against use of “Ivermectin” to treat Covid-19
• “Community Transmission”(CT) and “Categorisation of diseases”
• Nation wide lockdown is an Opportunity to Improve Health Infrastructure
• Why the Taiwan Covid-19 Model Works?
• National Task Force for Transparent Oxygen Allocation
• Time to Revive the Plan for Indian National Health Services
• Measures to control the impact of Pandemic in rural India
• State should form a joint committee to negotiate COVID vaccine price
• Odisha’s “Bonda tribe” and other PVTG members infected with Covid-19

Articles on Education:

• Impacts of Digital inequality on Health and Education
• UGC Advises Universities to Include NCC as an Elective Subject
• Consequences of Neglecting Science Education

Others:

• Puducherry becomes ‘Har Ghar Jal’ UT under “Jal Jeevan Mission”
• One lakh tonnes of food grains distributed within 10 days under “PMGKAY”.
• Why Safeguards for Child adoptions Needs to be Followed Strictly?
• Expansion of Social Security Net is Need of the Hour
• [Yojana Summary] Skill Development – Initiatives, challenges and solutions

Report and Indices

There are a few important reports and indices released this week. The important ones are;

• NITI Aayog’s Report on Creating a “Roadmap for Digitally Inclusive Bharat”
• World Bank’s “Migration and Development Brief”: India is the top receiver of remittances

Updates on International Relations

The Israel-Palestine Dispute

This week the Issue of Israel and Palestine took center stage. Earlier, Israeli armed forces have penetrated Al-Aqsa Mosque. This resulted in rocket attacks conducted by Hamas (a militant group) on Israeli territories. In retaliation, Israeli airstrikes are targeted areas in the Gaza Strip. The important article covered in this regard are,

• Israel-Palestine “Jerusalem Dispute”
• Israel’s “Iron Dome” is successful in intercepting rockets
• Treating Israel-Palestine issue with a humanitarian response
• Israel – Palestine Conflict – Explained, Pointwise

Other updates

This week the important updates in International relations include the 3rd Arctic Science Ministerial, The US entry into Christchurch call to Action, etc. The important articles covered by us include

• India participates in the “3rd Arctic Science Ministerial”
• US joins “Christchurch Call to Action” against online extremism
• U.S Exit from Greater Middle East Will Alter Regional Relations
• ASEAN’s Initiative to End Political Crisis in Myanmar
• India’s Vaccine exports are guided by good diplomacy and good epidemiology
• Enforced disappearances around the world – Explained, Pointwise
• US “CDC guidelines” for fully vaccinated people

Updates in Economy

This week the economic topics in news include articles on Business Responsibility and Sustainability reporting norms by SEBI, etc. The important articles on Economy are,

• The pandemic won’t impact India’s “credit rating” for 2 years – Standard & Poor(S&P)
• SEBI’s “Business Responsibility and Sustainability Report” norms mandate ESG overview
• Links between Crisis and Economic Reforms

Updates in Agriculture

This week there were certain important updates on Agriculture like Moorhen Yoga Mat, update in MIDH, etc. The important articles that covered these topics are,

• “National Bamboo Mission” launches MIS module for Agarbatti industry
• “Mission for Integrated Development of Horticulture”(MIDH) Scheme
• Biodegradable “Moorhen Yoga Mat” developed from “Water Hyacinth”
• “Beema Bamboo”: A clone of “Bambusa balcooa” can mitigate climate change

Science and Technology

Updates on Intellectual Property Rights

• What is Compulsory Licensing?
• US Support to TRIPS Waiver – Challenges Ahead
• Issues Associated with IPR Waiver to Covid Vaccine

Other updates in Science and Technology

This week there were few important updates in the field of science and technology such as the updates on OSIRIS-REx mission, findings related to Venus, etc. The important articles covered in this regard are,

• DCGI approves “2-deoxy-D-glucose (2-DG)” – an anti-COVID drug developed by DRDO
• Uncontrolled Re-entry of China’s Long March 5B Rocket Debris
• NASA’s “OSIRIS-REx Mission” to begin return from “Asteroid Bennu”
• WHO classifies Indian variant as “Variant of Concern”
• New Findings Related to Venus
• “CSIR-CMERI” Celebrates the National Technology Day- 2021
• Cabinet approves PLI scheme ‘National Programme on Advanced Chemistry Cell Battery Storage’
• “Tianwen-1 Mission” – China lands Zhurong Rover on Mars
• China launches more classified “Yaogan satellites” into orbit

Important updates on Environment

This week there were certain important updates on the Environment like the categorisation of Pangolin scales, Green Urja Award, etc. The important articles that covered these topics are,

• ZSI research helps in categorising “Indian and Chinese Pangolin” scales
• “Global Methane Assessment” :The UN Report on human-caused methane emissions
• “Nature in a Globalised World” – An IUCN report on Conflict and Conservation
• IREDA bags “Green Urja Award”
• EAC Recommends the Great Nicobar Development Plan for EIA Study
• “Red Eared Slider Turtles” Threaten Native Indian turtles across Northeast
• 186 Elephants killed by Trains in Over 10 Years: MoEFCC Data

Miscellaneous articles for Prelims this week

• “Volcanic eruption” occurs in Indonesia’s “Mount Sinabung”
• PM pays tribute to “Gopal Krishna Gokhale” on his Birth Anniversary