9 PM Current Affairs Brief – April 30th, 2018

Scary, yet banal Context It is important to use different themes on tobacco products to shock users What has happened? India has come a long way from the small, meaningless and ineffectual pictorial warnings that were first used on tobacco products in May 2009. The size of the warnings was increased from 40% of the… Continue reading Scary, yet banal

People as auditors Context Social audits ensure a citizen-centric mode of accountability Democracy needs eternal public vigilance Democratic governance needs the citizen to be legally empowered to ask questions, file complaints, and be a part of the corrective process Jan Sunwais: a type of social audit experiment in the mid-1990s In the mid-1990s, the Mazdoor… Continue reading People as auditors

An antidote to virtual toxicity Context How good journalism can help tackle disinformation What has happened? A regulatory framework that balances free speech and accountability is one of the hallmarks of a mature democracy. In this context, the latest recommendations by the European Commission (EC) to the European Parliament, the Council, the European Economic and… Continue reading An antidote to virtual toxicity

India, Pak. to take part in war games Context Counter-terror drill planned in Russia What has happened? In a first, arch rivals India and Pakistan will be part of a multi-nation counter-terror exercise in Russia in September, which will also be joined by China and several other countries. Under SCO Framework The military exercise will… Continue reading India, Pak. to take part in war games

Wisdom at Wuhan Context PM Modi and President Xi change the tenorof India-China ties. They must build on it What has happened? For an “informal summit”, the Wuhan meeting between Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Chinese President Xi Jinping appeared to cover much ground over the two days — in terms of public appearances and… Continue reading Wisdom at Wuhan

Pyongyang’s next steps What has happened? North Korea and South Korea have jointly declared that the Korean War will be finally over. North Korean leader Kim Jong-un and South Korean President Moon Jae-in, who met for the first time on Friday, have pledged to ensure peace, prosperity and the unification of the Korean peninsula. Pitch… Continue reading Pyongyang’s next steps

Substance and optics of the summit Context India-China relations have been under great stress in recent years. The 2017 military standoff at the Doklam tri-junction and the war of words that followed vitiated a relationship that was already reeling under a great deal of pressure. The Wuhan summit should be viewed in the context of… Continue reading Substance and optics of the summit

Scary, yet banal Context It is important to use different themes on tobacco products to shock users What has happened? India has come a long way from the small, meaningless and ineffectual pictorial warnings that were first used on tobacco products in May 2009. The size of the warnings was increased from 40% of the… Continue reading Scary, yet banal

People as auditors Context Social audits ensure a citizen-centric mode of accountability Democracy needs eternal public vigilance Democratic governance needs the citizen to be legally empowered to ask questions, file complaints, and be a part of the corrective process Jan Sunwais: a type of social audit experiment in the mid-1990s In the mid-1990s, the Mazdoor… Continue reading People as auditors

Australia pledges half a billion to restore Great Barrier Reef What has happened? Australia pledged Aus $500 million ($379 million) in new funding to restore and protect the Great Barrier Reef on Sunday, in what it said would be a game-changer for the embattled natural wonder Canberra criticised Canberra has previously committed more than Aus$2… Continue reading Australia pledges half a billion to restore Great Barrier Reef

Food first  Context There is no substitute for hot-cooked mealsto address poor child nutrition Attempts to commercialise Tinkering with the existing national programme of providing hot-cooked meals to children three to six years old, and take-home rations for younger children and pregnant and lactating mothers is fraught with danger Attempts to substitute meals or rations… Continue reading Food first 

Nutrition panel drops Maneka proposal Context Panel rejects idea to replace ready-to-eat food rations with energy-dense nutrient packets for beneficiaries What has happened? The National Council on Nutrition (NCN) has unanimously rejected Union Minister for Women and Child Development (WCD) Maneka Gandhi’s proposal to replace ready-to-eat food as take-home dry rations with energy-dense nutrient packets… Continue reading Nutrition panel drops Maneka proposal

Crying need to secure uncharted cyber frontiers Context As the world’s second-largest digital nation, India’s biggest risk in 2017, according to the FICCI–Pinkerton India Risk Survey 2017, was in the area of ‘information and cyber insecurity’ for business operations. Incidents India was the third-worst affected country during the WannaCry ransomware attacks in May 2017 In… Continue reading Crying need to secure uncharted cyber frontiers

Foreign fund flow till Apr. the lowest since 2011 What has happened? Government data showed that the Indian economy grew 7.2% in the quarter ended December 31 while the Chinese economy expanded by 6.8%. Reasons Impact of higher oil prices, Indian banking system’s struggle with note ban, bad loans and polls among reasons Overall bearish… Continue reading Foreign fund flow till Apr. the lowest since 2011

On a wing and a prayer Context Can India make commercial planes? In a decade or two, it could, with serious funding, govt. incentives What has happened? India is poised to become the world’s third-biggest aviation market in seven years with more than 20% growth, after China and the U.S. Rising demand To meet demand,… Continue reading On a wing and a prayer