Author: ForumIAS

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

Cell phone-based tech to allow at-home blood testing Context Scientists have developed a new cell phone-based blood testing technology that can provide immediate results in the comfort of one’s home or a doctor’s clinic What has been done? Researchers at the University of South Florida in the U.S. have created a mobile version of the… Continue reading Cell phone-based tech to allow at-home blood testing

A thin film to save Great Barrier Reef Context The World Heritage-listed site is reeling from coral bleaching due to warming sea temperatures What has been done? Scientists from the Australian Institute of Marine Biology have tested a floating “sun shield” made of calcium carbonate that has been shown to protect the reef from the… Continue reading A thin film to save Great Barrier Reef

Not a single data breach in seven years, UIDAI tells SC Context Unique Identification Authority of India (UIDAI) CEO Ajay Bhushan Pandey  2nd day of presentation before Supreme Court on Aadhaar What was communicated to SC? No Breach in the past: There has not been a single breach in the past seven years in the… Continue reading Not a single data breach in seven years, UIDAI tells SC

Give social service duties to those sentenced to 6 months or 1 year’ Context 240 jails across the country are housing inmates 150% above their normal capacity. What has happened?            Criminals sentenced to imprisonment for six months or a year should be allocated social service duties rather than be put in already overflowing prisons, the… Continue reading Give social service duties to those sentenced to 6 months or 1 year’

Courts lack facilities, judge tells govt. What has happened? How people can expect justice to be delivered by courts that function from “dilapidated” buildings which do not offer basic facilities like water, toilets and electricity, Justice Madan B. Lokur said on Tuesday Background Justice Lokur, the fifth senior-most judge in the Supreme Court and a… Continue reading Courts lack facilities, judge tells govt.

Honour killing guillotines liberty: SC What has happened? Coming down heavily on crimes committed in the name of honour, the Supreme Court on Tuesday upheld the choice of consenting adults to love and marry as a part of their fundamental rights Issues guidelines It issued a set of guidelines for authorities to safeguard young couples… Continue reading Honour killing guillotines liberty: SC

Rogue nation? Russia made headlines for all the wrong reasons this week, when a clutch of countries led by the U.S. expelled more than 100 of its diplomats and intelligence officers over suspicion that the Kremlin was behind a nerve agent attack on a Russian spy and defector to the U.K., Sergei Skripal, and his… Continue reading Rogue nation?

A game-changer for higher education What has happened? The Union Cabinet’s decision recently to not only continue with the Rashtriya UchchatarShiksha Abhiyan (RUSA) — ‘a Centrally sponsored scheme launched in 2013 to provide strategic funding to eligible State higher educational institutions’ — but also give it due importance augurs well for the system of higher… Continue reading A game-changer for higher education