27 May 2024, The Hindu
Severe cyclonic storm Remal makes landfall; one lakh evacuated in Bengal
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Prelims syllabus: Current events of national and international importance.
- The severe cyclonic storm Remal started its landfall process between Sagar Island in West Bengal and Khepupara in Bangladesh around 9.15 p.m. on Sunday, as it intensified and moved northwards. By 11.30 p.m., the eye of the cyclone touched the land.
- The West Bengal administration has evacuated people from low-lying and coastal areas of South 24 Parganas, North 24 Parganas and Purba Medinipur to storm shelters. By 3 p.m., over one lakh people were shifted from coastal and vulnerable areas.
NGT takes note of The Hindu report on Yamuna floodplains
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GS 3: Environment- Conservation
The spectre of nuclear conflict, once again
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GS 2: International Relations- Bilateral, regional and global groupings and agreements involving India and/or affecting the Indian interests
- After every major war or conflict, questions tend to be raised as to whether the ruling elites at the time had failed to see the writing on the wall and, hence, did not prepare for the possibility of a major conflict, or face up to the threat that lay ahead.
- Today, as some nations engage in sabre-rattling and hold out the threat not merely of war but also of using the ‘ultimate weapon’, it is important to raise this question yet again.
- The truth is, perhaps, hidden between layers of rhetoric that prominent leaders or their spokesmen indulge in from time to time. There is, yet, time for nations to sit-up and take notice as also discuss and discern hidden meanings behind the volley of rhetoric being seen.
A door to a housing scheme, tribals find hard to open
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GS 2: Welfare schemes for vulnerable sections of the population by the Centre and the States and the performance of these schemes.
- India is home to numerous Adivasi groups, with 75 identified as Particularly Vulnerable Tribal Groups (PVTGs) across States.
- According to official data, they comprise around 14.6 lakh households. These tribes reside in scattered, remote, and often inaccessible areas, characterised by their reliance on methods and tools for their livelihood that predate the advent of agriculture, low literacy rates, economic backwardness, and stagnant populations.
Absolute numbers
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GS 2: Appointment to various Constitutional posts, powers, functions and responsibilities of various Constitutional Bodies.
- A total of 58 Lok Sabha seats in eight States and Union Territories voted on Saturday in the sixth and penultimate phase of the general election 2024.
- With this, polling has been completed in 28 States and Union Territories, in 486 constituencies. Voting is also over for 105 Assembly constituencies of Odisha.
- The last phase of polling will be on June 1 for the remaining 57 seats and counting of votes will take place on June 4.
- Sporadic incidents of violence were reported from West Bengal which also reported the highest polling percentage at 79.47.
- In Jammu and Kashmir, the Anantnag-Rajouri seat recorded a turnout of 54.30%, an impressive high.
- Urban apathy continued in the seven seats of Delhi which went to the polls with just 57.67% of the electorate turning out to vote.
The great significance of the ICC’s step
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Prelims syllabus: Current events of national and international importance.
- On May 20, the Prosecutor of the International Criminal Court (ICC), Karim Khan, made public his application to a pre-trial chamber of the ICC to issue arrest warrants against five individuals linked to the conflict in Gaza.
- The five are Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, Israeli Defence Minister Yoav Gallant, and three Hamas leaders, including Yahya Sinwar, the leader of the outfit.
- The announcement caused a furore, which could have possible adverse consequences for the ICC.
- But in all the bluster and fury, it is important to ask what the legal basis for this request is, and the implications.
An overview of Europe’s AI convention
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GS 3: General awareness in the fields of IT, Space, Computers, Robotics, Nanotechnology, bio-technology
- The global governance of artificial intelligence (AI) is becoming more complex even as countries try to govern AI within their borders in various ways, ranging from acts of law to executive orders.
- Many experts (as well as the Pope) have articulated a global treaty to this effect, but the obstacles in its path are daunting.
What is the current status with respect to spice exports?
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GS 3: Indian Economy (international trade)
- Last month, Hong Kong and Singapore recalled certain spice mix products of the MDH and Everest Group allegedly over the presence of a higher than prescribed level of the sterilising agent Ethylene Oxide (ETO).
- The Indian authorities have now initiated several measures to ensure that Indian spices comply with food safety standards of the importing countries.
Block international spoofed calls, Centre directs telecom firms
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GS 3: Security- Challenges to internal security
- The government has directed telecom operators to block all incoming international spoofed calls that display Indian mobile numbers, an official statement said on Sunday.
- The Department of Telecom (DoT) said that it has been reported that fraudsters are making international spoofed calls displaying Indian mobile numbers to Indian citizens and committing cyber-crime and financial frauds.
This century, heatwaves are moving slower and lasting longer
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Prelims syllabus: General issues on Environmental Ecology, Biodiversity and Climate Change
- Growing up in the 1990s in India meant having seen an ad for a glucose-based drink on television in which the Sun literally sucks the life-force out of children with a giant straw as they are playing.
- This ad has started to hit closer to reality. India has increasingly been in the grip of more frequent and intense heat waves, with outdoor workers especially struggling with the rising mercury.
- A recent study published in Science Advances showed that it wasn’t just India: the whole world is grappling with slower and longer heat waves.
