EXECUTIVE IS BETTER-SUITED TO DEAL WITH COVID-19: CJI
Why in news? In an Interview the Chief Justice of India said that the Executive with its three ‘Ms’ of money, men and material is the better-suited branch of the Government to deal with COVID-19 crisis regarding Supreme Court interventions. He also said that hearing of cases through videoconferencing are not in-camera hearings and virtual […]
FOR BRICS, CHALLENGES AND OPPORTUNITIES
Why in news? The COVID-19 crisis seems to have put Russia’s Presidency of BRICS (a grouping of Brazil, Russia, India, China and South Africa) to the test. While each BRICS country is busy fighting the pandemic in its own way, Moscow is trying to make sure that it gains from the crisis. A study notes […]
FIRST MERGER OF TWO BLACK HOLES WITH UNEQUAL MASSES DETECTED
Why in news? In another first, scientists at the LIGO and Virgo gravitational wave detectors announced a signal from Blackhole Mergers unlike anything they’ve ever seen before – While many black hole mergers have been but this particular signal was the first where the two black holes had distinctly different masses. Details The event, dubbed […]
SEWAGE SURVEILLANCE CAN ESTIMATE COMMUNITY SPREAD
Why in news? Sampling sewage for viral particles is a time-tested method of environment surveillance and is routinely resorted to for understanding circulation of several viruses — wild and vaccine-derived polio, rota virus, Hepatitis E and typhoid — in the community. Now, researchers in France have found that sewage surveillance can help in understanding the […]
NO NEW COVID CASES AFTER MAY 16 IN INDIA, SAYS STUDY
Why in news? A study showed that the lockdown had slowed the rate of transmission and increased the doubling time, the period it took for cases to double, to about 10 days. Though India continues to show a rising trend in cases, this projection also showed a forecast that says new cases would cease by […]
MOST OF RS TIME SPENT ON ISSUES OF PUBLIC IMPORTANCE
Why in news? The Upper House spends only 24% of its time in deliberating and passing laws, an analysis by the Rajya Sabha Secretariat has revealed. Most of its functional time is spent on deliberating issues of public importance. Rajya Sabha Chairman Venkaiah Naidu had directed the Secretariat to carry out this analysis to blunt […]
SOUTH ASIA NEEDS A HUMANITARIAN RESPONSE
Why in news? The SAARC Secretariat should play an active role in the region’s response to COVID-19, along with “someone in-charge”, according to Sri Lanka’s former Prime Minister Ranil Wickremesinghe. Greater regional cooperation – how can it help? We must treat the COVID-19 crisis as a humanitarian issue and come up with a regional response. […]
ICMR NOD FOR CORONAVIRUS DETECTION ASSAY
Why in news? IIT Delhi said it has got the approval from the Indian Council for Medical Research (ICMR) for a probe-free coronavirus detection assay developed by it. The institute, in a statement on Thursday, said the assay had been validated at ICMR with a sensitivity and specificity of 100%, making IIT-D the first academic […]
FOODGRAIN STOCK WILL LAST TILL NEXT MARCH: FCI
Why in news? The stock of foodgrains available with the Food Corporation of India is “comfortable” to manage the situation till March 2021, but it would be an exaggeration to hold that the stock is “far in excess” of the buffer stock requirement, which should include additional allocation, according to the Chairman and Managing Director […]
PLASMA THERAPY TO BEGIN IN KARNATAKA
Why in news? The first plasma therapy in Karnataka for COVID-19 patients will begin on 25th April 2020, and will be carried out jointly by the Bangalore Medical College and Research Institute (BMRCI) and the HCG Hospital. Read about Plasma therapy here: