SEPARATIST REGIONS OF UKRAINE TOPIC: Geography Context- President Vladimir Putin told his Security Council on Monday that Russia should consider recognising the independence of the self-proclaimed Donetsk People’s Republic and the Lugansk People’s Republic in Donbass as independent. Concept- The Lugansk and Donetsk Peoples Republics are located in the historical Donbas region of […]
CENTRAL BANK DIGITAL CURRENCY TOPIC: Economy Context- The Budget has proposed the introduction of digital currency, using blockchain and other technologies, by the RBI in FY23. Concept- About CBDC: According to the RBI, the CBDC will be a legal tender in digital form. It will be the same as fiat currency and will […]
FAANG STOCKS TOPIC: Economy Context- Thanks to the meme stocks and the vitality of the ‘FAANG’ stocks in the US markets during the pandemic, retail participation in developed markets peaked at 56 percent in 2021. Concept- FAANG Stocks: FAANG is an acronym for five big tech giants namely: Facebook, Amazon, Apple, Netflix and […]
WHO PRIORITY PATHOGENS TOPIC: Science & Tech Context- Number of antibiotics, investment not sufficient to minimise threat of wide-spread infection according to a new report. Of the 12 antibiotics companies that have gone public in the past 10 years, only 5 are still active today. WHO published its list of antibiotic-resistant “priority pathogens” […]
MINSK AGREEMENT TOPIC: IR Context- US authorities have warned Russia not to invade Ukraine and urged both countries to return to a set of agreements designed to end a separatist war by Russian speakers in eastern Ukraine. Concept- Minsk Ceasefire Agreement: Ukraine and the Russian-backed separatists agreed a 12-point ceasefire deal aka MINSK-I […]
NON FUNGIBLE TOKENS (NFTs) TOPIC: Science & Tech Context- The sales of NFTs surged $25 billion in 2021 as the crypto asset exploded in popularity. Concept- What are NFTs (Non Fungible Tokens)? Anything that can be converted into a digital form can be an NFT. Everything from your drawings, photos, videos, GIF, music, […]
DRAFT INTEGRATED PLANT NUTRITION MANAGEMENT BILL 2022 TOPIC: Agriculture Context- Centre has come up with a draft Integrated Plant Nutrition Management Bill, 2022, that, if passed, will take the industry back to the Dark Ages of licences and controls. Concept- About the Bill: It is aimed at promoting development and sustainable use of […]
PRIVACY SANDBOX TOPIC: Science & Tech Context- Google announced that it would bring the Privacy Sandbox — the privacy solution that it is building for the web — to Android devices. The new solution would “limit” the sharing of user data with third parties, and operate without cross-app identifiers, including advertising IDs. Concept- […]
ENDEMIC STAGE OF A PANDEMIC TOPIC: Science & Tech Context- California has announced a shift to an endemic approach to Covid-19 that will focus on watching out for new variants and reacting quickly to outbreaks rather than issuing mandates for masking indoors. Concept- Infectious disease: Infectious diseases are spread by either bacterial or […]