DPN Topics
Impact of high US Treasury yields on India Subject :Economy Section: External sector Context: US treasury yields have touched 5%. Recent Trends in US Treasury Yields and Global Markets: US 10Yr Treasury yield was rangebound between 3.25% and 4.1% from January to April before gradually rising. A sharp increase in the yield to […]
‘Oligopolies’ control over rare earths is key green transition snag Subject: Economy Section: National Income Context: Countries energy transition efforts face significant uncertainty due to the oligopolistic control over mining and processing of rare earth elements that were critical to scale up green technologies, Chief Economic Advisor V. Anantha Nageswaran observed, adding that external funding to help developing countries move away from fossil fuels could also be potentially weaponised. What can be done: Investors in green transitions should avoid excessive greed and prioritize public goods creation. Public investment […]
What is the status of Kavach installations? Subject: Science and tech Sections: Defence Context: The deadly collision between two passenger trains in southern India’s Vizianagaram district in Andhra Pradesh which killed 14 people and injured fifty persons could have been averted if Traffic Collision Avoidance Systems (TCAS) were in place. East Coast Railway officials indicated that the indigenously developed TCAS called ‘Kavach,’ was not installed on the route where the Visakhapatnam Palasa and Visakhapatnam Rayagada trains collided. What is TCAS Kavach? Kavach is a cab signaling train control system with anti collision features. It plays the role of a watchdog over the existing signalling system. It was developed over a period of 10 years, starting in 2012, […]
PCR-based Diagnosis of Helicobacter pylori Subject: Science and technology Section: Biotechnology In the news- The team of researchers from the National Institute of Cholera and Enteric Diseases (ICMR-NICED) Kolkata, developed a two-step PCR-based assay to detect Helicobacter pylori (H. pylori) infection and to identify the clarithromycin-resistant bacteria. Helicobacter pylori (H. pylori) Helicobacter pylori […]
Oz billionaire turns climate evangelist, cautions against ‘lethal humidity’ Subject: Geography Section: Physical geography Context: Andrew Forrest, Australia’s second richest man and Chairman of the Fortescue group of companies, has been going around the world flagging an under-realised consequence of climate change—lethal humidity. Lethal humidity: The term was coined by Andrew Forrest. It […]
Why did India abstain from the call for a truce? Subject: IR Section: international organisation Context: The United Nations General Assembly (UNGA) voted on a resolution calling for an “immediate, durable and sustained humanitarian truce” in the hostilities, that was voted for by 120 member countries, while 14 countries voted against it. India […]
Elvish Yadav case: How is snake venom used as a recreational drug? Subject: Environment Section: Species in news Context: Snake venom is often used as a recreational drug. Its smuggling is a multi-million dollar illicit industry, media reports suggest. Details: Not enough scientific studies have been done on the recreational use of snake […]
Intercepting the illegal capture of migratory birds in south-central West Bengal Subject: Environment Section: Species in news Illegal trapping and trading of migratory birds: For several years, migratory birds are poached during their winter stop at wetlands (beel in Bengali) and open fields in the central-south Bengal districts of Murshidabad, Malda, Birbhum and […]
Elephant corridor report plagued with inconsistencies, could escalate conflict with humans, says expert Subject: Environment Section: Protected Areas Context: An expert has flagged multiple inconsistencies in the recently published report on elephant corridors of India by the central government. Details: The central government released a report titled Elephant Corridors of India, 2023, which […]
157 killed as strong earthquake jolts Nepal’s mountainous western region Subject: Geography Section: Physical geography Context: A powerful 6.4 magnitude earthquake, the worst since 2015, struck Nepal’s remote mountainous region. Details: According to the National Earthquake Monitoring and Research Centre, the epicentre of the earthquake was in Jajarkot district, about 500km west of […]