UPSC Daily News Analysis

Warm vaccine for COVID-19

Context: A team of scientists from IISc has completed pre-clinical trials and is now gearing up for human testing of the heat-tolerant Covid-19 vaccine About: The Indian Institute of Science (IISc) has developed a heat-tolerant vaccine called RS2 against COVID-19, which can be stored at high temperatures for extended periods of time, making it easier to transport and distribute to re

World Employment and Social Outlook

Context: Recently ILO has released its ‘World Employment and Social Outlook: Trends 2024’ report. Key findings: The International Labour Organisation (ILO) released the 'World Employment and Social Outlook: Trends 2024' report, indicating a projected increase in the global unemployment rate in 2024. Both joblessness and the jobs gap have fallen below pre-pandemic lev

World Economic Situation and Prospects (WESP) report

Context: UN report has revised India’s 2024 GDP growth forecast Key highlights: - The United Nations has revised India's GDP growth forecast for the year 2024 to 6.2%, down from the earlier estimate of 6.7%. - The revision is attributed to the projection of robust domestic demand and strong growth in the manufacturing and services sectors. - The larger South Asian region is

New Members of BRICS

Context: The five new candidates of BRICS formally became members on January 1, 2024. Introduction of New Members to BRICS: Expansion of BRICS: The inclusion of five new members, namely Egypt, Ethiopia, Iran, Saudi Arabia, and the United Arab Emirates, marks a significant enlargement of the BRICS alliance. Argentina's Withdrawal: Argentina has opted to retract its initia

Argentina Withdraws From BRICS

Context: The newly elected far-right President of Argentina, Javier Milei, pulled out of plans to join the BRICS bloc. Argentina was set to join on January 1, 2024. Reasons for withdrawal: The decision to join BRICS had been taken by the previous administration, and the new dispensation was reviewing such policies. Milei cited China's communist ideology as a p

Genocide Convention, 1948

South Africa has moved the International Court of Justice (ICJ) to declare that the Israel was in breach of its obligations under the 1948 Genocide Convention. The convention was officially called as the UN’s Convention on the Prevention and Punishment of the Crime of Genocide. It is an instrument of international law that codified for the first time the crime of genocide i

Sweden moves a step closer to NATO membership after Turkey's parliamentary committee gives approval

Context: Sweden’s NATO bid had been stalled amid opposition from Turkiye and Hungary A crucial committee in the Turkish Parliament, on December 26, granted approval for Sweden's NATO membership bid after facing delays. The approval comes amid obstacles posed by Turkey and Hungary against Sweden's NATO accession. The Turkish parliament's foreign affairs committee gav

Growth charts — WHO standards versus India crafted

Background: Child undernutrition has been a persistent issue in India, and its determinants are diverse, encompassing factors such as food intake, dietary diversity, health, sanitation, women's status, and the overarching context of poverty. The primary measures for childhood undernutrition, including stunting (chronic undernutrition) and wasting (acute undernutrition), rely on anthropometric

Project PRAYAS to help Indian youth migrate abroad

Context: Recently, the International Organisation for Migration (IOM) launched Project PRAYAS to help Indian workers and students migrate in a secure, orderly, and regular manner. PRAYAS Project PRAYAS, which stands for Promoting Regular Assisted Migration for Youth and Skilled Professionals, was initiated in collaboration with the Ministry of External Affairs (MEA). It represents one

UN-THE LAWS OF WAR

UN-THE LAWS OF WAR     Why in the News? Hamas, a Palestine-based terrorist group launched a surprise attack on Israel, killing hundreds of civilians and taking many as hostage which witnessed retaliatory attack from Israel triggering a war. What are the laws of war? The UN Charter spells out under what conditions or when can countries use force in th
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