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The Government of India (GoI) has questioned the parameters of the recently released Environmental Performance Index (EPI) 2022. Key findings: EPI 2022 uses 40 performance indicators across 11 issue categories to assess and rank 180 countries India has fallen from rank 168 and a score of 27.6 in 2020. Issues raised by India: Some ofRead more

Recently, the US President Joe Biden has established the Indo-Pacific Economic Framework for Prosperity (IPEF) which is said to be a new version of a “pivot to Asia”. IPEF: Touted as a substantial step by the U.S. as part of its decade-old “pivot to Asia”, the framework is a declaration of a collective desire toRead more

1) 21st amendment of Sri Lanka: It will remove several key powers of the President, essentially reducing the Presidency to a ceremonial position, like in India. It is expected that the amendment might be retaining the powers of the President on all three armed forces while handing over almost all other key powers including governance,Read more

1) Black swan event: it is an unpredictable event that is beyond what is normally expected of a situation and has potentially severe consequences. Black swan events are characterized by their extreme rarity, severe impact, and the widespread insistence they were obvious in hindsight. Such events can be either positive or negative. E.g. the adventRead more

1) Inter state council: Art 263 contemplates the establishment of an inter-state council to effect coordination between the states and between centre and states It is a recommendatory body that has been empowered to investigate and discuss subjects of common interest between the Union and state(s), or among states. The Council may meet at leastRead more

1) Black death: The term Black Death refers to the bubonic plague that spread across Western Asia, Northern Africa, Middle East and Europe in 1346-53 and is the biggest pandemic in history. The bacteria Y. pestis spread to human populations, who at some point transmitted it to others either through the vector of a humanRead more

1) Supermoon: A supermoon occurs when the Moon’s orbit is closest to the Earth at the same time that the Moon is full. Since a full Moon appears at the point of least distance from earth, not only does it appear to be brighter but it is also larger than a regular full moon. InRead more

1) Agnipath scheme: Under the new scheme, around 45,000 to 50,000 soldiers will be recruited annually, and most will leave the service in just four years. Of the total annual recruits, only 25 per cent will be allowed to continue for another 15 years under permanent commission. The move will make the permanent force levelsRead more

1) Broken rice: China is now the top buyer of Indian broken rice, which was earlier exported mostly to African countries. Trade experts say the reason for this increase in export of broken rice to China is the higher demand of rice for making noodles and wine in that country. 2) LaMDA (Language Model forRead more

1) Ramsay Hunt syndrome: Ramsay Hunt Syndrome is neurological disease in which a virus – Varicella Zoster – causes inflammation of the nerves involved in facial movements. When the nerves get inflamed, they lose their ability to function, leading to temporary facial palsy or paralysis. What it means is that facial muscles in the infectedRead more