Hindu Notes from General Studies-01
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Ocean heatwaves devastate wildlife
News
- Invisible to people but deadly to marine life, ocean heatwaves have damaged ecosystems across the globe and are poised to become even more destructive, according to the first study to measure worldwide impacts with a single yardstick.
Findings
- The number of marine heatwave days has increased by more than 50 percent since the mid-20th century.
- Globally, marine heatwaves are becoming more frequent and prolonged, and record-breaking events have been observed in most ocean basins in the past decade.
- Above the ocean watermark, on Earth’s surface, 18 of the last 19 years have been the warmest on record, leading to more severe storms, droughts, heatwaves and flooding.
- Compared to hot spells over land, which have claimed tens of thousands of lives since the start of the century, ocean heatwaves have received scant scientific attention. But sustained spikes in sea-surface temperatures can also have devastating consequences.
- A 10-week marine heatwave near western Australia in 2011, for example, shattered an entire ecosystem and permanently pushed commercial fish species into colder waters.
- Even if humanity does manage to cap global warming at “well below” 2C , as called for in the Paris climate treaty, marine heatwaves will sharply increase in frequency, intensity and duration, earlier research has shown.
Hindu Notes from General Studies-02
India, Russia sign deal on nuclear submarine
News
- India sealed a $3-billion deal with Russia for leasing a nuclear-powered attack submarine for the Indian Navy for a period of 10 years.
Beyond News
- The two countries signed an inter-governmental agreement capping months of negotiations on price and other aspects of the deal.
- Under the pact, Russia will have to deliver the Akula class submarine, to be known as Chakra III, to the Indian Navy by 2025.
- It will be the third Russian submarine to be leased to the Navy.
- India has been significantly bolstering its naval prowess in the backdrop of China’s attempts to expand its influence in the Indian Ocean region.
India excluded again from student visa relaxation list
News
- India is, once again, not included in an expanded list of countries from where students applying for visas will be subject to less stringent documentation requirements, details provided showed.
Beyond News
- This follows last year’s controversy when the failure to include India triggered much criticism, particularly after the U.K. sought to suggest that the exclusion related to New Delhi’s decision to pull out of a Memorandum of Understanding on the return of illegal migrants.
- Among the new countries to which the “streamlined documentary requirements” apply are Peru, Kazakhstan, Mauritius and Oman.
- The changes are part of a wider update to Britain’s immigration system that will introduce two new visa routes for setting up businesses in the U.K. including a “start-up” route and an equivalent one for more seasoned business people. In both cases, business experts will be involved.
- The government has also updated its rules governing a fast-track visa scheme for wealthy investors which has been used by many Indians. The scheme, which is open to those who invest at least £2 million in U.K. government, shares or businesses, offers a faster route to settlement in the country.
- Amid concerns that the route has been abused for illicit money flows, applicants will be “required to prove that they have had control of the required £2 million for at least two years, rather than 90 days, or provide evidence of the source of those funds”.
Hindu Notes from General Studies-03
Delhi tops list of most polluted cities
News
- The national capital has topped the list of the most polluted cities in the world in a recent study conducted by environment NGO Greenpeace India.
Beyond News
- New Delhi was ranked first among 62 polluted cities in the report, Global Air Pollution 2018.
- The report accompanies an extended online interactive display of the world’s most polluted cities, allowing further exploration of air quality across different regions and subregions in 2018.
- The real-time status of all included locations, together with many more, can also be explored through the IQAir AirVisual Air Quality Map, which brings together live air quality readings in one accessible place.
- The report measures the air quality in terms of PM2.5 data as aggregated through the IQAir AirVisual platform in 2018.
Pak registers FIR against “unidentified” IAF pilots for bombing 19 trees in Balakot: Report
News
- Pakistan registered a First Information Report against “unidentified pilots” of the Indian Air Force (IAF) for bombing and destroying 19 trees in the Balakot area, days after India’s preemptive strike against the Jaish-e-Mohammed’s largest terrorist training camp in the country.
Beyond News
- The FIR was filed by the forestry department against pilots of the IAF for bombing and destroying trees in the Balakot area.
- The FIR, registered against “unidentified IAF pilots”, also details the damage suffered by 19 trees after the Indian fighter jets “hastily dropped their payload”.
- India said IAF jets, in the face of imminent danger, launched a preemptive strike on Balakot in Pakistan’s Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province. But the Pakistani military said the IAF jets released their payload which “had free fall in open area.”
- Pakistan also plans to lodge a complaint against India at the United Nations, accusing New Delhi of “eco-terrorism.”
- The Indian warplanes bombed Jabba Top, a hilly forest area near the northern town of Balakot, about 40km from Pakistan-occupied Kashmir (PoK).
- The United Nations states that “destruction of the environment, not justified by military necessity and carried out wantonly, is clearly contrary to existing international law”, the report quoted the UN General Assembly resolution 47/37 as saying.
Indian Army to undergo major reforms
News
- In a major move, Defence Minister has approved the first batch of reforms in the Army which include relocation of 229 officers from the Army headquarters, creation of a new post of Deputy Chief for Military Operations and Strategic Planning, and setting up new wings for vigilance and human rights issues.
Beyond News
- Finalised after 12 independent studies, the reforms are intended to make the 1.3 million-strong force leaner and meaner.
- The sources said the number of officers being moved out was 20% of the number of officers in the Army headquarters in the national capital, and they would be deployed in forward locations along the borders with China and Pakistan.
- The post of Deputy Chief of the Army Staff, Strategy, is being created to deal with military operations, intelligence, strategic planning and operational logistics.
- The reforms will also include restructuring the Army’s officer cadre, bringing down age of key commands, arresting rising revenue expenditure and “rightsizing” the force.
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