1. Sri Lanka’s China-backed tax haven clears final hurdle Top court rejects pleas challenging Port City Bill A Chinese-funded tax-free enclave billed as Sri Lanka’s answer to Dubai and Singapore cleared the final legal hurdle on Tuesday as the Supreme Court in Colombo ruled it could go ahead with only minor tweaks. The largest single […]
1. ‘Job losses bode ill for the economy’ April’s labour participation rate was lower than in March 2020: CMIE chief Vyas Rising unemployment, including among the salaried class, and shrinking real incomes have led to a lack of demand that bodes ill for the economy, said Mahesh Vyas, managing director at the Centre for Monitoring […]
1. UNSC calls for end to violence in Gaza Its chief warns that crisis could plunge region into an ‘uncontainable security and humanitarian crisis’ Israeli strikes killed at least 42 Palestinians in the Gaza Strip on Sunday, the worst daily death toll yet in the almost week-long clashes, as the UN Security Council met amid […]
1. Elephant carcasses found in 2 groups The ‘freak’ lightning theory being corroborated based on weather reports: govt. The carcasses of the 18 elephants reportedly killed in lightning strikes in Nagaon district of central Assam on May 13 were found in two groups 1 km apart, an official statement said Saturday. The State government also […]
1. Asha workers struggle with pandemic surveillance in rural Uttar Pradesh They lack adequate protective gear and monitoring kits for door-to-door visits “People don’t take us seriously. Why would they, when I cannot even record their temperature and oxygen level for them,” says Veermati Singh, standing at her door in Nindemau, a village in Unnao. […]
1. App to view SC proceedings launched Actively considering plan to telecast proceedings live, says CJI N.V. Ramana Chief Justice of India N.V. Ramana on Thursday said he was “actively considering” the proposal to telecast live the proceedings of the Supreme Court. The CJI, however, said concrete steps in this regard would be taken only […]
1. ‘Child marriages may go unnoticed amid lockdown’ Weddings may be restricted to houses due to norms: activists Last year, as the pandemic took grip of the world and India went into a lockdown, child rights activists were alarmed to see a slew of child marriages being reported in Karnataka. Now, with another lockdown in […]
1. Queries raised on DRDO’s COVID drug Experts flag lack of published data on performance in human trials, history of drug in cancer cure A drug developed by the Defence Research and Development Organisation (DRDO) has been approved by the Drug Controller General of India (DCGI) for “emergency use” in those with moderate to severe […]
1. SEBI’s sustainability reporting norms mandate ESG overview Disclosures must on gender diversity, cybersecurity The Securities and Exchange Board of India (SEBI) on Monday issued a circular notifying new disclosure norms on sustainability related reporting for the top 1,000 listed companies by market cap by FY23. Such a reporting will now be under a new […]
1. Green panel allows Great Nicobar plan to advance The Environment Appraisal Committee, which had flagged concerns, has now ‘recommended’ it ‘for grant of terms of reference’ for EIA studies The Environment Appraisal Committee (EAC) – Infrastructure I of the Ministry of Environment, Forest and Climate Change (MoEFCC) has flagged serious concerns about NITI Aayog’s […]
1. Anti-COVID-19 drug developed by DRDO gets emergency use nod An analogue of glucose, it can be easily produced The Drugs Controller General of India (DCGI) has granted permission for emergency use of an anti-COVID-19 therapeutic application of the drug 2-deoxy-D-glucose (2-DG), developed by the Institute of Nuclear Medicine and Allied Sciences (INMAS), a lab […]
1. CJI nominates four vacation Benches More Benches to be constituted Chief Justice of India N.V. Ramana on Friday nominated four separate Benches of the Supreme Court to sit consecutively in May, during the first part of the summer holidays, to hear extremely urgent cases. More Benches would be constituted for the second and third […]
1. Drugmakers say Biden misguided over patent waiver U.S. President supports waiving intellectual property rights for COVID vaccines Drugmakers on Thursday said U.S. President Joe Biden’s support for waiving patents of COVID-19 vaccines could disrupt a fragile supply chain and that rich countries should instead share more generously with the developing world. Mr. Biden on […]
1. 5G: China expresses ‘concern, regret’ Can’t have bloodshed on border, good relationship in other domains: Jaishankar China on Wednesday expressed “concern and regret” at India’s move to not include Chinese telecommunication firms among the companies permitted this week to conduct trials for the use of 5G technology. External Affairs Minister S. Jaishankar, speaking at […]
1. Govt. gives nod for 5G trials; Chinese tech giants left out Telcos tie up with Ericsson, Nokia, Samsung and C-DOT The Department of Telecommunications (DoT) on Tuesday gave permission to Telecom Service Providers (TSPs) to conduct trials for the use and application of 5G technology. This formally leaves out Chinese companies like Huawei and […]
1. Factory output growth decelerates: PMI IHS Markit survey shows April production, new orders expansion at 8-month lows on COVID surge India’s manufacturing sector activity was largely flat in April, as rates of growth for new orders and output eased to eight-month lows amid the rise in COVID-19 cases, a monthly survey showed. The seasonally […]
1. North Korea says Biden has a ‘hostile policy’, warns of response U.S. had indicated it would use ‘diplomacy as well as stern deterrence’ North Korea on Sunday accused U.S. President Joe Biden of pursuing a hostile policy, dismissing “spurious” American diplomacy and warning of a response. Mr. Biden had said on Wednesday that his […]
1. U.S. clears sale of six P-8I patrol aircraft to India Original proposal was to procure 10 of them, but it was cut down to six due to budgetary constraints The U.S. State Department on Friday approved the proposed sale of six P-8I patrol aircraft and related equipment, a deal estimated to cost $2.42 billion. […]
1. Xi sends message to Modi, offers China’s help It’s the first such known communication between the two leaders since last year’s border crisis China’s President Xi Jinping on Friday sent a message to Prime Minister Narendra Modi offering China’s support in dealing with the ongoing COVID-19 crisis. Mr. Xi’s message, the first such known […]
1. ‘Vaccine Maitri may have to wait till July’ Our needs are far greater and all our partners understand that, says Shringla India is unlikely to resume its Vaccine Maitri programme for the neighbourhood, including Bangladesh, Nepal and Sri Lanka, until at least July, given the sudden shortage of vaccines amidst a surge in COVID-19 […]
Current affairs decide a large share of marks in UPSC Prelims, Mains and the Interview, and in TNPSC exams. Every morning our faculty publish the day’s important news from The Hindu, PIB, Indian Express and other sources — explained, organised by GS paper, and linked to the syllabus.
What each daily post includes
The key news of the day, grouped by GS Paper 1, 2, 3 and 4
Background and the static syllabus topic each story connects to
