VISION

 Why in news?

A recent judgement of a division Bench of the Kerala High Court recently clarified the Muslim women’s right to initiate divorce.

What are the currently available options for Muslim women to divorce?

• One of the methods is divorce by mutual consent, through the process called Mubaarat.
• Another right of a Muslim woman to divorce is by way of Khula, wherein she decides to terminate the marriage.
• This process may be called wife-initiated Talaq.
• Till now, Ulemas, particularly of the Hanafi School, have interpreted that Khula can be exercised only when the husband accedes to the wife’s request.
• So, without the intervention of courts, a Muslim woman can unilaterally divorce her husband, only if, by contract, he has delegated the right to divorce to his wife.
• If he refuses, the woman has no option but to approach courts of law under the provisions set out in the Dissolution of Muslim Marriage Act of 1939.

What is the present case for?

 Raus IAS Focus Magazine April 2021 PDF

GS SCORE Yearly Compilation Geography Mountains & Peaks in India PDF

1)  India Joins Rescue Ops For Missing Indonesian Submarine “KRI Nanggala-402”

•The Indian Navy has joined the rescue operation for an Indonesian submarine and its 53-person crew that went missing more than 4 days ago. Indonesia had sought assistance from India after its 44-year-old submarine, KRI Nanggala-402, went missing while conducting a torpedo drill north of the island of Bali. The Navy’s Deep-Submergence Rescue Vessel (DSVR) left from Visakhapatnam.

2)  China names its first-ever Mars rover “Zhurong”

•China has named its first-ever Mars rover “Zhurong” after an ancient fire god ahead of a landing attempt on the Red Planet in May. The China National Space Administration (CNSA) revealed the name at the sixth China Space Day held in Nanjing. The Chinese name for Mars, “Huoxing,” literally means “fire star.”

•Zhurong was the most popular of 10 shortlisted names for a public vote that opened in January, and that choice was backed by an expert panel and the CNSA itself. The rover carries panoramic and multispectral cameras and instruments to analyze the composition of rocks. Zhurong will also investigate subsurface characteristics with ground-penetrating radar if all goes according to plan.

3)  Goldman Sachs Downgrade India’s GDP Growth Forecast to 10.5% for FY22

•Wall Street brokerage, Goldman Sachs revised downward the GDP growth forecast of India for the fiscal year 2021-22 (FY22) to 10.5 per cent from the earlier estimate of 10.9 per cent. The downward revision is due to the increasing number of pandemic cases and a host of key states announcing stricter lockdowns, thus affecting economic activities.

4)  A new book title “Living Mountain” by Amitav Ghosh

•“The Living Mountain” is a new story by Jnanpith winner and internationally renowned author Amitav Ghosh, written during the course of the pandemic. It is a fable for the current times: a cautionary tale of how humans have systematically exploited nature, leading to an environmental collapse.

•HarperCollins Publishers India will publish The Living Mountain as a special standalone edition in January 2022 under its prestigious Fourth Estate imprint. The book will also be published simultaneously in Hindi, and as an ebook and an audiobook.

5)  Rafael Nadal clinches 12th Barcelona Open title

•Rafael Nadal beat Stefanos Tsitsipas 6-4, 6-7, 7-5 to win his 12th Barcelona Open title. It was Nadal’s 87th career title, and his 61st title on clay. This is the second tournament where Nadal has captured 12 or more titles. The 13-time Roland Garros champion will return to No. 2 in the FedEx ATP Rankings.

6)  Manchester City won League Cup football tournament

•Manchester City won the League Cup for a record-equalling fourth time in succession with a deserved victory over a disappointing Tottenham Hotspur side at Wembley. City’s victory equalled Liverpool’s achievement in the early 1980s of winning the competition four years in a row.

7)  UNICEF Goodwill Ambassador David Beckham leads global vaccination drive

•UNICEF Goodwill Ambassador, David Beckham, is fronting a global initiative to inspire confidence in vaccines and encourage parents around the world to vaccinate their children against deadly diseases.

•In a powerful video released ahead of World Immunization Week, Beckham talks about the loss of everyday activities due to COVID-19, such as hugs with family, spending time with friends, and being with the people we love, and encourages parents to vaccinate themselves so that they can be safe.

📰 Unfair and dangerous: On vaccine inequity

 Why in news?

Recently Climate and Clean Energy Agenda 2030 Partnership was concluded between U.S. and India in the Climate Leaders’ Summit.

Why this summit took place?

• In a pandemic-stricken world, there is little confidence in transition to green energy.
• U.S. and China are the top emitters of greenhouse gasses at the global level.
• India ranks third in global emissions although its per capita CO2 emissions are less than 60% of the global average.
• International Energy Agency expects a dramatic rise in emissions as countries race to shake off the impact of the coronavirus, as they did after the 2008 financial crisis.

What does the summit aims to achieve?

• In the summit, attention was focused on countries which are responsible for the highest carbon emissions.
• U.K. has enhanced its ambition to cut carbon emissions by 78% by 2035 over 1990 levels.
• It has also advanced the agenda by calling for climate funding by rich nations to exceed the decade-old goal of $100 billion.
• U.S. has committed to cuts its emissions by 50% to 52% by 2030 over 2005 levels.
• U.S.-India has signed a climate pact which raises expectations that the coming decade will see sustained financial and technological cooperation between the countries to cut greenhouse gas emissions.

• This pact will transform the energy-intensive sectors in India by incorporating innovative materials and processes to decarbonise industry, transport and buildings.
• It has the potential to expand renewable power up to 450GWand align future growth pathways away from the fossil fuels.
• The forthcoming years till 2030 are termed as decisive decade and action are been initiated to enhance funding and innovation in green energy.
• This can help all countries move closer to keeping global warming well below 2°C or even 1.5°C which the Paris Agreement envisages.

What should be the future course of action?

• The climate change crisis originated not in developing nations but in the industrialised world which has used up much of the world’s carbon space.
• Therefore any forward-looking policy should envision green development, providing funding and green technologies as compensation for the emissions space lost by poorer countries.
• This will be a win-win game, since it would aid sustainable development, boost employment, clean up the environment and help all countries to emerge healthier from the pandemic.
• For the India-U.S. agreement to yield results, U.S. has to persuade its industry and research institutions to share knowledge and subsidise transfer of technologies to India.

Source: The Hindu

1)  World Malaria Day: 25 April

•The World Malaria Day (WMD) is observed globally on 25 April each year to recognize the efforts of the people worldwide to control malaria. The Day was established in May 2007 at the 60th session of the World Health Assembly, WHO’s the decision-making body. The theme of World Malaria Day 2021 is ‘Reaching the zero malaria target’.

2)  International Delegate’s Day: 25 April

•International Delegate’s Day observed globally on 25 April every year. This day is observed to raise awareness of the role of the representatives and delegates of the Member States to the United Nations. International Delegate’s Day marks the anniversary of the first day of the San Francisco Conference which is also known as the United Nations Conference on International Organization.

3)  World Intellectual Property Day: 26 April

•World Intellectual Property Day is observed globally on April 26 every year. It was established by the World Intellectual Property Organization (WIPO) in 2000 to “raise awareness of how patents, copyright, trademarks and designs impact on daily life” and “to celebrate creativity and the contribution made by creators and innovators to the development of societies across the world”.

•Theme 2021: ‘Intellectual property and small businesses: Taking big ideas to market’.

4)  International Chernobyl Disaster Remembrance Day

•The International Chernobyl Disaster Remembrance Day is observed every year on April 26 to raise awareness of the consequences of the 1986 Chernobyl disaster and the risks of nuclear energy in general. The United Nations (UN) proclaimed the day on April 26, 2016, that marked the 30th anniversary of the 1986 nuclear disaster. On this day in 1986, a reactor exploded at the Chernobyl nuclear power plant in Ukraine with devastating consequences.

5)  Justice Nuthalapati Venkata Ramana takes oath as 48th CJI

•Justice Nuthalapati Venkata Ramana was sworn in as the 48th Chief Justice of India (CJI) on April 24, 2021. Justice Ramana was administered the oath of office by President Ram Nath Kovind at a brief ceremony held at the Rashtrapati Bhavan. He succeeds Justice Sharad Arvind Bobde who demitted office on April 23, 2021. Justice Ramana will serve as the Chief Justice till 26 August 2022.

6)  19th India-Franch Naval Exercise “VARUNA” begins

•The 19th edition of the Indian and French Navy bilateral exercise ‘VARUNA-2021’ conducted in the Arabian Sea from 25 to 27 April 2021. During the three day exercise, the units of both the navies will undertake high tempo-naval operations at sea, which will include advanced air defence and anti-submarine exercises, intense fixed and rotary wing flying operations, tactical manoeuvres, surface and anti-air weapon firings, underway replenishment and other maritime security operations.

7)  National Panchayat Awards 2021

•The National Panchayat Awards 2021 was conferred by PM Modi. Prime Minister will transfer the award money (as Grants-in-Aid) through the click of a button, ranging from Rs.5 lakh to Rs.50 lakh. The amount will be directly transferred to the bank account of the Panchayats concerned in real-time. This is being done for the first time.

8)  PM Modi Launches Extension of ‘SVAMITVA scheme’ Across India

•Prime Minister Shri Narendra Modi launched the distribution of e-property cards under the SVAMITVA scheme on National Panchayati Raj Day on April 24, 2021, through video conferencing. SVAMITVA stands for Survey of Villages and Mapping with Improvised Technology in Village Areas. The launch marked the rollout of the implementation of the SVAMITVA scheme across the entire country. About 4.09 lakh property owners were given their e-property cards during the event, in more than 5 thousand villages.

9)  Government Extends ‘Vivad se Vishwas’ scheme Deadline till 30 June 2021

•The government has once again extended the deadline for making payment under the direct tax dispute settlement scheme ‘Vivad Se Vishwas’ by two months till June 30, 2021 to provide relief to the taxpayers facing hardships amid the pandemic. This is the fourth time that the deadline is being extended by the Ministry of Finance, since the launch of the scheme. The deadline was extended for the first time from March 31, 2020, to June 30, 2020, followed by December 31, 2020, and then again till March 31, 2021.