Delhi High court in ‘Laksh Vir Singh Yadav V. Union Of India & Ors’ recognized an individual's ‘Right To Be Forgotten’ as an integral facet of the fundamental right to privacy under Article 21.
- Right to be forgotten: Right to seek removal or restricted access to personal information from public accessibility that no longer serves legitimate purpose.
Key Highlights of Judgement
- Sets out detailed principles for when names can be de-indexed or masked in court records.
- De-indexing (to be operated globally): Removes a person's name as a searchable key without deleting the record, limiting access through name-based searches.
- Application: Cases ending in acquittal, discharge, etc.
- Exceptions: It can’t be applied in cases against women, children or breach of public trust.
- Masking: Replaces names and personal identifiers in judicial records with neutral labels (e.g. XYZ).
- De-indexing (to be operated globally): Removes a person's name as a searchable key without deleting the record, limiting access through name-based searches.
The Prime Minister of India and the President of Myanmar reviewed bilateral, regional and global issues of mutual interest including AI and Space.
- Both nations also welcomed the steady growth of the Rupee-Kyat settlement mechanism (operationalized in 2024) to facilitate easier bilateral trade.
Significance of India-Myanmar Relations:
- Geo-strategic: Myanmar lies at the confluence of India’s Neighbourhood First, Act East and MAHASAGAR policies.
- Connectivity: India-Myanmar-Thailand Trilateral Highway and the Kaladan Multi-Modal Project to boost regional economic integration.
- Security: to manage ethnic cross-border insurgencies (along 1,643 km long border), check arms and narcotics smuggling (Golden Triangle) into northeastern states.
- Cultural Soft Power: Deep-rooted historical ties built around shared Theravada Buddhist heritage.
Article Sources
1 sourceIndia–Oman CEPA recently entered into force.
About India- Oman CEPA
- Oman’s offer: 99.38% of India’s exports (by value) will receive immediate zero-duty access to Oman.
- 100% FDI for Indian companies in major services sector in Oman.
- India's offer: Tariff liberalisation on 77.79% of tariff lines covering 94.81% of imports from Oman, while protecting sensitive sectors like dairy, oilseeds and cereals.
About India-Oman Trade Relations
- Oman is India's second-largest trading partner in Gulf with ~$11 bn bilateral trade.
- Oman’s logistics hubs at Sohar, Duqm and Salalah provide access to India to wider Gulf Cooperation Council and East African markets.
Article Sources
1 sourceAzim Premji University’s recent study warns of severe, hyper-local climate shifts across India's 11,000-km coastline.
Key Highlights
- Coastal Erosion: A 15 cm sea-level rise by 2050 will rapidly accelerate shoreline loss.
- Cyclones: Rapid ocean warming (0.27°C/decade) is fueling more intense tropical storms.
- Temperature Anomalies: Around 40 districts will see summer peaks spike by >1°C, approaching unsafe humidity-heat thresholds.
- Polarized Rainfall Pattern: While average precipitation will increase, the growth is concentrated on the western Coast.
- Salinity: Cyclone-driven storm surges are forcing seawater into fresh groundwater (e.g., Sundarbans), ruining drinking supply.
A recent analysis highlighted that ground-level ozone is emerging as a major air pollution challenge in Delhi.
About Ground-Level Ozone (O₃)
- It is a secondary air pollutant (found in the troposphere) formed by reactions between Nitrogen Oxides (NOx) and Volatile Organic Compounds (VOCs) in the presence of sunlight.
- Formation: NOx + VOCs + Sunlight → Ozone (O₃)
- Major sources: vehicles, industries and thermal power plants.
- Peaks during summer due to intense solar radiation.
- Impact: respiratory ailments, crop damage and photochemical smog.
- Unlike stratospheric ozone ("Good Ozone"), which shields Earth from UV rays, ground-level ozone is a harmful pollutant ("Bad Ozone").
- Safe Limit: 100 µg/m3 for 8-hourly monitored value and 180 µg/m3 for 1-hourly monitored value, both under WHO Standards as well as National Ambient Air Quality Standard (NAAQS), 2009.
Recently a study reconstructed 4,000 years of climate history of Majuli Island using sediments from Sakali Wetland.
About Majuli Island
- World’s largest river island located in Assam.
- It became India’s first river island district in 2016.
- Bounded by Subansiri and its tributaries Ranganadi, Dikrong, Dubla,Chici and Tuni etc. on North west;
- Kherkatia Suli (spill channel of Brahmaputra) in northeast and Brahmaputra on South and South west.
- Key Features: Region of fluvial geomorphology; formation of islets locally called Chaporis, hub of Assamese neo-Vaishnavite culture (known for tradition of Satras), etc.
- Included in Tentative List of UNESCO World Heritage Sites in 2004.
Article Sources
1 sourceSupreme Court ordered immediate removal of encroachers and demolition of illegal structures across Agasthyamalai landscape comprising Agasthyamalai BR.
About Agasthyamalai Biosphere Reserve
- Located in southern Western Ghats, in Tamil Nadu and Kerala.
- Included in the World Network of Biosphere Reserves under UNESCO's Man and Biosphere (MAB) Programme (2016).
- The reserve includes three wildlife sanctuaries, Shendurney, Peppara and Neyyar, as well as the Kalakad Mundanthurai Tiger Reserve.
India is likely to introduce blending of isobutanol with diesel.
About Isobutanol
- Isobutanol is a four-carbon alcohol (C₄H₁₀O), making it a higher alcohol compared to ethanol, which contains only two carbon atoms.
- Can be produced from renewable sources like biomass, agricultural waste, or through processes linked to ethanol or sugarcane production.
- Uses: Industrial solvents in products like paints, coatings; potential biofuel for transportation, etc.
- Suitability in Blending with diesel: Blends uniformly without any additional additives, higher energy content, less volatile and corrosive offering higher compatibility with existing engines and fuel infrastructure.