Geography 

Swell waves - The Hindu 

The Indian National Centre for Ocean Information Services (INCOIS) in Hyderabad, an autonomous body under the Union Ministry of Earth Sciences, has issued extensive advisories for swell waves for Andaman and Nicobar and Lakshadweep islands as well as parts of coastal areas in Andhra Pradesh, Goa, Gujarat, Kerala, Maharashtra, Odisha, Tamil Nadu, West Bengal, Daman and Diu, and Puducherry.

World Affairs 

‘Five Eye’ nations back Canada in row with India - The Hindu

The United Kingdom has “full confidence” in the Canadian judicial process, the Foreign Office in London declared that has broken out between India and Canada over the alleged involvement of Canada-based Indian diplomats in the 2023 killing of pro-Khalistan preacher Hardeep Singh Nijjar. U.K. is the fourth member of the ‘Five Eye’ countries to extend support to Canada’s position. 

Army to commemorate 62 years of the Battle of Walong with China - The Hindu

To mark the 62nd anniversary of the iconic Battle of Walong during the 1962 war with China, the Army is planning a month-long series of commemorative events beginning recently.

Battle of Walong

• Walong: India’s easternmost villages in Arunachal Pradesh.
• About the battle: In the 1962 India-China War, the Indian Army defended against China in all sectors except one — Arunachal Pradesh’s Walong.
• Significance: The Battle of Walong was the only counterattack India could manage in the war.
• Outcome: Indian Army held back the Chinese troops for 27 days, which forced the Chinese to deploy its reserve division from Tawang to Walong.

What does the Global Hunger Index 2024 state about India? - The Hindu

The Global Hunger Index for 2024 states that a ‘serious’ level of hunger is prevalent in India. It ranks India 105th among 127 countries, giving it a score of 27.3. A score below 9.9 indicates low levels of hunger, 10-19.9 moderate, 35-49.9 alarming and above 50 extremely alarming.

Korean peninsula heating up again: history of hostility between North and South, trigger for current tensions - Indian Express 

North Korea recently announced that more than 1.4 million citizens had applied to join the army. This comes a day after it blew up a section of roads and railway lines on its southern border, in response to South Korea allegedly sending drones with anti-Pyongyang propaganda leaflets across the border last week.

Economy 

NPPA increases ceiling prices of 8 scheduled drugs - The Hindu

The National Pharmaceutical Pricing Authority (NPPA) has approved an increase in the ceiling prices of 11 scheduled formulations of eight drugs by 50% of their current ceiling prices. Most of these drugs are low-cost and generally used as first-line treatment crucial to the public health programmes of the country. These drugs are used for treatment of asthma, glaucoma, thalassemia, tuberculosis, mental health disorders, and so on.

Environment 

Climate change impact harsher on poorer farmers in India: FAO report - The Hindu

Poor households globally lose 5% of their total income in an average year from heat stress and 4.4% from floods compared with households that are relatively better off, the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations said in a report on Wednesday, warning about the negative impacts of climate change on the farming population in India.

Report Findings:

• Income Impact: The on-farm income of India's rural poor is affected differently by various climate stressors like droughts, forcing them to focus more on agriculture due to reduced off-farm employment.
• Inequality: The report links vulnerability to climate stressors with structural inequalities, urging for policy measures like expanding the social security net.

Recommendations:

• Social Protection: Anticipatory social protection programmes should be scaled to help households before extreme weather events.
• Livelihood Support: Providing livelihood support can prevent people from being pushed into poverty.
• Workforce Diversification: Improving off-farm employment and addressing gender barriers in non-farm jobs.

Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO)

Myanmar and China have lowest Internet freedom, says study - The Hindu

Myanmar and China have the world’s worst Internet freedom, with declines reported in a number of other countries led by Kyrgyzstan, a study said recently.

Defence 

India, U.S. conclude $3.5-billion deal for procurement of 31 MQ-9B armed UAVs - The Hindu 

India and the U.S. recently concluded a $3.5-billion deal for the procurement of 31 MQ-9B armed high-altitude long endurance (HALE) remotely piloted aircraft systems (RPAS) manufactured by General Atomics through an inter-governmental agreement, via the Foreign Military Sales programme of the U.S. The deal also includes 170 AGM-114R Hellfire missiles; 16 M36E9 Hellfire captive air training missiles; 310 GBU-39B/B laser Small Diameter Bombs (SDB); and 08 GBU-39B/B LSDB guided test vehicles with live fuses among others.

AGM-114 Hellfire Missile