TICK TOCK
📌 WHAT: We are running out of time to prevent irreversible climate change, says the latest report by the UN’s Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC).
🌍 FINDINGS: Titled 'Climate Change 2022: Mitigation of Climate Change', the report says:
🔥 Unless mitigation measures are taken now, global temperatures now are on track to blow past the 1.5C warming limit envisioned in the 2015 Paris Agreement and reach some 3.2C by the century’s end.
🕰 Humans have less than a decade to slash carbon emissions almost in half.
📄 We have to stop greenhouse gas emissions from rising any further before 2025 to have a hope of staying within even two degrees Celsius above preindustrial levels.
🧠 HOW: The report says these targets are achievable with immediate action, including:
▪️Countries slashing the use of oil and gas by at least by 60-70%. ▪️Scaling carbon capture technologies.
▪️ People cutting back on long-haul flights, switching to plant-based diets and climate-proofing buildings
☀️ FOOTNOTES: This report is the third part of IPCC’s Sixth Assessment Report (AR6). The first was published in August 2021, the second in February 2022.
📄 The first instalment of AR6 lay out the consequences of crossing the 1.5 degrees Celsius warming, which is the most likely outcome as of now. Think: more intense and frequent heat-waves, increased incidents of extreme rainfall, a dangerous rise in sea-levels, prolonged droughts, and rampant diseases.
KEEPING TRACK
▪️WHAT: The Lok Sabha has passed the Criminal Procedure (Identification) Bill, 2022, by voice vote.
📌 IN ONE LINE: The Bill seeks to repeal The Identification of Prisoners Act, 1920, and allow the collection, storage and analysis of physical and biological samples, including retina and iris scan of convicted, arrested and detained persons.
❗️WHAT ELSE: It will also allow the police to collect their behavioural attributes including signatures and handwriting.
📌 FYI: Till now, the police is limited to only taking finger impressions and foot-print impressions of a limited category of convicted and non-convicted persons and photographs on the order of a magistrate.
🎙 FOOT NOTE: The Bill was rushed through the Lok Sabha amid loud protests by the Opposition on the issue of data protection, possible misuse of the law, violation of the citizen’s right to privacy and other fundamental rights.
➖ NEXT UP: The Rajya Sabha will vote on it.
TIME FOR UPGRADES
💉 CONTEXT: The WHO recently suspended the supply of Covaxin through United Nations’ procurement agencies after it held an inspection in March and found deficiencies in Good Manufacturing Practices (GMPs) laid out by it for vaccine manufacturers.
🌍 It also asked countries that received the vaccine to take actions as appropriate.
➖WHAT NOW: Bharat Biotech (BB) has said it will temporarily slow down the production of Covaxin to “focus on pending facility maintenance, process, and facility optimisation activities”.
❗️The company has started shutting down the two facilities at Gujarat’s Ankleshwar; one at the Indian Immunologicals Limited; and, except for one all facilities at Hyderabad have been closed down, The Indian Express reports.
▪️IMPACT ON SUPPLY: BB has not supplied the COVID-19 vaccine to any UN agency and no impact of the suspension would be felt.
📣 IMPORTANT: The WHO has reiterated, that despite the recent inspection results, Covaxin is safe and effective against Covid-19.
TEACHERS CAN’T WEAR HIJABS EITHER
❗️ WHAT: Karnataka will give Muslim teachers the “option” to choose between invigilating the ongoing Class 10 board exams and the upcoming Pre-University College exams without a hijab—or not invigilating at all.
➖WHY: “As hijab is not allowed inside examination hall for students, to be morally right, we are not forcing teachers who insist on wearing hijab to take up exam duty.”—Karnataka Education Minister BC Nagesh
✏️ RELATED: This comes after reports of at least seven teachers and school staff being suspended for allegedly permitting students wearing hijabs during exams.
🗞 Reports have surfaced of families looking to change schools and even cities after the Karnataka HC banned students from wearing a hijab inside classrooms. Several girls are skipping exams and classes for the same reason.
📣 A CLARIFICATION: Contrary to statements made by many state government officials—saying no student can sit for exams in a hijab per the Karnataka HC—the court order says if a school or college allows wearing hijab, those students can wear them during the exams and inside classrooms.
🙄 WHAT NEXT: After protests against the hijab, a ban on Muslim traders setting shop in temples, and protests against halal meat, Hindutva groups in the state are now opposing loudspeakers during the azaan in mosques.
RUSSIA ACCUSED OF WAR CRIMES
🇺🇦 CONTEXT: Ukraine recently liberated Bucha from Russian troops. New images from the area show mass graves with hundreds of bodies and civilians gunned down the roads—along with reports of rape and torture, while the city was under Russian occupation.
🎤 Ukraine’s President Zelenskyy, who visited Bucha, has called for an end to Russian "war crimes” on several international platforms, including his own Instagram page. Swipe ➡️ to hear his allegations in more detail.
🇷🇺 ON THE RECORD: Zelenskyy called Russian troops "killers, executioners, rapists, marauders who call themselves an army.”
🌏 Ukrainian officials have asked the International Criminal Court to visit the mass graves as proof of Russia’s war crimes. A team of prosecutors, supported by the US, is heading to Bucha to collect evidence.
😶 Russia denies committing any war crimes, claiming all pictures, videos, reports, testimonies—are staged.
#NEWSWORTHY SNIPPETS
The Competition Commission of India has ordered an investigation into Zomato and Swiggy for their alleged preferential treatment given to brands in which these platforms have an equity or revenue interest. Now, only if someone did something about treatment of delivery staff.
Fuel prices were increased again on Tuesday for the 13th in two weeks. Since March 22, petrol and diesel rates have increased by Rs 9.20 per litre.
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