The misplaced move of 'one nation one election'

The idea of simultaneous elections, to the Lok Sabha, the State Assemblies and the local bodies, was thrown up by the Prime Minister.

This experience may have been the trigger for the idea of holding elections at one time. 

China's warning shots with minerals that run the world

On August 15, China announced its decision to restrict the export of antimony, a critical mineral used in strategic sectors such as defence, for military equipment such as missiles, infrared sensors, flares, ammunition, and even nuclear weapons. 

China's Commerce Ministry justified this move based on “national security", adding that the measure would take effect from September 15. The declaration, however, was part of a series of countermoves that began in August 2023. 

Taking stock of global nuclear disarmament

In the United Nations calendar, September 26 is the International Day for the Total Elimination of Nuclear Weapons. 

This year's General Assembly agenda includes a session on the Treaty on the Prohibition of Nuclear Weapons (TPNW), or the Ban Treaty, as distinguished from the Treaty on the Non-Proliferation of Nuclear weapons, NPT. 

It will be a chance to take stock at a time when the UN is bitterly divided over the war in Ukraine; over the Israel-Palestine conflict; and in responding to accelerating climate change and other related inequalities. 

How global warming affects forecasting

Meteorologists predicted the 2023 El Niño as early as in the spring of that year, which is remarkable. But the level of warming during 2023-2024 has caught them, and the public, by surprise because it was much higher than expected from the addition of the so-called mini-global warming by El Niño to the ongoing background warming. 

According to some estimates, the world has already crossed the 1.5° C warming threshold (that is, the earth's average surface temperature has increased by more than 1.5° C over the pre-industrial average). 

For the coming decade or two, projection uncertainties depend on the model uncertainties themselves plus natural variabilities in a warming world. 

Government mulls over sending Jaishankar for SCO meet in Pakistan

As the government considers sending External Affairs Minister S. Jaishankar to Pakistan next month to attend the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation (SCO) Heads of Government meeting, former High Commissioners told that it was important that India participated in the event, separating the failure of bilateral ties from the "value" of the SCO grouping that comprises 10 Eurasian countries, including Russia and China. 

Sources said the government was likely to convey who it would depute for the event on October 15-16 in Islamabad in place of Prime Minister Narendra Modi. 

'Input on infiltration by 900 Kuki militants could not be substantiated on the ground'

Manipur Security Adviser Kuldeep Singh and Director-General of Police (DGP) Rajiv Singh said in a joint statement that the input regarding the infiltration of 900 trained Kuki militants from Myanmar to carry out attacks on Meitei people on September 28 "could not be substantiated ground". 

on "Given the recent reactions from different communities regarding in- put of infiltration of 900 trained Kuki militants from Myanmar to carry out attacks on Meiteis on September 28, it is clarified that the input was verified from different quarters, but it could not be substantiated on the ground. 

There is no basis currently to believe in any such input. However, security forces deployed on the ground are placed on high alert to protect the lives and properties of citizens. All communities are assured of their safety. They are advised not to believe in any rumours or unverified information," the joint statement said. 

'India sharing information between Russia, Ukraine'

The Russia-Ukraine war is not going to be resolved on the battlefield, External Affairs Minister S. Jaishankar said that the government was speaking to both sides to see if it could do anything to hasten the end of the war and initiate serious negotiations between the two countries. 

The Minister said the government was sharing conversations it had with one party with the other. "My sense is both sides appreciate it," he said, adding that there were not many countries and leaders who had the willingness or ability to engage both sides. 

Centre estimates record production of foodgrains in 2023-24

The Union Agriculture Ministry has estimated a record production of foodgrains for this financial year. 

However, the production of pulses, oil seeds, and sugar cane is likely to be lower than in the last fiscal, according to the fourth and final estimates of production of major crops for 2023-24 released. 

Prepared based on information received from the States, the Centre estimated a record foodgrains production of 3,322.98 lakh tonnes (LT), which is higher by 26.11 LT than the last financial year's 3,296.87 LT. An increase in the production of rice, wheat, and millet resulted in an overall increase in foodgrain production. 

ADB raises inflation view on food, less sanguine on early rate cut

Citing elevated food prices, the Asian Development Bank (ADB) raised its projection for India's average retail inflation in 2024-25 marginally to 4.7% from 4.6% estimated earlier, even as it retained its GDP growth hopes for the country at 7% for this year and 7.2% in 2025-26. 

While some agencies expect the Reserve Bank of India to start slashing interest rates as early as October, the ADB is not as sanguine. Monetary policy is expected to become less restrictive but not as soon as expected, it asserted. 

Australia, India push forward on CECA talks

Trade ministers of India and Australia held talks to assess the progress on negotiations towards a full-fledged free trade deal, about 20 months since an early harvest bilateral pact called the Economic Cooperation and Trade Agreement (ECTA) came into effect. 

Commerce and Industry Minister Piyush Goyal, who co-chaired a meeting of the India-Australia Joint Ministerial Commission with Australia's Trade and Tourism Minister Don Farrell, said talks focused on strengthening trade ties to achieve the countries' shared goal of $100 billion in bilateral trade by 2030. 

China tests intercontinental missile in the Pacific Ocean

China said it test-launched an intercontinental ballistic missile, firing it into the Pacific Ocean in its first such exercise in decades. 

The launch sparked protests from other countries in the region, with China's neighbour Japan saying it had not been given advance notice and expressing "serious concern" about Beijing's military build-up. 

At the UN, Zelenksyy urges countries to accept his peace plan

Addressing the 79th session of the UN General Assembly (UNGA), Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy warned of the risk of a nuclear accident with Russia's continued occupation of Ukraine's Zaporizhzhia power plant. 

Mr Zelenskyy also suggested his peace plan was the way forward as resolving the war at the UN was "impossible" because of Russia's veto power at the Security Council. 

He reminded the 193-member UNGA that it had passed a resolution (99 in favour, 9 against, 60 abstentions, including India) calling on Russia to return control of all nuclear facilities, particularly the plant in Zaporizhzhia, to the Ukrainian authorities.