Junior Digest

SINGAPORE, Jan 28,2025: China appears to be building a large laser-ignited fusion research centre in the southwestern city of Mianyang, experts at two analytical organisations say, a development that could aid nuclear weapons design and work exploring power generation.

Satellite photos show four outlying “arms” that will house laser bays, and a central experiment bay that will hold a target chamber containing hydrogen isotopes the powerful lasers will fuse together, producing energy, said Decker Eveleth, a researcher at U.S.-based independent research organisation CNA Corp.
Satellite photos show a new large-scale laser fusion research center in Mianyang, China, which could impact both nuclear weapons development and clean energy research.

It is a similar layout to the $3.5 billion U.S. National Ignition Facility (NIF) in Northern California, which in 2022 generated more energy from a fusion reaction than the lasers pumped into the target – “scientific breakeven”.

Eveleth, who is working with analysts at the James Martin Center for Nonproliferation Studies (CNS), estimates the experiment bay at the Chinese facility is about 50% bigger than the one at NIF, currently the world’s largest.

The development has not been previously reported.

“Any country with an NIF-type facility can and probably will be increasing their confidence and improving existing weapons designs, and facilitating the design of future bomb designs without testing” the weapons themselves, said William Alberque, a nuclear policy analyst at the Henry L. Stimson Centre.

China’s foreign ministry referred Reuters questions to the “competent authority”. China’s Science and Technology Ministry did not respond to a request for comment.

The U.S. Office of the Director of National Intelligence declined to comment.

Jan 23,2025: Five elderly African elephants at a Colorado zoo will stay there, after the state’s highest court said the animals have no legal right to demand their release because they are not human.
Tuesday’s 6-0 decision by Colorado’s Supreme Court means Jambo, Kimba, LouLou, Lucky and Missy will remain at the Cheyenne Mountain Zoo in Colorado Springs.
It followed a similar decision in 2022 by New York state’s highest court, the Court of Appeals, that another aged elephant, Happy, had to remain at New York City’s Bronx Zoo.
An animal rights non-profit, Nonhuman Rights Project, brought both cases on the elephants’ behalf under a legal doctrine known as “habeas corpus,” saying the animals should live in sanctuaries.
Citing affidavits from seven animal biologists, the group told the Colorado court that elephants are highly social and mobile, share many cognitive abilities with humans including empathy and self-awareness, and when confined in zoos can experience boredom and stress that could lead to brain damage.
But the court said Colorado’s habeas statute applies to persons, not to nonhuman animals “no matter how cognitively, psychologically, or socially sophisticated” they might be.
It also said Nonhuman Rights Project’s concession during oral argument that it was seeking only different confinement, not complete freedom, for the elephants was another reason to treat them and humans differently.
The case “does not turn on our regard for these majestic animals generally or these five elephants specifically,” Justice Maria Berkenkotter wrote. “Because an elephant is not a person, the elephants here do not have standing to bring a habeas corpus claim.”
In a statement, Nonhuman Rights Project said the decision “perpetuates a clear injustice” that consigns the five elephants to “a lifetime of mental and physical suffering.” It has not determined its next legal steps.
The zoo welcomed the outcome in a separate statement, but expressed disappointment at having spent 19 months defending against a “frivolous” case that the animal rights group has pursued unsuccessfully against several other reputable zoos.
“We’ve wasted valuable time and money responding to them in courts and in the court of public opinion,” the zoo said.
In Tuesday’s decision, Berkenkotter also emphasized that legislators, not judges, were best positioned to expand legal rights of nonhuman animals.
She said counting those animals as persons would be a “monumental change” that one would expect legislators to make explicit if they really meant it.

Jan 20,Monday 2025: The inauguration of Donald Trump as the 47th president of the United States took place on Monday, January 20, 2025. It is the 60th U.S. presidential inauguration and the second inauguration of Trump as U.S. president, marking the commencement of his second and final non-consecutive term as U.S. president, the first term of JD Vance as the vice president, and the second ever non-consecutive re-inauguration for a U.S. president, after the second inauguration of Grover Cleveland in 1893. Trump’s first inauguration was eight years earlier, in January 2017.

The event included a swearing-in ceremony, a signing ceremony, an inaugural luncheon, a first honors ceremony, and then a procession and parade at Capital One Arena. Inaugural balls are held at various venues before and after the inaugural ceremonies.
Supreme Court Associate Justice Brett Kavanaugh administered the vice presidential oath of office to JD Vance. Chief Justice John Roberts administered the presidential oath of office to Donald Trump.
Donald Trump’s full inauguration speech

In his inaugural address, President Trump stated a new “golden era” had begun. He decried the attempts of the Justice Department under Merrick Garland to prosecute him over the events of January 6, 2021, arguing that his political enemies had weaponized the agency. He announced executive actions to fight illegal immigration, including implementation of Alien and Sedition Acts, increase energy production by facilitating oil extraction, boost American manufacturing through tariffs on foreign goods, restores to their posts (with full back pay) all soldiers and federal employers who were discharged for not taking the COVID vaccine, recognize the existence of two genders only, establish a Department of Government Efficiency, and rename the Gulf of Mexico as the “Gulf of America”. He also showed interest in returning the Panama Canal under U.S. control. Trump also said that cartels will be designated as foreign terrorist organizations. He asserted that he wanted to be known as a peacemaker and that the strength of a nation should be measured by how many wars it puts an end to or prevents altogether rather than by those it wins. He expressed solidarity for the victims of natural disasters which had recently taken place in several states, and praised civil rights activist Martin Luther King Jr., while criticizing the supposedly excessive focus political progressives put on race and gender issues. He stated that the U.S. would send astronauts to Mars under his presidency. He said nothing is impossible for those who put in the effort, citing his own unexpected political comeback as an example.

Chinese president Xi Jinping was invited to the ceremony, but sent vice president Han Zheng as his special representative instead. This marked the first time a senior official of China’s government was sent to a US presidential inauguration.
Trump’s inaugural day orders include exiting the WHO, overturning diversity programmes and LGBTQ protections, ending birthright citizenship, pardoning 1,500 who stormed the U.S. Capitol, withdrawing from the Paris Agreement and rescinding 78 Biden-era executive actions, among others
The World Health Organization said Tuesday it regretted the decision by the new U.S. administration of President Donald Trump to withdraw the country from the UN agency.

US President Donald Trump announced on Tuesday that his administration is considering a 10 percent tariff on China starting February 1, citing concerns over China allegedly sending fentanyl to Mexico and Canada.
Attorneys general from 22 states filed a lawsuit to block President Donald Trump’s executive order ending birthright citizenship, a century-old practice granting citizenship to US-born children regardless of their parents’ immigration status. The roughly 700-word order, issued late Monday, fulfills a promise Trump made during his presidential campaign.

TOKYO, Jan 24,2025: The Bank of Japan raised interest rates on Friday to their highest since the 2008 global financial crisis and revised up its inflation forecasts, underscoring its confidence that rising wages will keep inflation stable around its 2% target.

The decision marks the BOJ’s first rate hike since July last year and comes days after the inauguration of U.S. President Donald Trump, who is likely to keep global policymakers vigilant ahead of potential repercussions from threatened higher tariffs.

BOJ Governor Kazuo Ueda said the central bank will keep raising interest rates as wage and price increases broaden, adding that there was scope to push up borrowing costs further before they reach levels deemed neutral to the economy.

But he offered few clues on the timing and pace of future rate hikes, saying the decision will be based on how soon Japan will see trend inflation sustainably hit the BOJ’s target.

“We don’t have any preset idea. We’ll make a decision at each policy meeting by looking at economic and price developments as well as risks,” he told a press conference after the policy decision.
The widely expected move marks another step Japan is taking away from the deflation and stagnant economic growth that dogged the country for decades.

Sriharikota, (Andhra Pradesh), Jan 29,2025: In a record and historic 100th launch mission from SHAR Range for ISRO, the GSLV-F15 Rocket, with the indigenous cryogenic third stage,successfully precisely injected the NVS-02 Navigation satellite into the desired orbit on Wednesday morning.
After a smooth 27 hr countdown, the heavier launch vehicle, took off majestically from the Second Launch pad after after a flight duration of 19 minutes, injected the 2,250 kg satellite.
Union Minister of State (I/C) for Science and Technology Jitendra Singh lauded ISRO for successfully accomplishing the landmark milestone of 100th mission from the SHAR Range on Wednesday morning and said this quantum leap instilled confidence that “sky is not the limit after the space sector was unlocked by Prime Minister Narendra Modi”.

In a post on X minutes after GLSV-F15 successfully and precisely injected the Navigation Satellite NVS-02 into the precise Geosynchronous Transfer Orbit, he said.

The space sector was unlocked by Prime Minister Narendra Modi.

From a humble beginning by Vikram Sarabhai, Satish Dhawan and few others, it has been an amazing journey and a quantum leap after the Prime Minister unlocked the space sector, he added.

“Congratulations @isro for achieving the landmark milestone of #100thLaunch from #Sriharikota.”

“It’s a privilege to be associated with the Department of Space at the historic moment of this record feat”, he wrote.

“Team #ISRO, you have once again made India proud with successful launch of GSLV-F15 / NVS-02 Mission”, he said.

Dr Jitendra Singh said “From a humble beginning by Vikram Sarabhai, Satish Dhawan and few others, it has been an amazing journey. And a quantum leap after PM Sh @narendramodi “unlocked” the Space sector and instilled the confidence that “sky is Not the limit”.

Hyderabad/Davos, Jan 23,2025: Telangana Chief Minister Ac Revanth Reddy has pledged Telangana’s commitment to the global ‘Trillion Tree Campaign’, an ambitious initiative to plant one trillion trees and foster a greener planet.

This pledge underscores the state’s dedication to environmental protection and ensuring a sustainable future for generations to come.

As part of the ongoing World Economic Forum Summit in Davos, representatives of the One Trillion Tree Organisation (1t.org) visited the Telangana Pavilion and met with Chief Minister Revanth Reddy and Industries Minister Sridhar Babu to take the environmental pledge.

Chief Minister Revanth Reddy highlighted that environmental conservation is a cornerstone of Telangana’s ‘Rising Policy.’ He emphasised the state government’s efforts to implement net-zero policies across various sectors to combat climate change and promote sustainable development.

Nicole Schwab, a member of the Executive Committee of the World Economic Forum and co-founder of the Nature Positive Pillar, along with Florian Vernaz, an organiser of 1t.org, participated in the program.

The Trillion Tree Campaign, supported by 1t.org, aims to restore degraded ecosystems, combat deforestation, and enhance biodiversity worldwide.

Telangana’s participation further strengthens its commitment to aligning with global sustainability goals and making meaningful contributions to the fight against climate change.

This initiative marks another step in Telangana’s journey toward becoming a leader in environmental stewardship and sustainable growth, according to an official statement here late on Wednesday night.

New Delhi, Jan 31,2025: Highlighting the rapid infrastructure development in the country and underscoring the positive impact of various flagship schemes of the government, President Droupadi Murmu on Friday said Indian economy has demonstrated remarkable stability and resilience despite global concerns such as the Covid pandemic, its aftermath, and war-related uncertainties.

“Over the past decade, India has achieved several milestones in constructing world-class infrastructure. This modern infrastructure has strengthened India’s image globally, increased investors’ trust in the nation, boosted industries, and created new employment opportunities,” Murmu said while addressing the joint session of the Parliament.

The President said that 10 years ago, the budget for capex was around Rs 2 lakh crore which has now increased to over Rs 11 lakh crore.

Murmu said that initiatives like the construction of 12 crore toilets under the Swachh Bharat Abhiyan, 10 crore free LPG connections under the Pradhan Mantri Ujjwala Yojana, ration for 80 crore needy citizens, the Saubhagya Yojana, and the Jal Jeevan Mission have given poor the confidence that they can live with dignity.

“Due to such efforts, 25 crore people have overcome poverty and are moving forward in life. They have formed a Neo Middle Class, a group that is infusing new energy into India’s growth journey,” she said.

The President said that the government is steering India towards becoming the world’s third-largest economy.

“To ensure that the journey towards ‘Viksit Bharat’ continues to be guided by the ideals of our Constitution, the government has placed four key principles—service, good governance, prosperity, and pride—at the core of its governance,” she said.

The President said that the government is making rapid advances in its commitment to reform, perform, and transform.

“The guiding mantra of my government is “Sabka Saath, Sabka Vikas, Sabka Vishwas, Sabka Prayas” and its goal is the creation of a ‘Viksit Bharat’,” the President said.

Washington, Jan 20,2024: U.S. President-elect Donald Trump announced on Sunday he will repeal multiple executive orders of the Biden administration within hours after being sworn in as president on Monday.

“Every radical and foolish executive order of the Biden administration will be repealed within hours of when I take the oath of office,” Trump told his supporters at a victory rally held in Capital One Arena in Washington.

Trump said that the executive orders he is about to sign will cover areas such as border security, energy, federal government spending, the short video-sharing platform TikTok and DEI (Diversity, Equity and Inclusion) programs.

“Tomorrow at noon, the curtain closes on four long years of American decline, and we begin a brand new day of American strength and prosperity, dignity and pride,” said the incoming president.

According to U.S. media reports, Trump is expected to sign over 100 executive orders on the day of his inauguration.

Trump will take the oath of office at noon on Monday. Due to the forecast cold weather in Washington, D.C., his inauguration ceremony will be held indoors — the first time in four decades in the United States.

CAPE CANAVERAL, January 30, 2025: Asteroid samples fetched by NASA hold not only the pristine building blocks for life but also the salty remains of an ancient water world, scientists reported Wednesday.

The findings provide the strongest evidence yet that asteroids may have planted the seeds of life on Earth and that these ingredients were mingling with water almost right from the start.

“That’s the kind of environment that could have been essential to the steps that lead from elements to life,” said the Smithsonian Institution’s Tim McCoy, one of the lead study authors.
NASA’s Osiris-Rex spacecraft returned 122 grams (4 ounces) of dust and pebbles from the near-Earth asteroid Bennu, delivering the sample canister to the Utah desert in 2023 before swooping off after another space rock. It remains the biggest cosmic haul from beyond the moon. The two previous asteroid sample missions, by Japan, yielded considerably less material.

Small amounts of Bennu’s precious black grains — leftovers from the solar system’s formation 4.5 billion years ago — were doled out to the two separate research teams whose studies appeared in the journals Nature and Nature Astronomy. But it was more than enough to tease out the sodium-rich minerals and confirm the presence of amino acids, nitrogen in the form of ammonia and even parts of the genetic code.

Some if not all of the delicate salts found at Bennu — similar to what’s in the dry lakebeds of California’s Mojave Desert and Africa’s Sahara — would be stripped away if present in falling meteorites.

“This discovery was only possible by analyzing samples that were collected directly from the asteroid then carefully preserved back on Earth,” the Institute of Science Tokyo’s Yasuhito Sekine, who was not involved in the studies, said in an accompanying editorial.
Combining the ingredients of life with an environment of sodium-rich salt water, or brines, “that’s really the pathway to life,” said McCoy, the National Museum of Natural History’s curator of meteorites. “These processes probably occurred much earlier and were much more widespread than we had thought before.”

NASA’s Daniel Glavin said one of the biggest surprises was the relatively high abundance of nitrogen, including ammonia. While all of the organic molecules found in the Bennu samples have been identified before in meteorites, Glavin said the ones from Bennu are valid — “real extraterrestrial organic material formed in space and not a result of contamination from Earth.”

Bennu — a rubble pile just one-third of a mile (one-half of a kilometer) across — was originally part of a much larger asteroid that got clobbered by other space rocks. The latest results suggest this parent body had an extensive underground network of lakes or even oceans, and that the water evaporated away, leaving behind the salty clues.

Sixty labs around the world are analyzing bits of Bennu as part of initial studies, said the University of Arizona’s Dante Lauretta, the mission’s chief scientist who took part in both studies.

Most of the $1 billion mission’s cache has been set aside for future analysis. Scientists stress more testing is needed to better understand the Bennu samples, as well as more asteroid and comet sample returns. China plans to launch an asteroid sample return mission this year.

Many are pushing for a mission to collect rocks and dirt from the potentially waterlogged dwarf planet Ceres in the main asteroid belt. Jupiter’s moon Europa and Saturn’s moon Enceladus also beckon as enticing water worlds. Meanwhile, NASA has core samples awaiting pickup at Mars, but their delivery is on hold while the space agency studies the quickest and cheapest way to get them here.

“Are we alone?” McCoy said. “That’s one of the questions we’re trying to answer.”

Seoul [South Korea], January 27,2025: Prosecutors have formally indicted South Korean President Yoon Suk Yeol on charges of organizing an insurrection related to his brief declaration of martial law last month. With this, Yoon Suk Yeol becomes the first sitting South Korean president to be indicted while in detention, according to a report by Yonhap News Agency.
The indictment comes just one day before Yoon’s detention was scheduled to expire. He had been taken into custody on January 15 by the Corruption Investigation Office for High-ranking Officials (CIO) over his December 3 declaration of martial law. Yoon was officially arrested on January 19.
Since the CIO lacks the authority to indict a sitting president, the case was transferred to the prosecution last week. On Sunday, senior prosecutors from across the country convened to discuss the next steps in the case.

The prosecution team investigating the case said they had reviewed the evidence, and based on the comprehensive review, it was determined that indicting the defendant was appropriate, Yonhap reported.
Yoon is accused of conspiring with former Defence Minister Kim Yong-hyun and others to incite an insurrection by declaring martial law. He is also alleged to have ordered the deployment of military forces to block a parliamentary vote that sought to repeal the decree.
Earlier, on January 23, the CIO handed over its investigation into President Yoon’s alleged attempt to impose martial law to the prosecution, urging that he be charged with insurrection and abuse of power.
The CIO had said that it transferred all related investigation materials, totaling over 30,000 pages compiled into 69 volumes.
On December 14, Yoon was impeached by the National Assembly over his attempt to impose martial law in the country. The members of the unicameral National Assembly had voted 204 to 85 to impeach South Korea’s President.

Washington, DC [US], January 24, 2025: A bipartisan pair of US House lawmakers have introduced a bill aimed at revoking China’s Permanent Normal Trade Relations (PNTR) status.
The legislation introduced on Thursday builds on prior Republican efforts to repeal Beijing’s preferential trade status, reflecting ongoing concerns over China’s trade practices, The Hill reported.
The bill seeks to address criticisms of China’s trade policies and aims to impose more economic costs on China. It would make a significant shift in US trade policy, particularly with respect to China’s manufacturing practices, which are seen as detrimental to American jobs and industries.
The legislation comes amid broader US efforts under both Trump and Biden administrations to increase tariffs on Chinese imports. This move is also in line with previous actions taken to hold China accountable for what many see as unfair trade practices and a challenge to fair competition.
Rep. John Moolenaar (R-Mich.), a leading proponent of the bill, argued that for too long, the PNTR status has harmed US manufacturing, outsourced jobs abroad, and allowed China to exploit US markets.

“For too long, permanent normal trade relations with China have undermined our manufacturing base, shifted American jobs abroad, and allowed the CCP to exploit our markets while betraying the promise of fair competition,” said Moolenaar. He further emphasised that the bill would protect US national security, enhance supply chain resilience, and bring back jobs to the US and its allies, reported The Hill.
Moolenaar introduced the bill with Rep. Tom Suozzi (D-N.Y.), while a companion version was filed in the Senate by Sens. Tom Cotton (R-Ark) and Jim Banks (R-Ind). Secretary of State Marco Rubio, former senator from Florida, also co-sponsored the bill when it was initially introduced in November.
The Restoring Trade Fairness Act would end China’s PNTR status and introduce a new tariff system. Under the bill, non-strategic goods from China would be subject to a 35 per cent tariff, while strategic goods would face a 100 per cent tariff. The proposed tariff list would align with the Biden administration’s Advanced Technology Product List and China’s Made in China 2025 plan.
The revenue from the tariffs would be allocated to US farmers and manufacturers, as well as used for military equipment purchases in the Indo-Pacific region. The tariff increase would be phased in over five years, The Hill reported.
The bill emerges as President Donald Trump suggested a blanket 60 per cent tariff on Chinese imports and additional tariffs on China for not doing enough to curb fentanyl trafficking. He has also signaled potential tariffs on Russia and countries supporting its war in Ukraine, which may include China.

Washington, Jan 24,2025: A federal judge said Thursday that President Donald Trump’s executive order ending birthright citizenship was “blatantly unconstitutional” and issued a temporary restraining order to block it, media reports said.

Judge John Coughenour, granted the request by Washington Attorney General Nick Brown and three other Democratic-led states for the emergency order halting implementation of the policy for the next 14 days while there are more briefings in the legal challenge, the CNN reported.

According to reports, an attorney for the state of Washington, Lane Polozola told the judge that “births cannot be paused” while the court considers the case.

CNN quoted Polozola saying,’ Babies are being born today here, and in the plaintiff states and around the country, with a cloud cast over their citizenship.’

Children denied citizenship under Trump’s order will face “longterm substantial negative impacts,” he added.

Polozola also argued that the Trump administration not only ignored those harms in the filings it has submitted so far in the dispute, but that harm “appears to be the purpose” of the executive order.

Beyond the impact that Trump’s order will have on their residents, Washington and the other states are arguing that the end of birthright citizenship will burden their state programs financially and logistically, as those children are shut off from federal benefits that they would be entitled to as citizens.

The Trump administration is arguing that that clause “subject to the jurisdiction thereof” allows the president to exclude the children of undocumented immigrants and even children whose parents are lawfully present but lack permanent legal status.

Minsk, Jan 27,2025: Incumbent President Alexander Lukashenko has won the presidential election of Belarus, according to the preliminary results released early Monday by the country’s Central Election Commission.

The preliminary data from the Central Election Commission showed that Lukashenko received 86.82 percent of the vote. Sergei Syrankov, Oleg Gaidukevich, Anna Kanopatskaya and Alexander Khizhnyak secured 3.21 percent, 2.02 percent, 1.86 percent and 1.74 percent of the vote, respectively.

Under Belarusian law, a presidential candidate who secures more than 50 percent of the vote is declared the winner.

Belarussian president is elected by direct ballot and the term of office is five years. The Belarus election commission will announce the final results of the voting no later than Feb. 5.

Jan 27,2025: The CIA has announced that it believes the COVID-19 pandemic “more likely” originated from a laboratory leak than a natural event.

The CIA’s “low confidence” assessment comes after John Ratcliffe was on Thursday sworn in as director of the top intelligence agency under United States President Donald Trump.

The “CIA continues to assess that both research-related and natural origin scenarios of the COVID-19 pandemic remain plausible”, a spokesperson said on Saturday.

“We have low confidence in this judgement and will continue to evaluate any available credible new intelligence reporting or open-source information that could change CIA’s assessment.”

US media reported that the assessment had been ordered under the administration of former US President Joe Biden and was completed before Ratcliffe took up his post.

The assessment was also based on existing intelligence, not new information, according to the reports.

Following the CIA’s announcement, three US agencies, including the FBI and the Department of Energy, have now publicly backed the theory that COVID-19 most likely escaped from a lab in Wuhan, China.

China’s embassy in Washington, DC, rejected the CIA assessment, which it said “concocts misleading conclusions, throws dirty water on China, and engages in framing”.

“It is still an old routine of political manipulation of tracing the source and has no credibility. The source of the virus is a complex scientific issue, and scientists and experts should find the answer through rigorous and meticulous scientific research, rather than being judged by politicians,” embassy spokesperson Liu Pengyu said.

“We firmly oppose the politicization and stigmatization of the source of the virus, and once again call on everyone to respect science and stay away from conspiracy theories.”

Bogota, Jan 27,2025: Colombian President Gustavo Petro on Sunday said he will not authorize the entry of U.S. military flights carrying deported Colombian migrants, which is part of a new immigration policy put into effect by U.S. President Donald Trump.

Noting that the United States cannot treat Colombian migrants as criminals, Petro said in a post on X that Washington must establish a protocol for the dignified treatment of migrants.

“I cannot make migrants stay in a country that does not want them. But if that country returns them, it must be with dignity and respect for them and for our country. We will receive our compatriots in civilian planes, without treating them like criminals. Colombia must be respected,” he said.

On his inauguration day on Jan. 20, Trump signed an executive order that declared a national emergency along the U.S.-Mexico border, called for mass deportations of undocumented migrants, deployed military forces to the border and denied U.S. citizenship to those born to illegal immigrants.

New Delhi, Jan 31,2025: India’s real gross domestic product (GDP) is expected to grow at 6.3-6.8% year-on-year in the financial year 2025-26 (FY26), as per the Economic Survey 2024-25 tabled in the Parliament on Friday ahead of the Union Budget.

The Survey tabled by Union Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman said that while there are many upsides to domestic investment, output growth and disinflation in FY26, the economy faces equally strong downsides too.

“On balance of these considerations, we expect that the growth in FY26 would be between 6.3 and 6.8 per cent,” the Survey said.

It further said that navigating global headwinds will require strategic and prudent policy management and reinforcing the domestic fundamentals.

India’s GDP growth slowed down to nearly seven-quarter low of 5.4% year-on-year in the July-September quarter (Q2) of current financial year 2024-25 triggering downward revision in annual growth forecast by multiple agencies.

As per the first advance estimates of national accounts, India’s real GDP is estimated to grow by 6.4% in FY25.

“Looking ahead, India’s economic prospects for FY26 are balanced. Headwinds to growth include elevated geopolitical and trade uncertainties and possible commodity price shocks,” the Economic Survey 2024-25 said.

The government’s report card noted that domestically the translation of order books of private capital goods sector into sustained investment pick-up, improvements in consumer confidence, and corporate wage pick-up will be key to promoting growth. Further, it said that rural demand backed by a rebound in agricultural production, an anticipated easing of food inflation and a stable macro-economic environment provide an upside to near-term growth.

“Overall, India will need to improve its global competitiveness through grassroots-level structural reforms and deregulation to reinforce its medium-term growth potential,” the Survey authored by Chief Economic Advisor (CEA) V. Anantha Nageswaran said.

More than one million people have fled the war in Sudan to seek refuge in neighbouring South Sudan, according to the United Nations.

In its latest update on one of the world’s worst displacement crises, the UN issued new data on Tuesday showing that more than 770,000 people have fled through the Joda crossing on South Sudan’s northern border with Sudan in the last 21 months.

Tens of thousands more have crossed the border at other points, bringing the total to have fled to South Sudan since the war between the paramilitary Rapid Support Forces (RSF) and the Sudanese Armed Forces (SAF) erupted in April 2023 to more than a million, according to the statement issued by the UN High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) and the International Organization for Migration (IOM).

“The arrival of over a million people into South Sudan is a stark and sobering statistic and truly shows the increasing scale of this crisis,” the UNHCR’s Sanaa Abdalla Omer said.

Most crossing the border are South Sudanese nationals who had previously fled from civil war in the world’s newest country, the statement noted.

“The people of South Sudan continue to show extraordinary generosity, welcoming those in need and sharing what little resources they have, but they cannot shoulder this massive responsibility alone,” Omer added.

Two transit centres in Renk County on South Sudan’s northern border, which have been designed for fewer than 5,000 people, are now hosting more than 16,000.

The UN has called for more support for both displaced people and the communities hosting them, warning that resources in South Sudan such as healthcare, water and shelter had become “dangerously overstretched”.
Famine

The war continues to rage as its second anniversary approaches, with the RSF and SAF accusing each other of war crimes, including targeting civilians and indiscriminately shelling residential areas, resulting in the deaths of tens of thousands of people.

At least 20,000 people have been killed and some 25 million – half of the country’s population – are suffering from severe hunger and in urgent need of humanitarian aid.

January 27,2025: Uttarakhand has officially become the first Indian state to implement the Uniform Civil Code (UCC) on Monday, a move that has stirred political debates and national attention.

Uttarakhand Chief Minister Pushkar Singh Dhami launched the UCC portal and rules at an event in Dehradun. The Chief Minister also launched the Gazette Notification for the UCC. He earlier said the law will bring uniformity in society while ensuring equal rights and responsibilities for all citizens.
“Today, by implementing UCC in Uttarakhand, we are paying our true tribute to the makers of the Constitution, Babasaheb Bhimrao Ambedkar and all the respected members of the Constituent Assembly,” Dhami said on the occasion.

“Uniform Civil Code has been fully implemented in Uttarakhand from this very moment and the constitutional and civil rights of all the citizens of the state of Uttarakhand have become equal and from this very moment, women of all religions have got equal rights,” he added.
The UCC addresses various societal issues, including marriage, divorce, inheritance, and live-in relationships. Key aspects of the law include the registration of marriages, divorces, and live-in relationships to ensure equal property rights and protect children’s rights, with penalties for non-compliance.
UCC is a set of laws that aims to standardise personal laws across religions. The move has sparked both support and criticism, with proponents arguing for equality and opponents warning of potential societal divisions.
The UCC clarifies legal requirements for marriage, stating that only mentally capable individuals aged 21 (for men) or 18 (for women) who are not already married may enter into a union. Marriages can be performed according to religious customs, but registration will be mandatory to ensure legal recognition.
The law also addresses issues related to the creation and cancellation of wills and codicils under testamentary succession. Marriages solemnized before March 26, 2010, or those outside the state will be eligible for registration if legal requirements are met.

The Uniform Civil Code (UCC) Act was notified on March 12, 2024, after getting the nod from President Droupadi Murmu. “The Uniform Civil Code is just an offering made by our state in the great ‘yagya’ being performed by the prime minister to make the country a developed, organized, harmonious and self-reliant nation,” he said.
However, the opposition Congress said the UCC implementation in Uttarakhand is nothing but “kickstarting a pilot project” without proper consensus. “Can a uniform civil code be state-specific. You talk of the ‘uniform’ civil code and then make it state-specific,” said Congress spokesperson Abhishek Singhvi.
What Is The Uniform Civil Code?

The UCC refers to one law that would be applicable to all religious communities in matters such as marriage, divorce, inheritance, adoption, maintenance etc. India has a uniform or one set of ‘criminal code’ for all its citizens but doesn’t have uniform civil law.

After much debate, tribals have been kept out of the UCC ambit, and has a complete ban on practices like halala, iddat, and talaq (customs related to marriage and divorce in Muslim Personal Law).

The UCC, which has 392 sections under seven schedules, is based on a 750-page draft, spread over four volumes, prepared by an expert committee formed by the government in June 2022, to examine the way the law can be introduced in the state.

The five-member expert committee, headed by Retd. Justice Ranjana Prakash Desai, had submitted its draft to Uttarakhand on February 2, 2024, which was subsequently passed by the State Cabinet on February 4. The Bill, after it was passed in the Assembly during a special session, was sent for Governor’s nod and was approved by the Lt. Gen Gurmit Singh (Retd) on February 28. This received presidential assent in March 2024.

What Are The UCC Provisions On Marriage?

According to the government, a public welfare system promoting the protection of individual rights and social harmony has been provided in the Uniform Civil Code Act to streamline and simplify the legal processes related to marriage.

Under this, marriage can be solemnised only between those parties, none of whom has a living spouse, both are mentally capable of giving legal permission, the man should have completed at least 21 years of age and the woman 18 years of age and they should not be in the ambit of prohibited relationships.

Marriage rituals can be performed in any form under religious customs or legal provisions, but it is mandatory to register marriages taking place after the implementation of the Act within 60 days.

Moreover, the acceptance and acknowledgement of marriage registration is also required to be completed promptly. After receiving the application, the sub-registrar has to make an appropriate decision within 15 days. If no decision is taken in that period, then that application will be automatically forwarded to the registrar.

The implementation of the UCC was a major commitment of the BJP in the run-up to the 2022 assembly polls in Uttarakhand which saw the party storm to power for a second consecutive term.

Washington, DC [US], January 29,2025: On January 27, 2025, President Donald Trump signed an executive order aimed at enhancing the United States’ missile defence capabilities in light of the growing threats from sophisticated ballistic, hypersonic, and cruise missiles.
The order, which lays out a comprehensive plan for the next-generation missile defence shield, underscores the US government’s recognition of the increasingly complex and urgent risks posed by adversaries’ evolving missile technologies.
The order highlights the necessity of bolstering US defence systems against advanced aerial attacks, a challenge that has only intensified over the past several decades.
Despite efforts in the 1980s, particularly the Strategic Defence Initiative (SDI) under President Ronald Reagan, previous attempts at a comprehensive missile defence program were ultimately halted. While SDI led to technological advancements, its goal of building an effective defence against nuclear missile threats was never fully realised. In the years since the United States withdrew from the Anti-Ballistic Missile Treaty in 2002, the country’s missile defence strategy focused largely on addressing threats from rogue states and mitigating the risks of accidental missile launches. However, with the rise of new missile technologies by both peer and near-peer adversaries, the threat landscape has become more sophisticated, prompting the need for an updated and more robust defensive posture.
The executive order directs the development of a next-generation missile defence shield that will provide multi-layered defence against a wide array of missile types. This system is designed to defend against threats such as ballistic missiles, hypersonic weapons, and advanced cruise missiles. A key component of the plan is to ensure that the US retains its secure second-strike capability, meaning it can retaliate effectively in the event of a missile attack.

To achieve these objectives, the order sets in motion the acceleration of several critical technological advancements, including the Hypersonic and Ballistic Tracking Space Sensor layer. This layer will allow for faster detection and tracking of incoming missiles.
Additionally, the order calls for the development and deployment of space-based interceptors capable of intercepting missiles during their boost phase, as well as the establishment of terminal-phase intercept systems to neutralise threats before they reach critical infrastructure. The plan also envisions the creation of a secure and resilient supply chain to support the defence technologies, with a focus on next-generation security features.
The Secretary of Defence is tasked with submitting a detailed implementation plan within 60 days. This plan will outline the architecture and requirements for the new missile defence system, and it will include a roadmap for accelerating the deployment of these advanced systems. Additionally, the Department of Defence will be asked to review its organisational structure to ensure it can rapidly respond to evolving threats.
The administration will also work closely with the Office of Management and Budget to secure the necessary funding for the initiative, ensuring that it is integrated into the Fiscal Year 2026 Budget. As part of the broader implementation strategy, US Strategic Command and Northern Command will provide an updated assessment of the missile threat to the US homeland, with an emphasis on defending against counter value nuclear strikes. A prioritised list of locations will be developed to determine where the defence systems should be deployed first.
In addition to strengthening its own missile defence systems, the United States will continue to collaborate with its allies and partners around the world to enhance missile defence capabilities. This will include bolstering theatre missile defences to protect US and allied troops deployed in various regions.
The order emphasises the importance of bilateral and multilateral cooperation in developing advanced missile defence technologies and operational strategies. It also calls for the acceleration of US missile defence provisions to allies, further enhancing global defence against missile threats.