Trump declares end to U.S. citizenship by birth

U.S. President Donald Trump signed an Executive Order cancelling the provision of “citizenship by birth", which could directly affect thousands of Indian professionals working in the U.S. under H-1B and other temporary visas, who hoped to raise their families there. Mr. Trump also said he planned to levy "100% taxes" on BRICS countries for attempting to move to "nondollar" transactions, referring to the 10-nation grouping of emerging economies that includes India.

Time to seize the promise of the U.S.-India nuclear deal

The U.S.-India civil nuclear deal was a watershed moment and opened a whole new era in defence and strategic cooperation for the two democracies that had become estranged during the Cold War. Without the trust engendered by the willingness to cooperate in dealing with the most powerful and potentially most destructive technology ever seen, the present level of U.S.-India interaction on defence purchases and manufacturing, military exercises, technology transfer, intelligence sharing, and crisis management would never have occurred. Those of us who supported and advocated for the deal envisaged the augmentation of the Indian civil nuclear sector with many plants being built using U.S. equipment, technology, and allied services. Employment would be created both in the U.S. and India. More electricity would be generated by plants to fuel Indian industry and benefit the average Indian. This energy would not generate greenhouse gases and help wean India away from an over-reliance on climate changing, and often toxic, fossil fuels.

Trump 2.0 as disruptor of the global legal order

The U.S. has played a vital role in establishing many key institutions and frameworks within international law, as well as in shaping their norms, priorities and agendas to align with American interests. This influence is evident across various areas of international law, including climate change law, space law, human rights law, and trade and investment law. He continued blocking appointments into the World Trade Organization (WTO)'s Dispute Settlement Body's Appellate Body, which ultimately led to the organ becoming dysfunctional. Under his presidency, the U.S. withdrew from the Trans-Pacific Partnership (TPP) agreement that the Obama administration had so assiduously crafted and put an end to the North American Free Trade Agreement or NAFTA and negotiating a new trade agreement.

Undocumented migrants in U.S.: vital workforce, low criminality

Mr. Trump pledged to "deport millions and millions of criminal aliens," referring to undocumented migrants living in the country. Other estimates suggest that there are 13-14 million illegal immigrants. Around 2.1 lakh Indians were included in these estimates (as of 2022). Reports state that Mr. Trump has also dismissed top immigration court officials who are responsible for deciding who gets asylum and who does not. There are more than 3 million cases pending in immigration courts. In addition, Mr. Trump has shut down the mobile app CBP One, the sole platform for requesting asylum in the U.S. 

What do draft data protection rules state?

Data localisation refers to measures that restrict the flow of data within a jurisdiction's borders. While the DPDP Act permits the government to limit personal data transfers, it confines such restrictions to specific notified countries. Section 36 of the DPDP Act, read in conjunction with Rule 22, empowers the Union government, through the designated authorised person, to demand "any" information from a data fiduciary or intermediary. The Union government is currently soliciting feedback on the draft rules through a fiduciary framework that effectively precludes both public disclosure and the submission of counter-comments.

What is the status of the Smart Cities Mission?

The smart cities initiative was based on the Internet of Things (IoT), a framework that works well in advanced capitalist countries where basic utilities are already in place. Governance of these projects bypassed local governments, relying instead on Special Purpose Vehicles (SPVs) registered under the Companies Act, and managed like private companies. City councils were excluded, based on the assumption that private company-like structures could deliver better results. Shimla was not included in the initial list of smart cities. However, after legal challenges posed by Shimla in the Himachal Pradesh High Court, Shimla was also granted the smart city tag.

Why are antivenoms not easily accessible in India?

Antivenoms, or antivenins, are life-saving medicines used to treat snakebites. They are produced by injecting small amounts of venom into animals, usually horses, which then produce antibodies as part of their immune response. These antibodies become antivenoms. Dating back to the pioneering work of French physician Albert Calmette in the 1890s. He developed the first antivenom using horses, a practice that continues today. India is home to more than 300 species of snakes, of which more than 60 are venomous, ranging from mild to high.

A landmark 2020 study by researchers from Canada, India, and the U.K. estimated that between 2001 and 2014, a horrifying 1.2 million snakebite deaths and three-times as many cases of permanent disability occurred in India. The study also said one in 250 Indians were at risk of dying from snakebite before the age of 70.

'Competent' to judge Indus Water Treaty dispute, says World Bank Neutral Expert

The Neutral Expert (NE) appointed under terms of the Indus Water Treaty (IWT), 1960, decided that he was "competent" to decide on differences between India and Pakistan on the design of hydroelectric projects built on the Indus Treaty rivers. India, in a statement, "welcomed" the move. The dispute resolution mechanism laid out under the terms of the IWT as India interprets it says that disputes must first attempt to be resolved by the PIC. If they do not succeed, the matter would be weighed by the World Bank appointed Neutral Expert. If this fails too, the matter would be decided by a Court of Arbitration.

Top court asks if poll ban on persons charged with crimes will cause irreversible damage

The Supreme Court asked whether a ban on persons charged with heinous offences such as murder and rape from contesting elections will lead to irreversible damage if they are later found innocent after trial. A Bench of Justices Surya Kant and N. Kotiswar Singh said there were also reliefs in law if elected per-sons were later found guilty of serious crimes. In 2020, the Supreme Court had pronounced a judgment directing political parties to publish the entire criminal history of their respective candidates for Assembly and Lok Sabha polls along with reasons which goaded them to field suspected criminals over decent people. The judgment pronounced by a Bench headed by Justice (now retired) Rohinton Nariman had directed parties to publish the information in local as well as national newspapers, including the parties' social media handles.

India. France to work together on maritime surveillance in IOR

India and France have agreed to explore opportunities for coordinated surveillance whilst deployed to counter threats to the maritime security in the Indian Ocean Region (IOR). The two countries also committed to supporting each other in maritime security engagements. India and France agreed to develop a joint assessment of the threats to maritime security in the region; to counter illicit maritime activities, including piracy and armed robbery, maritime terrorism, contraband smuggling, illegal and unregulated fishing; hybrid as well as cyber security threats and marine pollution, the Ministry said. 

DRDO holds key test for hypersonic missiles

In a crucial milestone in the development of next-generation hypersonic munitions, the DRDO has successfully demonstrated a cutting-edge active cooled scramjet combustor ground test for the first time in India. This is the effort to develop a long-duration supersonic combustion scramjet powered hypersonic technology. The key to hypersonic vehicles is scramjets, which are air breathing engines capable of sustaining combustion at supersonic speeds, the DRDO said.

Trump effectively pulls U.S. out of global corporate tax deal

President Donald Trump declared that a global corporate minimum tax deal "has no force or effect" in the U.S., effectively pulling America out of the landmark 2021 arrangement negotiated by the Biden administration with nearly 140 countries. The European Union, Britain and other countries have adopted the 15% global corporate minimum tax, but the U.S. Congress never approved measures to bring the U.S. into compliance with it. The U.S. has a roughly 10% global minimum tax, part of Mr. Trump's landmark 2017 tax cut package approved by Republicans.

Export hit, job losses spur fresh scheme to revive diamond trade

The Commerce Ministry introduced a new Diamond Authorisation Imprest (DIA) scheme to allow duty-free import of natural cut and polished diamonds for export purposes, acknowledging that India's diamond industry is witnessing a steep decline in exports and job losses and pinning hopes on the DIA to combat this trend and reinvigorate the sector. "The scheme is in response to beneficiation policies undertaken in natural diamond mining countries like Botswana, Namibia and Angola, where diamond manufacturers are obliged to open cut and polishing facilities for a minimum percentage of value addition,” it said.

Trump's exit from Paris Agreement 'threatens' future of renewable energy

Donald Trump signed an executive order to withdraw the U.S. from the historic 2015 Paris climate agreement. The withdrawal of the world's second largest polluter would further under-mine the losing battle to keep global emissions in line to prevent global temperatures from rising by more than 1.5 degrees Celsius, and the future of renewable energy, say experts.