Modi in Nigeria: 'We give high priority to our strategic ties'

Nigeria conferred its second-highest national award, the Grand Commander of the Order of the Niger, on PM Narendra Modi, making him the second foreign dignitary to receive the distinction after Queen Elizabeth in 1969. 

"Honoured to be conferred with the 'Grand Commander of the Order of the Niger' Award by Nigeria. 

Modi said, "We give high priority to our strategic partnership with Nigeria... 

Modi held talks with President Bola Ahmed Tinubu and said that India accords high priority to its strategic partnership with Nigeria and it will work towards boosting ties in a range of areas, including defence, energy and trade. 

India enters select club, successfully test-fires long-range hypersonic missile

In a major boost to its military prowess, India has successfully flight-tested a long-range hyper-sonic missile off the coast of Odisha, an achievement that has put the country in a select group of nations having the weapon that can strike with extreme speed and evade most air-defence systems.

Defence Minister Rajnath Singh described the missile test under the country's first long-range hypersonic mission as a "stupendous" achievement and a "historic moment". 

The missile, developed by the DRDO, is designed to carry various payloads for ranges greater than 1,500 km, an official readout said. 

This missile has been indigenously developed by the laboratories of Dr APJ Abdul Kalam Missile Complex, Hyderabad, along with various other DRDO laboratories and industry partners. 

Reaching out to Al

The last 10 years have seen a major transformation in India. The Indian economy has become the fifth largest in the world. 

Alongside, the size of the government budget has tripled. Many other milestones have been surpassed, but there's one factor that has transformed India - the quality of governance. 

Using technology and formulating a vision of digital public infrastructure (DPI), Prime Minister Narendra Modi has transformed governance from being leaky and dysfunctional to one where citizens are being directly served by the government. 

Through DPI, he has demonstrated how the power of technology can be harnessed as a powerful transformative force.

Capex recovery likely in H2FY25, but 40-52% push needed to meet targets

After a slow start to capital expenditure by both states and the Centre during the ongoing financial year 2024-25, a pickup in the second half of the fiscal is predicated on an increase in government spending. 

This expected pickup comes amid concerns over a general moderation in domestic consumption demand and flagging of other growth indicators. 

While a belated government spending push would be a major impetus to flagging economic momentum, the prospect of getting government spending up to speed could mean a daunting 40-52 per cent increase in government capex during October-March, the second half of the financial year, to come anywhere close to the budget targets.

Why CO2 has contributed the most to global warming

India's Carbon dioxide (CO2) emissions from burning fossil fuels are expected to increase by 4.6% in 2024-the highest among major economies, according to a new report by Global Carbon Project, an organisation that quantifies the world's greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions. 

Globally, fossil-based CO2 emissions are set to touch a record high of 37.4 billion tonnes this year, a rise of 0.8% from 2023, the report said. 

At this rate, there is "a 50% chance global warming will exceed 1.5 degrees Celsius consistently in about six years," it said. CO2 is one of the most important GHGs and the primary driver of anthropogenic climate change. 

AFSPA in Imphal Valley

The Centre reimposed the Armed Forces Special Powers Act (AFSPA) in six police station areas of Manipur. The Home Ministry's notification mentioned the "volatile" situation and "active participation of insurgent groups in heinous acts of violence" as the reasons. 

Most of these police station areas are in the Imphal Valley, from where AFSPA had been fully withdrawn last year, citing "significant improvement in the security situation". On Saturday, the Manipur government wrote to the Centre asking for a review and withdrawal of its decision.

What is AFSPA? 

AFSPA, which traces its roots to a colonial statute introduced in response to the Quit India Movement in 1942, was retained in independent India. 

The law was first brought as an ordinance and then notified as an Act in 1958. 

Over the years, AFSPA has been imposed in the Northeast, Jammu and Kashmir, and Punjab (during the years of militancy). 

It remains in force in parts of Nagaland, Assam, Manipur and Arunachal Pradesh, and the entirety of J&K.