Akin to the protective PPE kits that health workers don, scientists affiliated to the Department of Biotechnology (DBT) have developed an ‘anti-pesticide’ suit called Kisan Kavach. The suit is intended to protect farm labourers from imbibing the pesticides they spray. Several of the common pesticides are potential neurotoxins and detrimental to health.

The kit consists of a trouser, pullover, and a face-cover made of ‘oxime fabric’ that can chemically breakdown any of the common pesticides that get sprayed onto cloth or body during spraying operations. This prevents chemicals from leaching into the skin. The price per kit is ₹4,000. Those who spray insecticide or pesticides usually cover themselves from head to toe with ordinary cloth. This approach, said Praveen Kumar Vemula, of inStem Bangalore, the DBT-affiliated organisation that developed the kit, wasn’t advisable. Cloth over time tended to accumulate high quantities of the poisonous chemicals that would eventually pass into the body. Moreover, field observations with farmers and workers revealed that many of them didn’t wear protective covering because it was uncomfortable and unsuitable for prolonged outdoor work.

Britain's online safety regime came into force on Monday, requiring social media companies like Meta's Facebook and ByteDance's TikTok to take action to tackle criminal activity on their platforms and make them safer by design.

Media regulator Ofcom said it had published its first codes of practice on tackling illegal harms such as child sexual abuse and assisting or encouraging suicide.

Sites and apps have until March 16, 2025, to assess the risks illegal content poses to children and adults on their platforms, Ofcom said.

In Hockey, India won the Women’s Junior Asia Cup 2024 championship in Muscat, Oman last night. In the title clash, the Indian team defeated China 3-2 in a penalty shootout to successfully defend its title. Indian goalkeeper Nidhi made three crucial saves during the penalty shootout, while Sakshi Rana, Ishika and Sunelita Toppo scored for India in the shootout. Earlier, Jinzhuang Tan scored the opening goal for China with Kanika Siwach equalised in the third quarter for India. After a 1-1 draw in regulation time, the title clash went to a shootout. Hockey India has announced a reward of 2 lakh rupees for each player and 1 lakh rupees to each support staff for their efforts and spectacular win. India’s Deepika Sehrawat, with 12 goals ranked the top scorer of the tournament. India won their maiden Women’s Hockey Junior Asia Cup title last year by defeating the Republic of Korea.

Scheduled Commercial Banks (SCBs) in India have achieved a significant milestone by recording the highest-ever aggregate net profit of ₹23.50 lakh crore in FY2023-24, compared to ₹22.63 lakh crore in FY2022-23, according to the Ministry of Finance.

The asset quality of SCBs has also improved remarkably, with the gross non-performing asset (NPA) ratio declining to 2.67% (₹4.75 lakh crore) in June 2024 from a peak of 11.18% (₹10.36 lakh crore) in March 2018. Public Sector Banks (PSBs) reported a similar improvement, with their gross NPA ratio dropping to 3.32% in June 2024, compared to 14.58% in March 2018 and 4.97% in March 2015.

Additionally, the provision coverage ratio (PCR) of SCBs has risen from 49.31% in March 2015 to a robust 92.52% in June 2024, reflecting increased resilience in the banking sector.

Israel's government has approved a plan to encourage the expansion of settlements in the occupied Golan Heights.

Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said the move was necessary because a "new front" had opened up on Israel's border with Syria after the fall of the Assad regime to an Islamist-led rebel alliance.

Netanyahu said he wanted to double the population of the Golan Heights, which Israel seized during the 1967 Six-Day War and is considered illegally occupied under international law.

Israeli forces moved into a buffer zone separating the Golan Heights from Syria in the days following Assad's departure, saying the change of control in Damascus meant ceasefire arrangements had "collapsed".

India and Sri Lanka Monday (December 16, 2024) adopted a futuristic vision to expand their partnership, resolved to soon conclude a defence cooperation pact and decided to ramp up energy ties by establishing electricity grid connectivity and multi-product petroleum pipelines.

The decisions were taken during wide-ranging talks between Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Sri Lankan President Anura Kumara Dissanayake.

Prime Minister Modi said both sides decided to emphasise investment-led growth and connectivity for the India-Sri Lanka economic partnership, and it was decided that physical, digital and energy connectivity will be key pillars of the cooperation.

The Indian women’s squash team entered the quarterfinals of the WSF World Team Squash Championship after beating Australia 2-1 in Hong Kong, China on Wednesday.

Anahat Singh beat Jessica Walt 11-9, 11-6 and 11-8 in her match to take a lead in the tie. Nirupama Dubey ranked 206 in the world, lost 11-8, 8-11, 9-11 and 9-11 to Sarah Cardwell to level the tie at 1-1.

Akanksha Salunkhe then led her team into the final eight after beating Alex Haydon 11-8, 11-5 and 11-6 in the final match.

The last time the women’s team made it to this stage was back in 2012 when the tournament was held in Nimes, France.

Chief Minister Pushkar Singh Dhami Thursday said that Uttarakhand is striving to become the first state in the country to implement a dedicated yoga policy. He emphasised that the policy will play a crucial role in integrating Ayurveda and Yoga into the healthcare sector.

Addressing the 10th Ayurveda Congress and Arogya Expo 2024 on Thursday, he said that delegates from 50 countries and over 3,000 experts are participating in the event. The CM urged the AYUSH Ministry to establish All India Institute of Ayurveda in Uttarakhand. Union Minister of State Prataprao Jadhav said production of AYUSH products increased eightfold in a decade. India exports AYUSH and herbal products to 150 countries, he said.

Indian tourists may soon be able to visit Russia without needing a visa, with the new arrangement possibly starting as early as spring 2025.

In June, Russia and India held talks about a bilateral agreement to ease visa rules, aiming to introduce visa-free group tourist exchanges.

This follows a move in August 2023, when Indian travelers became eligible for e-visas to Russia, which are typically processed within four days.

In 2023, India was one of the top five countries receiving e-visas, with around 9,500 issued to Indian citizens, making up 6% of the total.

Most Indian visitors to Russia travel for business or work. In 2023, over 60,000 Indians visited Moscow, a 26% increase from 2022.

Britain today became the first European nation to join the Comprehensive and Progressive Agreement for Trans-Pacific Partnership (CPTPP), becoming the 12th member. The bloc comprises Canada and Japan, Australia, New Zealand, Brunei, Chile, Malaysia, Mexico, Peru, Singapore, and Vietnam.

The UK, following its 2016 Brexit referendum, is attempting to establish new trade deals abroad after signing the accession treaty with most EU members.

Established in 2018, the bloc safeguards against Chinese hegemony in the region, providing British companies access to a market of over 500 million people, contributing over 15% of the world’s GDP.