In Focus by The Hindu

The town of Joshimath in Uttarakhand’s Chamoli district is sinking. More than 700 houses are known to have developed cracks and nearly 150 families have been moved to safer locations. The Uttarakhand and Central governments are scrambling to deal with a problem that is now a full-fledged crisis. Teams of scientists have been deployed to investigate reasons behind the sinking of the town.For years, friends of the Himalayas have been warning that unchecked building activity, including the construction of dams, could jeopardise the lives and livelihoods of people not just in Uttarakhand but impact those living in downstream areas.Ravi Chopra, founder director of the People’s Science Institute, is one of those who has been watching the impact of so-called development on the Himalayas for more than three decades from his perch in Dehradun. Last year, he resigned as the chair of a high-powered committee to study the impact of expanding the road network to service the many shrines in Uttarakhand.Ravi has just returned from Joshimath and he has joined us to discuss what’s happening there.  Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

The first Grand Slam of 2023 will get rolling from January 16 in Melbourne, Australia. Last year, the event witnessed plenty of unseemly controversy, including a courtroom drama, over the deportation of Novak Djokovic, and it also saw Rafael Nadal pick up a historic 21st Slam title. But this year Djokovic is back, and has announced his intentions by winning the Adelaide International, a preparatory event, last week. While Nadal is the defending champion, world no 1 Carlos Alcaraz has withdrawn due to a freak injury.The draw in the women’s section, as has become the norm in recent years, is wide open. Naomi Osaka will be missing, as also last year’s champion Ash Barty, who has retired from the sport, and world no 1 Iga Swiatek is under an injury cloud. The rest of the field has several contenders, from last year’s runner-up Danielle Collins, to the Czech Petra Kvitova, world No. 2 Ons Jabeur and the American Coco Gauff. So, who are the favourites, who are the dark horses, and what are the narratives that are likely to dominate this year’s Australian Open?  Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

With the surge in COVID-19 cases in China, after the easing of its stringent zero-COVID policy in December, there is apprehension that the pandemic could be entering a new, uncertain phase.Here we discuss the situation in China and the potential impact in India. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Days after Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva was formally inaugurated as the President of Brazil, right-wing supporters of former President Jair Bolsonaro stormed and ransacked the offices of the President, the Supreme Court and the Congress in Brasilia on the 8th of January. The attackers, who don’t accept the results that brought Lula to power for the third time, appealed to the Army to take power. That, however, didn’t happen.Taking charge of the situation, President Lula ordered Army personnel into action, dispersed Bolsonaro’s supporters while arresting 1,500 of them, who are now going to stand trial. Not a single casualty was reported.In an obvious parallel to the storming of the U.S. Capitol in January two years ago, the attacks on democratic institutions led to massive protests in Brazil calling for Bolsonaro’s supporters to be punished. International condemnation of the incidents too was quick.  Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Last week the government announced that it has allocated ₹19,744 crore for a National Green Hydrogen Mission. The Mission will aim to make India a ‘global hub’ for producing, using and exporting green Hydrogen.India is not alone in formulating a green hydrogen strategy, or in setting aside big money for developing the country into a global hug for green hydrogen. In the last 18 months or so, several developing countries have zeroed in on green hydrogen, which is viewed by many as a silver bullet of sorts for decarbonisation.How will the National Green Hydrogen Mission be implemented? How does green hydrogen fit in with India’s energy consumption profile? Does India have the manufacturing base to develop itself into a green hydrogen hub?  Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

In mid-December, a government department told the Kerala High Court that Ribociclib, a drug prescribed for a type of breast cancer, did not meet the conditions necessary to issue a compulsory licence. The drug is patented and therefore cannot be made by generic manufacturers but a compulsory licence, if issued by the government would permit a drug to be manufactured and made available at an affordable price. The case involved a woman, now deceased who said that she and her husband had a joint income of ₹74,400 a month, while the drug Ribociclib cost her ₹58,140, making it unaffordable. A study by the Indian Council of Medical Research has found that breast cancer is one of the top cancers in women in India.Drug prices have evoked national interest following the COVID-19 pandemic, which saw widespread reporting of desperate patients turning to the black market for drugs and devices.In September, the Centre released the National List of Essential Medicines -- the list was released after a gap of seven years, and contains 384 drugs. Interestingly, it also has added, for the first time four drugs that are under patents.So what's in and out of the latest list? How are drug prices regulated in India, and how will the inclusion of drugs on the list help? Does India need to do more to make medicines affordable and accessible? Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

On December 18, in Montreal, Canada, 188 governments that are parties to the Convention on Biological Diversity (CBD) agreed on a new framework to halt species extinction and loss of bio- diversity. Known as the Kunming-Montreal Global Biodiversity Framework (GBF), it sets out four goals for 2050 and 23 targets for 2030 to ensure that 30% of land, inland water, marine and coastal ecosystems are protected. At present, only 17% of terrestrial and 10% of marine ecosystems are protected.So, how realistic are these goals? How will the signatories be monitored to ensure that they are on course to meet their targets? Since conservation and restoration initiatives will not come cheap, what is the total estimated cost and how will the funds be raised, especially for developing countries?  Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Following his victory in the November 1 elections, and after securing a vote of confidence in Parliament, Benjamin Natanyahu has become Prime Minister of Israel for a record sixth time. He now heads what has been described as the most right-wing government in Israel’s history. The coalition government includes, apart from Netanyahu’s own right-wing Likud Party, the far-right Jewish Power party and the Jewish supremacist Religious Zionist party.Political observers, and even Israel’s own Western allies, have expressed apprehensions that the inclusion in the government of what were hitherto fringe elements, could lead to escalation of tensions with Palestinians and worsening of repressive measures in the occupied territories. There are also fears that life could become more difficult for secularists and left-wing groups in Israel. How justified are these fears? What is the likely agenda of the new government? And will Israel get more aggressive about expanding settlements?  Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

By banning women from attending universities and colleges, the Taliban have proved that their ideological motivations matter more than international opinion. In September last year, one month after taking power again, the Taliban banned girls from attending secondary schools. In November, the Taliban banned women from visiting public parks, hamams and gymnasiums. In December, the Taliban resumed the practice of public floggings and executions, putting their medieval motivations on display yet again.Many countries and the United Nations Security Council have expressed concern at the Taliban decisions banning women from public life. But what do these statements amount to? Can the UN and other influential countries influence Taliban behaviour? Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

It’s the eastern front with China that has become tense after a border clash between Chinese and Indian troops in Tawang in Arunachal Pradesh on the 9th of December.India and China, listeners may recall, are still engaged in dialing down Chinese transgressions in multiple areas in eastern Ladakh through negotiations that have been slow and protracted.Four days after the incident in Tawang, Defence Minister Rajnath Singh informed both Houses of Parliament that Chinese troops unilaterally tried to alter the status quo in the Yangtse area, but were rebuffed by Indian soldiers.So, what does one make of the latest aggressive posture displayed by the Chinese in the eastern sector?To discuss this issue, we have Dr. Jabin T. Jacob, Associate Professor at the Department of International Relations and Governance Studies of the Shiv Nadar University.  Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices