Today in History (July 13^th, 2011)

On the evening rush hour of July 13th, 2011, three bomb blasts struck the city of Mumbai, India. These coordinated attacks resulted in the loss of 26 lives and injured around 130 people.

Let’s revise

A) River Cauvery/Kaveri originates from which state?

1. Karnataka
2. Kerala
3. Tamil Nadu
4. Andhra Pradesh

Ans. (1)

B) River Cauvery/Kaveri originates from which hills?

1. Annamalai hills
2. Nallamalai hills
3. Brahmagiri hills
4. Aravali range

Ans. (3)

C) River Cauvery/Kaveri originates from___

1. Eastern Ghats
2. Western Ghats
3. Vindya Hills
4. Satpura Hills

Ans. (2)

D) River Cauvery/Kaveri flows from which group of states?

1. Karnataka, Kerala
2. Karnataka, Andhra Pradesh
3. Karnataka, Tamil Nadu
4. Karnataka, Telangana

Ans. (3)

F) River Cauvery/Kaveri is known as ____

1. Ganga of South
2. South Ganga
3. Yellow Ganga
4. Young Ganga

Ans. (1)

F) Currently NATO has how many members?

1. 30
2. 32
3. 36
4. 35

Ans. (2)

Summary of Today’s News

Interim bail for Kejriwal but will not come out from jail

• Interim Bail Granted: The Supreme Court granted interim bail to Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal in money laundering charges linked to the excise policy case.
• No Immediate Release: Despite the interim bail, Kejriwal will remain in jail due to a separate arrest by the CBI under the Prevention of Corruption Act, with his remand extending until July 25.
• No Directive on Stepping Down:The Supreme Court left it to Kejriwal to decide whether to step down from his CM post, acknowledging his significant position but expressing doubt about the court’s authority to direct an elected leader to resign.
• Previous Interim Bail: This is the second instance of interim bail for Kejriwal in this case, with the first granted on May 10 during the Lok Sabha election.
• Bail Conditions: The interim bail conditions include prohibitions on visiting the Chief Minister’s office or signing official files, similar to the conditions imposed in the May 10 order.
• Future Bail Conditions: The court requested a larger Bench to establish guidelines for bail conditions applicable to sitting Chief Ministers in custody facing money laundering charges.

Food inflation in June got hike

• Rising Food Inflation: Food inflation in India surged to 9.4% in June, driven by higher prices for vegetables, cereals, and fruits, marking a six-month high.
• Increase in Retail Inflation: Headline retail inflation rose to a four-month high of 5.08% in June, up from 4.8% in May.
• Rural vs. Urban Inflation: Rural inflation increased to 5.66%, while urban inflation rose to 4.4%. Food inflation was higher for urban consumers at 9.55% compared to 9.2% for rural consumers.
• Central Bank Target: Despite being below 6% since September 2023, retail inflation remains above the central bank’s 4% target, reducing the likelihood of an interest rate cut this year.
• Vegetable Prices: Vegetable prices increased by 29.3% in June, continuing an eight-month streak of double-digit inflation, exacerbated by heatwaves and delayed monsoons.
• Other Food Prices: Pulses saw a 16.1% price increase, marking the thirteenth consecutive month of 10% inflation, while fruit prices rose by 7.15%.
• Future Outlook: Crisil’s chief economist, Dharmakirti Joshi, highlighted concerns about inflation in vegetables and food grains but expressed hope that the monsoon’s progress might help reduce food inflation in the coming months.

India-Russia relations and need of balancing with West

• Bilateral Focus: Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s visit to Moscow was framed as a “stand-alone” visit focused on bilateral ties between India and Russia.
• Global Impact and Criticism: The visit attracted significant global criticism, particularly from Kyiv and Washington, due to its timing and optics amidst the ongoing conflict in Ukraine.
• Reaffirmation of Ties: The visit reaffirmed India-Russia relations, highlighting Modi’s personal rapport with Russian President Vladimir Putin. Modi received Russia’s highest civilian award and praised Putin’s efforts to strengthen bilateral ties.
• Economic and Trade Goals: The leaders focused on improving economic and trade relations, setting a bilateral trade target of $100 billion by 2030, driven by India’s increased oil imports from Russia.
• Military Cooperation: Unlike previous visits, there were no new military purchase announcements, likely due to delays in existing deals and a desire to avoid international censure.
• Conflict Stance: Modi’s statement that there was “no solution on the battlefield” for the Ukraine conflict, and his subsequent travel to Vienna, were seen as attempts to balance his visit.
• Timing Controversy: The visit occurred during a period of heightened tension, with Ukraine suffering a missile attack and NATO leaders meeting in Washington to showcase Russia’s isolation.
• Hypocrisy Allegations: The criticism from the U.S. and Ukraine contrasted with NATO’s lack of similar concern over civilian casualties in Gaza, highlighting perceived hypocrisy.
• Diplomatic Challenge: India faces the task of mitigating potential damage to its ties with the U.S. and Europe while asserting its independent stance and interests in a polarized global environment.
• Long-term Strategy: India aims to convince the West that it is impractical to force India to choose sides or become a follower in the conflict, maintaining its independent foreign policy stance.