News in Shorts: 10 February 2026

Lyriothemis Keralensis

Context: A new dragonfly species, Lyriothemis keralensis, has been identified in Kerala, highlighting hidden biodiversity within plantation landscapes of the Western Ghats.

Known to be found in Kerala since 2013 but it remained misidentified for over a decade as Lyriothemis acigastra, a species previously thought to be restricted to northeast India.

About Lyriothemis keralensis

• It is a newly discovered dragonfly species named in recognition of Kerala’s rich biodiversity.
  • It was earlier misidentified for over a decade as Lyriothemis acigastra.
• Distribution: Recorded from Varapetty near Kothamangalam, Ernakulam district, Kerala.
• Habitat: Inhabits vegetated pools and irrigation canals within shaded rubber and pineapple plantations.
  • They are seasonally visible during the Southwest monsoon (May–August) and persists as larvae the rest of the year.
• Key Characteristics:
  • Shows sexual dimorphism.
    • Males: bright blood-red with black markings.
    • Females: yellow with black markings, bulkier body.
  • Distinguished by slender abdomen and unique anal appendages/genitalia.
• Conservation Concerns
  • The majority of populations lie outside protected areas.
  • Vulnerable to land-use change in plantation-dominated landscapes.
  • Emphasises need for biodiversity-sensitive agricultural practices.

About Dragonflies

• Dragonflies are predatory insects of the order Odonata and suborder Anisoptera, characterized by large compound eyes, four transparent wings, three pairs of legs and a slender body.
  • There are roughly 3,000 species, typically found near freshwater habitats.
• Life Cycle: they have three stages: egg → larva (nymph) → adult.
  • Larvae breathe through internal gills and the adults through spiracles
• Habitat: Adults live around streams, ponds, lakes and wetlands.
  • Larvae are aquatic, living among plants and rocks.
• Diet: They are specialized aerial predators, eating mosquitoes, flies, and other insects with a 95% hunting success rate.
  • Larvae feed on aquatic insects, worms, and small aquatic organisms.
• Indicator Species: Sensitive to water quality, making them indicator species of freshwater health.
• Ecological Role: Help control insect populations and support aquatic–terrestrial food webs.

Privilege Breach Notice

Context: Recently, opposition MP Tiruchi Siva moved a breach of privilege notice against Commerce Minister Piyush Goyal for briefing the media on an Indo-U.S. trade deal while Parliament was in session.

About Privilege Breach Notice

• A privilege notice is a formal motion moved by a Member of Parliament alleging violation of parliamentary privileges by a minister, member, or outsider.
• Constitutional Provisions for Parliamentary Privileges
  • Article 105: Parliamentary privileges of Members of Parliament
  • Article 194: Privileges of State Legislatures
• Purpose: To safeguard the dignity, authority, and collective functioning of Parliament and its members.
• Breach of Privilege: A breach occurs when the rights and immunities of Parliament or its members essential for free and effective functioning are violated or when contempt of the House is committed.
• Examples of Breach
  • Making false or defamatory statements against members
  • Publishing expunged parliamentary proceedings
  • Premature disclosure of committee reports
  • Obstructing or intimidating members in the discharge of duties
• Procedure: An MP submits a written notice to the Speaker (Lok Sabha) or Chairperson (Rajya Sabha).
  • It is governed by Rule 222 (Lok Sabha) and Rule 187 (Rajya Sabha)
  • If admitted, the matter may be discussed or referred to the Committee of Privileges
    • Lok Sabha: 15 members
    • Rajya Sabha: 10 members
• Possible Actions and Punishments: Parliament may reprimand, admonish, suspend, expel a member, or imprison an outsider, depending on the gravity of the breach.

Privilege notices reinforce parliamentary supremacy over the executive, especially when Parliament is in session, ensuring accountability and institutional respect.

The Network Readiness Index (NRI) 2025

Context: India has improved its position by four slots and is now placed at 45th rank as per the Network Readiness Index 2025 (NRI 2025) report.

About the Network Readiness Index (NRI) 2025

• Published By: Portulans Institute (a Washington DC-based non-profit).
• It benchmarks how 127 economies prepare for and benefit from the network economy.
• It was launched on February 4, 2026, at the World Governments Summit.
• Theme: “AI Governance in a Global Context: Policy and Regulatory Approaches”.
• The NRI is a composite index assessing performance across four pillars covering a total of 53 indicators:
  • Technology: Access to and adoption of ICT infrastructure, emerging tech, and innovation.
  • People: Skills, education, inclusion, and societal readiness for digital transformation.
  • Governance: Regulatory frameworks, trust, inclusion policies, and sustainability.
  • Impact: Economic, social, and environmental outcomes from digital networks.
• Rankings of The Network Readiness Index (NRI) 2025:
  • The United States tops the index for the fourth consecutive year.
  • Finland and Singapore achieved 2nd and 3rd rank, respectively.

India’s Performance in NRI 2025

• Rank: 45th globally (up by 4 positions from 2024)
• Score: 54.43 / 100 (2024: 53.63)
• Income Group Rank: 2nd among lower-middle-income countries
• India shows higher network readiness than expected for its income level.
• India leads globally (1st rank) in several indicators: Annual investment in telecommunication services, AI scientific publications, ICT services exports, and E-commerce legislation.
• 2nd in FTTH/Building Internet subscriptions, Mobile broadband internet traffic, and International Internet bandwidth.
• 3rd in Domestic market scale and Income Inequality.

Libya

Context: According to the International Organization for Migration, Fifty-three migrants were dead or missing after a rubber boat carrying 55 people capsized off the coast of Libya.

About Libya

• Location: North African country bordering the Mediterranean Sea (north), with neighbors including Egypt, Tunisia, Algeria, Niger, Chad, and Sudan.
• Capital: Tripoli; strategically located on Mediterranean trade routes.
• Political situation: Remains deeply divided since the 2011 fall of Muammar Gaddafi. The current situation has created a humanitarian crisis.
• Economy: Holds Africa’s largest proven oil reserves, with oil dominating exports and government revenue.
• Strategic importance: Key role in Mediterranean security, energy markets, and migration routes.

International Organization for Migration

• Mandate: The International Organization for Migration (IOM) is the leading UN-related intergovernmental organization, dedicated to promoting humane and orderly migration.
• Established: Founded in 1951 as the Provisional Intergovernmental Committee for the Movement of Migrants from Europe (PICMME) to address post-World War II displacement in Europe.
• Headquarters: Geneva, Switzerland
• Status: Related organization of the UN (since 2016)
• Members: 174 member states; observers include states & NGOs
• Major Areas of Work:
  • Emergency response & displacement
  • Assisted Voluntary Return and Reintegration (AVRR)
  • Migration health & labour migration
  • Counter-trafficking and migrant protection
  • Climate change & environmental migration
• India & IOM: India is a member; IOM supports capacity-building, migration data, and return & reintegration programmes.

India – Greece Partnership

Context: India and Greece have agreed to deepen defence and maritime cooperation through a five-year roadmap under their Strategic Partnership.

About India–Greece Partnership

• Defence & Strategic Cooperation: A Joint Declaration of Intent and Bilateral Military Cooperation Plan 2026 were signed to expand defence industrial collaboration.
  • Partnership aligns India’s Aatmanirbhar Bharat with Greece’s Agenda 2030 defence reforms.
• Maritime & Regional Security: Convergence on maritime security reflecting shared seafaring traditions.
  • Greece to deploy a Liaison Officer at the Information Fusion Centre – Indian Ocean Region (IFC–IOR), Gurugram, strengthening Indian Ocean information sharing.
• Industrial & People-to-People Linkages: Engagement with Indian defence startups and Defence Public Sector Undertakings (DPSU).
  • Cooperation reinforces stability in the Indo-Pacific and Mediterranean regions.

About Greece

• Greece (Hellenic Republic) lies in southeastern Europe, at the southern edge of the Balkan Peninsula, bridging Europe, Asia and Africa.
• Bordered by : Albania, North Macedonia, Bulgaria and Turkey.
• Geography: One of Europe’s most mountainous countries; dominated by the Pindus Mountains.
  • Mount Olympus (2,918 m) is the highest peak.
  • Long, deeply indented coastline (~13,676 km) with nearly 1,500 islands, including Crete and Evia.
  • Rivers, Ports & Economy
    • Major Rivers: Acheloos, Aliacmon, Evros, Pinios.
    • Seas: Surrounded by the Aegean, Ionian, Mediterranean, Cretan and Thracian seas.
      • Port of Piraeus (Athens) is Europe’s largest passenger port and a key Mediterranean hub.

HbA1c Test for Diabetes

Context: A Lancet Regional Health: Southeast Asia study warns that reliance on glycated haemoglobin testing may misdiagnose Type 2 diabetes in India due to widespread anaemia and blood disorders.

Key Findings of the Study

• HbA1c Values Can Be Misleading: Conditions altering haemoglobin quantity, structure, or lifespan such as anaemia, sickle cell disease, thalassaemia, and glucose-6-phosphate dehydrogenase deficiency can distort HbA1c readings.
• India-Specific Diagnostic Challenge: High prevalence of iron-deficiency anaemia and haemoglobinopathies in India limits HbA1c reliability, potentially delaying diabetes diagnosis and increasing long-term complication risks.
• Need for Multiparametric Diagnosis: Experts recommend combining HbA1c with oral glucose tolerance tests, self-monitoring, continuous glucose monitoring, and haematological assessment, especially in primary care and resource-limited settings.

How HbA1c Readings Detect Diabetes ?

• Measures Long-Term Blood Glucose: Glycated haemoglobin (HbA1c) reflects the average blood glucose level over the previous 2–3 months by measuring glucose bound to haemoglobin in red blood cells.
• Indicates Chronic Hyperglycaemia: Higher blood glucose leads to increased haemoglobin glycation.
  • HbA1c values ≥6.5% are used to diagnose diabetes, indicating sustained hyperglycaemia.
• Useful for Diagnosis and Monitoring: HbA1c does not require fasting and helps assess both diabetes diagnosis and long-term glycaemic control in patients.

About Diabetes

• Diabetes mellitus is a chronic, progressive non-communicable disease marked by persistent hyperglycaemia due to insufficient insulin production or impaired insulin action.
• Types of Diabetes
  • Type 1 Diabetes: Autoimmune destruction of insulin-producing pancreatic beta cells; requires lifelong insulin therapy; accounts for 5–10% of cases.
  • Type 2 Diabetes: Characterised by insulin resistance and relative insulin deficiency; constitutes 90–95% of cases globally and in India.
• Global Burden: Around 422 million people worldwide live with diabetes, causing approximately 1.5 million deaths annually, disproportionately affecting low- and middle-income countries.

Ethiopia–Eritrea Tensions

Context: Recently, Ethiopia has asked Eritrea to withdraw forces from its border regions.

Geopolitical Flashpoints

• Badme: Epicentre of the 1998–2000 Border War; though awarded to Eritrea by international arbitration, it remains a persistent territorial flashpoint.
• Pretoria Agreement (2022): Peace accord between Ethiopian government and Tigray People’s Liberation Front (TPLF); Eritrea’s exclusion fuels present diplomatic distrust.
• Sovereignty & Insurgency: Ethiopia now treats Eritrean military presence and alleged rebel links as violations of territorial integrity, reversing their Tigray war alliance (2020–2022).

About Eritrea

• Location: Situated in the Horn of Africa, bordering the Red Sea to the east.
• Land Borders: Sudan (West), Ethiopia (South), and Djibouti (Southeast).
• Maritime Significance: Controls the western shore of the Bab-el-Mandeb Strait (the “Gate of Tears”), a vital chokepoint connecting the Red Sea to the Gulf of Aden.
• Physical Geography: Dahlak Archipelago, a Strategic island in the Red Sea.
• Danakil Depression: One of the lowest and hottest points on Earth, shared with Ethiopia.
• Key Rivers: Setit (Tekezé) (only perennial river), Gash (Mareb), and Barka.
• Cultural Note: Its capital, Asmara, is a UNESCO World Heritage City recognized for its Modernist/Futurist architecture.

About Ethiopia

• Landlocked Status: Became the world’s most populous landlocked nation after Eritrea’s independence in 1993.
• Strategic Reliance: Ethiopia depends on the Port of Djibouti for over 90% of its external trade.
• Hydro-Politics: Home to the Grand Ethiopian Renaissance Dam (GERD) on the Blue Nile, which impacts water security for downstream Egypt and Sudan.
• Diplomatic Hub: Addis Ababa serves as the headquarters for the African Union (AU) and the United Nations Economic Commission for Africa (UNECA).

Horn of Africa & Regional Frameworks

• Member Nations (SEED): Somalia, Ethiopia, Eritrea, Djibouti.
• Regional Bloc: Intergovernmental Authority on Development (IGAD), headquartered in Djibouti.
• Global Impact: Instability here risks disrupting Red Sea shipping lanes, affecting global energy supplies and the security of the Suez Canal route.
• Notable Figures: PM Abiy Ahmed (Ethiopia) received the Nobel Peace Prize (2019) for ending the 20-year stalemate with Eritrea, though that peace is currently under severe strain.

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