News in Shorts: 15 July 2025

Sweida, Syria

Context: Over 30 people were killed in sectarian clashes between Druze militias and Bedouin tribes in Sweida city, Syria, in July 2025.

About Syria

• Location: Syria is located in Western Asia with the capital at Damascus.
  • It is bordered by Turkey to the north, Iraq to the east, Jordan to the south, Israel and Lebanon to the southwest, and the Mediterranean Sea to the west.
• Rivers: The Euphrates is the longest and most significant river in Syria, flowing southeast across the country into Iraq.
  • Other rivers include the Orontes and the Khabur.
• Mountains: Key mountain ranges include the Anti-Lebanon Mountains (along the Lebanese border) and the coastal Al-Ansariyah Mountains.
  

About Sweida

• Location: Sweida (also spelled Suwayda) is a city in southwestern Syria and the capital of the Sweida Governorate.
  • It lies near the border with Jordan and southeast of Damascus.
• Demographics: It is predominantly inhabited by the Druze minority, a distinct ethnoreligious group which is part of Shiite Islam.
  • Bedouins are Sunni Islamist clans in Syria.
• Geography: Sweida is situated on the volcanic plateau of Jabal al-Druze, a mountainous region in southern Syria known for its rugged terrain and elevation.
  • The city is part of the Jabal al-Arab. (Mountain of the Arabs)

WTTC’s 2024 Economic Impact Trends Report

Context: India has ranked 8th in the ‘WTTC’s 2024 Economic Impact Trends Report’, marking a significant rise in its global tourism economy.

Key Highlights of WTTC’s 2024 Economic Impact Trends Report

• India Among Top 10 Tourism Economies: India contributed $231.6 billion to the global travel and tourism economy in 2024, rising from 10th to 8th position, indicating strong post-pandemic recovery and economic resilience.
• Global Tourism Surge Post-COVID: The global travel and tourism sector added $10.9 trillion to the world economy in 2023.
  • The WTTC projects this to grow to $16 trillion by 2034, or over 11% of global GDP.
• Top Global Economies in Tourism: The United States remains the largest contributor with $2.36 trillion, followed by China with $1.3 trillion, while Japan, UK, and Germany also hold strong positions.
• Fast-Growing Asian Economies: Countries like Malaysia, Philippines, and Hong Kong SAR are emerging as regional powerhouses.
  • India’s upward trajectory reflects its growing role as a tourism hub in Asia.

About World Travel & Tourism Council (WTTC)

• The World Travel & Tourism Council (WTTC) is a global forum for the travel and tourism industry, representing the private sector and working to raise awareness about the sector’s economic impact.
• Establishment: WTTC was founded in 1990 and is headquartered in London, United Kingdom.
• It aims to promote sustainable growth and development in global tourism.
• Membership: The council comprises over 200 CEOs, chairpersons, and presidents from the world’s top travel and tourism companies.
• Reports Published: Annual reports such as the Economic Impact Trends Report and Country-specific outlooks.

Jarawa Tribe

Context: Experts believe the 16th Census of India will face no major hurdles in reaching the indigenous Jarawa tribe, citing ongoing contact and established welfare measures.

About Jarawa Tribe

• The Jarawas are one of the world’s oldest surviving tribes, living as nomadic hunter-gatherers in groups of 40–50 individuals called as chaddhas.
• In the 2011 Census, 380 Jarawas were recorded out of the 28,530 Scheduled Tribe individuals in the Andaman and Nicobar Islands.
• They inhabit the western coasts of South and Middle Andaman Islands, a region rich in biodiversity that supports their traditional way of life.
• They hunt pig and turtle and fish with bows and arrows in the coral-fringed reefs for crabs and fish, including striped catfish-eel and the toothed pony fish.
• They also gather fruits, wild roots, tubers and honey.
• Molluscus constitutes a major part of their food.
• Their population has risen from 260 (1998) to around 647 (2025) due to better healthcare and low external interference.
• A study of their nutrition and health found their ‘nutritional status’ was ‘optimal’. They have detailed knowledge of more than 150 plant and 350 animal species.
• Entry into the Jarawa Reserve is restricted under the Andaman and Nicobar Protection of Aboriginal Tribes Regulation (ANPATR), 1956.

India’s Clean Energy Milestone

Context: India has achieved 50% of its installed electricity capacity from non-fossil fuel sources by June 2025, five years ahead of its 2030 target.

India’s Clean Energy Targets

• 2030 Goal: Install 500 GW of electricity capacity from non-fossil fuel sources under its Nationally Determined Contributions (NDCs).
• Non-Fossil Dominance:  To achieve about 50 percent cumulative electric power installed capacity from non-fossil fuel-based energy resources by 2030.
• Net-Zero Goal: Achieve net-zero carbon emissions by 2070.

India’s Electrical  Energy Mix

Flagship Initiatives Enabling the Transformation

PM-KUSUM Scheme

• Solarises agriculture pumps and rural feeders.
• Empowers farmers and promotes agrovoltaics.
• PM-KUSUM 2.0 to be launched, following success in states like Rajasthan, Gujarat, and Madhya Pradesh.

PM Surya Ghar: Muft Bijli Yojana (2024)

• Targeted 1 crore rooftop solar homes.
• Promotes decentralised solar generation and citizen ownership.

Solar Parks and Wind-Solar Hybrid Policy

• Utility-scale solar parks developed at record-low tariffs.
• Hybrid systems ensure round-the-clock renewable supply

North Eastern Region SDG Index

Context: The North Eastern Region has made significant progress toward achieving the Sustainable Development Goals, as highlighted in the NER SDG Index.

About SDG India Index 

• The SDG India Index is a tool developed by NITI Aayog to measure and track India’s progress towards the SDGs set by the United Nations.

District SDG Index 2023–24. 

• Released by NITI Aayog and Ministry of Development of North Eastern Region (MoDoNER), with UNDP support, the index assesses 121 districts across eight states on 15 of the 17 SDGs.
• The Index aids SDG localization by guiding states to align development plans with SDGs, serving as a benchmark to identify gaps and prioritize actions for achieving targets by 2030.

Overall Performance

• All districts in Mizoram, Sikkim, and Tripura have achieved Front Runner status.
• Hnahthial in Mizoram emerged as the top-performing district in the region.
• The share of Front Runner districts increased from 62% (2021–22) to 85% (2023–24).
• Significant gains were observed in goals such as no poverty, zero hunger, good health & well-being, quality education, gender equality, and clean water & sanitation.
• National flagship schemes like the Jal Jeevan Mission, Swachh Bharat Mission, and aspirational districts programme contributed significantly to these improvements.

State-Level Trends

• Among the top 10 districts, Mizoram had three entries, while Tripura and Nagaland contributed three districts each, and Sikkim had one. 
• Sikkim demonstrated the smallest gap between its top and bottom-ranked districts, indicating uniform development.
• Assam: 89% of districts achieved Front Runner status.
• Arunachal Pradesh showed mixed performance, lagged in infrastructure and climate action.

Persistent Challenges

• Climate action
• Reducing inequalities
• Responsible consumption and production

Super-Earth Exoplanet

Context: Astronomers have discovered a new super-Earth, TOI-1846 b, orbiting a red dwarf star 154 light-years away from Earth using data from NASA’s TESS (Transiting Exoplanet Survey Satellite).

What are Super-Earths ?

• Super-Earths are exoplanets larger than Earth but smaller and less massive than ice giants like Uranus and Neptune.
• Typically range from twice Earth’s size to up to 10 times its mass.
• The term “Super-Earth” refers only to size and mass, not to habitability or similarity to Earth.
• Can be made of rock, gas, or a combination of both.
• Larger Super-Earths near the upper mass limit are sometimes called sub-Neptunes or mini-Neptunes.

About the Super-Earth TOI-1846 b 

• Radius: Approximately 1.792 times that of Earth.
• Mass: About 4.4 times Earth’s mass.
• Orbit: Completes one orbit every 3.93 days — extremely close to its star.
• Temperature: Equilibrium temperature of 568.1 Kelvin (295°C) — too hot for habitability.
• Composition: Likely water-rich — possibly beneath a rocky crust or thick atmosphere.

Host Star Characteristics?

• The host star is a red dwarf, with about 42% of the Sun’s mass, 0.4 times its radius, and an estimated age of 7.2 billion years. 
• With a temperature around 3,568 K, it emits stable and long-lived radiation, making it well-suited for exoplanet detection.

About the Super Earth HD 20794 d

• 20 light-years away.
• ~6 times the mass of the earth.
• Located in habitable zone (but has elliptical orbit)

World Youth Skills Day 2025

Context: World Youth Skills Day 2025, observed on July 15, focuses on empowering youth through Artificial Intelligence (AI) and digital skills to meet future workforce demands.

About World Youth Skills Day

• Objective: To recognize the importance of equipping young people with skills for employment, decent work, and entrepreneurship.
• UNGA Declaration: The United Nations General Assembly (UNGA) proclaimed World Youth Skills Day in 2014.
• Theme for 2025: Youth Empowerment through Artificial Intelligence (AI) and Digital Skills.
• As per UNO the Fourth Industrial Revolution is reshaping economies with AI, calling for Technical and Vocational Education and Training (TVET) systems to evolve accordingly

Status of World Youth Skills

• Global Disengagement: Nearly 450 million young people globally (7 in 10 ) are economically disengaged due to lack of employable skills.
  • In 2022, more than 40 per cent of youth were not engaged in employment, education, or training.
• Gender and Digital Divide: Only 27.4% of young women are employed globally, and in low-income countries, 90% of adolescent girls and young women remain offline.
• Preparedness for AI World: 86% of students feel unprepared for workplaces influenced by AI and automation.

Indian Government Initiatives for Youth Skilling

• The Ministry of Skill Development and Entrepreneurship has empowered over 6 crore Indians through its various schemes since 2014.
• Pradhan Mantri Kaushal Vikas Yojana (PMKVY): Over 1.6 crore youth trained nationwide since 2015 under PMKVY.
  • Courses expanded to emerging fields like AI, Robotics, and IoT.
• Digital India Programme: Promotes digital literacy and aims to bridge the digital divide, especially among rural youth and students.

Tanimbar Islands

Context: Recently, a 6.7 magnitude earthquake struck near Indonesia’s Tanimbar Islands.

About Tanimbar Islands

• Location:  The Tanimbar Islands are part of Indonesia and is one of the Nine Major  Lesser Sunda Islands group, located in southeastern Maluku Province.
  • The Lesser Sunda Islands, also known as Nusa Tenggara Islands, are an archipelago in the Indonesian archipelago.
  • Most of the Lesser Sunda Islands are located within the Wallacea region, except for the Bali province which is west of the Wallace Line and is within the Sunda Shelf.
• Geography and Composition: This archipelago comprises about 65 islands, covering a total area of 5,440 sq km.
• • Yamdena is the largest island in the group.
• Seismic Zone : Indonesia lies on the Pacific Ring of Fire, a tectonically active region where multiple crustal plates meet, causing frequent earthquakes and volcanic eruptions.

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