Data Points:

About Libya:

• Libya, a predominantly desert nation with significant oil reserves, gained independence in 1951.
• Geography and Population: Libya, situated in North Africa, primarily consists of the vast Sahara desert. 
  • The majority of its population resides along the coastal areas, where key cities like Tripoli and Benghazi are located.
• Libya is geographically defined by its boundaries:
  • North: Bordered by the Mediterranean Sea.
  • East: Shares a border with Egypt.
  • South: Shares boundaries with Niger and Chad.
  • West: Bordered by Tunisia and Algeria.
• Capital: Tripoli
• Language: Arabic

• • A floodplain is “any land area susceptible to being inundated by floodwaters from any source”.
• This dataset is the first of its kind, quantifying human modifications in floodplains worldwide.
• Methodology: Used three geospatial datasets to track global floodplain extent, land use changes, and river basin boundaries for analysis.

Key Findings from the Study on Global Floodplain Alterations (1992-2019):

• Extent of Alterations: 460,000 sq km of floodplain converted for agriculture; 140,000 sq km redeveloped within existing floodplains.
• Continental Impact: Asia saw the largest loss (200,000 sq km), followed by South America (92,000 sq km) and Africa (73,000 sq km).
  • Specific Cases: Amazon and Yangtze river basins experienced proportional increase in agriculture, leading to forest area reduction.
• Indian Subcontinent Focus: Irrawaddy (4.6%), Tapi (3%), Indus (3.2%), and Cauvery (2.7%) river basins noted significant floodplain alterations.

The recent outbreak of the Nipah virus in Kerala has claimed several lives.

About Nipah Virus:

• It belongs to the family Paramyxoviridae, genus Henipavirus.
• Fatality Rate: The WHO estimates that between 40% and 75% of cases can result in death.
• Spread: 
  • It is a zoonotic virus, transmitted from animals to humans.
  • Reservoir: The fruit bat, also known as the flying fox, serves as the animal host reservoir for the virus.
• Symptoms: Fever, headache, drowsiness, disorientation, mental confusion, coma, potential death.
• Presently, there are no vaccines available for both humans and animals. Intensive supportive care is given to humans infected by Nipah virus.

• However, the Consumer Price Index (CPI)-based inflation remained above the Reserve Bank of India’s (RBI) target range of 2-6%.
  • CPI is a comprehensive measure used for estimation of price changes in a basket of goods and services representative of consumption expenditure in an economy is called consumer price index.

Food Inflation Decline:

• Food inflation, accounting for nearly half of the overall consumer price basket, dropped to 9.94% in August from 11.51% in July, according to data from the ministry of statistics and programme implementation (MoSPI).
• This was driven by lower vegetable prices, along with reduced costs in clothing, footwear, housing, and miscellaneous items.
• Key Factors: Within food items, vegetable inflation fell from 37.4% in July to 26.1% in August, contributing significantly to the decline in headline CPI inflation.

Core Inflation and Bond Markets:

• Core inflation remained at 4.8%, aligning with market expectations.
• The bond market may experience slight relief with a potential downward movement in yields, but the persistence and trajectory of inflation will determine broader market trends.