Notes:
India has declined to sign on to a global renewable energy pledge launched at the COP28 climate summit in Dubai. The pledge commits 118 nations to tripling installed renewable energy capacity globally by 2030. However, India opted out, along with China, Saudi Arabia, Russia and Iran.
India remains committed to its own national renewable energy targets but could not agree to the terms of this specific pledge which could potentially hurt development priorities. India aims to have 50% non-fossil fuel installed electric capacity by 2030.

Notes:
Hundreds of people displaced from Manipur due to ethnic clashes have taken refuge in Mizoram’s capital Aizawl since May 2022. They were given shelter, education for children, and healthcare by the previous MNF government. However, with Mizoram elections bringing a possible change in power, the Manipuri refugees housed in Aizawl’s Falkland camp grow uncertain about their future.
The 62 families appeal to the new government for continued support and being allowed to stay until stability returns back home. They do not want a change in government to alter the empathetic policy towards them. Their appeals come amid calls for a separate Kuki administrative division in Manipur following prolonged tensions between tribes and armed groups.

Notes:
A rare case of scrub typhus has been reported in Gujarat’s Narmada district, believed to be transmitted through insect bites. A 51-year-old tribal woman from Dediyapada, displaying symptoms like fever, swelling, headache, recovered after treatment at Surat hospital.
Doctors confirmed scrub typhus infection, which can be fatal without medical care. The disease is caused by Orientia tsutsugamushi bacteria from bites of larval mites or ‘chiggers’. Gujarat has prepared guidelines for tackling the disease that sees outbreaks after monsoons in UP, Bihar and Odisha. This first case has highlighted risks of neglecting flu-like symptoms after rural insect bites.

Notes:
India’s Aditya L1 satellite has begun unravelling solar wind enigmas as two cutting-edge particle spectrometers commenced data gathering in recent months. The SWIS and STEPS instruments on the Aditya Solar Wind Particle Experiment payload have detected protons, Helium ions and energy histograms exhibiting solar wind behavior fluctuations near Sun-Earth Lagrange Point L1.
SWIS’ 360-degree coverage and directional monitoring capacities will significantly further comprehension of solar wind properties, variability and links to space weather influencing Earth. Researchers eagerly anticipate more revelations to address enduring questions about the complex solar wind and corona heating as Aditya L1 nears L1 orbital point for uninterrupted solar observation.

Notes:
Brazil’s President Lula da Silva has clarified that Brazil is seeking OPEC+ membership to convince member nations to move away from fossil fuels, not to cap its own oil output. Lula said Brazil aims to persuade major oil producers to invest profits into renewable energy development assistance for poorer regions like Africa and Latin America instead.
Brazil seeks a leadership role in rallying OPEC+ oil economies to finance global south’s green transition through proceeds earned from essentially the last fossil fuel boom before inevitable decline. Joining the 23-member group controlling 40% of world’s oil reserves aligns with Lula’s climate justice advocacy, with rainforests protection another priority. Hence Brazil is eyeing OPEC+ as platform for climate action cooperation.