Digital Services Tax (DST)
2 per cent, Digital Services Tax (DST) is levied by India on revenues generated from digital services offered in India, including digital platform services, digital content sales, and data-related services.
An amendment in the Finance Bill 2020-21 imposed a 2 per cent digital service tax on trade and services by non-resident e-commerce operators with a turnover of over Rs 2 crore.
The amendment to Finance Bill 2021 clarifies that offshore e-commerce platforms don't have to pay 2% equalisation levy if they have permanent establishment or they pay any income tax here.
DST specifically excludes from its ambit domestic (Indian) digital businesses.
Currently, Indian double taxation avoidance agreements (tax treaties) with foreign jurisdictions do not permit the source-based taxation of business profits of non-resident companies in India in the absence of a "permanent establishment" (PE).
E-commerce operators are obligated to pay the tax at the end of each quarter.
Economy
What is China's "red tourism" ?
Chinese Communist Party celebrates its 100th anniversary this year, the popularity of "red tourism" is at an all-time high in the country.
In China, "red tourism" was launched in 2004, it refers to visiting sites which have a modern revolutionary legacy.
The purpose of the project is to promote locations with historical and cultural significance to the ruling Communist Party's history while also providing an impetus to tourism and local businesses.
Social Issues
Anti-hail guns in HP
An anti-hail gun is a machine which generates shock waves to disrupt the growth of hailstones in clouds.
The gun is "fired" by feeding an explosive mixture of acetylene gas and air into its lower chamber, which releases a shock wave (waves which travel faster than the speed of sound, such as those produced by supersonic aircraft).
These shock waves supposedly stop water droplets in clouds from turning into hailstones, so that they fall simply as raindrops.
Hailstones
Hail is produced by cumulonimbus clouds, which are generally large and dark and may cause thunder and lightning.In such clouds, winds can blow up the water droplets to heights where they freeze into ice.
The frozen droplets begin to fall but are soon pushed back up by the winds and more droplets freeze onto them, resulting in multiple layers of ice on the hailstones.
This fall and rise is repeated several times, till the hailstones become too heavy and fall down.
Science & Tech
China's "artificial sun"
China's Experimental Advanced Superconducting Tokamak (EAST), which mimics the energy generation process of the sun, set a new record after it ran at 120 million degrees Celsius for 101 seconds.
EAST reactor is an advanced nuclear fusion experimental research device , the purpose of the artificial sun is to replicate the process of nuclear fusion, which is the same reaction that powers the sun.
Read More: Experimental Advanced Superconducting Tokamak (EAST)
Science & Tech
What is OneWeb?
OneWeb is a global communications company that aims to deliver broadband satellite Internet around the world through its fleet of Low Earth Orbit (LEO) satellites.
With a constellation of 648 satellites the company obtains the capacity to enable its Five to 50 service of offering internet connectivity to all regions north of 50 degrees latitude.
Low Earth Orbit (LEO) satellites are positioned around 500km-2000km from earth, compared to stationary orbit satellites which are approximately 36,000km away.
OneWeb's chief competitor is Starlink, a venture led by Elon Musk's SpaceX. Starlink currently has 1,385 satellites in orbit and has already started beta testing in North America and initiating pre-orders in countries like India.
Amazon is a newcomer to the space, with its Project Kuiper initiative announced in 2019.
Google launched its Loon project in 2013, using high-altitude balloons to create an aerial wireless network.
Science & Tech
World Neglected Tropical Diseases Day
The ongoing 74th World Health Assembly declared January 30 as World Neglected Tropical Diseases (NTD) Day..
The proposal to recognise the day was floated by the United Arab Emirates (UAE). It was adopted unanimously by the delegates.
Neglected Tropical Diseases (NTDs) are a group of infections that are most common among marginalised communities in the developing regions of Africa, Asia and the Americas. They are preventable and treatable.
They are caused by a variety of pathogens such as viruses, bacteria, protozoa and parasitic worms.
London Declaration on Neglected Tropical Diseases (NTDs) was adopted January 30, 2012.
Science & Tech
ECOWAS Group in Africa
The Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS) is a regional political and economic union of fifteen countries located in West Africa.
The union was established on 28 May 1975, with the signing of the Treaty of Lagos, with its stated mission to promote economic integration across the region.
The ECOWAS also serves as a peacekeeping force in the region, with member states occasionally sending joint military forces to intervene in the bloc's member countries at times of political instability and unrest.
International Relations
United Nations special rapporteur
A group of United Nations special rapporteurs has sought information from the Government of India on the continued detention of Waheed Para, youth president of the Jammu and Kashmir PDP.
Special rapporteur, independent expert, and working group member are titles given to individuals working on behalf of the United Nations (UN) within the scope of "special procedure" mechanisms who have a specific country or thematic mandate from the United Nations Human Rights Council (UNHRC).
They are appointed by the Human Rights Council of the UN, act independently of governments and play an important role in monitoring sovereign nations and democratically elected governments and policies.
Special Rapporteurs often conduct fact-finding missions to countries to investigate allegations of human rights violations.
International Relations