News in Short

• A new study has traced an increasing trend in the marine heat wave events in the Indian Ocean Region, which they say could affect marine life along with the future monsoons and cyclones.
• In the recent decades, a warming Arabian Sea has been churning out cyclones of ‘severe’ categories. Warming oceans are also a threat to marine life, including coral reefs that face the threat of getting bleached.
• Livelihoods based on fishing and fisheries industries also remain under persistent threat due to the warming oceans.

• Westland, one of the largest publishing houses in India, is being shut down by e-commerce giant Amazon.
• The publishing company, which was acquired by Amazon from Trent Ltd, a subsidiary of Tata Group, in 2016, has published works of several bestselling authors.
• Westland is one of India’s largest English-language trade publishers, bringing out print books and e-books in genres ranging from popular and literary fiction to business, politics, biography, spirituality, popular science, health and self-help.

• Lieutenant General Manoj Pande on Tuesday took over as the army’s vice chief. Before assuming the charge of vice chief, Pande was heading the Kolkata-based HQs Eastern Command.
• An alumnus of the National Defence Academy, Pande was commissioned into the Corps of Engineers in December 1982.
• Lt General Pande has commanded an engineer brigade in the western theatre, infantry brigade along LoC, a mountain division in the Ladakh sector and a corps in the North-east.

• India abstained from the procedural vote at the United Nations Security Council (UNSC) ahead of a meeting to discuss the situation on the Ukraine border.
• Ten member states voted in favour of taking up the Ukraine issue. On the other hand, only two member states - Russia and China - voted against it.
• Meanwhile, three member states - India, Gabon and Kenya - abstained from the vote.The Security Council only required nine votes in favour to go ahead with the discussion.