News in Short

• The Indian armed forces have deployed their advanced very quick-reaction surface-to-air missile defence systems in the Eastern Ladakh sector, amid heightened Chinese fighter aircraft and helicopter activities along the Line of Actual Control (LAC).
• Chinese choppers have been flying very close to the Indian LAC in all the troubled sectors including the Sub Sector North (Daulat Beg Oldie sector), Galwan valley along with the Pangong Tso and Finger area.
• The Indian quick reaction air defence system includes the Akash missile which can take down very fast-moving combat aircraft and drones in few seconds and many modifications and upgrades have already been done in it to make it suitable for deployment in the high mountainous terrain.

• Parts of Delhi have been placed on alert after a swarm of locusts invaded several suburbs and entered the national capital’s border areas.
• India is witnessing its worst locust invasion in decades. The swarms, which originate in the Horn of Africa, have devoured crops in several states.
• The current infestations can be traced back to the cyclone season of 2018-19 that brought heavy rains to the Arabian Peninsula. That allowed "unprecedented breeding" that went undetected. Swarms have since spread out into East Africa, the Middle East and South Asia.

• Nagaland governor R N Ravi has written a letter to the chief minister, flagging growing concerns regarding deteriorating law and order situation in the sate.
• The governor stated that he would exercise his power as Governor, provided under Article 371 (A) of the Constitution, since the government has failed miserably.
• Clause 1b in Article 371(A), which deals with special powers given to Nagaland, provides immense powers to the Governor. It says that the Governor of Nagaland shall have special responsibility with respect to law and order.

• Mumbai has started reporting symptoms similar to Kawasaki disease among young patients with coronavirus.
• The US, UK, Spain, Italy and China have been reporting cases of children with Covid-19 showing Kawasaki-like symptoms since April.
• Kawasaki disease, whose cause remains unknown, mainly affects children aged below five years. It results in high-grade fever and inflammation in blood vessels, and can sometimes cause permanent damage to coronary arteries.

• About 26.9 crore people used drugs in 2018, which was 30% more than the 2009 figure, according to the latest United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC) World Drug Report.
• Compared with earlier estimates from a survey carried out in 2004, overall opioid use in India is estimated to have increased fivefold.
• The stimulant scene is dominated by cocaine and methamphetamine, and use of both the substances is rising in their main markets.
• The report expressed concern about fewer countries taking part in joint drug operations, apparently due to budgetary problems following the 2008 financial crisis, other challenges with international cooperation, including a lack of agreements to enable operational cooperation, and language problems.