
How much is a lifetime’s achievement worth?
Indeed not a rusted, discoloured metal. It has not been six months since the Paris Olympics ended, and the French Olympic Committee has another rather unusual task. It’s set to replace over 100 medals given to winners at the Games. Turns out, the medals aren’t quite up to the mark and have already started losing sheen. Our very own Swapnil Kusale and Sarabjot Singh, bronze medallists at the Games, have complained that the colour started coming off within days of the winners’ podium ceremony. Ce n’est pas bon!
On that note, let’s get to today’s edition.
Chaotic scenes played out for a second time in South Korea’s capital city, Seoul, as investigators moved once again to arrest impeached President Yoon Suk Yeol early this morning. At least 1,000 police officers descended upon Yoon’s official residence, where he has been holed up for weeks ever since his short-lived martial law bid. The officers faced intense resistance, clashing with crowds of supporters and security personnel, while attempting to reach Yoon, whom they failed to arrest on January 3. The chase ended when Yoon decided to cooperate with the anti-corruption authorities to “avoid bloodshed”.
Quick recap: In a move that plunged South Korea into a political crisis, Yoon on December 4 declared a surprise “emergency martial law”, paralysing the civilian government. His move came on the back of a strong Opposition that effectively made him a lame-duck president and corruption charges. Within hours of his declaration, lawmakers gathered at the National Assembly and overturned his decision.
What next: Yoon’s presidential powers were suspended when he was impeached on December 14. Isolated from friends and foes alike, Yoon’s fate rests with the Constitutional Court. He is accused of insurrection and abuse of power. If convicted, the now-arrested President will be removed from office and could face life imprisonment, or worse, the death penalty.
Only in Express
40 workers deployed in 30-minute shifts, 12 long-haul containers and a 250-km journey through a green corridor. Clearing out the toxic waste—weighing 337 metric tonnes (MT)—from the infamous Union Carbide India Limited (UCIL) plant in Bhopal proved to be a herculean task. It isn’t over yet. This waste was generated during pesticide production at the UCIL factory between 1969 and 1984 and is not linked to the December 2, 1984 gas leak, which killed thousands. It now remains in 12 containers in Pithampur, where it will be incinerated. Despite assurances from authorities that environmental norms will be followed, local residents are not convinced.
From the Front Page
There’s a growing market for ‘battle tourism’, and India is all set to come out with its latest offerings. Visitors can now head to the likes of Galwan, where Indian and Chinese troops engaged in a violent clash in June 2020, Doklam, the site of the 2017 standoff, and even the Siachen base camp in Ladakh. On the occasion of Army Day (today), Defence Minister Rajnath Singh will launch the ‘Bharat Ranbhoomi Darshan‘ website, allowing visitors to browse through information on 77 sites, including their stories and how to get there.
Singh, yesterday, was engaged in Jammu to mark the Armed Forces Veteran Day. He used the opportunity to warn Pakistan against allowing the Pakistan-occupied Kashmir (PoK) region to be used for terror activity. He asserted that Jammu and Kashmir, the “crown jewel of India”, was “incomplete without PoK”.
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Health matters: So far, healthcare professionals have relied on body mass index (BMI) to detect obesity in patients. The method, however, may be flawed. BMI alone can miss out on diagnosing abdominal obesity in lean individuals. Researchers point to the need for newer approaches.
In Trump’s town: Donald Trump’s approaching presidency in the United States has the world on edge. Indians have watched closed the fierce H-1B controversy raging on in the country. In his weekly column, C Raja Mohan makes a case for looking beyond H-1B. “…broader implications of Trump’s technology policies are arguably more significant.”
Anomaly: 2024 was the warmest year on record for India and the world. The temperature rise over the global land surface was higher than 1.6 degree Celsius. India seems to have bucked the trend, warming at a slower pace. Why, and what does it mean?