Current affairs - January 12th, 2022 from The Hindu.

Important Editorial

UPSC Mains General Studies Paper 3 - Security

Today, the INS Visakhapatnam tested a new version of the BrahMos supersonic cruise missile that can go from sea to land. The Defense Research and Development Organization (DRDO) said that the missile hit the target ship exactly. BrahMos is a joint project between India and Russia, and it can be fired from land, sea, air, and even sub­sea. It can hit surface and sea-based targets with a range of 290 km at first, but it can be expanded. To make the range even longer, it would go from 450 to 600 km and then back down to 450 km. The INS Visakhapatnam, which weighs 7,400 tonnes, is the first of four Project 15B class stealth guided-missile destroyers that were built and designed in India. It was put into service in November 2021.

UPSC Mains General Studies Paper 2 - International Relation

India's passport power has gotten better this quarter than it did in 2021. It is now in 83rd place in the Henley Passport Index, up to seven places from 90th. This is based on data from the International Air Transport Association (IATA) used to create the index. Japan and Singapore are at the top. Henley's Passport Index ranks the world's passports based on how many countries their holders can visit without a visa. This means that India now has visa-free access to 60 more places than it did before.

UPSC Mains General Studies Paper 3 - Disaster management

Molnupiravir is an antiviral drug that stops the spread of SARS-CoV-2 by changing the virus. Mutagenesis is a process in which mutations change the genetic information of an organism by causing changes in the organism's DNA. Some guidelines say that it doesn't help with coronavirus infections and has safety issues with it.