Short News Article

Geography

Lake Titicaca

The waters of Lake Titicaca are within 10 inches (25 centimeters) of their all-time low, a record set in 1996 signaling one more instance of Climate change.

About the site:

• The level of Lake Titicaca has been progressively decreasing due to many meteorological, hydrological and climatic factors.
• Lake Titicaca lies on a plateau known as the Altiplano which is made up of multiple basins.
• The western part of the lake lies in the Puno region of Peru while the east part lies in the La Paz department in Bolivia.
• It is the second largest lake in South America.
• Lake Titicaca lies approximately 3,820 m above sea level and is the highest, commercially navigable lake in the world.
• The lake is 284 m deep at its deepest point located in the northeastern section of the lake.

Polity and Governance

SC unveils handbook to curb stereotypes based on gender

Recently, the Supreme Court (SC) has compiled a glossary of words that judges should avoid while writing orders and lawyers should steer clear of while filing cases, in a bid to weed out gender stereotypes that are not only demeaning and retrograde but can also cloud judgements.

About:

• The lists of some commonly used phrases used in the context of women, children and sexual crimes, and some commonly held notions about gender, in a book titled ‘Handbook on Combating Gender Stereotypes’ has been mentioned.
• Words and phrases to be junked includes; “slut”, “harlot”, “seductress”, “fallen woman”, “woman of easy virtue”, and descriptors such as “Indian woman”, “western woman”, “career woman” or “chaste woman”. All these, the book says, should be replaced simply with “woman.

Location in News

Sulina Channel

A new trade route to support black grain initiative, has been identified i.e. the Sulina Channel – a 63 km long distributary of the Danube, connecting major Ukrainian ports on the river to the Black Sea, lying completely within the borders of Romania, a NATO member.

About:

• Location: Sulina is situated at the mouth of the Danube, 148km East of Constanta.
• The Danube is the second-longest river in Europe, after the Volga in Russia.
• It flows through much of Central and Southeastern Europe.
• General overview: Depths in the canal range from 10m to 14m, permanent dredging allows vessels of max draft 7.32m to berth.

Location near Black sea:

• The Danube–Black Sea Canal (Romanian: Canalul Dun?re–Marea Neagr?) is a navigable canal in Romania, which runs from Cernavod? on the Danube river, via two branches, to Constan?a and N?vodari on the Black Sea.