Britain exits European Union
The United Kingdom opted for a momentous change of course by voting to leave the European Union in a closely-fought referendum held on June 23. The ‘Leave’ side won decisively with 52 per cent of the vote in the high-turnout vote, which overturned opinion polls that predicted a slender margin for ‘Remain’.
This is the second referendum on Britain’s relationship with the European project. In 1975, in a referendum on whether the U.K. should stay or leave the European Community (Common Market) Area, the country voted for staying in with a resounding 67.2 per cent vote.
Prime Minister David Cameron, the architect of the referendum and a passionate supporter of Britain within the European Union, announced that as a measure of respect for the “will of the people” he would be stepping down as Prime Minister in October.
The referendum saw a turnout of 72 per cent, the highest in any election since 1992, ‘Leave’ won 17,410,742 votes and ‘Remain’ 16,141,241, with all but the regions of London, Scotland and Northern Ireland voting to leave.
The markets have predictably reacted sharply to the referendum result with the pound falling to its lowest since 1985. Other major currencies have also shown volatility especially the Euro that has seen its worst fall against the dollar.
NASA, ISRO join hands to develop data satellite
NASA and ISRO are working together to develop a synthetic aperture radar satellite to observe and measure ecosystem disturbances, ice-sheet collapses and natural hazards. The data gathered from this mission will help build climate resilience and potentially save lives.
The Indian Institute of Tropical Meteorology, Pune, is also working with the U.S. National Oceanographic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) to develop high resolution seasonal and long-term climate forecasts to prepare for the monsoons.
Climate change ranks among the foremost problems for the world along with terrorism, poverty, proliferation of weapons of mass destruction. It is also a national security issue as it could possibly damage infrastructure, cause famines, migrations and disease outbreaks.