What to Read in Indian Express Editorial( Topic and Syllabus wise)

Editorial 1: A stabilising force

Context

India-EU partnership is a stabilising force amid turbulence.

The significance

• The partnership between India and the European Union (EU) is gaining significance as a stabilising force in the emerging multipolar world.
• External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar’s visit to Brussels this week was part of an effort to consolidate the new possibilities triggered by the growing convergenceof interests and changing international circumstances.
• Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s visit to Cyprus reinforces the new Indian commitment to Europe.
• The turbulence of Donald Trump’s second presidential term— marked by protectionism and scepticism toward alliances and partnerships — has nudged Delhi and Brussels to hedge against US unpredictability and uphold a rules-based international order.
• US remains the most important economic and strategic partner for India and Europe. Both sides will do their best to preserve the essence of that relationship; but they are also naturally looking to deepen other partnerships.

Bilateral relations

• The last year and more has seen greater momentum in bilateral relations.
• A comprehensive Free Trade Agreement (FTA), targeted for conclusion by the end of 2025, is central to joint efforts to diversify supply chains and promote sustainable growth.
• After years of stalled talks, Delhi and Brussels are now signalling unprecedented urgency to conclude the trade agreement.
• Connectivity projects such as the India-Middle East-Europe Economic Corridor (IMEC)illustrate the ambition to reshape regional linkages and create new engines of innovation.
• Cooperation in advanced technologies and the exploration of new possibilities for defence industrial collaborationare also on the top of the current agenda.
• There are tricky waters to negotiate. Russia remains a sensitive factor in India-EU relations.
• While India maintains long-standing defence ties with Moscow and has refrained from criticising Russia’s war in Ukraine, Europe is at the receiving end of Russia’s ambitions to rearrange the regional order.
• However, both India and the EU have prioritised pragmatic engagementover ideological arguments.
• Brussels has avoided putting pressure on India for its Russia policy, instead focusing on trade, technology, and shared concerns about China.
• While the EU advocates peace and dialogue in South Asia, it also recognises India’s right to self-defence and has condemned cross-border terrorism.

Way forward

• Neither India nor EU want to let the Pakistan factor derail the new possibilities for building a bilateral strategic partnership.
• The India-EU partnership is becoming a central axisin the construction of a multipolar world.
• It is not merely a tactical hedge, but a strategic alignment grounded in shared economic interests, democratic values, and the pursuit of enhanced national security.

 

Editorial 2: How DNA analysis is used to identify victims

Context

After the Air India Boeing 787 Dreamliner crash in Ahmedabad, authorities are using DNA analysis to identify the remains of those killed in the accident.

A tool to identify

• DNA identification is the gold standard for identifying human remains, especially after mass fatality events in which bodies might not be easy to identify otherwise.
• With the exception of identical twins, every person has a unique DNA that is present in nearly every cell of their body.

Collecting, storing samples

• As soon as an individual dies, their DNA begins to degrade. Over time, this degradation can make it difficult, even impossible, for the DNA to be analysed.
• The extent of degradation depends on the kind of tissue DNA is extractedfrom and the conditions in which the body is kept, among other factors.
• DNA survives much better in cold and dry conditions, than when it is hot and humid. This is why samples have to be collected as soon as possible, and once collected, stored in as cool and dry an environment as possible.
• They should ideally be frozen at minus 20 degrees Celsius, or, in the case of soft tissues (skin, muscles, etc.), they may be stored in 95% ethanol.
• DNA from soft tissues degrades much faster than that from hard tissues(bones and teeth). This is because cells in hard tissues are largely protected from the effects of putrefaction and decomposition. This is why forensic investigators usually collect DNA from hard tissue.

Methods of analysis

• After they samples are collected, the next step is to extract DNA from them. Subsequently, depending on the quality of the collected DNA, scientists can choose between a number of different methods of analysis.
• Short tandem repeat (STR) analysis: The method evaluates short tandem repeats, which are essentially short repeating sequences of DNA. STRs are used for DNA identification as they widely vary between individuals.
• Note that STRs are typically found on nuclear DNA which is located within the nucleus of a cell.Therefore, to carry out STR analysis it is essential that the nuclear DNA extracted from the sample is not degraded.
• Mitochondrial DNA (mtDNA) analysis: This method is used when nuclear DNA is degraded or unavailable. Mitochondrial DNA is found within the cell’s energy-producing organelles known as mitochondria.
• As mtDNA is present in multiple copies within the cell, it is easier to recoverfrom human remains that are not well preserved.
• This is used for identification because mtDNA is passed down by the mother, unchanged, to all her children.
• Y chromosome analysis:Humans have two types of sex chromosomes, X and Y: biological males typically have one X and one Y chromosome, and biological females typically have two X chromosomes.
• In this method, a panel of STR on Y chromosomes, passed on from father to son, is examined to match the remains of the victim with their male relatives.
• Single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) analysis:The method is typically used when the DNA to be analysed is highly degraded.
• A SNP is a variation in the DNA sequence where a single base — A, C, G, or T — at a specific location differs among people.
• Given that SNPs are unique to each person, they can be used for identification purposes with the help of reference samples taken from, let’s say, the victim’s personal belongings such as a toothbrush and hairbrush.

Conclusion

DNA analysis is the most reliable method for identifying human remains, especially in disasters where visual identification is not possible.