# Pegasus

• A fresh political storm has erupted over a report in the New York Times on Pegasus.
• The report said that the Indian government had purchased the Pegasus spyware from the NSO group of Israel in July 2017 to carry out targeted surveillance on Citizens.
• However, the New York Times did not provide any evidence or source behind this report.
• The opposition parties has accused the government of spying on important citizens of the country.

# India-Oman

• After a gap of three years, India and Oman are set to hold a meeting of the Joint military cooperation committee.
• This will initiate a series of high level defense engagements between the two countries next month.
• The JMCC is the highest forum of engagement between India and Oman in the field of defence that evaluates and provides guidance to the overall framework of defense exchanges between the two sides.

# Nicobar group of Islands

• A new genus of a parasitic flowering plant has recently been discovered from the Nicobar group of Islands.
• The genus “septemeranthus” grows on the plant species Horsfieldia glabra (Blume) Warb.
• The parasitic flowering plants have a modified root structure spread on the stem of the tree and are anchored inside the bark of the host tree.
• The plant was found on the periphery of the tropical forest in one the biodiversity hotspots referred to as Nicobar group of Islands.
• Nicobar group of islands is separated from the Andaman group of Islands by a wide gap of 160 KM with heavy tidal flows.

# Textile industry

• The textile and clothing industry is facing high material costs.
• Textile industry has sought duty free import of cotton with quantitative restrictions.