Prime Minister Modi's two-day state visit to the Maldives aimed to reset bilateral ties, which had strained under President Muizzu's 'India [military] out' campaign. Modi emphasized "bipartisan support" for the "strong and time-tested" friendship. Muizzu, while stressing territorial safeguards, acknowledged the need for foreign support for "certain resources and technical expertise." Modi attended the Maldives' 60th Independence Day event. The visit seeks to deepen cooperation across multiple sectors and balance Maldives' sovereignty with its need for external support, particularly to cope with economic pressures. This marks a significant diplomatic effort to restore trust and collaboration.
PM Modi's visit to the Maldives aimed to reset strained bilateral ties following President Muizzu's 'India out' campaign.
Modi highlighted "bipartisan support" for the India-Maldives friendship, while Muizzu acknowledged the need for foreign technical expertise.
The visit included high-level talks and Modi's attendance at the Maldives' 60th Independence Day celebrations.
Exam Points
Maldivian President: Mohamed Muizzu
PM Modi attended Maldives' 60th Independence Day event.
A study co-authored by NLU, Delhi, revealed that reporting on public officials, religious matters, and protests are the top three reasons journalists in India face criminal charges. The report, "Pressing charges," analyzed 423 cases against 427 journalists from 2012-2022, finding that 40% were arrested. Journalists from smaller towns and those reporting in regional languages were most impacted, often without national media attention. Common charges included public tranquility offenses, criminal intimidation, defamation, and offenses against public servants and religion. This trend raises serious constitutional concerns regarding freedom of the press in a democracy.
Reporting on public officials, religious matters, and protests are the most common reasons for criminal charges against journalists in India.
The study found that journalists in smaller towns and regional media are disproportionately affected, with 40% of those covered being arrested.
Criminal charges frequently invoked include those related to public tranquility, defamation, and offenses against public servants.
Exam Points
Study title: "Pressing charges: a study of criminal cases against journalists across States in India"
Co-authored by: National Law University (NLU), Delhi, TrialWatch, Human Rights Institute at Columbia Law School.
Experts warn that the U.K.-India Free Trade Agreement (FTA) contains intellectual property (IP) and regulatory clauses that could favor patent owners, potentially hindering the production and affordability of life-saving generic medicines. This could negatively impact patients in India and the Global South. Concerns include the preference for voluntary licenses, which often have restrictive conditions and fail to significantly reduce prices. The agreement also changes the submission of patent working details from annual to triennial and restricts public access to confidential information, making it harder to prove unmet demands for compulsory licenses.
The U.K.-India FTA's IP and regulatory clauses are feared to favor patent owners, potentially limiting access to generic medicines.
Provisions like the preference for voluntary licenses over compulsory ones raise concerns about drug affordability.
Changes to patent working data submission (triennial instead of annual) and confidentiality will hinder proving unmet demands.
Exam Points
Agreement: U.K.-India Free Trade Agreement (FTA)
Indian Patents Act, Section 3(d) (mentioned for evergreening).
Patent working details submission changed from annual to once every three years.
Google and the University of California Berkeley's Seismology Laboratory released data on the Android Earthquake Alert (AEA) system, which uses smartphone accelerometers for early earthquake warnings. Between 2021 and 2024, AEA issued thousands of successful warnings in 98 countries, detecting over 18,000 quakes and issuing 79 crore alerts. Users in major earthquakes, such as Turkey-Syria and Nepal, received 10-60 seconds of advance warning. The system crowdsources vibration data from stationary phones to confirm seismic activity, aiming to alert users before destructive S-waves arrive. Ongoing improvements address initial shortcomings in magnitude accuracy and warning delays.
The Android Earthquake Alert (AEA) system utilizes smartphone accelerometers to provide early warnings for seismic events.
It has successfully issued thousands of warnings across 98 countries, providing 10-60 seconds of advance notice in major earthquakes.
The system crowdsources vibration data from stationary phones to confirm earthquake activity before destructive S-waves reach users.
Exam Points
System: Android Earthquake Alert (AEA) system
Data released by: Google and University of California Berkeley's Seismology Laboratory.
The NASA-ISRO Synthetic Aperture Radar (NISAR) satellite is a joint mission designed to observe Earth's changing surface with high detail. Utilizing L-band and S-band radars, it will provide data every 12 days to monitor ecosystems, ice sheets, farmlands, and volcanoes. NISAR's mission is crucial for understanding natural hazards like earthquakes, tsunamis, and volcanic eruptions, and for tracking changes in land surface, groundwater, and forest cover. The data will significantly aid disaster management, climate change studies, and resource management globally, offering a "Smart Way to Succeed" in various administrative applications and environmental monitoring efforts.
NISAR is a collaborative NASA-ISRO mission focused on detailed observation of Earth's surface changes.
It employs L-band and S-band radars to provide high-resolution data every 12 days for monitoring various environmental features.
The satellite's data is vital for understanding natural hazards, climate change impacts, and managing natural resources.
India and the U.K. signed a Comprehensive Economic and Trade Agreement (CETA) after over three years of negotiations, aiming to boost bilateral trade. The U.K. removed tariffs on 99% of its product lines, benefiting Indian exports like textiles and seafood. India agreed to cut duties on 90% of its tariff lines, including for imported cars and alcohol from the U.K. The CETA also covers services, with India opening key sectors like accounting and financial services to U.K. firms, and the U.K. granting commercial presence rights to Indian companies. The Double Contribution Convention (DCC) allows 75,000 Indian workers to continue paying into India's social security system.
The India-U.K. CETA aims to significantly enhance bilateral trade and cooperation across goods and services.
The U.K. has eliminated tariffs on 99% of its product lines, while India has reduced duties on 90% of its tariff lines, including for specific British goods.
The agreement facilitates market access for service sectors, with India opening up to U.K. firms and the U.K. granting commercial presence rights to Indian companies.
Exam Points
Agreement: Comprehensive Economic and Trade Agreement (CETA)
The Supreme Court recently highlighted "serious lapses" in the enforcement of the POSH Act, underscoring the inadequate functioning of Internal Complaints Committees (ICCs). The POSH Act, 2013, mandates ICCs in workplaces with over 10 employees, superseding the Vishaka Guidelines (1997). ICCs are headed by a senior woman officer, with at least half members being women, and include an external member. They possess civil court powers, must complete inquiries within 90 days, and recommend action. Challenges include insufficient training, power imbalances, lack of confidentiality, and poor monitoring, often rendering ICCs ineffective or "dead letters."
The Supreme Court has expressed significant concern over "serious lapses" in the implementation of the POSH Act and the effectiveness of ICCs.
The POSH Act, 2013, mandates ICCs in workplaces with more than 10 employees, building upon the earlier Vishaka Guidelines of 1997.
ICCs are structured with a woman Presiding Officer, a majority of women members, and an external expert, wielding powers akin to a civil court.
Exam Points
Act: The Sexual Harassment of Women at Workplace (Prevention, Prohibition and Redressal) Act, 2013 (POSH Act).
Preceded by: Vishaka Guidelines (1997).
ICC composition: Headed by a woman, at least half members women, includes an NGO member.
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