INDIAN NAVAL SHIPS DELHI, SHAKTI, AND KILTAN COMPLETED THEIR VISIT TO MANILA, PHILIPPINES AS A PART OF THE OPERATIONAL DEPLOYMENT OF THE EASTERN FLEET TO THE SOUTH CHINA SEA

1. Indian Naval Ships Delhi, Shakti and Kiltan visited Manila, Philippines as part of Operational Deployment of the Indian Navy’s Eastern Fleet to South China Sea. The visit demonstrated India’s strong ties with Philippines and its commitment to further deepen the partnership.
2. The port call included Subject Matter Expert Exchange (SMEE) between the Indian Navy and personnel of Philippines Navy, sports fixtures, cross deck visits, cultural exchanges and collaborative community outreach programmes.
3. R Adm Rajesh Dhankhar, Flag Officer Commanding Eastern Fleet, and Commanding Officers of ships had an interaction with R Adm Renato David, Commander Philippine Fleet (CPF), and V Adm Rolando Lizor Punzalan Jr, Deputy Commandant for Operations, Philippine Coast Guard. FOCEF also held wide ranging discussions with the Flag Officer in Command (FOIC), Vice Adm Toribio Dulinayan Adaci JT, on the avenues for collaboration, matters of mutual interest and the current security situation in the region and beyond. The visit provided an opportunity for discussions on enhancing naval cooperation and interoperability between navies of India and Philippines.
4. The port call is a testament to the strong diplomatic and defence ties between India and Philippines. It is a demonstration of India’s commitment for maintenance of peace and stability in the region in consonance to its ‘Act East’ and SAGAR policies.

Institute of Chartered Accountants of India (ICAI):

The Supreme Court recently upheld a rule issued by the Institute of Chartered Accountants of India (ICAA) barring chartered accountants from accepting more than the “specified number of tax audit assignments” in a financial year.

Institute of Chartered Accountants of India (ICAI):

1. It is a statutory body established by an Act of Parliament, viz., the Chartered Accountants Act, 1949, for regulating the profession of Chartered Accountancy in the country.
2. It functions under the administrative control of the Ministry of Corporate Affairs, Government of India.
3. Headquarters: New Delhi
4. It is the second largest professional body of chartered accountants in the world.
5. The affairs of the ICAI are managed by a Council in accordance with the provisions of the Chartered Accountants Act, 1949, and the Chartered Accountants Regulations, 1988.

The Council consists of 40 members, of whom 32 are elected by the Chartered Accountants and the remaining 8 are nominated by the Central Government, generally representing the Comptroller and Auditor General of India, the Securities and Exchange Board of India, the Ministry of Corporate Affairs, the Ministry of Finance, and other stakeholders.

Functions of ICAI:

1. Regulates the profession of Accountancy.
2. Examination and education of Chartered Accountancy course.
3. Continuing professional education of members.
4. Conducting post-qualification courses.
5. Formulation of accounting standards.
6. Prescription of standard auditing procedures.
7. Laying down ethical standards.
8. Monitoring quality through peer review.
9. Ensuring standards of performance of members.
10. Exercise disciplinary jurisdiction.
11. Financial reporting review.
12. Input on policy matters to the government.

BIMSTEC acquires ‘legal personality’ after charter comes into force

The Bay of Bengal Initiative for Multi-Sectoral Technical and Economic Cooperation (BIMSTEC) will now be open to new members and observers after a historic first charter of the grouping came into force on 20 May, the Ministry of External Affairs has announced. With the coming into force of the charter which was adopted in the 5^th summit of the BIMSTEC leaders, the grouping has acquired a ‘legal personality’ and will be able to enter into structured diplomatic dialogue with other groupings and countries.

 BIMSTEC Charter

• Adoption of the BIMSTEC Charter: After the pandemic, the leaders of BIMSTEC nations convened virtually on March 30, 2022, chaired by Sri Lanka, and endorsed the charter.
• The adoption of the BIMSTEC charter took place during its 5th Summit in March 2022.
• Thailand assumed the chairmanship of BIMSTEC following the 5th leaders’ summit.
• BIMSTEC Charter Ratification:Nepal’s parliament addressed the BIMSTEC charter in April 2024, ratifying it and facilitating its entry into force.
• Consequently, the BIMSTEC charter is reported to have become effective on May 20, 2024.

Significance of BIMSTEC as legal personality

1. BIMSTEC Legal Recognition:With the charter now in effect, BIMSTEC has gained a ‘legal personality’, meaning it possesses rights and responsibilities under the law.
2. This enables it to engage in structured diplomatic discussions with other groups and nations.
3. The activation of the charter establishes a legal and institutional framework for fostering substantial cooperation and enhanced integration within the Bay of Bengal region.

Bay of Bengal Initiative for Multi-Sectoral Technical and Economic Cooperation

1. About: BIMSTEC, an economic bloc established in June 1997by the Bangkok Declaration, initially comprised four member states: Bangladesh, India, Sri Lanka, and Thailand.
2. Nepal joined as an observer state in 1998 and later became a full-time member alongside Bhutan in February 2004.
3. Member Countries: Member countries of BIMSTEC include Bangladesh, India, Myanmar, Sri Lanka, Thailand, Nepal, and Bhutan.
4. Secretariat: Dhaka, Bangladesh.
5. Goal:To address the impacts of globalization by fostering regional growth through collaborative efforts, leveraging regional resources, and geographical advantages.
6. Significance of BIMSTEC: Approximately 22% of the global population resides in the seven countries surrounding the Bay of Bengal, boasting a collective GDP nearing $2.7 trillion.
7. From 2012 to 2016, all seven nations maintained average annual growth rates ranging between 3.4% and 7.5%. Moreover, a quarter of the world’s traded goods traverse the bay annually.

Areas of Collaboration

1. BIMSTEC Priority Areas:BIMSTEC operates as a sector-focused cooperative organization, initially encompassing six sectors: Trade, Technology, Energy, Transport, Tourism, and Fisheries.
2. Presently, BIMSTEC has expanded to 14 priority areas of cooperation, with Climate Change added as the 14th priority area in 2008.
3. Within these priority areas, member countries select which ones they are willing to lead. For instance, India leads in Transport & Communication, Tourism, Environment & Disaster Management, as well as Counter-Terrorism & Transnational Crime.

Ujani Dam

Six persons, including two children, drowned after their boat capsized in the Ujani dam backwaters in Maharashtra’s Pune district recently.

Ujani Dam:

• It is located on the Bhima River near Ujjani village in Solapur district of the state of Maharashtra.
• It is an earth-fill cum masonry gravity dam.
• It was constructed between 1977 and 1980 with the primary objective of providing irrigation water and hydroelectric power to the region.
• With a total length of 2,534 m, the Ujani Dam is founded on massive basaltic rock formations and comprises a central portion, which is the spillway dam of 602min length.
• The dam has a height of 63 meters.
• With a storage capacity of 117 thousand million cubic feet (TMC), the dam has a live storage of 54 TMC, and 63 TMC is dead storage.
• Power Generation Capacity: 12MW
• Pollution: The water quality of the Ujani Dam is very bad as it contains hazardous pollutants from Pune and many other small cities located on the banks of the Bhima River or its tributaries.

Key Facts about Bhima River:

bhima -also known as the Chandrabagha River) is a major river in southwest India. It is a major tributary of the Krishna River.

Course:

1. It originates in the Bhimashankar hills near Karjat on the western side of the Western Ghats, in the Pune District of Maharashtra.
2. Bhima flows southeast through the states of Maharashtra, Karnataka, and Telangana.
3. It merges into the Krishna River at Kadlur (Raichur) in Karnataka.

• These 861 km-long rivers have the Western Ghats on the west,the Balaghat Range in the north, and the Mahadeo Hills in the south.
• The total basin area of the river is 48,631 sq. km, out of which 75 percent lie in the state of
• Major tributaries are the Sina and Nira
• Pandharpuris an important pilgrimage centre located on the right bank of the Bhima River.

The value of attributing extreme events to climate change

While no formal cost-benefit analysis of an attribution exercise has been reported, many experts have argued that attributions are critical for the ‘loss and damage’ process

Extreme Weather Events

1. Definition: When the weather conditions showsignificant differences than the usual weather, this is termed as extreme weather or severe weather.
2. Time Duration: The extreme weather conditions may last for a while or sometimes it may take just one or two days to become normal. 
3. Impact: According to the World Meteorological Organisation (WMO),extreme weather, climate and water-related events caused 11,778 reported disasters globally, leading to more than two million deaths and USD 4.3 trillion in economic losses between 1970 and 2021.
4. Over 90 per cent of the reported deaths worldwide occurred in developing countries.
5. In India, 573 disasters occurred between 1970 and 2021 that claimed 1,38,377 lives.

Concerns: 

1. Exercise to Pick Extreme Events to Attribute: Scientists used multiple approaches in their attribution exercise to answer the same question, and have added that the differences between them are immaterial.
2. Difficult to Attribute: According to Climate Change: Evidence and Causes, a jointly produced publication of The US National Academy of Sciences and The Royal Society, it is quite difficult to attribute any particular extreme weather event to climate change.
3. This is because there are multiple factors,like patterns of natural climate variability, such as El Niño and La Niña, that contribute to such events.
4. The actual impacts of extreme events depend not only on the hazard or the extreme event but also on the vulnerability and the exposure of the population affected. 

Impact of Climate Change on Extreme Weather Events

1. Extreme Temperature: The average global temperature on Earth has increased by at least 1.1 degree Celsius since 1850, primarily due to human activities that have released unprecedented levels of greenhouse gases into the atmosphere.
2. The rise in the temperatures has resulted in more frequent and more intense extreme weather events across the world. These events include heat waves, droughts, floods, hurricanes, and wildfires.
3. Heat Waves:Climate models show that heat waves might become about 12 times more frequent by 2040s due to climate change.
4. Loss & Damage:While no formal cost-benefit analysis of an attribution exercise has been reported, many experts have argued that attributions are critical for the ‘loss and damage’ process.

Loss and Damage Fund

Loss and Damage Fund was proposed during COP-27 in Sharm El-Sheikh, Egypt in 2022. It will operate through an independent secretariat located at the World Bank and has received commitments of at least $450 million from various countries. However, a significantly larger sum is necessary to fulfill its intended purpose.

• Aims: The loss and damage fund provides support to less affluent nations (such as Small Island Nations like Tonga, Fiji) that have contributed minimally to climate change but are disproportionately vulnerable to severe climate-related incidents.
• Based on the Polluters Pay Principle: This principle holds accountable entities responsible for environmental damage, making them liable for expenses related to remedial measures and compensating those affected by their actions.
• Interim Host and Operational Period: The World Bank will serve as the “interim host” for the fund for a duration of four years, operating in line with the principles of the UNFCCC and the Paris Agreement.

Eligibility and Contributions:

All developing nations can apply for funds, and every country has been “invited” to contribute voluntarily.

A specific allocation has been set aside for Least Developed Countries and Small Island Developing States.

Way Forward

• Adequate Financing:There is a need to take stock of the international finance aspects of adaptation, mitigation, and L&D.
• Responsibility:Governments should consider an agreement on historical responsibilities to fund developing countries and close adaptation gaps, build adaptation capacity, and finance mitigation for the global good.
• Analysis: The real world is severely resource-constrained and needs a cost-benefit analysis based on a clear role for attribution in the overall climate action landscape.

Pig-butchering stock market get rich quick scam: Telegram, Instagram, WhatsApp used to steal lakhs from investors; tactics used, how to stay safe

Pig Butchering Scams, a type of online financial fraud, are on the rise worldwide, including in India.

Pig Butchering Scam

1. Origins:The term “pig butchering” refers to the scammers’ strategy of “fattening up” their victims by gradually building trust before “slaughtering” them and stealing their money.
2. Pig butchering is a worldwide investment scam that originated in China and gained significant prominence during the pandemic.
3. Alternative Name:The “sha zhu pan” scam.
4. Fraud Type: An online investment scam where fraudsters create fake identities to deceive victims into investing in fraudulent schemes.

Methods involved In Pig Butchering Scam

1. Contact Tactics:The scam starts with the “host” reaching out to potential victims through social media, dating apps, or deceptive messages.
2. Establishing Fake Friendship: Once a target, referred to as the “pig,” is identified, the host establishes a fake friendship and encourages them to venture into cryptocurrency trading.
3. Deceptive Trading App: The host uses a fake trading app to trick the victim into thinking they are earning profits from fabricated trades.
4. Building Trust and Increasing Investments:As the victim’s trust deepens, the host convinces them to invest more money, a tactic known as “fattening the pig.”
5. Challenges in Fund Retrieval: When victims attempt to withdraw their funds, the fraudulent platform either offers excuses or imposes hefty fees, ultimately exposing the scam.
6. Due to the characteristics of blockchain transactions, retrieving lost funds is exceedingly difficult.

Blockchain Technology

Blockchains represent a novel secure data structure, reliant on cryptography and distributed across a network. This technology underpins cryptocurrencies like Bitcoin, facilitating the transfer of digital assets and data.

1. Decentralized Transaction:Spearheaded by Bitcoin, blockchains establish consensus among distributed nodes, enabling the transfer of digital goods without centralized transaction authorization.
2. Features of the Technology:Empowering simultaneous anonymity and security, peer-to-peer, instant, and frictionless transactions, this technology redistributes trust from centralized intermediaries to a vast global network.
3. Through mass collaboration, sophisticated code, and cryptography, it establishes an immutable public ledger of all network transactions.
4. A block represents the “current” segment of a blockchain, recording recent transactions, which, upon completion, becomes a permanent part of the blockchain database.

With each block’s completion, a new block is created. These blocks are interconnected (forming a chain) in a linear, chronological order, with each block containing a hash of the preceding block.

Common victims of Pig Butchering scams

1. People facing loneliness or isolation
2. Individuals with limited financial literacy or investment experience
3. Those undergoing substantial life changes or emotional upheaval
4. Middle-aged and older individuals with substantial savings or retirement funds
5. Naturally trusting or empathetic individuals
6. Users frequenting platforms such as Telegram and Instagram
7. Homemakers and retired individuals seeking fast money opportunities

eVTOL Aircraft

Indian Institute of Technology, Madras-incubated ePlane Company is expected to launch its e-flying taxis in Bengaluru this year but the Indian government has yet to establish clear policies regarding eVTOL flying taxis.

eVTOL Aircraft:

1. An electric vertical take-off and landing (eVTOL) aircraft is one that uses electric power to hover, take off, and land vertically.
2. It is one of the newer technologies and developments in the aerospace industry.
3. It is a low-altitude urban air mobility aircraft capable of carrying only a few passengers- six seaters and eight seaters.

Technology used:

1. Most eVTOLs use distributed electric propulsion technology which means integrating a complex propulsion system with the airframe. There are multiple motors for various functions; to increase efficiency; and to also ensure safety.
2. This is technology that has grown on account of successes in electric propulsion based on progress in motor, battery, fuel cell and electronic controller technologies and also fuelled by the need for new vehicle technology that ensures urban air mobility(UAM).

Applications: Air Taxi, Delivery, Medical assistance (EMS), Cargo Transport, Recreation.

Significance

In the near future, these eVTOLs will enhance “on-demand” mobility for intra- and intercity transportation, improving connectivity between metropolitan city centers and airports.

Can a judge have political affiliations? Here’s what happens around the world

A retiring High Court judge has declared himself to be a lifelong member of the RSS. Is it common for a judge in India to be politically affiliated? What about judges in the US and the UK?

A retiring Calcutta High Court judge revealed that he has always been a member of the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS).

Political Affiliation

• Political affiliation refers to an individual’s identification or association with a particular political party or ideology.
• Membership:It often involves being a member of a political party.
• Support:Includes supporting a party’s candidates, policies, and platform.

Cooling-off period for judges, bureaucracy about joining politics

1. This period is the time during which judges, bureaucracy is disallowed to join politics.
2. There is provision of mandating at least two yearsfor judges and bureaucracy before joining politics.

This provision is helpful in building public confidence and preventing allegations of quid pro quo. 

• Activities: Participating in activities such as voting in primaries, attending party meetings, and campaigning.
• Beliefs:Holding beliefs and values that align with a specific political party.
• Donations: Financial contributions to a political party or its candidates.

Timeline for changes in Political Ideology in Judicial Appointments in India

Pre-1970s: Political ideology was not a major factor in judicial appointments.

Articles	Constitutional Provisions in India
Article 124	According to the procedure, the President appoints Supreme Court judges after consulting with selected judges from the High Courts and the Supreme Court. The Chief Justice of India (CJI) must be consulted in all appointments, except for the appointment of the CJI themselves.
Article 217	High Court judges are appointed by the President following consultation with the Chief Justice of India (CJI) and the Governor of the respective state. Additionally, the Chief Justice of the relevant High Court must also be consulted in the appointment process.

• Shift in Appointment Practices After 1970:This practice shifted when Indira Gandhi’s government faced Supreme Court setbacks in key cases (Golak Nath, bank nationalization, privy purses).
• This setback forced Ministers to start arguing for considering ideology in Supreme Court appointments.
• Impact on Justice M N Chandurkar:Despite qualifications, his elevation to Supreme Court was blocked.
• Reasons for Disapproval:Attendance of RSS leader’s funeral and positive remarks about the leader.

The Collegium System:

• Since the 1990s, judicial appointments have been made through the Collegium system where judges appoint judges.
• This system presumes judicial neutrality and expects judges to avoid overt
• The Collegium system handles the appointment and transfer of judges in the Supreme Court and High Court.
• It is not based on the Constitution but has developed through Supreme Court judgments.

Structure and Function

1. Supreme Court: The Chief Justice of India CJI + 4 senior-most Supreme Court judges.
2. They recommend judicial appointments and transfers.
3. The High Court Collegium:This collegium comprises Chief Justice of the high court + 2 senior-most judges.
4. Government’s Role: Can raise objections/ask for clarifications, but ultimately bound by collegium’s recommendations if reaffirmed.

SQAD- RELATIONS

The Defense Ministers of the USA met his counterparts from Australia, Philippines and Japan to launch the ‘Squad’ to outline their collective vision for peace, stability, and deterrence in the region.

Mini laterals:

• They typically involve three to nine countries collaborating in an informal setting to address specific and common challenges faced by these countries.
• Features: Mini laterals are task-oriented, exclusive, and more conducive to reaching consensus.Their informal nature also makes them more agile and adaptable
• According to a recent Perth US Asia Centre report, Australia already belongs to more than 20 Mini lateral groupings
• Notable Examples: 
• Indo Pacific Region:They are the favored form of security cooperation with the emergence of Quad and AUKUS 
• China headed: China heads the Lancang-Mekong Cooperation Mechanism in East Asia

Southeast Asia: The Malacca Strait Patrols between Indonesia, Malaysia, Singapore and Thailand.

The Squad

1. It is a quadrilateral grouping comprising the 4 Indo Pacific Nations of USA, Australia, Philippines and Japan
2. Security ‘mini-lateral’ groupings in the Indo-Pacific: The SQUAD has become the recent addition to the series of such mini-lateral security groups in the Indo Pacific region.
3. Example: Quad, Aukus, the US-Philippines-Japan trilateral and the US-Japan-South Korea trilateral.
4. Prime Objective: The objective is to deepen the level of integration amongst themselves and counter the hegemonic tendencies of China in militarizing the South China Sea threatening the rules-based order of the Indo-Pacific.
5. Origin: The idea of an informal grouping of the 4 nations in an effort to enhance their strategic collaboration in the SOUTH CHINA SEA has been
6. on the table since 2023.
7. 2023: The Defense chiefs of all four countries met for the first time on the sidelines of the Shangri La security dialogue in Singapore.
8. Collaboration:
9. April 2024: The USA, Japan, the Philippines and Australia conducted their first-ever multilateral maritime exercise in the Philippines’ exclusive economic zone (EEZ).
10. Each of these countries shares a bilateral treaty alliance with the USA but the Philippines, Japan and Australia are not treaty allies at present.
11. Existing collaboration: The Philippines is currently negotiating a reciprocal access agreement (RAA) with Japan to enhance troop deployments between both countries complementing the existing Visiting Forces of Agreement (VFA) with the US and the Status of Forces Agreement (SOFA) with Australia.

Significance: 

• Capacity Building: The 4 nations will bring together a wide range of resources and capabilities with Australia and Japan providing substantial naval and defense resources and Philippines with its marine capabilities.
• Role of the Philippines: Philippines will play the central role with respect to its strategic location in Southeast Asia, and has positioned itself as the Squad’s fulcrum.
• The Philippines has been propelled into a central role in the broader US strategy of “integrated deterrence” in the region.
• Indo Pacific Security: The alliance plans to enhance military interoperability, conduct additional joint patrols and drills, and improve intelligence and maritime security cooperation in the region.
• Encourage Strategic Convergence: The Squad, AUKUS, and QUAD are important components of a new security architecture fostering cooperation on a variety of security and defense challenges, by bringing together states with complementary capabilities and objectives.

Example: The External Affairs Minister (EAM) of India visited the Philippines in the background of heightened tensions between the Philippines and Chinese naval forces.

Connect with Regional Players: These informal coalitions aim to connect with a wider range of regional players e.g. ASEAN, improving communication and convergence supplementing current international frameworks, rather than being exclusive. 

Scheduled Castes and Scheduled Tribes (Prevention of Atrocities) Act, 1989:

The Allahabad High Court recently said that an alleged act of intentional insult or intimidation causing humiliation would constitute an offence under the Scheduled Castes and Scheduled Tribes (Prevention of Atrocities) Act, 1989 only if it is committed in public view.

Scheduled Castes and Scheduled Tribes (Prevention of Atrocities) Act, 1989:

1. It is an Act to prevent the commission of offences of atrocities against the members of the Scheduled Castes (SCs) and the Scheduled Tribes (STs) by persons other than SCs and STs.
2. It provides for punishment for offences of atrocities committed against SCs and STs.
3. It authorizes the Central Government to frame rules for carrying out the purpose of the Act.
4. The Act is implemented by the respective State Governments and Union Territory Administrations, which are provided due central assistance under the Centrally Sponsored Scheme for effective implementation of the provisions of the Act.

Offences:

1. This Act does not applyto crimes committed between SCs and STs or between STs and SCs.
2. There are 37 offences included in the Act that involve patterns of behaviour inflicting criminal offences and breaking the self-respect and esteem of the SCs and STs community.
3. Among these are the denial of economic, democratic, and social rights, as well as the exploitation and abuse of the legal system.

Investigation:

1. All offences listed in the Act are cognizable.
2. An investigation of offence committed under the Act cannot be investigated by an officer not below the rank of Deputy Superintendent of Police (DSP).
3. The investigation should be completed within 30 days,and the report should be sent directly to the director of the state police.

Special Courts:

1. The act clearly states about the constitution of special courts for hearing cases on atrocities against SCs and STs.
2. For the purpose of providing for a speedy trial, the State Government shall with the concurrence of the Chief Justice of the High Court, establish in each district a Court of Session to be a Special Court exclusively to try the offences under this Act.
3. The exclusive Special Courts shall try offences under this Act on day-to-day basis.
4. For every Special Court, the State Government shall specify a Public Prosecutor or appoint an advocate who has been in practice as an advocate for not less than seven years, as a Special Public Prosecutor for the purpose of conducting cases in that Court.

Punishment:

1. The minimum punishment in most cases is six months of imprisonment, while the maximum is five years sentence and with fine.
2. In some cases, the minimum is enhanced to one year while the maximum goes up to life imprisonment or even a death sentence.
3. Section 4 of the act deals with punishment for neglect of duties by a public servant. According to this section if a public servant, who is not a member of the SC or ST, deliberately neglects his duties, which he should perform under the Act, he is liable for punishment with imprisonment up to six months.

According to the Scheduled Castes and Scheduled Tribes (Prevention of Atrocities) Rules, 1995, the District Magistrate or the Sub-Divisional Magistrate, or any other Executive Magistrate shall make arrangements for providing immediate relief in cash or in kind, or both, to the victims of atrocity, their family members, and dependents.

Such immediate relief shall also include food, water, clothing, shelter, medical aid, transport facilities, and other essential items necessary for human beings.