✅India has applied to the International Seabed Authority (ISBA) for rights to explore the Afanasy Nikitin Seamount (AN Seamount), a cobalt-rich region in the Indian Ocean.
✅This move, motivated partly by Chinese activity in the area, aims to secure strategic resources. The AN Seamount, located about 3,000 km from India’s coast, is rich in cobalt, nickel, manganese, and copper deposits.
✅India is also seeking permission to explore the Carlsberg Ridge for polymetallic sulphides
✅The AN Seamount is a structural feature (400 km long and 150 km wide) in the Central Indian Basin, located about 3,000 km away from India’s coast. From an oceanic depth of about 4,800 km, it rises to about 1,200 metre
#prelims
#geography
#economy
#ir
@upsc_4_ir
@upsc_4_economy
✅This move, motivated partly by Chinese activity in the area, aims to secure strategic resources. The AN Seamount, located about 3,000 km from India’s coast, is rich in cobalt, nickel, manganese, and copper deposits.
✅India is also seeking permission to explore the Carlsberg Ridge for polymetallic sulphides
✅The AN Seamount is a structural feature (400 km long and 150 km wide) in the Central Indian Basin, located about 3,000 km away from India’s coast. From an oceanic depth of about 4,800 km, it rises to about 1,200 metre
#prelims
#geography
#economy
#ir
@upsc_4_ir
@upsc_4_economy
🔆Hungary Parliament Elects New President: Tamas Sulyok
Hungary’s parliament recently appointed a new president following the resignation of the previous head of state amidst a scandal involving a controversial pardon granted in a child sexual abuse case. The appointment of Tamás Sulyok, a former head of Hungary’s Constitutional Court, sparked debate among opposition parties calling for direct presidential elections
#gs2
#prelims
@upsc_4_ir
Hungary’s parliament recently appointed a new president following the resignation of the previous head of state amidst a scandal involving a controversial pardon granted in a child sexual abuse case. The appointment of Tamás Sulyok, a former head of Hungary’s Constitutional Court, sparked debate among opposition parties calling for direct presidential elections
#gs2
#prelims
@upsc_4_ir
🔆Indian Navy using INS Sumedha and missile frigate Trishul coerced the pirates who hijacked FV Al-Kambar Iranian fishing vessel to surrender and rescued 23 Pakistani fishermen.
#gs2
#ir
#gs3
#defence
@upsc_4_ir
@upsc_4_economy
#gs2
#ir
#gs3
#defence
@upsc_4_ir
@upsc_4_economy
🔆Why US allowed UNSC resolution on Gaza ceasefire to pass
The UN Security Council this week demanded an immediate ceasefire between Israel and Hamas, and the immediate and unconditional release of all hostages, after the United States, which has repeatedly used its veto to shield its ally Israel, abstained from the vote. Why is this important, and does it matter?
#gs2
#ir
@upsc_4_ir
@upsc_the_hindu_ie_editorial
The UN Security Council this week demanded an immediate ceasefire between Israel and Hamas, and the immediate and unconditional release of all hostages, after the United States, which has repeatedly used its veto to shield its ally Israel, abstained from the vote. Why is this important, and does it matter?
#gs2
#ir
@upsc_4_ir
@upsc_the_hindu_ie_editorial
🔆Schengen zone
✅Romani and Bulgaria partially joined Europe's ID chek free tavel zone, their is now free access for travelers arriving by air or sea from both countries, however land border check remain in place due to opposition from Austria over illegal migrant concern
📍Schengen region
✅The Schengen Agreement is a treaty signed in 1985 by five member states (Belgium, France, Germany, Luxembourg, and the Netherlands) of the European Economic Community.
✅The agreement aims to create a border-free area in Europe that allows the free movement of people, goods, services, and capital called the Schengen Area, where internal border checks are largely abolished.
✅Non-EU countries like Switzerland, Liechtenstein, Norway, and Iceland, Kosovo are part of Schengen through special association agreements.
✅Over time, the Schengen area has grown to encompass 27 countries, spanning over 4 million square kilometres and hosting nearly 420 million inhabitants.
#gs2
#prelims
#ir
#Places_in_news
@upsc_4_ir
✅Romani and Bulgaria partially joined Europe's ID chek free tavel zone, their is now free access for travelers arriving by air or sea from both countries, however land border check remain in place due to opposition from Austria over illegal migrant concern
📍Schengen region
✅The Schengen Agreement is a treaty signed in 1985 by five member states (Belgium, France, Germany, Luxembourg, and the Netherlands) of the European Economic Community.
✅The agreement aims to create a border-free area in Europe that allows the free movement of people, goods, services, and capital called the Schengen Area, where internal border checks are largely abolished.
✅Non-EU countries like Switzerland, Liechtenstein, Norway, and Iceland, Kosovo are part of Schengen through special association agreements.
✅Over time, the Schengen area has grown to encompass 27 countries, spanning over 4 million square kilometres and hosting nearly 420 million inhabitants.
#gs2
#prelims
#ir
#Places_in_news
@upsc_4_ir
🔆International Seabed Authority (ISA)
📍Why in news
✅India has applied to the International Seabed Authority (ISBA) for rights to explore the Afanasy Nikitin Seamount (AN Seamount), a cobalt-rich region in the Indian Ocean.
✅It is an autonomous international organization established in 1994 to regulate mining and related activities in the international seabed beyond national jurisdiction, an area that includes most of the world’s oceans.
✅The ISA came into existenc eupon the entry into force of the 1982 United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea (UNCLOS), which codified international law regarding territorial waters, sea lanes, and ocean resources.
✅ISA is the organization through which states parties to UNCLOSorganize and control all mineral-resources-related activities in the Area (the seabed and ocean floor and the subsoil thereof, beyond the limits of national jurisdiction) for the benefit of humankind as a whole.
✅In so doing, ISA has the mandate to ensure the effective protection of the marine environment from harmful effects that may arise from deep-seabed-related activities.
✅Headquarters: Kingston,
Jamaica
✅Members: As of May 2023, ISA has 169 Members, including 168 Member States and the European Union.
📍Functions:
✅The ISA is responsible for granting licenses and regulating activities related to the
exploration and exploitation of mineral resourcesin the international seabed.
✅It ensures that these activities are carried out in a manner that protects the marine environment and promotes the equitable and efficient utilization of resources.
#gs2
#ir
@upsc_4_ir
📍Why in news
✅India has applied to the International Seabed Authority (ISBA) for rights to explore the Afanasy Nikitin Seamount (AN Seamount), a cobalt-rich region in the Indian Ocean.
✅It is an autonomous international organization established in 1994 to regulate mining and related activities in the international seabed beyond national jurisdiction, an area that includes most of the world’s oceans.
✅The ISA came into existenc eupon the entry into force of the 1982 United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea (UNCLOS), which codified international law regarding territorial waters, sea lanes, and ocean resources.
✅ISA is the organization through which states parties to UNCLOSorganize and control all mineral-resources-related activities in the Area (the seabed and ocean floor and the subsoil thereof, beyond the limits of national jurisdiction) for the benefit of humankind as a whole.
✅In so doing, ISA has the mandate to ensure the effective protection of the marine environment from harmful effects that may arise from deep-seabed-related activities.
✅Headquarters: Kingston,
Jamaica
✅Members: As of May 2023, ISA has 169 Members, including 168 Member States and the European Union.
📍Functions:
✅The ISA is responsible for granting licenses and regulating activities related to the
exploration and exploitation of mineral resourcesin the international seabed.
✅It ensures that these activities are carried out in a manner that protects the marine environment and promotes the equitable and efficient utilization of resources.
#gs2
#ir
@upsc_4_ir
🔆Germany gives controversial green light to cannabis tourism
✅With this the country become the largest EU Nation to legalised the recreational use of cannabis
✅The changes leave Germany with some of the most liberal cannabis laws in Europe, alongside Malta and Luxembourg, which legalized recreational use in 2021 and 2023, respectively
📍Cannabis
✅According to the WHO (World Health Organization), cannabis is a generic term used to denote the several psychoactive preparations of the plant Cannabis sativa
✅The major psychoactive constituent in cannabis is Delta9 tetrahydrocannabinol (THC).
📍What indian law says about the use of cannabis
✅In India the Narcotic Drugs and Psychotropic Substances Act or the NDPS Act 1985 banned the use of the resin, flowering and fruit tops of the plant
✅The legislature left seeds and leaves of the cannabis plant out of the ambit of the Act, because the serrated leaves of the plant have negligible THC content.
✅With this the country become the largest EU Nation to legalised the recreational use of cannabis
✅The changes leave Germany with some of the most liberal cannabis laws in Europe, alongside Malta and Luxembourg, which legalized recreational use in 2021 and 2023, respectively
📍Cannabis
✅According to the WHO (World Health Organization), cannabis is a generic term used to denote the several psychoactive preparations of the plant Cannabis sativa
✅The major psychoactive constituent in cannabis is Delta9 tetrahydrocannabinol (THC).
📍What indian law says about the use of cannabis
✅In India the Narcotic Drugs and Psychotropic Substances Act or the NDPS Act 1985 banned the use of the resin, flowering and fruit tops of the plant
✅The legislature left seeds and leaves of the cannabis plant out of the ambit of the Act, because the serrated leaves of the plant have negligible THC content.
🔆Bassirou Diomaye Faye Wins Senegal’s Presidential Election
✅Faye is set to become Africa’s youngest elected president and the first opponent to win in the first round since Senegal’s independence from France in 1960
✅Faye’s victory marks a significant shift in Senegalese politics, with an opponent winning the presidency for the first time since independence.
✅He has promised to govern with “humility and transparency” and has called for national unity after years of tension and deadly unrest preceding the election.
#gs2
#prelims
@upsc_4_ir
✅Faye is set to become Africa’s youngest elected president and the first opponent to win in the first round since Senegal’s independence from France in 1960
✅Faye’s victory marks a significant shift in Senegalese politics, with an opponent winning the presidency for the first time since independence.
✅He has promised to govern with “humility and transparency” and has called for national unity after years of tension and deadly unrest preceding the election.
#gs2
#prelims
@upsc_4_ir