Hindu Notes from General Studies-02

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Modi receives Seoul Peace Prize for 2018

News

• Prime Minister Narendra Modi received the prestigious Seoul Peace Prize for 2018 for his contribution to international cooperation and fostering global economic growth.

Beyond News

• The award was presented to him by the Seoul Peace Prize Foundation at a grand ceremony in Seoul.
• While conferring the award on Mr. Modi, the award committee recognised his contribution to the growth of Indian and global economies, crediting ‘Modinomics’ for reducing social and economic disparity between the rich and the poor.
• The committee also pointed to his contribution to regional and global peace through a proactive policy with countries around the world.
• Modi is the 14th recepient of the award and the past laureates include former UN Secretary General Kofi Annan, German Chancellor Angela Merkel and renowned international relief organizations like Doctors Without Borders and Oxfam.
• The Prize was established in 1990 to commemorate the success of the 24th Olympic Games held in Seoul. The award was established to crystalise Korean people’s yearning for peace on the Korean peninsula and in the rest of the world.

PM Modi, South Korean President Moon Jae-in hold talks on trade, defence and security

News

• Primer Minister Narendra Modi and South Korean President Moon Jae-in held constructive talks on enhancing bilateral cooperation in key areas including trade, investment, defence and security.

Beyond News

• PM Modi, who is on a two-day visit to South Koreato strengthen India’s strategic ties with the country, was accorded an official reception at the Blue House, the executive office and official residence of the South Korean President here.
• Addressing the media after the “productive talks” with President Moon, Prime Minister Modi said that South Korea is an important partner in India’s economic transformation.

Now register complaint with DoT against offensive WhatsApp messages

News

• People can now file a complaint with the Department of Telecom (DoT) against offensive messages received on WhatsApp.

Beyond News

• The victim just needs to furnish a screenshot of the message along with the mobile number and e-mail it to [email protected].
• The move comes following many public figures, including journalists, complaining of receiving abusive and threatening messages.
• The DoT, in an order, had said that licence conditions bar carriage of objectionable, obscene or unauthorised content in any form on the network.
• The order directed all telecom service providers to take immediate action against their customers for sending such messages as it is also a violation of customer declaration in the customer application form.

Hindu Notes from General Studies-03

Assam Rifles granted power to arrest anyone in the Northeast

News

• Assam Rifles, deployed along the Myanmar border, has been empowered by the Centre to arrest anyone and search a place without warrant in the border districts of Assam, Arunachal Pradesh, Manipur, Nagaland and Mizoram.

Beyond News

• According to a Home Ministry notification, “an officer of the rank corresponding to that of the lowest rank of members of the Assam Rifles” has been given these powers under the Code of Criminal Procedure.
• Earlier, Assam Rifles was making arrests only in areas where the Armed Forces (Special Powers) Act was in effect.
• They were finding it difficult to make seizures and arrest in Mizoram, which doesn’t have AFSPA. This is to basically correct that anomaly. As per law, they have to hand over the suspects to the local police within 24 hours. The MHA had lifted AFSPA from some areas of Arunachal Pradesh last year.
• Assam Rifles personnel will exercise these powers and discharge their duties “under sub-section(1) of section 41, sections 47, 48, 49, 51, 53, 54, 149, 150, 151 and 152 of the CrPC within the local limits of the area comprised within the border districts of Assam, Arunachal Pradesh, Manipur, Nagaland and Mizoram.”
• Section 41 of the CrPC states that any police officer may, without an order from a magistrate and without a warrant, arrest any person. Section 47 gives powers for search of place entered by person sought to be arrested.
• Section 48 says a police officer may, for the purpose of arresting without warrant any person pursue such person into any place in India. According to Section 49, the person arrested shall not be subjected to more restraint than is necessary to prevent his escape.

Tortoise feared extinct found on remote Galapagos island

News

• A living member of a species of tortoise not seen in more than 110 years and feared to be extinct has been found in a remote part of the Galapagos island of Fernandina.

Beyond News

• An adult female Chelonoidis phantasticus, also known as the Fernandina Giant Tortoise, was spotted Sunday by a joint expedition of the Galapagos National Park and the U.S.-based Galapagos Conservancy.
• The International Union for Conservation of Nature has the Fernandina Giant Tortoise listed as critically endangered and possibly extinct.
• The only other living member of the species was found in 1906. Since then, expeditions have encountered tortoise scat and bite marks on cacti, and there was a possible unconfirmed sighting in 2009.
• But discovery was the first confirmed sighting and together with the possibility of finding more members of the species has raised the possibility of breeding.

Japanese space probe Hayabusa 2 touches down on asteroid to collect samples

News

• A Japanese space probe named after a falcon, Hayabusa 2, has touched down on an asteroid more than 300 million km from Earth on a mission to seek clues about the origins of life.

Beyond News

• The spacecraft’s landing on the asteroid Ryugu, just 900 metres in diameter, came after an initial attempt in October was delayed because it was difficult to pick a landing spot on the asteroid’s rocky surface.
• Hayabusa 2 fired a small projectile into the surface of Ryugu to collect particles scientists hope the spacecraft will bring back to Earth for analysis.
• It is the second Japanese spacecraft to land on an asteroid after Hayabusa touched down on a near-Earth asteroid named Itokawa in 2005. It was the first to bring asteroid dust back to Earth, although not as much as hoped.
• Asteroids are believed to have formed at the dawn of the solar system and scientists say Ryugu may contain organic matter that may have contributed to life on Earth.
• JAXA’s plan is for Hayabusa 2 to lift off Ryugu and touch back down up to three times. It blasted off in 2014 and is scheduled to return to Earth at the end of 2020.

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