1) Indo-Pacific Maritime Domain Awareness (IPMDA): Navy Chief during 4th Goa Maritime Conclave (GMC) highlighted the role of IPMDA.
- GMC is Indian Navy’s initiative for multinational maritime security collaboration.
- IPMDA is a technology and training initiative to enhance maritime domain awareness in the Indo-Pacific region.
- It was announced at the 2022 Quad Leaders’ Summit in Tokyo.
- Functions:
- Tracking of dark shipping (vessels engaging in illegal activity) and other tactical-level activities.
- Enhance maritime view of near-real-time activities in partners’ waters,
- It integrates 3 critical regions of the Indo-Pacific, viz. Pacific Islands, Southeast Asia, Indian Ocean Region
2) Insolvency and Bankruptcy Code (IBC) 2016: Supreme Court upheld sections of IBC 2016 relating to the appointment of resolution professional (RP), adjudicatory process and interim moratorium.
- IBC was introduced to overhaul the corporate distress resolution regime in India and create a time-bound mechanism for resolution.
- It is applicable to Companies, Limited Liability Partnerships, Partnership Firms and Individuals.
- It provides for:
- Adjudicating Authority: NCLT/NCLAT for Companies and LLPs and DRTs/DRATs for Individuals and Partnership Firms.
- Insolvency and Bankruptcy Board of India, as a regulatory body for Insolvency Professionals, Insolvency Professional Agencies and Information Utilities
3) Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI): The Centre claimed in the Supreme Court that the CBI is an independent agency and the Union government has no control in CBI’s functioning.
- The CBI is not a statutory body.
- It derives its power to investigate from the Delhi Special Police Establishment Act, 1946.
- It functions under Dept. of Personnel, Ministry of Personnel, Pension & Public Grievances.
- It is designated as the National Central Bureau of India for INTERPOL.
- General consent is required under section 6 of DPSE Act for the CBI to operate seamlessly within states.
4) Pulsars: Five new pulsars were recently discovered with FAST (Five-hundred Aperture Spherical Telescope).
- FAST is the world’s largest single-dish radio telescope, located in Chinese province Guizhou.
- Pulsars are rapidly rotating neutron stars (remains of cores of massive stars that have reached the end of their lives).
- They are highly magnetized, and rotating at enormous speeds.
- They emit a beam of electromagnetic radiation from their magnetic poles while rotating.
- ‘Period’ of the pulsar refers to time when pulsar appears to ‘switch off’ at points when the light is facing away from Earth.
Places in News:
1) Myanmar (Capital: Nay Pyi Taw):
- Myanmar junta leader said Country is at risk of breaking apart due to clashes.
- Political features
- Not landlocked.
- Bordered by China (north and northeast), Laos (east), Thailand (southeast), Bangladesh (west), and India (northwest).
- Maritime boundaries: Andaman Sea and Bay of Bengal to south and southwest.
- Geographical features
- Mountains: Patkai Range, Naga Hills, and Chin Hills form border between India and Myanmar.
- Mount Hkakabo (5,881 metres is highest peak).
- In south, it has Rakhine Mountains (Arakan Mountains)
- Plateaus: Shan Plateau
- Rivers: Irrawaddy, Salween, Chindwin, and Sittang
