SEBI mulls higher NRI investment for FPIs in IFSC

Foreign Portfolio Investment (FPI)

• FPI refers to the purchase and holding of a wide array of foreign financial assets by investors seeking to invest in a country outside their own.
• Foreign portfolio investors have access to a range of investment instruments such as stocks, bonds, mutual funds, derivatives, fixed deposits, etc.
• FPI generally intends to invest money into the foreign country’s stock market to generate a quick return.
• Who regulates FPI in India?
  • In India, foreign portfolio investment is regulated by the Securities and Exchange Board of India (SEBI).
  • FPI in India refers to investment groups or FIIs (foreign institutional investors) and QFIs (qualified foreign investors).
• Advantages:
  • It offers investors the freedom to diversify their portfolios internationally.
  • A portfolio investor can also take advantage of exchange rate differences. Thus, an investor from an economically challenged country can invest heavily in a foreign country that has a much stronger currency, thereby making sizeable profits.

Foreign Direct Investment (FDI)

• It is a category of cross-border investment in which an investor resident in one economy establishes a lasting interest in and a significant degree of influence over an enterprise resident in another economy.
• It is an ownership stake in a foreign company or project made by an investor, company, or government from another country.
• FDI is a key element in international economic integration because it creates stable and long-lasting links between economies.

FPI vs. FDI:

• FDI seeks an ownership stake in a foreign company or project made by an investor, company, or government from another country.
• FPI is a form of investment in the assets of a foreign enterprise, such as stocks or bonds. It does not offer any form of control over the entity and hence offers no ownership of the entity.
• Unlike FDIs, an FPI does not require any transfer of IP, technology, or know-how. There is no need to enter a joint venture with a partner company.
• FDI comprise significantly larger sums, and any tie-ups or operations tend to last longer than portfolio investments.
• Portfolio investments typically have a shorter time frame for investment return than direct investments.
• FDIs are usually the domain of major players in the industry, venture capital ecosystems, and investment branches of globally recognised financial institutions. Most Financial Portfolio Investment examples include smaller players who invest in a foreign country’s assets and securities for short-term profits.

Start-up AR4 Tech, Sodion tie up to make sodium ion battery packs

Sodium-Ion Battery

• These types of batteries generate electricity through a chemical reaction.
• These are made up of an anode, cathode, separator and electrolyte.
• In a sodium-ion battery, lithium ions are replaced with sodium ions in the battery’s cathode, and lithium salts are swapped for sodium salts in the electrolyte.
• Operating principle:
  • When the battery is being charged, Na atoms in the cathode release electrons to the external circuit and become ions, which migrate through the electrolyte toward the anode, where they combine with electrons from the external circuit while reacting with the layered anode material.
  • This process is reversed during discharge.
• Benefits of sodium batteries
  • Readily available: One of the most interesting aspects of this technology is the wide availability in nature of its constituent raw materials.
  • Safety: Sodium batteries also ensure high standards of safety because cells based on this chemical element are neither flammable nor susceptible to explosions or short circuits
  • Low-cost: The raw materials are readily available in nature and can be extracted at low costs and with low energy use, making sodium a material with a low impact on the environment.
  • Low-temperature resistance

BL Explainer. Is India emerging as a hub for Gun Jumping?

Gun Jumping

• It essentially means acting before the appropriate time and refers to situations where a party or parties to a combination (M&A deal) consummate a transaction before CCI approves the transaction, thereby violating standstill obligations.
• It is all about competition and merger control.
• Gun Jumping in competition jurisprudence occurs when parties to Mergers and acquisitions consummate the transaction without keeping the competition authorities informed.
• Most competition regimes, including India, require pre-merger notification (in India, it is the CCI).
• The concept of gun-jumping has not been expressly defined in the Competition Act of 2002.
• The law requires parties to a deal satisfying certain monetary thresholds, to first notify the CCI about the impending transaction.
• Parties are then obligated to conform to the standstill provisions — wait for 210 days from the date of notifying or till CCI approval happens, whichever is earlier.
• During the standstill period, the parties are required to continue to operate their businesses as independent entities.
• If the parties fail to notify CCI before the consummation of the deal or violate standstill obligations, this is typically referred to as gun jumping.
• Penalties:
  • The Competition Commission of India (CCI) has the power to penalise parties for Gun Jumping under Section 43A of the Competition Act 2002.
  • The penalty can be as high as 1 per cent of the total turnover or 1 per cent of the assets, whichever is higher, of the combination.

This common herbicide affects male reproductive health

Clethodim

• It is an oxime O-ether resulting from the formal conversion of the acyclic keto group of oxime with the chloroallyl group.
• It is used as an herbicide that is used to control annual and perennial grasses.
• It is highly soluble in water and has a low volatility.
• It tends not to be persistent in soil or aquatic systems.
• It is moderately toxic to birds, fish, aquatic plants, honeybees and earthworms but is less toxic to aquatic invertebrates and algae.
• It is moderately toxic to mammals, and while it is a skin irritant, no evidence of it causing more serious health effects has been found.
• Effects on human health
  • Exposure to this herbicide will impact male reproductive function and early embryonic development.
  • Also, it causes a reduction in testicular weight, a decrease in germ cell population, lower levels of serum testosterone, abnormalities in sperm, and compromised pre-implantation embryo development.

NGT keeps clearance for harbours in Kaluveli in abeyance

Kaliveli Bird Sanctuary

• This wetland is the second-largest brackish water lake in South India after Pulicat Lake.
• The first declaration was issued by the Villupuram District Administration under Section 18 of the Wildlife Protection Act, 1972, for setting up this sanctuary.
• The Kaliveli Lake is connected to the Bay of Bengal by the Uppukalli Creek and the Edayanthittu sanctuary and is visited for nesting by migratory birds on the Central Asian flyway.
• The southern part of the wetland has been reserved land since 2001.
• The lake has a feeding ground for long-distance migrants from the cold subarctic regions of Central Asia and Siberia, including Black-tailed Godwits, Eurasian Curlew, White Stork, Ruff and Dublin.

National Green Tribunal (NGT)

• The National Green Tribunal has been established under the National Green Tribunal Act 2010.
• New Delhi is the Principal Place of Sitting of the Tribunal, and Bhopal, Pune, Kolkata and Chennai shall be the other four places of sitting of the Tribunal.
• NGT is mandated to make disposal of applications or appeals finally within 6 months of the filing of the same.
• Composition
  • It comprises the Chairperson, the Judicial Members, and the Expert Members.
  • They shall hold office for a term of 5 years and are not eligible for reappointment.
  • The Chairperson is appointed by the Central Government in consultation with the Chief Justice of India (CJI).
  • A Selection Committee shall be formed by the central government to appoint the Judicial Members and Expert Members.
  • There are to be at least 10 and a maximum of 20 full-time Judicial members and Expert Members in the tribunal.

PM Modi gifts ‘surahi’ from Telangana to South African president, Gond painting to Brazil leader

Bidriware

• It is a form of metal handicraft that has Persian influences and has been made for centuries by artisans from Karnataka’s Bidar district.
• It is renowned for its intricate, handcrafted designs.
• Origin:
  • The origin of Bidriware as a craft is attributed mostly to the Bahamani Sultans who ruled the region during the 14th and 15th centuries.
  • It was first brought to India by the noted Sufi Khwaja Moinuddin Hasan Chisti in the form of utensils.
  • The art form developed in the kingdom was a mix of Turkish, Persian and Arabic influences, which were intermingled with the local styles, and thus a unique style of its own was born.
• This native art form has obtained a Geographical Indications (GI) registry.
• Bidar in Karnataka and Hyderabad in Telangana are the most vibrant centers of Bidriware.
• How is Bidriware made?
  • Bidri Ware is manufactured from an alloy of copper and zinc (in the ratio 1:16) by casting.
  • The zinc content gives the alloy a deep black colour.
  • The craftsman uses small chisels to engrave the design over the freehand etching.
  • Fine wire or flattened strips of pure silver are then carefully hammered into these grooves.
  • A special variety of soil, which is available only in the unlit portions of the Bidar fort, is used for the final blackening process. It is mixed with ammonium chloride and water to produce a paste, which is then rubbed onto a heated Bidri surface. The paste selectively darkens the body while it has no effect on the silver inlay.
  • The product then undergoes a process called buffing to smoothen the surface.

Greece confers Grand Cross of the Order of Honour on PM Modi

Grand Cross of the Order of Honour

• It is the second-highest civilian honour in Greece.
• It is conferred to "eminent personalities who, by reason of their distinguished position, have contributed to enhancing the stature of Greece".
• The Order of Honour was established in 1975.
• The head of the goddess Athena is depicted on the front side of the Star with the inscription “ONLY THE RIGHTEOUS SHOULD BE HONOURED”.

Greece

• Location: It is located in southeastern Europe, on the southern tip of the Balkan Peninsula.
• Official Name: Hellenic Republic
• Bordering Countries:
  • The country is bordered by Albania, Bulgaria, Turkey, and North Macedonia.
  • Greece shares maritime borders with Cyprus, Egypt, Italy, and Libya.
• Geography:
  • The mainland has rugged mountains, forests, and lakes.
  • The country is well known for the thousands of islands dotting the blue Aegean Sea to the east, the Mediterranean Sea to the south, and the Ionian Sea to the west.
  • The largest Greek island is Crete.
• Capital: Athens
• History:
  • Greece is often referred to as the "cradle of Western civilisation" because of its contributions to philosophy, democracy, and literature.
  • It was the home of famous ancient philosophers like Socrates, Plato, and Aristotle.
  • During ancient times, the country was divided into city-states, which were ruled by noblemen. The largest were Athens, Sparta, Thebes, and Corinth.
  • Independence: Greece gained its independence from the Ottoman Empire in the early 19th century, following a war of independence that began in 1821.
• Political System:
  • It is a parliamentary republic with a head of government - the prime minister who has the most political power, and the head of state - the president - whose duties are largely ceremonial.
  • The executive power is exercised by the government.
• Languages: Spoken languages are Greek (official) and Turkish (predominantly spoken by a minority of Turks in Western Thrace).
• Olympics:
  • The Olympic Games have their origins in ancient Greece, where the first Olympic Games were held in Olympia in 776 BC.
  • Greece also hosted the first modern Olympic Games in Athens in 1896.

New specie, genus of snakes discovered in Western Ghats

Sahyadriophis uttaraghati

• The new genus has been named Sahyadriophis, a combination of the Sanskrit word for the Western Ghats ‘Sahyadri’ and the Greek word for snakes ‘Ophis’.
• The new species, located in the northern part of the Western Ghats, is called Sahyadriophis uttaraghati or Northern Sahyadri keelback.
• Features:
  • These snakes are mostly active during monsoons and are often found near streams.
  • Their diet primarily consists of frogs and their eggs.
  • These snakes are gentle in nature and rarely bite when handled.
  • The juveniles bear a big blotch or a collar mark on the nape, which distempers as the animal grows.
  • It can be differentiated from its southern counterpart—Sahyadriophis beddomei (Beddome’s Sahyadri keelback)—by a longer tail and higher number of scales on the tail''s underside, known as subcaudals.

Colubrid snakes

• A colubrid is any of the numerous, diverse, largely nonvenomous snakes that comprise the reptile family Colubridae.
• The Colubridae family is one of the largest snake families, consisting of over 1,800 species.
• They are characterised by the absence of hind limbs.
• They are found in various regions around the world, except for Antarctica and some remote oceanic islands.
• Habitats: They inhabit a wide range of environments, including forests, grasslands, deserts, wetlands, and aquatic habitats.
• Venom:
  • The majority of colubrid snakes are non-venomous.
  • However, there are a few exceptions within the Colubridae family, such as the rear-fanged snakes, which possess mild venom but are not considered dangerous to humans.
• Among well-known colubrids are king snakes, watersnakes, milk snakes, gartersnakes, racers, ratsnakes, ring-necked snakes, hog-nosed snakes, and the venomous boomslangs.

How thousands of emperor penguin chicks died in Antarctica

Emperor Penguin

• It is the largest of the world''s penguin species found only in Antarctica.
• Scientific Name: Aptenodytes forsteri
• Distribution:
  • They are found throughout the Antarctic continent and sub-Antarctic islands.
  • In breeding months (April to November), emperor penguin colonies are found between 66° and 78° south latitude along the Antarctic coastline.
• Habitat:
  • It is the most ice-adapted of any penguin species, inhabiting pack ice and surrounding marine areas.
  • They spend their entire lives on Antarctic ice and in its waters.
• Features:
  • They are approximately 120cm tall and weigh in at around 40 kg.
  • They gain and lose weight rapidly during breeding and feeding season On average, females tend to weigh 18 kg less than males.
  • They have a gray back, white belly, and orange markings behind their eyes and at the top of their chest.
  • They have large stores of insulating body fat and several layers of scale-like feathers that protect them from icy winds.
  • They also huddle close together in large groups to keep themselves and each other warm.
  • Breeding:
    • They breed in the winter.
    • After a courtship of several weeks, a female emperor penguin lays one single egg and then leaves.
    • Each penguin egg''s father balances it on his feet and covers it with his brood pouch, a very warm layer of feathered skin designed to keep the egg cozy.
    • There, the males stand for about 65 days through icy temperatures, cruel winds, and blinding storms.
    • Finally, after about two months, the females return from the sea, bringing food they regurgitate or bring up to feed the now-hatched chicks.
• Conservation Status:
  • IUCN Red List: Near Threatened

PM Modi gifts ''surahi'' to Ramaphosa, Gond painting to Lula da Silva

Gond Painting

• It is a famous folk art of the Gond tribal community of central India.
• It is done to preserve and communicate the culture of the Gond tribal community.
• Themes: Gond tribes are highly interlinked with nature, and this appears in their paintings too. They include animals, the mahua tree, mythological stories, Hindu gods, local deities and folktales, etc.
• The artist uses his distinctive pattern and style to fill the images. These style signatures are used in collages to make a complete picture, such as dots, fine lines, curved lines, dashes, fish scales, etc.

Gond Tribe

• The Gonds are the largest Adivasi Community in India and can be traced to the pre-Aryan era.
• The word Gond comes from Kond, which means green mountains.
• They are a heterogeneous group spreading over large areas from the Godavari gorges in the south to the Vindhya Mountains in the north.
• They live in the states of Madhya Pradesh, Maharashtra, Telangana, Andhra Pradesh, Bihar, and Odisha.
• The majority speak various mutually unintelligible dialects of Gondi.