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Jan 31, 2022
INDIA, OMAN TIES AND WHY ITS TOP DEFENCE OFFICIAL’S DELHI VISIT IMPORTANT
Oman’s top defence official will be in Delhi to co-chair the Joint Military Cooperation Committee (JMMC) with Defence Secretary of India.
India Oman Relations:
Political:
Genesis:
Brain fingerprint test
Baba Iqbal Singh
NeoCoV:
Formosa Bond:
India Oman Relations:
Political:
- The Sultanate of Oman is a strategic partner of India in the Gulf and an important interlocutor at the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC), Arab League and Indian Ocean Rim Association (IORA) fora.
- Oman, for many years, was ruled by Sultan Qaboos bin Said al Said, who was a friend of India.
- Sultan Qaboos, the longest-reigning leader of the modern Arab world, died in January 2020.
- Oman is India’s closest defence partner in the Gulf region and an important anchor for India’s defence and strategic interests.
- Defence exchanges are guided by a Framework Memorandum of Understanding, which was recently renewed in 2021.
- Oman is the only country in the Gulf region with which all three services of the Indian armed forces conduct regular bilateral exercises and staff talks.
- Army exercise: Al Najah
- Air Force exercise: Eastern Bridge
- Naval Exercise: Naseem Al Bahr
- Oman also provides critical operational support to Indian naval deployments in the Arabian sea for anti-piracy missions.
- India is among Oman’s top trading partners.
- For Oman, India was the 3rd largest (after UAE and China) source for its imports and 3rd largest market (after UAE and Saudi Arabia) for its non-oil exports in 2019.
- Major items of India’s exports to Oman include mineral fuels, mineral oils and products of their distillation; boilers, machinery and mechanical appliances; articles of iron or steel; electrical machinery and equipment, textiles and garments, chemicals, tea, coffee, spices etc.
- Main items of India’s imports from Oman include fertilizers; mineral fuels, mineral oils and products of their distillation; bituminous substances
- Indian firms have invested heavily Oman in various sectors like iron and steel, cement, fertilizers, textile, cables, chemicals, automotive, etc.
- Under the Indian Technical & Economic Cooperation (ITEC) Programme, Omani Officials have been availing training in many premier institutes of India.
- There are about 6.2 lakh Indians in Oman, of which about 4.8 lakh are workers and professionals.
- There are Indian families living in Oman for more than 150-200 years.
- The Port of Duqm is situated on the southeastern seaboard of Oman, overlooking the Arabian Sea and the Indian Ocean.
- It is strategically located, in close proximity to the Chabahar port in Iran.
- Duqm fits into India’s proactive maritime security roadmap.
- A Shishumar-class submarine entered Duqm along with naval ship INS Mumbai and two P-8I long-range maritime patrol aircraft.
- India gets access to strategic Oman port for military use, reconnaissance aircraft.
- The naval units can be deployed there with the aim of enhancing surveillance and cooperation.
- As a bilateral agreement, in 1974, a Protocol on Visits to Religious Shrines was signed between India and Pakistan.
- It is aimed at facilitating Indian and Pakistani nationals to visit certain religious shrines in both countries.
- Currently, this protocol includes five Muslim shrines on the Indian side and 15 shrines on the Pakistani side, a majority of the gurdwaras. 5 Muslim shrines on the Indian side are
- Ajmer Sharif Dargah, dedicated to Sufi saint Moinuddin Chishti in Ajmer, Rajasthan
- Nizamuddin Dargah, dedicated to sufi saint Nizamuddin Auliya, in Delhi
- Amir Khusro, dedicated to Sufi musician Amir Khusro in Delhi
- Sirhind Sharif, Mujaddid Alf Sani in Sirhind, Punjab, India
- Kalyar Sharif, dedicated to sufi saint Alauddin Ali Ahmed Sabir, near Haridwar
Genesis:
- Due to earthquake induced tsunami in March 2011, Fukushima nuclear plant in Japan was closed permanently due to power supply cut and malfunctioning in cooling of three reactors.
- Since then, a wall of ice has been used that has prevented the groundwater from seeping into the reactor or nuclear plant.
- It is a frozen soil wall around the four crippled reactor units which blocks the flow of groundwater and prevents its mixing with contaminated water.
- In this, an environmentally safe refrigerant and the chilled brine flows through the pipes to a depth of 30 meters, freezing the surrounding soil.
- It has been in operation since 2016, having a circumference of approximately 1500 meters.
- It is more like a barrier of frozen soil.
- In a fusion reaction, two light nuclei (Deuterium and Tritium) merge to form a single heavier nucleus. This makes the atom unstable, releasing energy.
- Sun and stars produce light due to the nuclear fusion of hydrogen and helium.
- In fission a neutron collides with a uranium atom and splits it, releasing a large amount of energy in the form of heat and radiation.
- More neutrons are produced when a uranium atom splits. These neutrons continue to collide with other uranium atoms. This process repeats itself over and over again, resulting in the production of energy.
Brain fingerprint test
- Brain fingerprinting is an objective, scientific method to detect concealed information stored in the brain.
- It is also known as Brain Electrical Oscillation Signature Profiling (BEOSP).
- It is a technique which uses electroencephalograph.
- It is done by measuring electroencephalographic (EEG) brain responses or brainwaves, non-invasively by sensors placed on the scalp.
- Test is conducted to study the electrical behaviour of the human brain.
- Under this test, the consent of the accused is first taken and they are then made to wear caps with dozens of electrodes attached to them.
- During the test, the suspect is shown visuals or audio clips related to the case to check if there is any triggering of neurons (P300-MERMER) in the brain of suspect that generates brain waves.
- Investigation is undertaken by a skilled investigator.
- Interview conducted by an interviewer who may be an investigator or a scientist.
- Scientific testing is conducted by an experienced scientist. Of the four phases, only this one is in the domain of science.
- Adjudication is conducted by a judge and jury.
- The frogs use semantics to communicate a mating call to attract a member of the opposite sex and to guard one’s territory against other males.
- Humayuni produces calls with two notes (ascending and descending) whereas Amboli produces calls with six-note types.
- Individuals of Humayuni produce a single ascending note but in the presence of another male of the same species, the individual adds up to seven descending notes to the ascending note.
- Individuals of Amboliuse a different set of note types when alone or when in the presence of another male but use note types 4–5 when engaging in a physical fight with another male.
- Both species of anurans are endemic to the Western Ghats.
Baba Iqbal Singh
- He was born in 1926 in Bharyal Lehri, Punjab.
- He was an Indian socio-spiritual leader of the Sikh community.
- He was the Founder President of the Kalgidhar Trust, The Kalgidhar Society and Baru Sahib.
- He established 129 low-cost schools and two private universities.
- He worked in the direction of imparting education in the rural marginalized areas of North India.
- He believed that rural children are excluded from the mainstream and cannot contribute to the nation's growth.
- In 2022, he was conferred with the Padma Shri by the Government of India for his contributions in the field of social work.
- In 2018 he was bestowed with Shiromani Panth Rattan (precious jewel of the Sikh community) by Takht Sri Harmandir Ji Patna Sahib.
- He was awarded the Sikh Lifetime Achievement Award in 2016.
NeoCoV:
- NeoCoV is a term being used to refer to a virus variant linked to MERS-CoV.
- MERS-CoV belongs to the larger coronavirus family and is one of the seven known coronaviruses that can infect humans.
- NeoCoV is a possible variant of this particular coronavirus.
- It is the closest MERS-CoV relative yet discovered and
- It is found in bats and can efficiently use some types of bats ACE2 to cause an infection.
- ACE2 are cells that are called receptors in biological terms.
- It cannot interact with human receptors.
- In its current form, the virus cannot infect humans.
Formosa Bond:
- A Formosa bond is a bond which is issued in Taiwan but denominated in a currency other than the New Taiwan Dollar.
- They are issued by the Taiwan branches of publicly traded overseas financial institutions.
- They fall under the Eurobond category of bonds, as they are denominated by a currency other than that of the country in which they are issued.
- They can be issued by subsidiaries of foreign companies which already operate in Taiwan.
- These bonds are listed and traded on the Taipei Exchange.
- Aim: For deepening practical cooperation among the navies of the three countries.
- Iran, Russia and China began a joint naval drill in the Indian Ocean aimed at boosting marine security.
- Iran’s 11 of its vessels were joined by three Russian ships including a destroyer, and two Chinese vessels. Iran’s Revolutionary Guard will also participate with smaller ships and helicopters.
- It is the third joint naval drill between the countries since 2019.
POSTED ON 31-01-2022 BY ADMIN
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