The Space Variable Objects Monitor (SVOM)

• The first astronomy satellite jointly developed by China and France named Space Variable Objects Monitor (SVOM) was launched into orbit from the Xichang Satellite Launch Center in Sichuan Province, China recently.
• Sino- French Collaboration: The Space Variable Objects Monitor (SVOM) is the first astronomy satellite jointly developed by China and France.
• The two countries had together developed and launched an oceanographic satellite in 2018 also
• Payloads: The satellite is a 930-kg satellite consisting of four payloads, two developed by the French and two by the Chinese.
• The ECLAIRs and MXT telescopes: Built by France, It will detect and capture the GRBs.
• The Gamma Ray Burst Monitor (GRB): Built by China, It will measure the spectrum of GRBs.
• The Visible Telescope (VT): Developed by China, It will detect and observe visible emissions produced immediately after a GRB.
• Mission Objective: SVOM primarily will look for GRBs across the universe and will measure and study their electromagnetic radiation properties.
• The satellite will also use the bursts to unlock mysteries regarding the evolution of the universe, and gravitational waves, as both gravitational waves and GRBs originate from the collision of neutron stars.

Significance:

• Better Detection: As per the Chinese state broadcaster CCTV, SVOM is the most powerful satellite yet that will study the gamma-ray bursts and play an important role in astronomical explorations.
• Early Universe: The SVOM aims to see the earliest gamma-ray bursts that took place in the farthest parts of the universe, which will help scientists learn more about the universe’s childhood and its evolution.
• Searching for Kilonavas: The SVOM satellite will search for kilonovas as well to study the stellar evolution, and to obtain  answers about the origins of heavy elements like gold and silver in the universe

Gamma Ray Burst:

• GRBs are bursts of highly energetic gamma rays (the most energetic form of light) which last from less than a second to several minutes.
• Significance for research: GRBs are observed and studied because they carry information pertaining to violent events such as the end of life of massive stars, the formation of black holes in distant galaxies, and how they shape the universe.
• When a GRB erupts, it is briefly the brightest source of cosmic gamma-ray photons in the observable Universe.
• Origin: They are known to occur in distant realms of the universe (resulting  from some of the universe’s most explosive events such as the birth of black holes and neutron star collisions) and can erupt with a quintillion (a 10 followed by 18 zeros) times the luminosity of the Sun.

Types: There are two types of GRBs,

• Short GRBs: They are a result of the collision of either two neutron stars or a neutron star and a black hole, resulting in a black hole and last for less than two seconds
• Kilonavas: Sometimes, short GRBs are followed by kilonovas, ie. It is a  blast of electromagnetic radiation  that is produced by the radioactive decay of chemical elements. The decay can lead to the generation of heavier elements like gold, silver, and platinum.
• Long GRBs: They are produced due to the explosive deaths of massive stars. These can last for two seconds or longer.

International Criminal Court (ICC) issued arrest warrants for former Russian Defence Minister and current Chief of Staff of the Armed Forces for “alleged international crimes” linked to the Russia-Ukraine war.

• Last year, an ICC warrant for war crimes was also issued for Russian President Vladimir Putin.
• Dozens of countries don’t accept the court’s jurisdiction over war crimes, genocide and other crimes.
• They include Israel, the United States, Russia, Qatar and China.
• India is not a member state of the ICC, and has never signed its core treaty, the ‘Rome Statute’.

Article 12(3) of the Statute:

• If the acceptance of a state that is not a party to the statute is required, the state may accept the jurisdiction of the court for a crime concerned, by making a declaration to the Registrar and cooperating without any delay or exception.
• Ukraine: Not a State Party to the Rome Statute, but it has twice exercised its options to accept ICC’s jurisdiction over alleged crimes under the Rome Statute, occurring on its territory, under Article 12(3) of the Statute.

Putin’s Arrest Warrant:

• Last year, the ICC issued a warrant for Russian President Vladimir Putin on charges of responsibility for the abductions of children from Ukraine.
• Russia responded by issuing its own arrest warrants for ICC prosecutors and judges.
• Arrest of Leaders: If Putin or the two leaders travel to a state party to the ICC, then that country must arrest them, according to its obligations under international law.
• This move will likely further deepen Russia’s isolation from the West.

The Rome Statute of the International Criminal Court:

• It is the treaty that established the International Criminal Court (ICC). The ICC is an intergovernmental organization with 123 member states.
• It is Headquartered at Hague, Netherland
• It was adopted in July 1998 and entered into force in July 2002.
• It is a permanent court of last resort to prosecute individuals responsible for the world’s most heinous atrocities — war crimes, crimes against humanity, genocide and the crime of aggression.
• It intervenes only when national authorities cannot or will not prosecute.
• The ICC is independent of the United Nations (UN), but is endorsed by the UN General Assembly.
• It also maintains a cooperation agreement with the UN.
• Unlike the International Court of Justice (ICJ), which is an organ of the UN, the ICC does not prosecute states.

What is Enemy Agents Ordinance of J&K?

• Those people found assisting militants in J&K should be tried by investigating agencies under the Enemy Agents Ordinance, 2005.
• The law is more stringent than the Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act (UAPA) and has the punishment of either a life term or a death sentence.

Background of the J&K Enemy Agents Ordinance:

• Origin: It was first issued in 1917 by the then Dogra Maharaja of J&K and is referred to as an ‘ordinance’ since laws made during the Dogra rule were called ordinances.
• After Partition in 1947: Ordinance was incorporated as a law in the erstwhile state and was also amended.
• Enemy Agents Ordinance 2005: It was promulgated under Section 5 of the Jammu and Kashmir Constitution Act 1996.
• In 2019: When Article 370 of the Constitution was repealed, J&K’s legal framework also underwent several changes.
• J&K Reorganisation Act listed out state laws that were to continue while several others were repealed and replaced with Indian laws.
• For example, while the security laws such as Enemy Agents Ordinance and Public Safety Act remained, the Ranbir Penal Code was replaced with the Indian Penal Code.

Salient Provisions of the J&K Enemy Agents Ordinance:

• Trials under the ordinance: The trial under the Enemy Agents Ordinance is conducted by a special judge who is appointed by the “government in consultation with the High Court”.
• Under the ordinance, the accused cannot engage a lawyer to defend herself unless permitted by the court.
• Appeal against the verdict: There is no provision for appeal against the verdict.
• The decision of the special judge can only be reviewed by a person chosen (by the Govt) from the judges of the HC and the decision of that person shall be final.
• Bar on ordinance: The ordinance also bars any disclosure or publication of the case tried under it.
• Any person who, without the previous authorisation of the Government, discloses or publishes any information with respect to any proceedings or with respects to any person proceeded against under this Ordinance, shall be punishable with imprisonment for a term which may extend to two years, or with fine, or with both

Challenges:

• Curtails Fundamental Rights: An individual may be identified as a terrorist without any judicial scrutiny and even before the commencement of a trial.

• Impact on Civil Liberties: UAPA may infringe on civil liberties, including the right to a fair trial.
• For instance, in Romila Thapar v. Union of India case filed against the arrest of five activists after inter-caste violence in Bhima Koregaon, SC clarified that state cannot infringe upon an individual’s liberty based on speculation.
• Guilty Until Proven Innocent: A presumption of innocence of the accused until they are proven guilty at the end of the judicial process is the basis of most of the criminal justice systems.
• Enemy Agents Ordinance 2005 takes away this right from individuals because even in the absence of any trial or any judicial scrutiny, the law allows a person to be declared a terrorist.
• Admissibility of Confessions: The Act allows confessions made to police officers to be admissible in certain circumstances which might lead to coerced confessions and undermine the principles of fairness and due process.

The Indian Army has recently launched a skin bank facility.

Indian Army’s Skin Bank:

• It was launched to help treat severe skin burn injuries and other skin-related conditions for service personnel and their families.
• The first-of-its-kind facility established in the Armed Forces Medical Services is staffed with trained medical professionals, including plastic surgeons, tissue engineers, and specialised technicians.
• It will serve as a centralised hub for the collection, processing, storage, and distribution of skin grafts, providing a "critical resource" for military medical centres across the country.

What is a Skin Bank?

• A skin bank is a facility where skin is taken from an eligible donor, and processed, and stored under appropriate temperature for up to five years.
• Skin from a deceased person can be donated within six hours after death.
• Anyone can donate skin, irrespective of sex and blood group. The donor''s minimum age should be 18 years.
• The skin of persons suffering from AIDS, Hepatitis B & C, Sexually Transmitted Diseases, Skin Cancer, Active skin Disease and Septicemia are considered unfit for donation.
• This donated skin is then collected and processed over five to six weeks and frozen until it''s needed.
• The skin is generally preserved in 85% glycerol solution. It is stored between 4-5 degrees Celsius for up to 5 years.
• When a burn victim requires skin for their injuries, a surgical procedure called skin grafting is conducted.

What is Skin Grafting?

• It is a simple process when a piece of healthy skin is transplanted to a different area of the body where the skin is damaged or missing.
• There are two main types of skin grafts: autograft (skin is taken from another part of the patient''s own body) and allograft (skin is taken from a donor, often sourced from a skin bank).
• Any skin can be used on anybody, and within two to three weeks post-grafting, the doctors can determine whether the patient is accepting it or not.

eSakshya App

• Days ahead of the implementation of the three criminal laws, the Union Ministry of Home Affairs (MHA) is testing eSakshya (e-evidence).

eSakshya App:

• It is a mobile-based application to help police record the scene of crime, search and seizure in a criminal case and upload the file on the cloud-based platform.
• Process: The police official will have to upload a selfie after the procedure is complete.
• Each recording could be a maximum four minutes long and several such files could be uploaded for each First Information Report (FIR), according to the details shared with State police departments.
• Developed by: The mobile application developed by the National Informatics Centre (NIC) will be available to all police stations which register and download the App.