President Xi Jinping will attend virtual SCO summit hosted by India: Chinese Foreign Ministry

• SCO is an intergovernmental organization founded in Shanghai, China, on 15 June 2001 by the leaders of China, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Russia, Tajikistan and Uzbekistan.
• Apart from Uzbekistan, the other five countries have been a part of the ‘Shanghai Five’ constituted in 1996 by China to address border security issues with four of its neighbours.
• The cooperation w as renamed SCO after Uzbekistan joined the organization in 2001.
• The SCO currently comprises eight Member States: China, India, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Russia, Pakistan, Tajikistan and Uzbekistan.
• India and Pakistan became permanent members in 2017.
• The main objectives of the SCO are as follows:
  • Strengthening mutual trust, friendship and neighbourly relations among the member states;
  • Promoting effective cooperation in political, trade, economic, scientific, technical, and cultural spheres as well as in the realm of educational, energy, transport, tourism, environmental protection, and other areas;
  • Jointly maintaining and safeguarding peace, security and stability in the region; and
  • Fostering creation of democratic, fair and rational new international political and economic order.
• Structure:
  • The Heads of State Council (HSC) is the supreme decision-making body in the SCO. It meets once a year and adopts decisions and guidelines on all important matters of the organisation.
  • The organisation has two permanent bodies:
    • The SCO Secretariat based in Beijing.
    • The Executive Committee of the Regional Anti-Terrorist Structure (RATS) based in Tashkent.
    • RATS serves to promote cooperation of member states against terrorism, separatism and extremism.
• The official working languages: Chinese and Russian.

Headless decomposed carcass of tiger found in Satpura reserve’s core area; MP officials confirm poaching

• It is located in the Hoshangabad district of Madhya Pradesh.
• It is located in the Satpura ranges of the Central Indian Landscape.
• It lies south of the river Narmada.
• Satpura, basically meaning "Seven Folds", forms a watershed between Narmada and Tapti Rivers.
• Corridor: It has corridor connectivity with Pench National Park.
• The habitat is also an important testimony to human evolution as it houses more than 50 rock shelters which are almost 1500 to 10,000 years old.
• Geological formations include the Deccan trap series, Gondwanas and Metamorphic rocks.
• Vegetation: Southern tropical moist deciduous forest, Southern tropical dry deciduous forest, Tropical riparian fringing forest, southern tropical thorn forest, central Indian sun tropical hill forest, Dry and moist grassland.
• Flora:
  • It has a variety of flora typical of the Central Indian Highlands. These include teak, bamboo, Indian Ebony, various acacias, wild mango, Indian gooseberry, satinwood etc.
  • Twenty-six species of the Himalayan region and 42 species of Nilgiri areas are found. Hence STR is also known as the northern extremity of the Western Ghats.
• Fauna: Tiger is the charismatic species along with other mammals like Gaur, Sambhar, Chital, besides co predators, birds, reptiles and fishes.

MNRE Unveils Guidelines for Incentive Schemes for Electrolyser & Green Hydrogen Production in India

SIGHT programme

• It is a sub component under the National Green Hydrogen Mission.
• Aim of the programme:
  • Component I: It aims at providing electrolyser manufacturing incentives with a total outlay of INR 4440 crore
  • Component II: It focuses on green hydrogen production with financial outlay of INR 13050 crore.
• Implementing agency: The Solar Energy Corporation of India (SECI) would be the implementing agency responsible for the scheme’s execution.

National Green Hydrogen Mission

• It was launched in 2022, with the goal of making India energy independent and decarbonising major sectors of the economy.
• Benefits of this mission
  • India’s Green Hydrogen production capacity is likely to reach at least 5 MMT per annum, with an associated renewable energy capacity addition of about 125 GW.
  • The targets by 2030 are likely to bring in over Rs. 8 lakh crore investments.
  • Nearly 50 MMT per annum of CO2 emissions are expected to be averted by 2030.

Green hydrogen

• It is the gas produced by splitting water into hydrogen and oxygen using an electrolyser that may be powered by electricity generated from renewable energy sources.

Nord Security joins the United Nations Global Compact

United Nations Global Compact (UNGC)

• UNGC is a call to companies everywhere to align their operations and strategies with Ten Principles in the areas of human rights, labour, environment and anti-corruption.
• Launched in 2000, UNGC is the largest corporate sustainability initiative in the world, with more than 15,000 companies and 3,000 non-business signatories based in over 160 countries, and more than 70 Local Networks.
• This UN-led initiative promotes activities that contribute to sustainable development goals to create a better world.
• The Ten Principles of the UN Global Compact:
  • Derived from core United Nations conventions and declarations, the Ten Principles of the UN Global Compact are recognized and endorsed in numerous intergovernmental resolutions and outcome documents, including General Assembly resolutions.
  • Companies that join the compact are expected to integrate these principles into their corporate strategies, culture, and day-to-day operations.
  • Companies are also expected to advocate the principles publicly and communicate with stakeholders on progress toward meeting the principles.
  • Any company that commits to upholding the principles may join the compact, which is not legally binding and is purely voluntary.
  • The 10 principles for businesses, as stated on the UN Global Compact’s website, are the following:
  • Human Rights:
    • Principle 1: Businesses should support and respect the protection of internationally proclaimed human rights; and
    • Principle 2: make sure that they are not complicit in human rights abuses.
  • Labour:
    • Principle 3: Businesses should uphold the freedom of association and the effective recognition of the right to collective bargaining;
    • Principle 4: the elimination of all forms of forced and compulsory labour;
    • Principle 5: the effective abolition of child labour; and
    • Principle 6: the elimination of discrimination in respect of employment and occupation.
  • Environment:
    • Principle 7: Businesses should support a precautionary approach to environmental challenges;
    • Principle 8: undertake initiatives to promote greater environmental responsibility; and
    • Principle 9: encourage the development and diffusion of environmentally friendly technologies.
  • Anti-Corruption:
    • Principle 10: Businesses should work against corruption in all its forms, including extortion and bribery.

Belle, the inobtrusive AI robot fish, is helping researchers to protect our marine ecosytems

• It is an autonomous underwater robot designed to collect DNA samples and film underwater without disrupting the delicate ecosystem it explores.
• Objective: By analysing DNA samples and video footage collected by the robot, researchers aim to better understand the impact of human activities on marine life and develop targeted conservation strategies.
• Features:
  • Belle is silent, moves like a fish and doesn’t create a disruptive wake as she moves through her environment.
  • It employs artificial intelligence (AI) to autonomously manoeuvre and capture isolated e-DNA samples, as well as high-resolution video footage.
  • Measuring just under a metre and weighing almost 10 kg out of the water, Belle is propelled by a silicone fin with two cavities into which water is pumped in cycles.
  • These cavities are filled and emptied with water through a pump system that moves the fin back and forth.
  • Additionally, its soft tail mimics the rising and falling motion of a fish, creating no disturbance or turbulence in the water, allowing it to blend effortlessly with other marine creatures.

Defence ministry inks Rs 2,725 cr contract with MDL for refit of submarine

• It belongs to Shishumar class of submarines and has a speed of 22 knots.
• It is a Sub-Surface Killer (SSK) Class diesel-electric submarine.
• These submarines are developed by the German yard Howaldtswerke-Deutsche Werft (HDW).
• The first two of these vessels (INS Shishumar and Shankush) were built by HDW at Kiel, while the remainder (Shalki and Shankul ) have been built at Mazagon Dock Limited (MDL) Mumbai.
• The ships were commissioned between 1986 and 1994.
• These submarines have a displacement capacity of 1660 tons when surfaced.

Submarines

• Submarines are any naval vessel that is capable of propelling itself beneath the water as well as on the water’s surface.
• This is a unique capability among warships, and submarines are quite different in design and appearance from surface ships.

Vinesh Phogat and Bajrang Punia to head out to Kyrgystan and Hungary for international training camps

Target Olympic Podium Scheme (TOPS)

• In order to improve India’s performance at Olympics and Paralympics it was started the September 2014.
• It is a flagship program of the Ministry of Youth Affairs and Sports which is an attempt to provide assistance to India’s top athletes.
• It was revamped in 2018 to include a technical support team to manage the TOPS athletes and offer comprehensive assistance.
• The Ministry prioritises the selection of TOPS members, with an emphasis on ensuring representation from high-priority sports such as Archery, Badminton, Boxing, Hockey, Shooting, and Wrestling.
• Category: The sports persons are selected mainly in two categories namely; the Core Group and the Development Group.
• Out of Pocket Allowance’ of Rs 50,000 per month is given to the selected Athletes in Core Group and Rs 25,000 per month to athletes in Development Group for meeting contingent and miscellaneous expenses.
• To provide assistance to athletes selected under the Scheme, a dedicated body called the Mission Olympic Cell was established.
• This body operates under the leadership of the Director General of the Sports Authority of India.

Michael Rosen wins this year''s PEN Pinter Prize

• It was established in 2009 in memory of Nobel-Laureate playwright Harold Pinter.
• The winner must be the author of a significant body of plays, poetry, essays, or fiction of outstanding literary merit, written in English.
• It is given to a writer from the UK, Ireland and the Commonwealth whose work is committed to a fearless exposition of truth about contemporary life.
• The prize is shared with an international writer of courage selected by English PEN’s Writers at Risk Committee in association with the winner.
• This half of the prize is awarded to someone who has been persecuted for speaking out about their beliefs.
• Some of the previous award-winning writers are Malorie Blackman(2022), Tsitsi Dangarembga (2021) Hanif Kureishi (2010), Salman Rushdie (2014), and Lemn Sissay (2019).

Delhi govt. moves SC to quash ordinance giving L-G control over services

• Article 123 of the Indian Constitution grants the President of India certain Lawmaking powers, i.e., to Promulgate Ordinances when either of the two Houses of the Parliament is not in session, which makes it impossible for a single House to pass and enact a law.
• These Ordinances have the same effect as an Act of Parliament.
• Ordinances may relate to any subject that the Parliament has the power to make law, and would be having the same limitations.
• The Ordinances may have a retrospective effect and may modify or repeal any act of Parliament or other ordinances. It may be used to amend a tax law, but it can never amend the Constitution.
• The President may withdraw an ordinance at any time. However, he exercises his power with the consent of the Council of Ministers headed by the President.
• Following limitations exist on the Ordinance making power,
  • Legislature is not in session: The President can only promulgate an Ordinance when either of the two Houses of Parliament is not in session.
  • Immediate action is required: The President cannot promulgate an Ordinance unless he is satisfied that there are circumstances that require taking ‘immediate action’.
  • Parliament should approve: Ordinances must be approved by Parliament within six weeks of reassembling or they shall cease to operate. The same will cease to operate if disapproved by either House.
• In various judicial pronouncements, the Supreme Court has held that the President’s Ordinance making power is not beyond the scope of judicial review.