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  • New Guidelines Against Misleading Advertisements

    The Centre has announced a new set of guidelines for advertisements preventing misleading ads by Celebrities.

    Guidelines on Prevention of Misleading Advertisements and Endorsements for Misleading Advertisements, 2022: Key takeaways

    (1) Conditions for non-misleading and valid advertisement

    An advertisement shall be considered to be valid and not misleading:

    • If it contains truthful and honest representation;
    • Does not mislead consumers by exaggerating the accuracy,
    • Scientific validity or practical usefulness or capability or performance or service of the goods or product;
    • Does not present rights conferred on consumers by any law as a distinctive feature of advertiser’s offer.

     (2) Bait Advertisement

    • A bait advertisement shall not seek to entice consumers to purchase goods, products or services without a reasonable prospect of selling such advertised goods, products or services at the price offered.
    • The advertiser shall ensure that there is adequate supply of goods, products or services to meet foreseeable demand generated by such advertisement.

    (3) Prohibition of surrogate advertising

    • No surrogate advertisement or indirect advertisement shall be made for goods or services whose advertising is otherwise prohibited or restricted by law.
    • No circumventing of such prohibition or restriction and portraying it to be an advertisement for other goods or services shall be allowed.

    (4) Free claims advertisements

    • A free claims advertisement shall not describe any goods, product or service to be ‘free’, ‘without charge’ or use such other terms if the consumer has to pay anything other than the unavoidable costs.
    • Seller must make clear the extent of commitment that a consumer shall make to take advantage of a free offer.

    (5) Children targeted advertisements

    • An advertisement that addresses or targets or uses children shall not condone, encourage, inspire or unreasonably emulate behaviour that could be dangerous for children or take advantage of children’s inexperience, credulity or sense of loyalty.

    (6) Limitations on Celebrity Endorsers

    • The government has tightened norms for endorsers, including celebrities and sportspersons.
    • They are now required to make material connection disclosures and undertake due diligence while doing advertisements.
    • Endorsements must reflect the honest opinions, belief or experience of the endorsers.
    • The endorsers have to make material connection disclosures and failing to do so will attract penalty under the Consumer Protection Act (CPA).
    • Material disclosures mean any relationship that materially affects the weight or credibility of any endorsement which a reasonable consumer would not expect.
    • Violation of these guidelines will attract a penalty of ₹10 lakh for the first offence and ₹50 lakh for the subsequent offence, under the CPA.

    (7) ASCI rules

    • The latest guidelines will also apply to government advertisements.
    • Moreover, the advertising guidelines for self-regulation issued by the Advertising Standards Council of India (ASCI) will also be in place in a parallel manner.

     

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  • 21 Years of BrahMos Missile

    On June 12, 2001 the BrahMos supersonic cruise missile was first tested from a land-based launcher in Chandipur.

    What is BrahMos Missile System?

    • BrahMos is a joint venture between India’s Defence Research and Development Organisation (DRDO) and Russia’s NPO Mashinostroyeniya.
    • The missile derives its name from the Brahmaputra and Moskva rivers.
    • Beginning with an anti-ship missile, several variants have since been developed.
    • It is now capable of being launched from land, sea, sub-sea and air against surface and sea-based targets and has constantly been improved and upgraded.

    Its capabilities

    • BrahMos is a two-stage missile with a solid propellant booster engine.
    • Its first stage brings the missile to supersonic speed and then gets separated.
    • The liquid ramjet or the second stage then takes the missile closer to three times the speed of sound in cruise phase.
    • The missile has a very low radar signature, making it stealthy, and can achieve a variety of trajectories.
    • The ‘fire and forget’ type missile can achieve a cruising altitude of 15 km and a terminal altitude as low as 10 m to hit the target.

    Background and development

    • The early 1980s the Integrated Guided Missile Development Programme was conceived and led by Dr A P J Abdul Kalam.
    • It started developing a range of missiles including Prithvi, Agni, Trishul, Akash and Nag, with a wide spectrum of capabilities and ranges.
    • In the early 1990s, India’s strategic leadership felt the need for cruise and guided missiles.
    • The need was felt primarily following the use of cruise missiles in the Gulf War.
    • An Agreement was signed with Russia in Moscow in 1998 by Dr Kalam, who headed the DRDO.
    • This led to the formation of BrahMos Aerospace, a joint venture between DRDO and NPO Mashinostroyenia (NPOM), the Indian side holding 50.5% and the Russians 49.5%.

    Tests and induction

    • In 1999, work on development of missiles began in labs of DRDO and NPOM after BrahMos Aerospace received funds from the two governments.
    • The first successful test in 2001 was conducted from a specially designed land-based launcher.
    • The missile system has since reached some key milestones, with the first major export order of $375 million received from the Philippines Navy this year.

    Strategic significance

    • Cruise missiles such as BrahMos, called “standoff range weapons”, are fired from a range far enough to allow the attacker to evade defensive counter-fire.
    • What makes the missile system unparalleled is its extreme accuracy and versatility.
    • With missiles made available for export, the platform is also seen as a key asset in defence diplomacy.

    Variants of Brahmos

    • Versions currently being tested include ranges up to 350 km, as compared to the original’s 290 km.
    • Versions with even higher ranges, up to 800 km, and with hypersonic speed are said to be on cards.
    • Efforts are also on to reduce the size and signature of existing versions and augment its capabilities further.
    • Versions deployed in all three Armed forces are still being tested regularly, and so are versions currently under development.
    1. LAND-BASED: The land-based BrahMos complex has four to six mobile autonomous launchers, each with three missiles on board that can be fired almost simultaneously. They are described as ‘tidy’ as they have very few components.
    2. SHIP-BASED: The Navy began inducting BrahMos on its frontline warships from 2005. These can hit sea-based targets beyond the radar horizon. The Naval version has been successful in sea-to-sea and sea-to-land modes.
    3. AIR-LAUNCHED: On November 22, 2017, BrahMos was successfully flight-tested for the first time from a Sukhoi-30MKI against a sea-based target in the Bay of Bengal. It has since been successfully tested multiple times.
    4. SUBMARINE-LAUNCHED: This version can be launched from around 50 m below the water surface. The canister-stored missile is launched vertically from the pressure hull of the submarine and uses different settings for underwater and out-of-the-water flights.

     

     

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  • E-Vidhan System for Paperless Legislation

    A delegation of MLAs from Gujarat visited the UP Legislative Assembly to learn about the novel e-Vidhan system for paperless proceedings that has been recently adopted by the UP state assembly.

    E-Vidhan System

    • The National e-Vidhan Application (NeVA) is a system for digitising the legislative bodies of all Indian states and the Parliament through a single platform.
    • It includes a website and a mobile app.
    • The house proceedings, starred/unstarred questions and answers, committee reports etc. will be available on the portal.
    • Nagaland became the first state to implement NeVA, in March this year.

    Significance of NeVA

    • There has been a shift towards digitisation in recent years by the government.
    • NeVA aims for streamlining information related to various state assemblies, and to eliminate the use of paper in day-to-day functioning.
    • PM Modi mentioned the idea of “One Nation One Legislative Platform” in November 2021.
    • A digital platform not only gives the necessary technological boost to our parliamentary system, but also connects all the democratic units of the country.

    Has this been done elsewhere?

    • Himachal Pradesh’s Legislative Assembly implemented the pilot project of NeVA in 2014, where touch-screen devices replaced paper at the tables of the MLAs.
    • Though both Houses of Parliament have not gone fully digital yet, governments world over are heading towards embracing the digital mode.
    • In December last year, the Government of Dubai became the world’s first government to go 100 percent paperless.
    • It announced all procedures were completely digitised.
    • This, as per a government statement, would cut expenditure by USD 350 million and also save 14-million-man-hours.

    What are the challenges?

    • Access to devices and reliable internet and electricity was an issue particularly for legislators representing rural constituencies.
    • Lack of training and heightened concerns over security are some more recent issues in the road to digitization.

     

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  • Surrogacy Law faces challenge in Court

    A person has approached the Delhi High Court to question why marital status, age or gender should be the criteria for prohibiting someone from commissioning a surrogacy.

    Why in news?

    • Under the Surrogacy (Regulation) Act, 2021 a married couple can opt for surrogacy only on medical grounds.
    • The petitioner have challenged in the court the surrogacy law and the Assisted Reproductive Technology (Regulation) Act, 2021 which provides a regulatory framework for surrogacy.

    Issues raised by the petition

    • Currently, the laws does not allow single men to have child through surrogacy.
    • Married women can only avail surrogacy services if they are unable to produce a child due to medical conditions.
    • Otherwise, for women to avail of surrogacy services, they must be aged between 35 and 45 and widowed or divorced.
    • Women can only offer surrogacy if they are aged between 25 and 35 and married with at least one biological child.
    • The laws also require a surrogate to be genetically related to the couple who intend to have a child through this method, their petition said.

    Basis of the Petition

    • The personal decision of a single person about the birth of a baby through surrogacy, i.e., the right of reproductive autonomy is a facet of the right to privacy guaranteed under Article 21 of the Constitution.
    • Thus, the right to privacy of every citizen or person affecting a decision to bear or beget a child through surrogacy cannot be taken away.

    Distinct features of the Surrogacy (Regulation) Act, 2021

    • Definition of surrogacy: It defines surrogacy as a practice where a woman gives birth to a child for an intending couple with the intention to hand over the child after the birth to the intending couple.
    • Regulation of surrogacy: It prohibits commercial surrogacy, but allows altruistic surrogacy which involves no monetary compensation to the surrogate mother other than the medical expenses and insurance.
    • Purposes for which surrogacy is permitted: Surrogacy is permitted when it is: (i) for intending couples who suffer from proven infertility; (ii) altruistic; (iii) not for commercial purposes; (iv) not for producing children for sale, prostitution or other forms of exploitation; and (v) for any condition or disease specified through regulations.
    • Eligibility criteria: The intending couple should have a ‘certificate of essentiality’ and a ‘certificate of eligibility’ issued by the appropriate authority ex. District Medical Board.

    Eligibility criteria for surrogate mother:

    • To obtain a certificate of eligibility from the appropriate authority, the surrogate mother has to be:
    1. A close relative of the intending couple;
    2. A married woman having a child of her own;
    3. 25 to 35 years old;
    4. A surrogate only once in her lifetime; and
    5. Possess a certificate of medical and psychological fitness for surrogacy.
    • Further, the surrogate mother cannot provide her own gametes for surrogacy.

    Also read:

    [Burning Issue] Surrogacy in India

     

     

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  • Tendu Leaves Collection in India

    Tribal residents in Chhattisgarh have decided to file an FIR against an official of the state forest department after he confiscated the tendu leaves that they had collected.

    Tendu Leaves

    • Leaves of tree species Diospyros melanoxyion are used as wrappers of tobacco to produce bidi.
    • This tree is commonly known as “tendu,” but also called “abnus” in Andhra Pradesh, “kendu” in Orissa and West Bengal, “tembru” in Gujarat, “kari” in Kerala, “tembhurni” in Maharahstra, and “bali tupra” in Tamil Nadu.
    • This leaf is considered the most suitable wrapper on account of the ease with which it can be rolled and its wide availability.
    • Tendu is also called ‘green gold’ and is a prominent minor forest produce in India.

    How it is traded?

    • In 1964, the trade in tendu leaves was nationalised in then-undivided Madhya Pradesh.
    • Until then, people were free to sell tendu leaves in markets across the country.
    • Maharashtra adopted the same system in 1969, undivided Andhra Pradesh in 1971, Odisha in 1973, Gujarat in 1979, Rajasthan in 1974 and Chhattisgarh in 2000.
    • Under this arrangement, the state forest department collects tendu leaves, allows their transportation and sells them to traders.

    Why is there a dispute?

    • The dispute is essentially about who has the right to sell the leaves.
    • State governments say only they can do so due to nationalization.
    • On the other hand, tendu leaf collectors cite The Scheduled Tribes and Other Traditional Forest Dwellers (Recognition of Forest Rights) Act, 2006 and the 2013 Supreme Court verdict in the Niyamgiri Case to say private collectors can sell them on their own.
    • Tendu leaf collectors allege that the government gives them a lower price for the leaves, while it fetches a higher price in the open market.

    What do the tribals want?

    • The tribals, after having obtained forest rights leases under the FRA 2006, now want to sell tendu leaves on their own, with the permission of Gram Sabhas and make good profits.
    • Many types of minor forest produce like Mahua, Salbeej or the seeds of the Sal tree (Shorea robusta) and Chironji or Almondette kernels (Buchanania lanzan) are collected and sold by tribals.
    • Hence, there should not be a dispute over tendu leaves.

    Back2Basics: Forest Produce in India

    • Forest produce is defined under section 2(4) of the Indian Forest Act, 1927.
    • Its legal definition includes timber, charcoal, catechu, wood-oil, resin, natural varnish, bark, lac, mahua flowers, trees and leaves, flowers and fruit, plants (including grass, creepers, reeds and moss), wild animals, skins, tusks, horns, bones, cocoons, silk, honey, wax, etc.
    • Forest produce can be divided into several categories.
    • From the point of view of usage, forest produce can be categorized into three types: Timber, Non-Timber and Minor Minerals.
    • Non-timber forest products (NTFPs) are known also as minor forest produce (MFP) or non-wood forest produces (NWFP).
    • The NTFP can be further categorized into medicinal and aromatic plants (MAP), oilseeds, fibre & floss, resins, edible plants, bamboo, reeds and grasses

     

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  • What is National Intelligence Grid (NATGRID)?

    The Ministry of Home Affairs (MHA) has curtailed the tenure of the Chief Executive Officer (CEO) of the National Intelligence Grid (NATGRID) and moved him to the Border Security Force (BSF).

    What is NATGRID?

    • NATGRID is an intelligence-sharing network that collates data from the standalone databases of the various agencies and ministries of the Indian government.
    • It is a counter terrorism measure that collects and collates a host of information from government databases including tax and bank account details, credit/debit card transactions, visa and immigration records and itineraries of rail and air travel.
    • It will also have access to the Crime and Criminal Tracking Network and Systems (CCTNS), a database that links crime information, including First Information Reports, across 14,000 police stations in India.
    • As of 2019, NATGRID is headed by an Indian Police Service (IPS) officer Ashish Gupta.

    Its establishment

    • The 26/11 terrorist siege in Mumbai back in 2008 exposed the deficiency that security agencies had no mechanism to look for vital information on a real-time basis.

    Access to NATGRID

    • Prominent federal agencies of the country have been authorized to access the NATGRID database.
    • They are the:
    1. Central Bureau of Investigation
    2. Directorate of Revenue Intelligence,
    3. Enforcement Directorate
    4. Central Board of Indirect Taxes and Customs
    5. Central Board of Direct Taxes (for the Income Tax Department)
    6. Cabinet Secretariat
    7. Intelligence Bureau
    8. Directorate General of GST Intelligence
    9. Narcotics Control Bureau
    10. Financial Intelligence Unit, and
    11. National Investigation Agency

    Future prospects

    • According to the first phase plan, 10 user agencies and 21 service providers will be connected with the NATGRID, while in later phases, about 950 additional organizations will be brought on board.
    • In the following years, more than 1,000 organizations will be further integrated into the NATGRID.
    • These data sources include records related to immigration entry and exit, banking and financial transactions, and telecommunications.

     

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  • Thailand becomes first Asian country to legalize Marijuana

    Thailand has officially legalized the growing and consumption of marijuana in food and drinks, becoming the first Asian country to do so.

    Films like ‘Udta Punjab’ have graphically portrayed the crisis faced by the society and its youth with regard to the drug menace.

    What is Marijuana?

    • Cannabis, also known as marijuana among other names, is a psychoactive drug from the Cannabis plant used primarily for medical or recreational purposes.
    • The main psychoactive component of cannabis is tetrahydrocannabinol (THC), which is one of the 483 known compounds in the plant, including at least 65 other cannabinoids, including cannabidiol (CBD).
    • It is used by smoking, vaporizing, within the food, or as an extract.

    Prospects of legalizing Marijuana

    (1) Health benefits

    • The cannabinoids found in Cannabis is a great healer and has found mention in the Ayurveda.
    • It can be used to treat a number of medical conditions like multiple sclerosis, arthritis, epilepsy, insomnia, HIV/AIDS treatment, cancer.

    (2) Ecological benefits

    • The cannabis plant and seeds apart from being labeled a ‘super-foods’ as per studies is also a super-industrial carbon negative raw material.
    • Each part of the plant can be used for some industry. Hemp currently is also being used to make bio-fuel, bio-plastics and even construction material in certain countries. The cosmetic industry has also embraced Hemp seeds.

     (3) Marijuana is addiction-free

    • An epidemiological study showed that only 9%  of those who use marijuana end up being clinically dependent on it.
    • The ‘comparable rates’ for tobacco, alcohol and cocaine stood at 32%, 15% and 16% respectively.

    (4) Good source of Revenue

    • By legalizing and taxing marijuana, the government will stand to earn huge amounts of revenue that will otherwise go to the Italian and Israeli drug cartels.
    • In an open letter to US President George Bush, around 500 economists, led by Nobel Prize winner Milton Friedman, called for marijuana to be “legal but taxed and regulated like other goods”.

    (5) A potential cash crop

    • The cannabis plant is something natural to India, especially the northern hilly regions. It has the potential of becoming a cash crop for poor marginal farmers.
    • If proper research is done and the cultivation of marijuana encouraged at an official level, it can gradually become a source of income for poor people with small landholdings.

    (6) Prohibition was ineffective

    • In India, the consumption of synthetic drugs like cocaine has increased since marijuana was banned, while it has decreased in the US since it was legalized in certain states.
    • Moreover, these days, it is pretty easy to buy marijuana in India and its consumption is widespread among the youth. So it is fair to say that prohibition has failed to curb the ‘problem’.

     (7) Marijuana is less harmful

    • Marijuana consumption was never regarded as a socially deviant behaviour any more than drinking alcohol was. In fact, keeping it legal was considered as an ‘enlightened view’.
    • It is now medically proven that marijuana is less harmful than alcohol.

    Risks of Legalizing Cannabis

    (1) Health risks continue to persist

    • There are many misconceptions about cannabis. First, it is not accurate that cannabis is harmless.
    • Its immediate effects include impairments in memory and in mental processes, including ones that are critical for driving.
    • Long-term use of cannabis may lead to the development of addiction of the substance, persistent cognitive deficits, and of mental health problems like schizophrenia, depression and anxiety.
    • Exposure to cannabis in adolescence can alter brain development.

    (2) A new ‘tobacco’ under casualization

    • A second myth is that if cannabis is legalized and regulated, its harms can be minimized.
    • With legalization comes commercialization. Cannabis is often incorrectly advertised as being “natural” and “healthier than alcohol and tobacco”.
    • Tobacco, too, was initially touted as a natural and harmless plant that had been “safely” used in religious ceremonies for centuries.

    (3) Unconvincing Advocacy

    • Advocates for legalization rarely make a convincing case. To hear some supporters tell it, the drug cures all diseases while promoting creativity, open-mindedness, moral progression.
    • Too much trivialization of Cannabis use could lead to its mass cultivation and a silent economy wreaking havoc through a new culture of substance abuse in India.

    Way forward

    • For Cannabis/ Marijuana, it’s important to make a distinction between legalization, decriminalization and commercialization.
    • We must ensure that there are enough protections for children, the young, and those with severe mental illnesses, who are most vulnerable to its effects.
    • Hence, laws should be made to suit people so that they do not break the law to maintain their lifestyle.
    • Laws should weave around an existing lifestyle, not obstruct it. Or else laws will be broken.

    Conclusion

    • The debate on the legalization of marijuana in India has been consistent on social media and other noted platforms.
    • As with alcohol and tobacco products, the use of cannabis needs to be regulated, taxed and monitored.

     

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  • Indian Patent Regime vs. US norms

    The US Trade Representative (USTR) said in a report released last month that India was one of the most challenging major economies as far as IP protection and enforcement is concerned.

    What is the news?

    • US has decided to retain India on its Priority Watch List along with six other countries —Argentina, Chile, China, Indonesia, Russia and Venezuela.

    What is a Patent?

    • A patent is an exclusive set of rights granted for an invention, which may be a product or process that provides a new way of doing something or offers a new technical solution to a problem.

    Indian Patent Regime: A Backgrounder

    • Indian patents are governed by the Indian Patent Act of 1970.
    • India has gradually aligned itself with international regimes pertaining to intellectual property rights.
    • It became a party to the Trade-Related Aspects of Intellectual Property Rights (TRIPS) Agreement following its membership to the World Trade Organisation on January 1, 1995.
    • An interesting point is that the original Indian Patents Act did not grant patent protection to pharmaceutical products to ensure that medicines were available at a low price.
    • Patent protection of pharmaceuticals were re-introduced after the 2005 amendment to comply with TRIPS.

    Various agreements

    • India is also a signatory to several IPR related conventions, including the Berne Convention, which governs copyright.
    • It is signatory to the Budapest Treaty, the Paris Convention for the Protection of Industrial Property, and the Patent Cooperation Treaty (PCT), all of which govern various patent-related matters.

    Issues raised about India

    • Among the issues raised in the report are:
    1. India’s inconsistencies regarding patent protection
    2. Concerns about what can be patented
    3. Waiting time for obtaining patents
    4. Burdensome reporting requirements and
    5. Doubts about data safety
    6. Trademark counterfeiting and secrets
    • India had undertaken an intellectual property review exercise last year, where a Parliamentary Standing Committee examined this subject.

    Contention of the US: Patents Evergreening

    • One of the main points of contention between India and the U.S. has been Article 3(d) of the Indian Patent Act.
    • Section 3 deals with what does not qualify as an invention under the Act, and Section 3(d) in particular excludes the mere discovery of a new form of a known substance.
    • Section 3(d) prevents the mere discovery of any new property or new use for a known substance from being patented as an invention unless it enhances the efficacy of the substance repetitive.
    • This prevents, what is known as “Evergreening” of patents.
    • According to the Committee’s report, Section 3(d) allows for “generic competition by patenting only novel and genuine inventions.”

    TRIPS and the Doha Declaration

    • The Doha Declaration on the TRIPS Agreement and Public Health was adopted on November 14, 2021, by the WTO member states.
    • This declaration recognises the gravity of public health problems affecting developing and least developed nations.
    • It recognises that “intellectual property protection is important for the development of new medicines,” and acknowledges concerns about its effects on prices.
    • It is interpreted and implemented as a right to protect public health and, in particular, to promote access to medicines for all.

    Key provisions of Doha Agreement

    • Compulsory licences can be invoked by a state in public interest, allowing companies apart from the patent owner to produce a patented product without consent.
    • It concluded that India must not compromise on the patentability criteria under Section 3(d).
    • It said that this ensures the growth of generic drug makers and the public’s access to affordable medicines.
    • It indicated that India should resolve its differences with the US regarding the disqualification of incremental inventions through bilateral dialogue.

    Positive steps taken by India

    • The USTR report highlighted some positive steps taken by India in the recent past.
    • India has accession to the World Intellectual Property Organisation (WIPO) Performances and Phonograms Treaty and WIPO Copyright Treaty, collectively known as the WIPO Internet Treaties, in 2018 and the Nice Agreement in 2019.

    Back2Basics: Intellectual Properties

    • IP is protected in law by, for example, patents, copyright and trademarks, which enable people to earn recognition or financial benefit from what they invent or create.
    • By striking the right balance between the interests of innovators and the wider public interest, the IP system aims to foster an environment in which creativity and innovation can flourish.

    Types of IP:

    (1) Copyright

    • Copyright is a legal term used to describe the rights that creators have over their literary and artistic works.
    • Works covered by copyright range from books, music, paintings, sculpture and films, to computer programs, databases, advertisements, maps and technical drawings.

    (2) Patents

    Discussed above

    (3) Trademarks

    • A trademark is a sign capable of distinguishing the goods or services of one enterprise from those of other enterprises.
    • Trademarks date back to ancient times when artisans used to put their signature or “mark” on their products.

    (4) Geographical Indications

    • Geographical indications and appellations of origin are signs used on goods that have a specific geographical origin and possess qualities, a reputation or characteristics that are essentially attributable to that place of origin.
    • Most commonly, a geographical indication includes the name of the place of origin of the goods.

    (5) Trade secrets

    • Trade secrets are IP rights on confidential information which may be sold or licensed.
    • The unauthorized acquisition, use or disclosure of such secret information in a manner contrary to honest commercial practices by others is regarded as an unfair practice and a violation of the trade secret protection.

     

     

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  • What are Fast Radio Bursts (FRB)?

    In a paper published in Nature, astronomers have reported a fast radio burst (FRB) whose characteristics are different from almost all other FRBs previously detected.

    Such news makes us think about alien and extraterrestrial life at the first. Do not get carried away with such thoughts. Its simply a space based phenomena.

    Fast Radio Burst (FRB)

    • FRBs are super intense, millisecond-long bursts of radio waves produced by unidentified sources in the distant cosmos.
    • They were first discovered in 2007 when scientists combed through archival pulsar data.
    • Pulsars refer to spherical, compact objects in the universe, which are about the size of a large city but contain more mass than the sun.
    • They often look like flickering stars but are not stars.

    Why in news?

    • The new study in Nature describes FRB 20190520B, first discovered in 2019.
    • What makes it different is that unlike many other FRBs, it emits frequent, repeating bursts of radio waves.
    • And between bursts, it constantly emits weaker radio waves.
    • FRB 190520B is co-located with a compact, persistent radio source and associated with a dwarf host galaxy of high specific star formation.

     

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  • Places in news: Aegean Islands

    Turkey has warned Greece to demilitarise islands in the Aegean Sea.

    What is the news?

    • Turkey says Greece has been building a military presence in violation of treaties that guarantee the unarmed status of the Aegean islands.
    • It argues the islands were ceded to Greece on the condition they remained demilitarized.

    Where is the Aegean Sea?

    • The Aegean Sea has a surface area of about 215,000 km2 and a depth of 3,544 m at the deepest end.
    • It has a maximum length of about 700 km and a width of 400 km.
    • The Bosphorus and Dardanelles Straits connect the Aegean Sea to the Black Sea and the Marmara Sea respectively.
    • The Aegean is subdivided into the Myrtoan Sea and the Thracian Sea and lies on the African and Eurasian tectonic plates’ collision path.

    Control of the region

    • The sea is situated between the Anatolia and Balkan peninsulas and lies between Turkey and Greece.
    • Nine out of 12 of Greece’s administrative regions border the sea.
    • Turkish provinces, such as Balikesir, Canakkale, Edirne, and Izmir, borders the Aegean to the east.
    • The Aegean Sea is a source of dispute and controversy between Turkey and Greece, affecting their relationship since the 1970s.

    What is the dispute?

    • Greece and Turkey are NATO allies.
    • However they have a history of disputes over a range of issues, including mineral exploration in the eastern Mediterranean and rival claims in the Aegean Sea.
    • Greece maintains Turkey has deliberately misinterpreted the treaties and says it has legal grounds to defend itself following hostile actions by Ankara.

     

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