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Subject: Important Events

  • Dalai Lama’s Succession and Chinese Intervention

    dalai lama

    The Dalai Lama has named a US-born Mongolian boy as the tenth Khalkha Jetsun Dhampa, the head of the Janang tradition of Tibetan Buddhism and the Buddhist spiritual head of Mongolia.

    Do you know?

    “Rinpoche” is a title used in Tibetan Buddhism, which is given to a highly respected teacher or lama. It literally means “precious one” and is used to indicate respect and reverence for the person. The title is often given to senior lamas or to those who are considered to be reincarnations of past masters.

    Who is the Dalai Lama?

    • The Dalai Lama (a title) is the spiritual leader of Tibetan Buddhism.
    • He is believed to be the reincarnation of the previous Dalai Lama and is regarded as an important figure not only in Tibet but also around the world.
    • The Dalai Lama is traditionally both the political and spiritual leader of Tibet, but after China’s occupation of Tibet in 1950, he went into exile in India and since then has been primarily a spiritual leader.
    • The current and 14th Dalai Lama is Tenzin Gyatso, who was born in Tibet in 1935 and has been in exile in India since 1959.

    Brief Outline of Tibetan Buddhism

    • Tibetan Buddhism became the predominant religion in Tibet by the 9th century AD, evolving from the Mahayana and Vajrayana traditions of Buddhism and incorporating many tantric and shamanic practices.
    • It has four major schools: Nyingma, Kagyu, Sakya, and Gelug, with the Janang school being one of the smaller schools that grew as an offshoot of the Sakya School.
    • Since 1640, the Gelug School has been the predominant school of Tibetan Buddhism, and the Dalai Lama belongs to this school.

    Hierarchy and Reincarnation in the Tibetan Buddhist Tradition

    • The cycle of birth, death, and rebirth is one of Buddhism’s key beliefs.
    • Tibet’s hierarchical system seemingly emerged in the 13th century, and it was around this time that the first instances of “formally recognizing the reincarnations of lamas” can be found.
    • The Gelug School developed a strong hierarchy and instituted the tradition of succession through reincarnation, with the fifth Grand Lama of the school being conferred the title of Dalai Lama.
    • Several procedures/tests are followed to recognize Tulkus (recognized reincarnations).

    Key issue: Chinese interference

    • The announcement of the boy’s reincarnation has brought attention back to the larger question of the 14th Dalai Lama’s own reincarnation.
    • The issue of his reincarnation has deep ramifications on international politics, with China seeking to control the succession and take control over Tibet in the cultural sphere.

    What lies ahead?

    • The question of the Dalai Lama’s reincarnation is set to continue for the foreseeable future.
    • The Dalai Lama himself has not provided a definitive answer regarding what will happen, although he has suggested that there may be no Dalai Lama after him.
    • The question of his reincarnation continues to hold great political implications due to his symbolic authority and importance to millions of Tibetans across the world.

  • Abel Prize for Maths

    abel

    The Abel Prize for mathematics for 2023 was awarded to Argentine-American Luis Caffarelli, an expert in “partial differential equations” which can explain phenomena ranging from how water flows to population growth.

    Abel Prize

    • The Abel Prize is a prize awarded annually by the King of Norway to one or more outstanding mathematicians.
    • It is named after Norwegian mathematician Niels Henrik Abel (1802–1829) and directly modeled after the Nobel Prizes.
    • It comes with a monetary award of 7.5 million Norwegian kroner (NOK) (increased from 6 million NOK in 2019).
    • Its establishment was proposed by the Norwegian mathematician Sophus Lie when he learned that Alfred Nobel’s plans for annual prizes would not include a prize in mathematics.
    • The laureates are selected by the Abel Committee, the members of which are appointed by the Norwegian Academy of Science and Letters.

    Has any Indian ever won this prestigious prize?

    • Srinivasa Varadhan, an Indian-American citizen won the Abel Prize in the year 2007 for his valuable contribution in “probability theory and in particular for creating a unified theory of large deviation”.

     

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  • State of Child Custody Cases abroad

    child

    Central idea:

    • Activists are calling on the Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) to take a stronger interest in child custody cases in Western countries.
    • The call comes as the movie Mrs. Chatterjee vs Norway, which focuses on the diplomatic row between India and Norway in 2011.
    • The movie sheds light on cases where parents lose custody of their children over cultural differences in their upbringing.

    Child Custody norms in India

    • India’s child custody laws are governed by-
    1. Guardians and Wards Act of 1890: It recognizes the welfare of the child as the paramount consideration in custody matters.
    2. Hindu Minority and Guardianship Act of 1956: It deals with the custody and guardianship of Hindu children.
    • Indian law generally gives custody of children to the mother in case of young children, but the father can also seek custody.
    • In recent years, there have been calls to reform the law to provide more equal rights to fathers in custody battles.

     The story beyond: Bhattacharya Case

    • The movie depicts real life story of a Bengali couple who had moved to Norway in 2007.
    • Their child reportedly developed ‘autism-like’ symptoms in his early years and was placed in a family kindergarten.
    • The family was reportedly under watch for months by the child welfare service and in May 2011, the authorities took away the couple’s children under the pretext of bad parenting.
    • Finally the Norwegian authorities took the child away to their shelter home for almost 14 months.

    What accounts to ‘bad’ parenting in Norway?

    • Hand feeding: Norwegian authorities raised objection to the family hand-feeding the baby and equated it to force-feeding.
    • Child sleeping with parents: They also had problems with children sleeping on the same bed as their parents- something that is very common in Indian households.
    • Ban on physical discipline: Charges against the parents also included a slap by the parents – just once. Even mild physical discipline, such as a slap, is considered illegal in Norway.
    • Lack of recreation: Authorities accused the couple that the children did not have enough room to play. They were also accused of providing “unsuitable” clothes and toys to their children.

    About Norway’s Child Welfare Services

    • The Child Welfare Services in Norway is commonly known as Barnevernet and is responsible for child protection in the country.
    • The organization is very strict about child protection and applies strict regulations for all citizens living in the country, regardless of their cultural background.
    • The primary responsibility of the Child Welfare Services is to implement measures for children and their families in situations where there are special needs in relation to the home environment.
    • Assistance is provided through counseling, advisory services, and aid measures, including external support contacts, relief measures in the home, and access to daycare.

    The Bhattacharya Case and Diplomatic Row

    The case of the Bhattacharya couple, whose children were taken away by Barnevernet, caused a diplomatic row between Norway and India. The Bhattacharya had appealed to the foreign ministry to intervene in the case where the Child Welfare Services had taken their children away from them.

    • Bias against non-citizens: The couple was accused of mistreating their children, but some claimed that the decision was biased against non-Norwegian citizens.
    • State kidnapping of children: Human rights activists in India, called the incident “state kidnapping”.
    • Labelling parents for being of unsound mind: In almost every case, they claim that one of the parents has a mental problem just to make their case stronger.

    How did Norway response?

    • After a diplomatic row between the two countries, the Norwegian authorities decided to award the custody of the children to their father’s brother, enabling him to bring them back to India.

    Way forward

    • The case highlights the need for transparent and unbiased decision-making processes in child welfare services, especially in cases involving non-native citizens.
    • While child protection is of utmost importance, the authorities must ensure that their actions are fair, just, and not biased against any particular group or culture.
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  • International Day of Non-Violence event at UN

    International

    The International Day of Non-Violence event, held at the UN headquarters in New York, saw a life-size hologram of Gandhi displayed.

    International Day of Non-Violence

    • Every year, since 2007, the day is observed on October 2, the birth anniversary of Mahatma Gandhi.
    • Iranian Nobel Laureate Shirin Ebadi, in January 2004, first proposed the idea of dedicating a day to non-violence, around the world.
    • In 2007, the UN General Assembly (UNGA) passed a resolution to commemorate October 2 as the International Day of Non-Violence, with the core objective to “disseminate the message of non-violence, including through education and public awareness.”

    What does the term “non-violence” stand for?

    • The UN defines the term as a rejection of the use of physical violence in order to achieve social or political change.
    • The UNGA resolution reaffirms the universal relevance of the principle of non-violence and establishes a desire to secure a culture of peace, tolerance, understanding and non-violence.
    • The theory emphasises that the power of rulers depends on the consent of the populations, and non-violence therefore seeks to undermine such power through withdrawal of the consent and cooperation of the populace.

     

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  • Light Combat Helicopter (LCH) Prachand inducted into IAF

    lch

    The indigenous Light Combat Helicopter LCH-Prachand was formally inducted into the Indian Air Force (IAF).

    LCH- Prachand

    • The LCH has been designed as a twin-engine, dedicated combat helicopter of 5.8-ton class, thus categorized as light.
    • It features a narrow fuselage and tandem — one behind the other — configuration for pilot and co-pilot. The co-pilot is also the Weapon Systems Operator (WSO).
    • While LCH inherits many features of the ALH-Dhruv, it mainly differs in tandem cockpit configuration, making it sleeker.
    • It also has many more state-of-art systems that make it a dedicated attack helicopter.

    Features, the significance of LCH

    • LCH has the maximum take-off weight of 5.8 tonnes, a maximum speed of 268 kilometers per hour, range of 550 kilometers.
    • It has endurance of over three hours and service ceiling the maximum density altitude to which it can fly — of 6.5 kilometres.
    • LCH is powered by two French-origin Shakti engines manufactured by the HAL.

    Combat capabilities

    • The helicopter uses radar-absorbing material to lower radar signature and has a significantly crash-proof structure and landing gear.
    • A pressurised cabin offers protection from nuclear, biological and chemical (NBC) contingencies.
    • With these features, the LCH has the capabilities of combat roles such as destruction of enemy air defence, counter-insurgency warfare, combat search and rescue, anti-tank, and counter surface force operations.

    Why need indigenous LCH?

    • It was during the 1999 Kargil war that the need was first felt for a homegrown lightweight assault helicopter that could hold precision strikes in all Indian battlefield scenarios.
    • This meant a craft that could operate in very hot deserts and also in very cold high altitudes, in counter-insurgency scenarios to full-scale battle conditions.
    • India has been operating sub 3 ton category French-origin legacy helicopters, Chetak and Cheetah, made in India by the HAL.

     

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  • Micronesia: the remote Pacific Islands

    The Federated States of Micronesia is one of the latest places on Earth to experience an outbreak of Covid-19, after two and a half years of successfully protecting itself from the virus.

    Where is Micronesia?

    • FSM is located in the Western Pacific, in the Micronesia sub-region of Oceania.
    • It consists of four island states, Yap, Chuuk, Kosrae and Pohnpei (where the capital Palikir is located), all in the Caroline Islands.
    • Also known as the Carolines, it is a scattered archipelago of small islands that are divided between Micronesia and the Republic of Palau.
    • FSM is composed of 607 islands and islets with a total land area of 702 square km.

    Its geography

    • While this area is rather small, the islands stretch across an estimated 2,900 sq. km of sea, giving the nation the 14th largest Exclusive Economic Zone (EEZ) in the world.
    • EEZs grant countries special right over marine resources up to 370 km from their coasts.
    • The Federated States of Micronesia shares its sea borders with other small island nations and territories in the Micronesia region like Guam, the Republic of Marshall Islands, Palau, Kiribati, and the Mariana Islands.
    • Its larger neighbouring states — separated by large swathes of the Pacific Ocean — including the Philippines in the west, Hawaii in the east, Papua New Guinea and Australia to the south, and Japan to the north.

     

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  • United Nations’ World Population Prospects (WPP)

    The 2022 edition of the United Nations’ World Population Prospects (WPP) was released.

    Why in news?

    • India is projected to surpass China as the world’s most populous country in 2023.

    What is the World Population Prospects?

    • The Population Division of the UN has been publishing the WPP in a biennial cycle since 1951.
    • Each revision of the WPP provides a historical time series of population indicators starting in 1950.
    • It does so by taking into account newly released national data to revise estimates of past trends in fertility, mortality or international migration.

    Main takeaways for the global population

    (1) Slow pace of growth

    • The world’s population continues to grow, but the pace of growth is slowing down.
    • The global population is expected to grow to around 8.5 billion in 2030, 9.7 billion in 2050 and 10.4 billion in 2100.
    • In 2020, the global growth rate fell under 1% per year for the first time since 1950.

    (2) Region-wise differential

    • Rates of population growth vary significantly across countries and regions.
    • More than half of the projected increase in global population up to 2050 will be concentrated in just eight countries- Congo, Egypt, Ethiopia, India, Nigeria, Pakistan, the Philippines and Tanzania.
    • Disparate growth rates among the world’s largest countries will re-order their ranking by size.

    (3) Ageing population

    • The population of older persons is increasing both in numbers and as a share of the total.
    • The share of the global population aged 65 years or above is projected to rise from 10% in 2022 to 16% in 2050.
    • The report suggests measures for ageing population by improving the sustainability of social security and pension systems and by establishing universal health care and long-term care systems.

    (4) Decline in fertility rate

    • A sustained drop in fertility has led to an increased concentration of the population at working ages (between 25 and 64 years), creating an opportunity for accelerated economic growth per capita.
    • This shift in the age distribution provides a time-bound opportunity for accelerated economic growth known as the “demographic dividend”.

    (5) International migration

    • This is having important impacts on population trends for some countries.
    • For high-income countries between 2000 and 2020, the contribution of international migration to population growth (net inflow of 80.5 million) exceeded the balance of births over deaths (66.2 million).
    • Over the next few decades, migration will be the sole driver of population growth in high-income countries.
    • In many of these countries, the outflows were due to temporary labour movements, such as for Pakistan (net flow of -16.5 million), India (-3.5 million), Bangladesh (-2.9 million), Nepal (-1.6 million) etc.

    How reliable is the UN projection, and how do they compare with India’s Census?

    • In India, of course, the Registrar General comes out with a population projection based on the Census.
    • The last such projection was released in 2019 and it was based on Census 2011.
    • The Census projection is slightly lower than the UN projection.
    • Still UN projection is widely acknowledged across the world

    What is the significance of India overtaking China?

    • That India would overtake China has been known for a while.
    • Moreover, in the past, when the world population was still at 5-billion or 6-billion levels, there was a concern about overcrowding.
    • Those concerns no longer exist because the global population is already 8 billion and several countries (including India) have achieved a replacement rate of fertility.
    • The concern now is not about the absolute numbers — India’s population is already 1.4 billion and may go up to 1.6 billion before declining.

     

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  • Summer Solstice 2022: What is it and how is it significant?

    Yesterday, June 21 was the day of the summer solstice in the northern hemisphere.

    What is Summer Solstice?

    • Solstice means “sun stands still” in Latin.
    • The longest day of 2021 for those living north of the Equator is June 21.
    • This day is characterized by a greater amount of energy received from the sun.
    • In technical terms, this day is referred to as the summer solstice, the longest day of the summer season.
    • It occurs when the sun is directly over the Tropic of Cancer, or more specifically right over 23.5-degree north latitude.

    The Southern Hemisphere receives most sunlight on December 21, 22 or 23 when the northern hemisphere has its longest nights– or the winter solstice.

    Why do we have summer solstice?

    • Since Earth rotates on its axis, the Northern Hemisphere gets more direct sunlight between March and September over the course of a day.
    • This also means people living in the Northern Hemisphere experience summer during this time.
    • The rest of the year, the Southern Hemisphere gets more sunlight.
    • During the solstice, the Earth’s axis — around which the planet spins, completing one turn each day — is tilted in a way that the North Pole is tipped towards the sun and the South Pole is away from it.

    Answer this PYQ in the comment box:

    Q.On 21st June, the Sun (CSP 2019):

     

    (a) Does not set below the horizon at the Arctic Circle

    (b) Does not set below the horizon at Antarctic Circle

    (c) Shines vertically overhead at noon on the Equator

    (d) Shines vertically overhead at the Tropic of Capricorn

     

    [wpdiscuz-feedback id=”hxnesi3y0h” question=”Please leave a feedback on this” opened=”1″]Post your answers here.[/wpdiscuz-feedback]

    Some interesting facts

    • During the June solstice compared to any other time of the year, the North Pole is tipped more directly toward the sun, and the south pole is tipped more directly away from the sun.
    • As a result, all locations north of the equator see days longer than 12 hours and all locations south see days shorter than 12 hours.
    • The sun’s path across the sky is curved—NOT a straight line on the summer solstice.
    • Based on Earth’s current orbit, the summer solstice date rotates between June 20, 21 and 22 and is not fixed since it depends on the physics of our solar system and not on human calendar.

     

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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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  • India ranks 136th in the World Happiness Report 2022

    India ranks 136th in the World Happiness Report 2022, while Finland becomes the happiest country for the fifth consecutive year.

    One can definitely question the credibility of such reports whenever India is being grouped with some African countries that too below Pakistan.

    World Happiness Report

    • The WHR is an annual publication of the UN Sustainable Development Solutions Network.
    • It measures three main well-being indicators: life evaluations, positive emotions, and negative emotions (described in the report as positive and negative affect).
    • Since 2011, the World Happiness Report (WHR) is released every year around the time of International Day of Happiness on March 20.
    • It was adopted by the UN General Assembly based on a resolution tabled by Bhutan.

    How is the WHI derived?

    • The ranking is done on a three-year average based on surveys of ‘Life Evaluation’ conducted by Gallup World Poll which surveys around 1000 people from each country to evaluate their current life on a scale of 0-10.
    • On this scale, 10 marks the best possible and 0 as the worst possible life.
    • Further, six key variables GDP per capita, social support, healthy life expectancy, freedom, generosity, and corruption contribute to explaining life evaluations.

    Top performers this year

    • The top five countries in the list are from Europe.
    • While the United States held the 16th spot in the happiest countries list.
    • Following Finland, Denmark bagged the second rank, while Iceland and Switzerland stood at third and fourth rank.
    • The Netherlands was at the fifth rank in the list.
    • Meanwhile, Luxembourg, Norway, Israel, and New Zealand were the remaining countries in the top 10.

    Dismal performers

    • Afghanistan held the last position of 146th in the list, with Lebanon (145th), Zimbabwe (144th), Rwanda (143rd), and Botswana (142nd) following.
    • Bangladesh has improved its ranking by seven notches on the WHI from 101 last year to 94 in 2022 out of 146 countries included in the report.

     

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