UPSC Daily Current Affairs | Prelim Bits 21-07-2020
iasparliament
July 21, 2020
Plea Bargaining
It is a process in which a person charged with a criminal offence negotiating with the prosecution for a lesser punishment than what is provided in law by pleading guilty to a less serious offence.
The practice would ensure speedy trial, end uncertainty over the outcome of criminal cases, save litigation costs and relieve the parties of anxiety.
It could also increase the conviction rates as seen in the United States where the practice is common.
In India, Plea bargaining was introduced in 2006 as part of a set of amendments to the CrPC as Chapter XXI-A, containing Sections 265A to 265L.
In India, the process of plea bargaining can be initiated only by the accused, who will have to apply to the court for invoking the benefit of bargaining.
Eligibility – One who has been charge sheeted for an offence that does not attract the death sentence, life sentence or a prison term above 7 years can make use of the scheme.
It is also applicable to private complaints of which a criminal court has taken cognizance.
Recently, many members of the Tablighi Jamaat belonging to different countries have obtained release from court cases in India by means of plea bargaining.
National Financial Reporting Authority (NFRA)
It is an independent regulator to oversee the auditing profession and accounting standards in India.
It was formed in 2018 under Companies Act 2013.
It consists of one chairman, 3 full-time members and one secretary.
It is responsible for transparency and reliability of financial statements and information presented by listed companies and large unlisted companies in India.
Recent Developments – It has constituted a Technical Advisory Committee (TAC) under the Chairmanship of R Narayanaswamy, Professor IIM-Bangalore.
The TAC comprises 7 members, including the Chairman.
It would aid and advise the NFRA on issues related to the drafts of accounting standards and auditing standards.
Asteroid 2020 ND
NASA has issued a warning that a huge Asteroid 2020 ND is expected to move past the Earth.
It will be as close as .034 astronomical units (5,086,328 kilometers) to our planet.
It is travelling at a speed of 48,000 kilometers per hour.
Its distance from Earth has placed it in the potentially dangerous category.
Potentially Hazardous Asteroids (PHAs) are those with a minimum orbit intersection distance (MOID) of 0.05 au or less.
NASA classifies these objects as near-Earth objects (NEOs).
However, it is not necessary that asteroids classified as PHAs will impact the Earth.
It only means there is a possibility for such a threat.
Mission Hope
United Arab Emirates’ (UAE) first mission to Mars "Hope" was recently launched successfully from Japan Tanegashima Space Center.
The mission was announced in 2015 with the aim of creating mankind’s first integrated model of the Red planet’s atmosphere.
It is the Arab world’s first mission to Mars and also first interplanetary mission.
The Al Amal probe, as it is called in Arabic, is expected to reach Mars by February 2021.
The probe will stay in orbit for a Martian year, equivalent to 687 days on Earth, to gather data about Mars' atmosphere.
It will carry the following scientific instruments mounted on one side of the spacecraft -
High-resolution camera called Emirates eXploration Imager (EXI),
Far-UV imaging spectrograph called Emirates Mars Ultraviolet Spectrometer (EMUS), and
Emirates Mars InfraRed Spectrometer (EMIRS) and FTIR scanning spectrometer.
Inflammageing
Inflammageing refers to the inhibition of one’s immunity as the body’s inflammation reaches higher levels as one ages.
As this happens, our bodily defence systems respond more slowly to bacterial and viral infections, leaving the elderly more vulnerable.
It is characterized by chronic low-grade inflammation, which occurs without an infection.
While inflammation is essential to the immune response, inflammageing is not.
The state of elevated inflammation can worsen many age-related diseases, and further inhibit the response from an already declining immune system.
The most severe Covid-19 cases have occurred mostly in older people, researchers are investigating whether inflammageing has a role.
Indo-US PASSEX
Indian navy conducted a Passage Exercise (PASSEX) with the U.S. Navy’s USS Nimitz carrier strike group.
It was conducted near the Andaman and Nicobar Islands as it is transiting the Indian Ocean.
Nimitz, is the U.S. Navy’s largest aircraft carrier, was returning from the South China Sea through the Malacca Straits.
Front line Indian Naval Ships - Shivalik, Sahyadri, Kamorta and Rana
The exercise comes amid a high alert in the Indian Ocean Region due to the stand-off with China along the border in Ladakh.
Indian Navy had conducted similar PASSEXs with the Japanese Navy and the French Navy in the recent past.
