Daily Current Affairs 07 March 2024 – IAS Current Affairs

Current Affairs 07 March 2024 focuses on the Prelims-Mains perspective. Major events are :

Sweden Joins NATO Officially

Source: CNBC
GS II: Bilateral, regional and global groupings and agreements involving India and/or affecting India’s interests

Overview

1. News in Brief
2. About NATO
3. Conclusion

Why in the News?

Sweden Joins NATO officially as its 32nd member on 07-03-2024 almost two years after first applying to the military alliance.

News in Brief

• The Swedish government said in a statement it was holding an extraordinary meeting to vote on joining NATO after all current members had approved its accession to the military alliance.
• Sweden’s accession makes NATO stronger, Sweden safer, and the whole Alliance more secure.

About Sweden membership

• Not shortly after Russia started its war on Ukraine in May 2022, the nation submitted its first application to join NATO.
• With this, Sweden’s long-standing policy of military non-alignment—which dates back to the Napoleonic Wars—was significantly altered.
• Reason for Joining: In the wake of the war between Ukraine and Russia nations were no longer safe on their own and applied to join the alliance a few months later.
• Reason for Delay: NATO members Hungary and Turkey delayed the process. But voting in favour of it this year.

About NATO

• NATO, or the North Atlantic Treaty Organization, is a political and military alliance established on April 4, 1949.
• It was created in response to the security concerns of Western European countries and the United States in the aftermath of World War II and the rise of the Soviet Union.
• The alliance’s primary purpose is to provide collective defence against external threats and to promote stability and security in the North Atlantic area.

Membership

• NATO originally consisted of 12 founding members, including the United States, Canada, the United Kingdom, France, and several other European countries.
• Since its inception, NATO has expanded to include, Sweden Joins NATO Officially as its 32nd member.
• India is not a member.

Article 5

• One of NATO’s core principles is Article 5 of the North Atlantic Treaty, which states that an attack against one member is considered an attack against all members.
• This article serves as the basis for collective defence within the alliance.

Operations

• NATO has conducted various military operations and missions, including peacekeeping, crisis response, and counterterrorism efforts.
• Notable operations include the intervention in Kosovo, the stabilization mission in Afghanistan, and the anti-piracy operation in the Gulf of Aden.

Defence Spending

• NATO members are committed to spending at least 2% of their GDP on defence, although this target has been a source of contention and debate within the alliance.
• As of 2021, only a handful of member countries meet this target.

Major Military Operations

• Bosnia and Herzegovina intervention
• Kosovo intervention
• War in Afghanistan
• Iraq training mission
• Libya intervention
• Syrian Civil War

India and NATO

• India’s relationship with NATO has been historically complex, characterized by a policy of non-alignment during the Cold War era.
• India, as a founding member of the Non-Aligned Movement, maintained a stance of neutrality between the NATO and Warsaw Pact blocs.
• However, in recent years, India’s engagement with NATO has evolved, reflecting changing global dynamics and India’s expanding strategic interests.
• India is not a member of NATO, but it has engaged with the alliance through various channels, including dialogue, cooperation, and joint exercises.
• While India maintains its non-aligned stance, it recognizes the importance of constructive engagement with NATO on shared security concerns, such as counterterrorism, maritime security, and regional stability.

Key Facts

• Partnership: India and NATO have developed a partnership framework to facilitate dialogue and cooperation on common security challenges. This partnership includes areas such as counterterrorism, cybersecurity, and defence technology cooperation.
• Joint Exercises: India has participated in joint military exercises with NATO member countries, contributing to enhancing interoperability and cooperation in areas such as maritime security and disaster response.
• Dialogue: High-level exchanges and dialogues between India and NATO have helped foster mutual understanding and cooperation on regional and global security issues. These dialogues provide platforms for discussing shared challenges and exploring opportunities for collaboration.
• Afghanistan: India has supported NATO’s efforts in Afghanistan, including reconstruction and development initiatives. While not directly involved in NATO’s military operations, India has contributed to regional stability through diplomatic and economic assistance to Afghanistan.

Way Forward for India and NATO

• To deepen cooperation, India and NATO should continue to explore opportunities for joint exercises, information sharing, and capacity-building initiatives.
• Enhanced dialogue and collaboration in areas such as cybersecurity, counterterrorism, and defence technology cooperation can contribute to strengthening regional and global security.
• Both parties should also work towards building trust and understanding to overcome historical differences and promote greater strategic convergence in addressing shared security concerns.

Conclusion

NATO remains a cornerstone of transatlantic security and defence cooperation, providing a framework for member countries to address common security challenges. Despite evolving geopolitical dynamics and internal disagreements, the alliance continues to adapt to new threats and maintain its relevance in an ever-changing world.

• To ensure NATO’s continued effectiveness, member countries should reaffirm their commitment to collective defence, address emerging security threats such as cyberattacks and hybrid warfare, and strengthen cooperation with partners outside the alliance.
• Additionally, efforts to improve burden-sharing and defence capabilities should be pursued to enhance NATO’s ability to respond to present and future challenges.

Maldives-China Military Pact

Source: Live Mint
GS II: Bilateral, regional and global groupings and agreements involving India and/or affecting India’s interests

Overview

1. News in Brief
2. Hints of problems in India-Maldives ties
3. What is the importance of Maldives?

Why in the News?

Maldives President Mohamed Muizzu reportedly announced that the country will not renew an agreement with India to conduct hydrographic surveys.

News in Brief

• Maldives plans to acquire the facilities and machines required to do the exercise by itself.
• Maldives is working to establish a 24/7 monitoring system for the Maldivian waters this month to ensure control of its Exclusive Economic Zone (EEZ) despite its significantly large area.
• Maldives Ministry of Defence is making efforts to obtain the facilities required for conducting the hydrographic surveys by the country itself.

What is the importance of an underwater survey?

• This will allow Maldives to conduct the underwater surveys of the country by ourselves.
• Efforts to conduct the hydrography survey in collaboration with India’s Hydrography Office were launched in January 2021.
• Maldives consider all these underwater details to be the property of our heritage.

Hints of problems in India-Maldives ties

• Military Presence: India to withdraw its military personnel from Maldives by 2024 May 10. There are 77 Indian soldiers and 12 medical personnel from the Indian armed forces in Maldives.
• Health Care:  Maldivians will now be able to go to hospitals in Thailand and the United Arab Emirates.
• Agriculture Produce: Announced that agreements to assist the Maldives in expanding agricultural growth to cater to food security were signed with the Chinese government. The President further remarked that the Government would end its dependence on one country for imported staple foods such as rice, sugar, and flour.
• Maldives China Defence Agreement: The Chinese government is ready to extend training to the Maldives army and provide non-lethal weaponry under a military grant. First time Maldives signed a deal with China for military cooperation of this level.
• India Out Campaign: During the 2023 presidential elections, President Muizzu ran an India Out campaign, signalling a shift in priorities.

What is the importance of Maldives?

Strategic Significance

• The Maldives holds a strategically important location in the Indian Ocean.
• It is adjacent to one of the densest trading routes globally, with over 80% of energy imports to the Indian subcontinent passing through the shipping lane north of the Maldives.
• As a result, both the United States, China, and India closely monitor the Maldives’ perspective and alliances.

Security and Stability

• For India, the Maldives serves as a first line of defence against terrorism, piracy, drug trafficking, and other maritime crimes.
• It is barely 70 nautical miles away from Minicoy and 300 nautical miles from India’s West Coast.
• Ensuring political stability and security in the Indian Ocean neighbourhood is a shared responsibility.

Economic Significance

• The Maldives’ economy heavily relies on tourism, which accounts for almost one-third of its GDP.
• The country’s robust growth trajectory and rising tourist arrivals contribute to its economic vitality.
• However, this dependence on tourism also makes the Maldives vulnerable to macroeconomic and external shocks.

Trade and Investment Hub

• With 1,200 coral islands, the Maldives archipelago is located near important maritime channels.
• Trade and energy supplies to nations like China, Japan, and India are facilitated by these routes.

Drugs and Magic Remedies (Objectionable Advertisements) Act 1954

Source: Busniess Standard
GS II: Important International institutions, agencies and fora- their structure, mandate

Overview

1. News in Brief
2. About Drugs and Magic Remedies (Objectionable Advertisements) Act 1954

Why in the News?

Supreme Court restrained Ayurvedic Company for misleading and a violation of the law. 

News in Brief

• The top court has prohibited the company from disseminating advertisements.
• It claims to treat medical conditions such as BP, diabetes, fevers, epilepsy, and lupus, as outlined in the Drugs and Magic Remedies (Objectionable Advertisements) Act of 1954.
• This development highlights the significance of the Magical Remedies Act of 1954 and its implications in regulating advertisements related to medicinal products.

About Drugs and Magic Remedies (Objectionable Advertisements) Act 1954

• The Drugs and Magic Remedies (Objectionable Advertisements) Act, of 1954 is an important piece of legislation in India.
• It is aimed at regulating the advertisement of drugs and remedies, particularly those that claim magical or miraculous properties for curing diseases or ailments.

Background:

• The Act was enacted in response to concerns about the proliferation of advertisements promoting drugs and remedies with exaggerated or false claims about their efficacy in treating various ailments.
• It was recognized that such advertisements could mislead the public and potentially lead to harm if people relied on ineffective or unproven treatments.

Key Provisions:

• Prohibition of Advertisements: The Act prohibits the advertisement of drugs and remedies that claim to have magical or supernatural properties in treating diseases.
• Definition of Drugs and Remedies: The Act defines “drugs” and “remedies” broadly to encompass any substance or article intended for use in the diagnosis, cure, mitigation, treatment, or prevention of diseases or disorders in human beings or animals.
• Exceptions: Certain exemptions may apply to advertisements made by or under the authority of the Central Government or a State Government, or in pursuance of the provisions of any law in force.
• Penalties: Any person found guilty of contravening the provisions of the Act by publishing or distributing such objectionable advertisements can be subjected to penalties, including fines and imprisonment.
  • In the case of the first conviction, with imprisonment which may extend to six months, or with fine, or with both.
  • In the case of a subsequent conviction, with imprisonment which may extend to one year, or with fine, or with both.

Impact and Significance:

• The Act serves to protect the public from being misled by advertisements that make extravagant claims about the effectiveness of certain drugs or remedies.
• By regulating such advertisements, the Act helps promote rational and evidence-based healthcare practices, safeguarding the health and well-being of individuals.

Cavum Clouds

Source: Hindustan Times
GS I: Important Geophysical phenomena such as earthquakes, Tsunami, Volcanic activity, cyclone etc., geographical features and their location- changes in critical geographical features (including waterbodies and ice-caps) and in flora and fauna and the effects of such changes.

Overview

1. News in Brief
2. What is Cavum Clouds
3. What are Altocumulus Clouds?

Why in the News?

NASA’s Terra satellite, ice crystals in the hole’s centre form wispy streaks of precipitation that do not hit the ground.

News in Brief

• NASA shared a photograph showing what are seen as ‘odd holes’ in the clouds above the Gulf of Mexico and off the coast of Florida.
• Ice crystals falling at the centre of the holes appear as delicate streaks of precipitation that never reach the ground.
• These are known as virga resembling rain or snowfall from clouds but evaporating before reaching the surface.
• NASA scientists have long speculated about these clouds, referred to as cavum clouds.

What is Cavum Clouds

• Also known as hole-punch clouds or fallstreak holes.
• These are caused by aeroplanes.
• Cavum clouds form when planes fly through banks of altocumulus clouds, mid-level clouds with supercooled (below the freezing point of water but still liquid) water droplets.
• As air moves around the plane, adiabatic expansion (A process without transfer of heat to or from a system) can make the droplets freeze into ice crystals.
• The ice crystals eventually grow heavy and fall out of the sky, leaving a hole in the cloud layer.
• There are holes in the clouds in some areas, exposing the blue and turquoise ocean water underneath.

What are Altocumulus Clouds?

• Altocumulus clouds are mid-level clouds that typically form between 6,500 to 20,000 feet (2,000 to 6,100 meters) above ground level.
• They are characterized by their layered or patchy appearance and often resemble a field of cotton balls or fish scales.
• Altocumulus clouds are composed of water droplets and occasionally ice crystals, depending on the temperature at their altitude.

Key Facts and Features

• Appearance: Altocumulus clouds usually appear as white or grey patches or layers of cloud with rounded edges. They may form in groups, lines, or waves across the sky.
• Composition: These clouds are primarily made up of water droplets, although at higher altitudes, they may contain ice crystals.
• Altitude: Altocumulus clouds typically form at mid-level altitudes, between 6,500 to 20,000 feet above the ground. They are found above lower-level cumulus clouds but below higher-level cirrus clouds.
• Weather Patterns: Altocumulus clouds are often associated with fair weather, but they can also indicate changes in the atmosphere. If altocumulus clouds thicken and lower, they may develop into altostratus clouds, which can precede precipitation.
• Area of occurrence: Altocumulus clouds are commonly observed in temperate and tropical regions around the world. They can form in various weather conditions but are frequently seen during stable weather patterns.

Shelf Cloud and Different Types of Cloud

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