GS PAPER: II

135 Chinese boats spotted near reef off Philippines

Why in the news?

The Philippines has reported that over 135 Chinese vessels are “swarming” a reef off its coast, causing alarm and a lack of response from the Philippine Coast Guard. The Chinese boats are scattered within the boomerang-shaped Whitsun Reef, which is 320 km west of Palawan Island. The Chinese embassy in Manila has not commented on the situation. Beijing claims most of the South China Sea, which has no legal basis.

China-Philippines dispute

China and the Philippines are reportedly in a dispute over the ownership of the Spratly Islands and the Scarborough Shoal in the South China Sea.

Significance of the region

China and the Philippines are competing over territorial claims in the South China Sea due to China’s depletion of fish stocks near its shore. The region is rich in oil, natural gas, minerals, and fish, which are crucial for the economies of China and the Philippines. China believes that owning these contested territories will give it a strategic advantage and plans to build military and naval bases in the area.

About Coral Reef

Coral reefs are underwater structures made up of coral skeletons. Hard corals build reefs by extracting calcium carbonate from seawater, while soft corals, like sea fingers and sea whips, are soft and bendable. Deep sea corals live in colder waters and rely on plankton and organic matter for energy, unlike shallow water corals.

Reef-building corals and the photosynthetic algae known as zooxanthellae that inhabit their tissues are symbiotic.

Location and distribution of Coral reef

Coral reefs are found in various oceans, including the Pacific, Indian, Caribbean, Red Sea, and Persian Gulf, and farther from the equator in warm currents. They cover 110,000 square miles worldwide. However, they are absent on tropical continents’ west coasts due to cold coastal currents, which cool warm surface water. The ideal temperature for corals is 20 degrees C.

Impact of climate change on Coral reef

• Warming Ocean: Causes thermal stress, leading to coral bleaching and infectious diseases.
• Sea Level Rise: Increases sedimentation, potentially smothering coral near land-based sources.
• Changes in Storm Patterns: Results in stronger, more frequent storms, causing coral reef destruction.
• Changes in Precipitation: Increases runoff, contributing to algal blooms and murky water, reducing light.
• Altered Ocean Currents: Changes in connectivity and temperature harm corals, hampering larvae dispersal.
• Ocean Acidification: Reduced pH levels from increased CO2 lead to decreased coral growth and structural integrity.

GS PAPER – II

Delhi the most unsafe city for women

Why in news?

• According to the annual report of the National Crime Records Bureau (NCRB), Delhi is the most unsafe metropolitan city for women in the country, recording on an average three rape cases daily.

About the Report:

• The city recorded 14,158 incidents of crime against women in 2022, the highest number among 19 metropolitan cities for the third consecutive year, with about 186.9 crimes reported for every 1,00,000 women including 1,204 rape cases.
• The national capital also recorded 3,909 incidents of kidnapping or abduction of women.
• A total of 129 cases pertaining to dowry deaths were recorded in the city.
• The city reported 4,847 incidents of cruelty by husbands or by their relatives.

Uptick in overall crime

• The incidents of crime against senior citizens (aged 60 or above) increased from 1,166 cases in 2021 to 1,313 cases in 2022.
• Cases of cybercrime in the city doubled in 2022. From 345 cases in 2021, the number rose to 685 cases in 2022.
• A total of 501 incidents of murder were reported in the city. It also recorded 106 cases of human trafficking. At least 492 minor boys were trafficked in Delhi as compared to 113 girls in 2022 — all of whom were recovered.

About NCRB :

• NCRB was set-up in 1986 to function as a repository of information on crime and criminals so as to assist the investigators in linking crime to the perpetrators based on the recommendations of the Tandon Committee to the National Police Commission (1977-1981) and the MHA’s Taskforce (1985).
• Head quarter: New Delhi

Functions:

• It has been entrusted to maintain National Database for sexual offenders and share it with states and UTs on regular basis.
• Manage online cyber crime reporting portal.
• Implement Inter-operable criminal justice system.

Few major reports released by NCRB:

• Report on missing women and children in India
• Prison statistics
• Accidental death and suicide
• Crimes in India

Objectives:

• Create and maintain secure sharable National Databases on crimes and criminals for law enforcement agencies and promote their use for public service delivery.
• Collect and process crime statistics at the national level and clearing house of information on crime and criminals both at National and International levels.
• Lead and coordinate development of IT applications and create an enabling IT environment for Police organizations.
• National repository of fingerprints of all criminals.
• To evaluate, modernize and promote automation in State Crime Records Bureau and State Finger Print Bureau.

GS PAPER – I

Cyclone Michaung : Bay of Bengal

Why in news?

Cyclone Michaung , a tropical cyclone has formed and intensified in the southwest Bengal is likely to make a landfall on the Andhra Pradesh coast on 4 December.

What is cyclone?

• A cyclone is a large scale air system with a spiralling winds which forms low pressure system.
• Air circulates counter clockwise in the Northern hemisphere and clockwise in southern hemisphere.

Types of cyclone

According to National Disaster management authority, cyclone broadly has two categories:

• Tropical cyclone- It has temporal origin.
• Temperate cyclone- It has frontal origin.

Tropical cyclone is more impactful and disastrous.

Impacts:

• Red alert has been issued in Tamil nadu region which are expected to be lashed by a heavy downpour over the next two days.
• Fisherman has been warned to stay away from sea. Trains had been cancelled in the region.

Name of the cyclone:

The name of the cyclone is given by Myanmar.

Why are cyclones given a name ?

Naming of Tropical Cyclones (TCs)helps the scientific community, disaster managers, media and general masses to

• identify each individual cyclone
• use of short, distinctive given names in written as well as spoken communications is quicker and less subject to error than the older more cumbersome latitude-longitude identification methods.
• create awareness of its development.
• remove confusion in case of simultaneous occurrence of TCs over a region
• remember a Tropical cyclone easily
• rapidly and effectively disseminate warnings to much wider audience

These advantages are especially important in exchanging detailed storm information between hundreds of widely scattered stations, coastal bases, and ships at sea.

Who names the tropical cyclones ?

• Worldwide there are six Regional Specialised Mteorological Centres (RSMCs) and five regional Tropical Cyclone Warning Centres (TCWCs) mandated for issuing advisories and naming of tropical cyclones. The tropical cyclones forming over different Ocean basins are named by the concerned RSMCs & TCWCs.
• India Meteorological Department is one of the six RSMCs to provide tropical cyclone and storm surge advisories to 13 member countries under WMO/ESCAP Panel including Bangladesh, India, Iran, Maldives, Myanmar, Oman, Pakistan, Qatar, Saudi Arabia, Sri Lanka, Thailand, United Arab Emirates and Yemen. RSMC, New Delhi is also mandated to name the Tropical Cyclones developing over the north Indian Ocean (NIO) including the Bay of Bengal (BoB) and the Arabian Sea (AS).

GS PAPER – II

India – Maldives Relation: Military platforms in the islands

Why in news?

• On the sideline of cop 28 , a discussion held between Prime minister Narendra Modi and Mr. Muizzu regarding the Indian Military platform in the Island Nation.

Evolution behind the discussion:

• India Maldives relation has majorly went through turmoil, Abdulla yameen who was the president of Maldives from 2013-18 was also china pro, he even signed FTA with china and gave ultimatum to India to withdraw two helicopters from lammu and Addu tools.
• India Maldives relation has been on upward trajectory ever since Ibrahim Solih Government in power.
• But the recent election and Victory of china pro Muizzu and his India out campaign had questioned the bilateral ties in defence and infrastructure investments. This move was supported by Abdulla yameen.
• The president after winning had told to fullfill his promise of removing Indian military platforms.

Importance of relation:

• Important for curbing china BRI initiative.
• Major projects like Greater male connectivity and major supplier of essential goods.
• Key maritime neighbour in Indian Ocean region.