CURRENT AFFAIRS - 21.11.2023

 

1. 'What was the governor doing for three years' A question The Supreme Court on Monday questioned the delay in granting assent to several Bills passed by the Tamil Nadu Assembly by Governor RN Ravi, asking why should governors wait for parties to move the top court with their grievances. Posing tough questions, CJI DY Chandrachud-headed bench asked what the governor doing for three years, noting that the Bills had been pending since January 2020. A constitutional query The court observed that the ongoing Tamil Nadu government versus governor tussle also involved a query about whether there was a delay in the discharge of the constitutional functions entrusted to the governor's office. The court also said it would deal with the question of whether a governor can sit over the Bills without sending them either back to the Assembly or to the President. The story The tussle involves 10 Bills that Ravi had not given assent to in the past three years after they were passed by the state legislature. The Bills were re-adopted by the Assembly. As the state government moved the top court, Ravi gave his assent to these Bills on November 13, Attorney General R Venkataramani told the bench. The assent was given three days after the top court issued a notice on the state government's plea. Quote from the court "Mr Attorney [Venkataramani], the governor says he has disposed of these Bills on November 13. Our concern is that our order was passed on November 10. These Bills have been pending since January 2020. It means that the governor took the decision after the Court issued notice." "What was the governor doing for three years? Why should the governor wait for the parties to approach the Supreme Court." A template Similar political tussles are being witnessed in Kerala and Punjab as well. The state governments have approached the court. In Kerala's case, the top court on Monday sought responses from the Centre and the office of Kerala Governor Arif Mohammed Khan.

2. A breakthrough in Uttarkashi rescue ops What Rescuers engaged in the operation to bring out 41 workers trapped in a tunnel in Uttarakhand's Uttarkashi pushed a six-inch-wide pipe through the rubble of the collapsed Silkyara tunnel on Monday. It's a breakthrough that will help them supply larger quantities of food and possibly allow live visuals of the workers trapped inside since November 12. So far, a four-inch existing tube was being used to supply oxygen and items like dry fruit and medicines into the section of the tunnel. The workers have been trapped in a 400-metre buffer zone of the unfinished main tunnel. What's the plan The authorities have devised a five-option action plan, with the Prime Minister's Office (PMO) monitoring the situation in real-time, reports said. The plan involves drilling from three sides to access the trapped workers. Five different agencies have been pressed into action and tasked with specific operations. Two tunnels will be drilled horizontally from the right and left sides of the main tunnel. A vertical shaft will be drilled from the top of the tunnel. What's on the ground Drones and robots from the DRDO have also reached the site to look into the possibility of other escape routes for the trapped men. International tunnelling expert Arnold Dix has reached the disaster site to review rescue efforts. He heads the Geneva-based International Tunnelling and Underground Space Association. PM Modi spoke to CM Pushkar Dhami — the third such telephonic call — to take stock of the rescue operation. But there are challenges Rescue workers were yet to resume the horizontal boring through the debris after a boulder appeared to block the progress of the heavy-duty auger machine earlier this week. Another big challenge is placing multiple drilling machines at the identified sites to carry out the rescue operation in the hilly terrain. This also involves building motorable roads, which is time-consuming, but the work has begun.

3. Is Centre 'picking and choosing' judges? What The Supreme Court on Monday flagged the issue of "pick and choose" by the Centre in clearing the collegium's recommendations for transferring high court judges and said this does not send a good signal. Out of the 11 judges recommended for transfer by the collegium, five have been transferred, but six are pending, including four from the Gujarat High Court and one each from the high courts of Allahabad and Delhi. The bench, including Justice SK Kaul, a member of the apex court collegium, highlighted that some recently recommended senior judges for high courts have not been cleared. Why it can be problematic The top court highlighted that "selective appointments" can lead to problems such as a loss of seniority for judges and difficulty in persuading other eligible candidates to become judges. Referring to older collegium recommendations, the bench observed that some names have been reiterated once or twice, adding complexity to the issue. The bench observed that there cannot be a scenario where other names are stopped if the government does not clear one name from those recommended by the collegium. Previous hearings The Supreme Court is hearing petitions, including one seeking contempt action against the Union Ministry of Law and Justice. Hearing the matter on November 7, the apex court had said it was "troublesome" that the Centre was selectively picking, choosing and appointing judges whose names were recommended by the collegium for appointment to the higher judiciary. The Union Ministry of Law and Justice faces allegations of "wilful disobedience" regarding the court's April 20, 2021 order, which set a timeline for the timely appointment of judges, particularly when the collegium reiterates recommendations unanimously.

4. What NIA's case against Pannun means Case The National Investigation Agency (NIA) has registered a case against designated terrorist Gurpatwant Singh Pannun and his banned organisation Sikhs For Justice (SFJ) for issuing video messages threatening people flying Air India, the agency said on Monday. Why Pannun, the self-proclaimed general counsel of "unlawful association" SFJ, released the video messages on social media platforms on November 4. In these, he asked Sikhs not to fly on Air India planes on and after November 19, claiming that there was a threat to their lives if they flew on the airline's aircraft. The listed terrorist also threatened that Air India would not be allowed to operate globally. Following this, a high alert was issued and investigations started by security forces in Canada, India and certain other countries where Air India flies. In his video messages, Pannun also issued a warning to the Indian government that the airport in Delhi would remain closed on November 19 - the birth anniversary of former PM Indira Gandhi. India flagged the issue to Canada, following which a minister in Justin Trudeau's cabinet said on November 10: "We take every threat seriously, especially when it concerns airlines." Jurisdiction While SFJ is based in the US, Pannun operates mostly from the US and Canada. According to an amendment in the NIA Act introduced in 2019, the agency can probe cases in foreign land if the matter pertains to India's national security. Charges The case has been filed under the Indian Penal Code and the Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act. Pannun has been under the NIA's lens since 2019, when the anti-terror agency registered its first case against him. In September, the NIA had confiscated his share of a house and land in Amritsar in Punjab and Chandigarh. In 2020, India declared Pannun a terrorist on the grounds of sedition and secessionism, and has requested an Interpol red notice for him. The bigger question is: Will India be able to bring back Pannun for a trial?

NEWS IN CLUES 5. Identify this city Clue 1: It is the third-largest city in the east coast of India Clue 2: It came under French colonial rule in the late-18th century Clue 3: It serves as the headquarters for the Indian Navy's Eastern Naval Command Scroll below for answer

6. Pre-arrest bails are location agnostic What The Supreme Court on Monday held that sessions courts and high courts have the power to grant anticipatory bail even if the cases don't particularly pertain to their jurisdiction. It essentially means, a person with a case registered against him in one state can seek anticipatory bail, or pre-arrest bail, from a sessions court or high court in another state. Why it's important The ruling has paved the way for transit anticipatory bails, even as the top court said that such protection was needed to protect liberty of an accused who cannot approach the jurisdictional court and was working or residing in another state. Terms and conditions Highlighting potential abuse of the legal process, the top court asserted the necessity for establishing a territorial connection or proximity between the accused and the court's jurisdiction where the pre-arrest bail is sought. The Supreme Court put in place stringent conditions to prevent forum-hunting by accused to get bail by courts of other states of his preference and said that such protection could be granted only in exceptional and compelling circumstances. It also said that the court would have to give reasoning in its order for granting relief which would continue till the accused approached the jurisdictional court to get normal bail. When A Supreme Court bench pronounced the judgment while hearing a special leave petition (SLP) filed against a sessions judge in Bengaluru who had allowed extraterritorial bail petition by the accused - leading to the petitioner moving the top court.

7. Trump-admirer brings 'political earthquake' in Argentina An election Argentines have elected a fiery freshman lawmaker Javier Milei as their president. Many deemed the victory of the right-wing impossible just months ago but Milei has resoundingly won Argentina's presidency. With his victory, Milei has thrust the country into the unknown regarding just how extreme his policies will be, following a campaign that saw him revving a chainsaw to symbolically cut the state down to size. Milei handily beat Economy Minister Sergio Massa 55.7% to 44.3%. An 'earthquake' The radical newcomer's victory is being described as "a political earthquake" in Argentina. His victory has been welcomed by like-minded politicians including former US President Donald Trump, who said Milei would "Make Argentina Great Again". Brazil's former President Jair Bolsonaro said that "hope would shine again in South America". Milei, sometimes derided as "El Loco" (the madman) by his critics, has promised drastic changes, which include ditching the local currency, the peso, for the dollar and "blowing up" the central bank. What he has promised Milei started to outline the broad strokes of his upcoming administration Monday morning and said he would travel to the United States and Israel before taking office on December 10. A self-described anarcho-capitalist with a dishevelled mop of hair, the 53-year-old president-elect made his name by furiously denouncing the "political caste" on television programmes. His pledge for abrupt, severe change resonated with Argentines weary of annual inflation soaring above 140% and a poverty rate that reached 40%. He has promised that his government would slash government spending, dollarise the economy, eliminate the Central Bank, and dissolve key ministries, such as health and education. A Judaism connection Milei has long said he was considering converting to Judaism. He has often emphasised his support for Israel and frequently waved an Israeli flag in his rallies. He had previously said he wanted to move Argentina's embassy in Israel from Tel Aviv to Jerusalem, following in the footsteps of Trump, whom he publicly admires.

8. A hijack linked to Israel-Hamas conflict Ship captured Houthi rebels captured an Israeli-linked cargo ship, the Galaxy Leader, in the Red Sea, taking 25 crew members hostage, raising fears that regional tensions heightened over the Israel-Hamas war were playing out on a new maritime front. Houthis claim The Iran-backed Houthi rebels claim the hijacking is in response to the ship's connection to Israel. They vow to target ships linked to or owned by Israelis in international waters until the end of Israel's campaign against Gaza's Hamas rulers. The Houthis declared that all ships dealing with or belonging to the "Israeli enemy" are legitimate targets. While Israel calls it an "Iranian attack" of global consequence, the US military hastermed it a "flagrant violation of international law." Global concerns The hijacking raises concerns about potential global shipping disruptions, especially in the critical Red Sea trade route that spans from Egypt's Suez Canal to the Bab el-Mandeb Strait, vital for global shipping and energy supplies. Also, fears have grown that the military operations could escalate into a wider regional conflict. While European natural gas prices rose due to concerns about risks in one of the world's busiest shipping routes, some shipping companies may consider rerouting for safety reasons, impacting global supply chains. And, Beijing's diplomatic efforts Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi hosted talks with Palestinian, Indonesian, Egyptian, Saudi Arabian, and Jordanian counterparts. Discussions centered on de-escalating the ongoing Palestinian-Israeli conflict. China, historically sympathetic to Palestinians, supports a two-state solution. This year, China has increased involvement in the Middle East, facilitating Saudi-Iran rapprochement and sending envoys to push for an Israel-Hamas ceasefire. China's oil imports and investments in the Middle East, including telecoms and infrastructure as part of Xi's Belt and Road Initiative, means Beijing desires peace in the region. Meanwhile Heavy fighting erupted Monday around a hospital in northern Gaza where thousands of patients and displaced people have been sheltering for weeks, as Israel pressed an offensive it says is aimed at eradicating Hamas and uprooting their militant infrastructure.

9. A mysterious firing, a surprise hiring What OpenAI named ex-Twitch boss Emmett Shear as interim CEO, while outgoing chief Sam Altman is set to join backer Microsoft in a surprise turn of events for the startup at the heart of an artificial intelligence boom. A new research group Microsoft Chief Executive Satya Nadella said in posts on X that Altman would become CEO of a new research group inside the software maker, along with other departing OpenAI colleagues such as outgoing President Greg Brockman who quit following Altman's ouster. The new group shall engage in advanced AI research. Microsoft has invested billions of dollars in OpenAI - the maker of ChatGPT - and staked its future on the startup, releasing what it called AI copilots to business customers based on OpenAI's technology. End of speculations? The appointments, settled late at night on Sunday, followed Altman's abrupt departure just days earlier as CEO of the ChatGPT maker, and ended speculation that he could return. In a statement on the social media platform X, Shear dismissed speculation that OpenAI's board ousted Altman because of a spat over the safety of powerful AI models. He vowed to open an investigation into the firing, consider new governance for OpenAI and continue its path of making available technology like its viral chatbot. But OpenAI dismissed Altman on Friday following a "breakdown of communications," according to an internal memo cited by news agency Reuters. Altman was a founding co-chair of the startup that kicked off the generative AI craze a year ago by releasing ChatGPT, a chatbot that became one of the world's fastest-growing software applications.

10. You share your b'day with... Source: Various

Answer To NEWS IN CLUES Visakhapatnam. A fire broke out in a jetty area in Visakhapatnam in which at least 35 fishing boats were gutted, even as the police launched a hunt for 10 to 15 persons who allegedly partied in one of the boats, officials said on Monday. The fire broke out around 11.30 pm on Sunday in a boat in zero jetty and was doused by 4 am on Monday. No death or injury was reported. Andhra Pradesh chief minister Y S Jagan Mohan Reddy has announced that the government would compensate the fishermen up to 80% of the losses. COURTESY : TIMES TOP 10