Source: The Hindu, Live Mint and Indian Express
POWERS OF THE ELECTION COMMISSION
Context: After the Supreme Court’s criticism the EC ‘wakes up to its powers’.
Essentials:
Election Commission’ Powers over officials who are engaged in election duty for conducting free and fair elections.
- The Representation of the People Act, 1950 provides that officers employed in connection with the conduct of elections shall be deemed to be on deputation to the Election Commission (the RP Act, 1951 also has a similar provision regarding Returning Officers).
- The disciplinary functions of the Election Commission of India over officers, staff and police deputed to perform election duty during election period shall extend to:
(a) suspending any officer/police personnel for insubordination or dereliction of duty;
(b) substituting/transferring any officer / official / police personnel by another such person (It is possible that the EC asks for a list of officers from the state for effecting any transfer. But if the names are not acceptable to the commission, it can go outside the list);
(c) making recommendation to the competent authority for taking disciplinary action for any act of insubordination or dereliction of duty while on election duty, with such recommendation being promptly acted upon by the disciplinary authority.
- Such action taken will be communicated to the Election Commission within six months from the date of the EC’s recommendations;
(d) the Government of India will advise the State governments that they too should follow the above principles and decisions, since a large number of election officials are under their administrative control.
- The power of substitution of police personnel exercised by the EC is administrative in nature and compliance with the principles of natural justice is not required.
- Thus, the question of giving an opportunity to the officers does not arise.
Tackling Hate Speech
- Some laws that can be used in speeches that are communally sensitive or incite religious feelings:
- Indian Penal Code, 1860
- Representation of the People Act, 1951
- Cable Television Network Regulation Act, 1995
- Cinematograph Act, 1952
PROTESTS IN SUDAN
Context: President Omar al-Bashir of Sudan and President Abdelaziz Bouteflika of Algeria were forced to resign in the recent past due to popular protests.
Essentials:
- Protests first broke out in Atbara in north-eastern Sudan over rising prices of bread in mid-December 2018, snowballed into a nationwide agitation, shaking the foundations of the junta led by the President Omar al-Bashir.
- However, Sudan is still facing the protests as Sudanese want the military council, which took over the power after the ouster of President Omar al-Bashir, to be dissolved and be replaced by a civilian council having representatives of the Army.
- Sudanese are afraid that the army, given its track record, will try to retain its grip on power through some means or the other. This is the current stalemate – the protesters want a break with the past while the army doesn’t want to give up its privileges.
- This conflict was visible in neighbouring countries where dictators fell amid public protests.
- In Egypt, Hosni Mubarak resigned as President in 2011, but the military never gave up its privileges. In two years it was back in power through a coup.
- In Algeria, Abdelaziz Bouteflika stepped down as President this month, but the army has retained power; protests still continue in the country.
NOTRE-DAME CATHEDRAL
Context: Notre-Dame cathedral, iconic Paris landmark, engulfed in fire.
- Notre-Dame de Paris, also called Notre-Dame Cathedral, is a cathedral church in Paris.
- It is the most famous of the Gothic cathedrals of the Middle Ages and is distinguished for its size, antiquity, and architectural interest.
- The fire-gutted Notre-Dame Cathedral contained some of the most sacred relics of the Christian faith, including the Holy Crown of Thorns, believed to have been worn by Jesus at his crucifixion and a piece of the cross on which he was nailed and one of the nails.
NON PERFORMING ASSET
Context: The RBI told the National Company Law Appellate Tribunal (NCLAT) that banks would have to classify the accounts of debt ridden IL&FS and its group companies as NPAs in terms of its master circular and the Supreme Court’s judgment.
Essentials:
Non Performing Asset
- A non performing asset (NPA) is a loan or advance for which the principal or interest payment remained overdue for a period of 90 days.
- Banks are required to classify NPAs further into Substandard, Doubtful and Loss assets.
Substandard assets:Assets which has remained NPA for a period less than or equal to 12 months.
2. Doubtful assets: An asset would be classified as doubtful if it has remained in the substandard category for a period of 12 months.
3. Loss assets: Loss asset is considered uncollectible and of such little value that its continuance as a bankable asset is not warranted, although there may be some salvage or recovery value. - Stressed Assets are those loans which show signs of becoming non-performing assets.
- So Stressed Assets = Non-performing Assets + Restructured loans
- Restructured asset or loan are that assets which got an extended repayment period, reduced interest rate, converting a part of the loan into equity, providing additional financing, or some combination of these measures.
- Hence, under restructuring a bad loan is modified as a new loan.
5G Vs 4G
- 5G is the newest mobile network that’s replacing the current 4G technology by providing a number of improvements in speed, coverage, and reliability.
- The primary focus and reason for needing an upgraded network is to support the growing number of devices that demand internet access, many of them requiring so much bandwidth in order to function normally that 4G simply doesn’t cut it anymore.
- 5G uses different kinds of antennas, operates on different radio spectrum frequencies, connects many more devices to the internet, minimizes delays, and delivers ultrafast speeds.
5G Works Differently Than 4G
- One fundamental difference is 5G’s use of unique radio frequencies to achieve what 4G networks cannot.
- 4G networks use frequencies below 6 GHz, but 5G uses extremely high frequencies in the 30 GHz to 300 GHz range.
- They’re also highly directional and can be used right next to other wireless signals without causing interference.
- This is very different than 4G towers that fire data in all directions, potentially wasting both energy and power to beam radio waves at locations that aren’t even requesting access to the internet.
- 5G also uses shorter wavelengths, which means that antennas can be much smaller than existing antennas while still providing precise directional control.
- Since one base station can utilize even more directional antennas, it would also mean that 5G can support over 1,000 more devices per meter than what’s supported by 4G.
- However, most of these super-high frequencies work only if there’s a clear, direct line-of-sight between the antenna and the device receiving the signal.
- What’s more is that some of these high frequencies are easily absorbed by humidity, rain, and other objects, meaning that they don’t travel as far.
- It’s for these reasons that we can expect lots of strategically placed antennas to support 5G, either really small ones in every room or building that needs it or large ones positioned throughout a city; maybe even both.
- Another difference between 5G and 4G is that 5G networks can more easily understand the type of data being requested, and are able to switch into a lower power mode when not in use or when supplying low rates to specific devices.
- 5G has a minimum peak download speed of 20 Gbps while 4G sits at just 1 Gbps. Thus, from a peak speed perspective, 5G is 20 times faster than 4G.
- When there are very few if any other devices or interferences to affect the speed, a device could theoretically experience what’s known as peak speeds.
- Bandwidth refers to the amount of data that can be moved (uploaded or downloaded) through a network over a given time.
- Low latency is one of 5G’s most important attributes, making the technology highly suitable for critical applications that require rapid responsiveness, such as remote vehicle control.
5G Vs LTE
- In short, the G stands for generation, so 5G is the collective term for the fifth generation of mobile network technology.
- LTE stands for Long-Term Evolution, and it’s a 4G technology.
- The newer 5G is not a replacement for 4G, so we’ll find LTE and 5G technology working together for the foreseeable future.
- The main advantage that 5G offers over 4G LTE is faster speeds — primarily because there will be more spectrum available for 5G and it uses more advanced radio technology.
NASA’S CASSINI SPACECRAFT TO SATURN
Context: Lakes filled with liquid methane spotted on Saturn’s moon Titan
Essentials:
- After a remarkable journey of 20 years, NASA’s Cassini spacecraft to Saturn, ended its journey in 2017 by disintegrating in the skies above the planet Saturn.
- Cassini also had a passenger — an entry probe called Huygens which managed to land on the planet’s biggest moon, Titan.
Things that Cassini made us discover in 20 years:
- Cassini discovered that Enceladus, Saturn’s sixth largest moon, has water underneath its icy surface and complex organic molecules, adding to its potential to support life.
- It is the first ever detection of complex organics coming from an extraterrestrial water world.
- The Cassini mission showed that Titan not only had an internal ocean of water, but also a nitrogen-rich atmosphere.
- In the process, Titan became the the only known world with a dense nitrogen atmosphere besides Earth.
- Titan is the most Earth-like body in the solar system. It has lakes, canyons, rivers, dune fields of organic sand particles about the same size as silica sand grains on Earth.
- Titan and Earth are the solar system’s two places with standing bodies of liquid on the surface.
- Titan boasts lakes, rivers and seas of hydrocarbons (comprised mainly of methane): compounds of hydrogen and carbon like those that are the main components of petroleum and natural gas.
- Titan also has a hydrological cycle, with liquid hydrocarbons raining down from clouds, flowing across its surface and evaporating back into the sky. This is comparable to Earth’s water cycle.
- Titan, with a diameter of 5,150 km, is the solar system’s second largest moon, behind only Jupiter’s Ganymede. It is bigger than the planet Mercury.
- Cassini discovered three new moons — Methone, Pallene and Aegaeon — bringing Saturn’s moon count to a total of 62 (the planet with the most moons in the Solar System is Jupiter, with a total of 69confirmed moons).
- Hyperion has been called Saturn’s “most bizarre moon” due to its elongated shape and what looks like a spongy surface.
- Lapetus, one of Saturn’s major moons, is tidally locked — meaning one side always faces the sun while the other faces away.
- Interestingly, the side that faces the sun is covered in a light, reflective substance, while the side facing away is covered with a dark substance. Cassini finally solved that mystery.
- The dark side of the moon was due to another one of Saturn’s moons, Phoebe. Reddish dust from Phoebe was being swept into Iapetus’ path, resulting in the dark patches across its surface.
- Oxygen molecules were discovered on Dione, another one of Saturn’s moons.
- Cassini uncovers new rings around Saturn.
- The rings contain waves that are seemingly caused by the planet’s gravitational disturbances.
- Cassini helped scientists understand the process behind the formation of planets by observing the behaviour of Saturn’s rings.
- The probe documented the formation of a small moon in between the rings, formed by the very particles that the rings are made of.
What planet has the most moons?
- Every year or so new moons are discovered for the outer planets.
- Mercury and Venus have no Moon.
- Earth has 1 Moon.
- Mars has two Moons.
- Jupiter has 69 Moons.
- Saturn has 62 Moons.
- Uranus has 27 Moons.
- Neptune has 14 Moons.
- Dwarf Ceres has also no Moon.
