Prelim Bits 22-03-2023 | UPSC Daily Current Affairs

Vienna Convention on Diplomatic Relations

After vandalism by pro-Khalistan protestors at Indian High Commission in London, The Ministry of External Affairs invoked the Vienna Convention.

• The Vienna Convention on Diplomatic Relations (1961) provides the framework for the establishment, maintenance and termination of diplomatic relations on a basis of consent between independent sovereign States.
• The Convention was adopted by the United Nations Conference on Diplomatic Intercourse and Immunities on the 18^th April, 1961.
• It entered into force on April 24, 1964 and is nearly universally ratified, with Palau and South Sudan being the exceptions.
• Diplomatic Immunity - The Convention codifies the longstanding custom of diplomatic immunity.
• Under this immunity, diplomatic missions are granted privileges that enable diplomats to perform their functions without fear of coercion or harassment by the host country.
• It affirms the concept of ‘inviolability’ of a diplomatic mission, which has been one of the enduring cornerstones of international diplomacy.
• Article 22 - The ‘receiving State’ (host nation) has some basic obligations towards the diplomatic missions it hosts on its sovereign territory, under Article 22 of the Convention.
• The security of any High Commission or Embassy is the responsibility of the host nation.
• While diplomatic missions can also employ their own security, ultimately, the host nation is accountable for security.
• Based on this, the Ministry of External Affairs demanded an explanation on the London incident.
• In India - The Diplomatic Relations (Vienna Convention) Act, 1972 was enacted in India to give effect to the Vienna Convention and to provide for matters connected therewith.
• The act extends to the whole of India.

References

1. IE - What is the Vienna Convention, invoked by MEA?
2. UN - UN Conference on Diplomatic Intercourse and Immunities

National Chambal Sanctuary

Three States have commenced joint action to stop illegal sand mining in National Chambal Sanctuary.

• National Chambal Sanctuary is situated at the trijunction of Rajasthan, Madhya Pradesh and Uttar Pradesh.
• The Chambal River cuts through the mazes of ravines and hills in the sanctuary.
• Significance - The sanctuary is known for its population of gharials and Gangetic dolphins.
• The 5,400 sq. km. sanctuary is a fragile lotic ecosystem critical for breeding of gharials.

• Threat - Illegal sand mining is threatening the flora and fauna in some parts of the sanctuary.
• Avian site - The sanctuary is listed as an ‘Important Bird and Biodiversity Area’ and is also a proposed Ramsar site.
• About 320 species of resident and migratory birds inhabit the sanctuary, and migratory birds from Siberia form part of its rich avian fauna.
• The river sanctuary is the breeding site of Indian Skimmer.
• Protection - The sanctuary is protected under the Wildlife Protection Act, 1972.

References

1. The Hindu - To stop illegal sand mining in the Chambal sanctuary
2. Ranthambhore National Park - National Chamabal Sanctuary

World Happiness Report 2023

On the occasion of ‘International Day of Happiness’, annually observed on March 20, ‘World Happiness Report’ unveiled its 11th edition this year.

• The World Happiness Report is based on people's own assessment of their happiness, as well as economic and social data.
• It was first published in 2012 and published annually since then. 2023 report is its 11^th edition.
• The report is published by the United Nations Sustainable Development Solutions Network (UN-SDSN).
• The report considers 6 key factors: social support, income, health, freedom, generosity, and absence of corruption.
• It assigns a happiness score based on an average of data over a 3-year period.
• 2023 Rankings - The 2023 report ranked 137 countries on the list.
• For the 6^th year running, Finland was named the world's happiest country followed by Denmark and Iceland.
• Israel occupied fourth position, up 5 spots from last year.
• Unhappiest: War-scarred Afghanistan has occupied the bottom spot (137^th) on the table since 2020.
• Its humanitarian crisis deepen since the Taliban government took power in 2021 following the US-led military pull-out.
• Ukraine: Ukraine's ranking improved from 98 to 92 this year, despite the Russian invasion.
• But Ukraine’s overall score fell from 5.084 to 5.071, on a scale of zero to 10.
• India: India was ranked 126^th on the report (136^th in 2022).
• India’s Neighbours: Nepal featured at 78, China at 64, Bangladesh at 118 and Sri Lanka at 112 and Pakistan at 108.

References

1. The Hindu - Finland happiest country in the world: U.N. report
2. Hindustan Times - Top 10 list of world’s happiest countries
3. World Happiness Report 2023

India-Bangladesh Friendship Pipeline

Prime Minister of India and Prime Minister of Bangladesh jointly inaugurated the India-Bangladesh Friendship Pipeline (IBFP) in a virtual mode.

• The India-Bangladesh Friendship Pipeline (IBFP) is the first cross border energy pipeline between India and Bangladesh.
• IBFP is laid from Siliguri in North Bengal to Parbatipur in Banglaesh’s Dinajpur province.
• Construction of the 131.5 kilometre long pipeline began in 2018.
• The pipeline was built with Rs 377 crore drawn from a line of credit offered by India to Bangladesh.

• This is the 2^nd cross-border energy pipeline between India and its neighbours where the first one being Motihari-Amalekhgunj Petroleum Pipeline between India and Nepal.
• The energy pipeline will carry one million tonnes of high-speed diesel (HSD) from Numaligarh refinery in Assam to Bangladesh Petroleum Corporation’s Parbatipur depot.
• The Indian Oil Corporation Ltd (IOCL) is the recognised government to government (G2G) exporter of refined products to Bangladesh.

References

1. PIB - Indian PM and Bangladesh PM jointly inaugurated the IBFP
2. Swarajya - The New Diesel Pipeline From India To Bangladesh

Mice created with cells from 2 males

For the first time, scientists at Osaka University in Japan have created baby mice from two males.

• The baby mice created from two male mice opens up new avenues in reproductive biology and fertility research for animals and people.
• The scientists took skin cells from the tails of male mice and transformed them into stem-cell-like ‘induced pluripotent stem cells’.
• Then they converted male mouse cells into female cells through a process and produced functional egg cells.
• The process involved growing the pluripotent stem cells and treating them with a compound called reversine.

Pluripotent stem cells can develop into many different types of cells or tissues.

• Finally, they fertilized those eggs and implanted the embryos into female mice.
• About 1% of the embryos (7 out of 630) grew into live mouse pups.
• The pups appeared to grow normally and were able to become parents themselves in the usual way.
• Synthetic mouse embryos - In 2022, scientists in California and Israel created synthetic mouse embryos.
• These synthetic mouse embryos are created from stem cells without a dad’s sperm or a mom’s egg or womb.
• Those embryos mirrored natural mouse embryos up to 8 ½ days after fertilization, containing the same structures, including one like a beating heart.

References

1. The Hindu - Scientists create mice with cells from 2 males
2. IE - Scientists create mice with cells from 2 males for first time