Veto Power in the UN Security Council (UNSC)

Recently USA vetoed a resolution of the UN Security Council that called for a ceasefire in the Israel-Hamas conflict.

• According to the UN Charter, Article 23 the Security Council shall consist of 15 Members of the United Nations.
• UN Security Council (UNSC) consists of the United States, the United Kingdom, France, Russia and China and 10 non-permanent members.
• These 5 countries are called as the ‘permanent five’ or P5 countries and each of the P5 members has the power to veto a vote.
• If any one of the five permanent members cast a negative vote in the 15-member UNSC, the resolution would fail.
• A member can choose to abstain from voting, that allows the resolution to be adopted if it obtains the minimum of 9 votes.
• The UN Security Council resolutions are legally binding in nature.
• These 5 countries are given “The Right to Veto” because of their key roles in the establishment of the United Nations, would continue to play important roles in the maintenance of international peace and security.
• They were granted the special status of Permanent Member States at the Security Council, along with a special voting power known as the "right to veto"

Ketamine

According to the recently released autopsy report, the Matthew Perry, an American actor was died due to Ketamine which is anaesthetic that has some hallucinogenic effects.

• Ketamine is a dissociative anaesthetic that has some hallucinogenic effects.
• It distorts the perception of sight and sound and makes the user feel disconnected and not in control.
• It can induce a state of sedation (feeling calm and relaxed), immobility, relief from pain and amnesia and is abused for the dissociative sensations and hallucinogenic effects.
• Owing to its powerful effects, ketamine is consumed by those patients who haven’t responded to traditional therapies.
• Mental illness patients usually take ketamine through an IV, nasal spray or tablet once or twice a week for 6 to 8 weeks (some might need it for longer).
• Ketamine is also used as a recreational drug, popularly known as K or Special K among club-goers.
• When it comes to recreational purposes, it is consumed by snorting a white crystalline powder.
• India – It is included in the stringent schedule X of the Drug and Cosmetics act, 1940.
• The drugs in schedule X, cannot be purchased over the counter without a valid prescription of a Registered Medical Practitioner (RMP).
• Causes – It can cause both mental and physical problems.
• Ketamine can cause depression, delirium, amnesia, impaired motor function, high blood pressure and potentially fatal respiratory problems.

Humpback Whale

Recently researchers from the SETI Institute, University of California Davis have communicated with a humpback whale that could help in the search for extra-terrestrial intelligent life.

• The humpback whale (Megaptera novaeangliae) is a species of baleen whale.
• Humpbacks usually range from 12 to 16 metres in length and weigh approximately 36 metric tons.
• The body is black on the upper surface, with a variable amount of white below.
• Humpbacks use a unique method of feeding called bubble-netting, in which bubbles are exhaled as the whale swims in a spiral below a patch of water dense with food.
• They are powerful swimmers, and they use their massive tail fins, called flukes, to propel themselves through the water and sometimes completely out of it.
• They travel great distances every year and have one of the longest migrations of any mammal on the planet.
• The IUCN status is Least concern.
• Humpback whales feed on shrimp-like crustaceans (krill) and small fish, straining huge volumes of ocean water through their baleen plates, which act like a sieve.
• Threats – At present it the collisions of it with ships and entanglement in fishing gear.

Logistics Ease across Different State (LEADS) Report, 2023

Recently the LEADS 2023 was released by the Ministry of Commerce and Industry that serves as the guide for states and UTs in the logistics sector.

• LEADS report serves as a guide for stakeholders in the Logistics Sector by providing strategic insights.
• It provides valuable insights to States and UTs about key drivers of logistics performance, which States / UTs can leverage for effective policy and decision making.
• He hoped that it will play a pivotal role in instilling healthy competition among States/UTs to enhance logistics performance.
• The report is a unique initiative of the Ministry of Commerce and Industry.
• It was conceived on the lines of Logistics Performance Index of World Bank in 2018.
• LEADS promotes competitive federalism model for development of logistics sector across the country.
• LEADS 2023 is the 5th edition of the LEADS annual exercise that provides insights into improvement of logistics performance at State/UT level.
• LEADS 2023 – This report is based on a pan-India primary survey which is conducted between May and July 2023, covering over 7,300 responses across 36 States/UTs.
• It focuses on enhancing domestic logistics performance.
• The 3 pillars of the report are:
  1. Quality of Logistics Infrastructure
  2. Quality of Logistics Services
  3. Operating & Regulatory Environment
• The States and UTs based on their Geography were placed into four Groups namely:
  1. Coastal Group
  2. Landlocked Group
  3. North-East Group
  4. Union Territories Group
• States / UTs were classified into 3 performance levels such as Achievers, Fast Movers and Aspirers.

Bodhicitta

Recently Dalai Lama delivered a lecture on Bodhicitta, the main cause of Buddha and the thoughts that help bring peace to the mind.

• Bodhicitta is the mind of enlightenment, the spirit of enlightenment and the awakening mind.
• It is the central theme of Mahayana Buddhism.
• It is the main cause of Buddha and the thoughts that help bring peace to the mind.
• The 2 levels of bodhicitta are:
  1. Absolute bodhicitta
  2. Relative bodhicitta
• Absolute Bodhicitta is the realization that the ultimate nature of all phenomena is emptiness. To realize this, we need to cultivate two types of relative bodhicitta called aspiration bodhicitta and application bodhicitta.
• Aspiration bodhicitta is wishing that all people be free from the causes of suffering and to have the causes of happiness.
• It is a state of mind that does not include compassionate activities.
• Application bodhicitta is performing actions that bring benefit to others; you really do something to help the people that you were thinking about when you were practicing aspiration bodhicitta.
• Avalokiteshvara is the earthly manifestation of the self-born eternal Buddha Amitabha.