- Trees in Corbett fell prey to greedy Nexus says SC
- The Supreme Court condemned the illegal feeling of over 6000 trees to construct buildings for ecotourism at the Jim Corbett National Park in Uttarakhand.
- The court held it as a classic case of Nexus between politicians and officials working to run sack the environment for short term commercial ends.
- The court also directed the Ministry of environment to form a specialised committee to study and recommend whether Tiger Safaris should be permitted in the buffer areas of a tiger reserve.
- The national park was established in 1936 as Hailey National Park to protect the endangered Bengal tiger. It is named after Jim Corbett who played a key role in its establishment
2. Ensure Pakistan does not divert loans to foot defence bills: India to IMF
- India has batted for stringent monitoring of any emergency funds provided by the International Monetary Fund to Pakistan, stressing that such funds must not be redeployed towards defence bills or repayment of loans from other countries.
- Recently, the International Monetary Fund has approved a $3 billion short term standby arrangement (SBA) granted to Pakistan.
- India abstained from voting on loans sought by Pakistan.
- The Stand-by Arrangement (SBA) provides short-term financial assistance to countries facing balance of payments problems. Historically, it has been the IMF lending instrument most used by advanced and emerging market countries. Through the years, the SBA has been upgraded to be more flexible and responsive to countries’ needs
3. Our legislators immune to bribery charges?
- A seven judge bench of the Supreme Court ruled that members of Parliament and members of Legislative Assemblies cannot claim immunity from prosecution for accepting bribes to cast a vote or make a speech in the House in a particular fashion.
- Article 105 of the Indian Constitution confers on MP immunity from prosecution in respect of anything said or any vote given in Parliament or on any parliamentary committee.
- The Chief Justice pointed out that such privileges are guaranteed to sustain an environment in which debate and deliberation can take place within the Legislature. Such purpose is destroyed when a member is induced to vote or speak in a certain manner following an act of bribery.
- In 1993, Jharkhand Mukti Morcha (JMM) leader Shibu Soren and some of his party MPs were accused of taking bribes to vote against the no-confidence motion against the then P V Narasimha Rao government. The apex court (by a 3:2 majority) granted immunity from prosecution to MPs who took bribes and voted to save the then Congress government in Parliament.
4. The Italian top court’s ruling on sea migrants from Libya
- Italy’s highest court held in a ruling that Libya is not a safe harbour and it is unlawful to force migrants rescued from the sea to return to a territory where their fundamental rights are at risk.
- Principle of non-refoulement forbids the forced return of people to countries where their lives or rights are at risk.
- Libya is currently not a port of safety
5. Prime minister launches India’s first Underwater Metro Line in Kolkata
- The prime minister inaugurated Kolkata’s Metro Esplanade Howrah Maidan Section which passes below the mighty Hooghly River through the country’s first underwater transportation tunnel.
- The tunnel is a testament to the country’s engineering capabilities.
- The stretch is of 4.8 kilometres and a part from the East West Corridor and has been built at the cost of rs 4965 crore.
- It is a part of Kolkata Metro’s East-West Corridor. It passes under the Hooghly River in the city’s northeast, with the tunnel 13 meter below the riverbed and 33 meter below ground level
6. With 8565 dead, UN says 2023 was the deadliest year in a decade for migrants
- At least 8565 people died on migration routes worldwide in 2023 making it the deadliest year since records began a decade ago.
- The 2023 death toll represents a tragic increase of 20% compared to 2022 highlighting the urgent need for auction to prevent further loss of life.
- Slightly more than half of the total migrant deaths in 2023 came as a result of drowning with 9% caused by vehicle accidents and 7% in violence.
- Since 2014, more than 50,000 migrants have lost their lives on migratory routes across the world. In 2020, over 59 million people were internally displaced by the end of 2021
