GS Analyst
Daily Current Affairs

Japan and South Korea agreed to take forward ties and move past lingering historical disputes, pledging to transform a relationship that could have broad implications for the region.

Key-highlights

• Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida became the first Japanese leader to visit Seoul in 12 years.
• The visit followed a trip to Japan in March by South Korean President Yoon Suk Yeol.

What are the common concern?

• Both countries are brought together by shared concerns over
  • North Korea’s nuclear programme
  • China’s regional muscle-flexing

What are the disputes between South Korea and Japan?

Relations between the two North Asian U.S. allies have been strained over disputes dating to Japan's 1910-1945 occupation of Korea.

• Japan's colonial-era atrocities: The two Asian nations have long had lukewarm relations because of Japan's colonial occupation of the peninsula for 35 years until 1945. Japan's colonial-era atrocities towards Korea, such as sexual slavery and forced labor.
• Abuse of women workforce: Koreans accuse Japan of forcing women to work in wartime brothels for the Japanese military and using forced labour, among other abuses.
• Trade restrictions: Relations deteriorated in 2019 when Japan restricted exports of high-tech material to South Korea.
• Territorial dispute: The two countries also have a territorial dispute over a cluster of windswept volcanic islets, known as Dokdo in Korea and Takeshima in Japan.
  • The islets are controlled by Seoul, with a small contingent of coast guard personnel, but are also claimed by Tokyo.
    
    

How would it impact India?

• India, which has friendly bilateral relations with both Japan and South Korea, is in a position to steer the trilateral relationship towards outcomes that provide an effective deterrent to China’s overreach.
• India, Japan and South Korea are major countries willing to contribute to the stability and security of the Asia-Pacific region.
• The latest development gives India a template to explore a new triangle with Japan and South Korea, where New Delhi shares a wide range of interests.
• Common security issues:
  • maritime politics in East Asia and the Indian Ocean
  • non-traditional security threats
  • Chinese assertiveness
  • regional politics covering China, North Korea, and Afghanistan etc.
• This possible trilateral cooperation tends to focus on the “balance of power” equation that can institutionalise structural frameworks in the Asia-Pacific region.

Arab League foreign ministers voted to readmit Syria into the organisation, after a suspension that lasted over a decade due to the region-wide condemnation of President Bashar Assad’s crackdown on the 2011 protests-turned-civil-war.

Brief Background

• The 22-member group had suspended Damascus' participation in November 2011 due to the nation's actions against peaceful protests that started earlier that year.
• These protests turned into a civil conflict and resulted in the death of over 500,000 individuals, the displacement of millions, and significant damage to the country's infrastructure and industry.

About Arab League

• Founded in 1945, the Arab League is a loose alliance of Arabic-speaking countries in the Middle East and North Africa that have pledged to cooperate on economic and military affairs, among other matters.
• Founding members: Egypt, Iraq, Lebanon, Saudi Arabia, Syria, Transjordan, and Yemen.
• Headquarters: Cairo
• Composition: The League is made up of 22 member states and four observer nations.
  • Members: Algeria, Bahrain, Comoros, Djibouti, Egypt, Iraq, Jordon, Kuwait, Lebanon, Libya, Mauritania, Morocco, Oman, Palestinian Authority, Qatar, Saudi Arabia, Somalia, Sudan, Syria, Tunisia, United Arab Emirates and Yemen.
  • Observer nations: Brazil, Eritrea, India, and Venezuela

NITI Aayog has released the book ‘Best practices in social sector: A compendium 2023’ which documents 75 initiatives that have benefitted a large segment of the society and are replicable.

• NITI Aayog released the book in collaboration with the United Nations Development Programme.
• The seventy-five best practices highlight models which are innovative, sustainable, replicable and impactful.
• The aim of this exercise has been to synthesise lessons for the future to expand, enhance and improve life at the grassroots level.
• These best practices have been carefully chosen from amongst these collated from the Central Ministries/Departments and the States/UTs.
• Of these “best practices”,
• • 14 are those that have been launched by Central ministries
  • two are joint initiatives by the Centre and the state governments
  • the rest are from 26 states and UTs

The Manipur government had earlier issued a “shoot at sight" orders as violence in the state had spread to capital Imphal. 

What is a 'Shoot at Sight' Order?

• In India, shoot-at-sight orders are a contentious and uncommon type of law enforcement.
• The directives allow police or other security forces to shoot anyone who defies the orders without warning or even attempting to apprehend them.

When is a shoot and sight order issued?

• Authorities issue them when they believe there is an imminent threat to public order or security and that the use of lethal force is required to prevent it.
• Orders to ‘shoot at sight’ are typically granted for a short time and in specific places where there is a significant potential of violence.

What is the legal basis of such an order?

Under Sections 41-60 and 149-152 of the CrPC, 1973, a “shoot-at-sight" or shooting order may be issued in accordance with the legislative authorities relating to the arrest or prevention of offences or the disbandment of unlawful assemblies.

• Section 46 (2) of CrPC: It authorises the use of force during an arrest. The law states that if a person “forcefully resists the attempt to arrest him or attempts to evade the arrest, such police officer or other person may use all means necessary to effect the arrest."
  • Limitation: Section 46(3), however, limits this executive power by stating that the provision does not grant the ability “to cause the death of a person who is not accused of an offence punishable with death or imprisonment for life".
• Section 81 of the IPC: “nothing is an offence merely by reason of its being done with the knowledge that it is likely to cause harm, if it is done without any criminal intention to cause harm, and in good faith for the purpose of preventing or avoiding other harm to person or property."
• Section 144 of the CrPC: It authorises the employment of broad powers in dealing with urgent cases of “apprehended danger" or nuisance by issuing orders.
• Section 144(3) of the Act authorises curfew orders to be issued in the case of a “specific individual," “persons residing in a particular place or area," or “the general public when frequenting or visiting a particular place or area." The executive frequently issues “shoot-at-sight orders" using the authority granted to it by Section 144.
• Section 3(a) of the Armed Forces Special Powers Act of 1958, as amended by the Armed Forces (Assam and Manipur) Special Powers Amendment Act of 1972, gives the armed forces the authority to use force in “disturbed areas." A notification in the Official Gazette declaring an area “disturbed" may be issued by the “Governor of the State, the Administrator of that Union Territory, or the Central Government, as the case may be."

Taking a leap forward in the space research sector of India, the Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO) is all set to launch two back-to-back missions in a few months – Chandrayaan 3 and Aditya L1, both set to be launched in July 2023.

Chandrayaan 3

• Chandrayaan 3 is the third moon mission set to be launched by ISRO, where a spacecraft will be launched into the lunar orbit of the moon for space research.
• It a follow-on mission to Chandrayaan-2 to demonstrate end-to-end capability in safe landing and roving on the lunar surface.
• It consists of Lander and Rover configuration. It will be launched by LVM3.

Aditya L1

• Aditya L1 is set to be India’s first-ever space mission to the sun.
• Aditya L1 is a planned coronagraphy spacecraft to study the solar atmosphere and is a first-of-its-kind mission set to be carried out by ISRO.
• The main aim of the Aditya L1 mission is to insert the spacecraft in the halo orbit around the L1 point between the Earth and the Sun, through which it will be able to study the atmosphere of the Sun and the solar magnetic storms and its impact on the Earth.