• A five-judge Bench, led by Justice Arun Mishra, acknowledged that anticipatory bail helps thwart influential powers from implicating their rivals in false cases.
• Section 438 (anticipatory bail) of the Code of Criminal Procedure protects people from the ignominy of detention in jail for days on end and disgrace to their reputation.
• The protection of anticipatory or pre-arrest bail cannot be limited to any time frame or “fixed period” as denial of bail amounts to deprivation of the fundamental right to personal liberty in a free and democratic country, a Constitution Bench of the Supreme Court ruled recently.
• The life or duration of an anticipatory bail order does not normally end at the time and stage when the accused is summoned by the court, or when charges are framed, but can continue till the end of the trial,” the court held recently.

• Ministry of Road Transport and Highways had recently constituted a Committee headed by YS Malik to identify key issues and recommend methods for transforming Indian Academy of Highway Engineers (IAHE) into a world – class premier institute on highway sector having full/comprehensive expertise on highway sector.
• Indian Academy of Highway Engineers (IAHE) is the premier institute for pooling of experience and sharing of knowledge on entire range of subjects involving management of highways.
• It comes under the Ministry of Road Transport & Highways.

Anthropological Survey of India

• It is the only research organisation to pursue anthropological research in a Governmental setup.
• The Anthropological Survey of India’s genesis was from the Zoological and Anthropological section of the Indian Museum, which became the Zoological Survey of India in 1916. 
• It works under the Ministry of Culture.

Principle Objectives:

• To study the tribes and other communities that form the population of India both from the biological and cultural point of view
• To study and preserve the human skeletal remains, both from modern and Archaeological.
• To collect samples of arts and crafts of the tribes of India.
• To function as a training center for advanced students in anthropology and for administration.
• To publish the results of the researches

• The Zoological Survey of India (ZSI), with help from Gujarat’s forest department, is attempting for the first time a process to restore coral reefs using Biorock or Mineral Accretion Technology.
• Biorock is the name given to the substance formed by electro accumulation of minerals dissolved in seawater on steel structures that are lowered onto the sea bed and are connected to a power source, in this case solar panels that float on the surface.

Working Principle

• The technology works by passing a small amount of electrical current through electrodes in the water.
• When a positively charged anode and negatively charged cathode are placed on the sea floor, with an electric current flowing between them, calcium ions combine with carbonate ions and adhere to the structure (cathode).
• This results in calcium carbonate formation.
• Coral larvae adhere to the CaCO3 and grow quickly.
• Fragments of broken corals are tied to the biorock structure, where they are able to grow at least four to six times faster than their actual growth as they need not spend their energy in building their own calcium carbonate skeletons.

Active Volcanoes - Countries

1. Erebus – Alaska
2. Taal – Philippines
3. Stromboli – Italy
4. Sinabung – Indonesia
5. Whakaari – New Zealand

• Recently 4 Airlines in India, IndiGo, SpiceJet, Air India and GoAir  have banned stand-up comedian Kunal Kamra from taking their flights after he allegedly heckled television news anchor Arnab Goswami on an IndiGo flight.
• In 2017, the Government issued rules for preventing disruptive behaviour by air travellers and laid down guidelines for a No-fly list.
• As per the rules, a complaint of unruly behaviour needs to be filed by the pilot-in-command, and this is to be probed by an Internal committee to be set up by the airline.
• During the period of pendency of the inquiry, the rules empower the concerned airline to impose a ban on the passenger.
• The committee is to decide the matter within 30 days, and also specify the ban duration.
• India is one of the few countries where airlines have been empowered to straight away ban a person from taking their flights.
• The internal committee is to consist of a retired district and sessions judge as Chairman, along with a representative from a different scheduled airline and a representative from a passengers association or consumer association as members.
• Any aggrieved person, upon receipt of communication of a ban from the airline, may appeal within 60 days from the date of issue of the order, to an Appellate Committee constituted by the Ministry of Civil Aviation.
• The Appellate Committee consisting of a retired judge of a High Court as Chairman; a representative from a passengers’ association or a consumer association; and an airlines representative not below the rank of vice-president or equivalent.
• The Civil Aviation Requirements state that the decision of the appellate committee shall be final and that any further appeal shall lie in a High Court.
• The DGCA has given an indicative list of actions that may be construed as unruly. These include, consuming alcohol or drugs resulting in unruly behaviour, smoking in an aircraft, using threatening or abusive language, intentionally interfering with the performance of the duties of a crew member etc.
• In aviation markets like the US or Canada, the no-fly list is more oriented to be a terror-watch program.

• Recently, India has restricted Palm oil imports after Malaysia
• This is to curb imports from Malaysia following criticism from Kuala Lumpur on India's actions in the Kashmir region and its New Citizenship Law.
• India is the world’s largest importer of palm oil and a major market for Malaysia.
• India imported $10 billion worth of vegetable oil in 2019-20, making it the country’s 5th most valuable import after Mineral oil ($141 bn), Gold ($32 bn), Coal ($26 bn), and Telecom instruments such as cell phones ($17 bn).
• India imports most of its refined palm oil from Malaysia and crude palm oil from Indonesia.
• Malaysia’s refining capacity equals its production capacity this is why Malaysia is keen on exporting refined oil.
• Indonesia and Malaysia are the top 2 producers of palm oil in the world, together produce 85% of the world’s palm oil.
• Restricting refined oil imports will not help farmers directly, as they are not involved in the process of refining.
• However, the restrictions have caused refined palm oil prices to increase.
• If prices continue to hold, farmers will get a better realisation for their crop.

• The ceremony, which takes place on January 29 every year, marks the culmination of the four-day Republic Day celebrations in India.
• The military tradition began in 17th century England, when King James II ordered his troops to beat drums, lower flags and organise a parade to announce the end of a day of combat.
• The ceremony was then called ‘watch setting’ and took place at sunset after firing a single round from the evening gun.
• The ceremony is currently held by Armed Forces in the UK, US, Canada, New Zealand, Australia, and India, among others.
• Section D (Ceremonials) at the Ministry of Defence conducts the event in India.
• The ceremony consists of musical performances by the bands, who each year play Indian and western tunes.

• Defence PSU Garden Reach Shibuilders and Engineers (GRSE) is set to deliver anti-submarine warfare stealth corvette INS Kavaratti to the Navy soon.
• 'Kavaratti' is the last of the four Anti-Submarine Warfare (ASW) stealth corvettes built under Project P28.
• The first 3 are, Kamorta (commissioned in 2014), Kadmatt (2016) and Kiltan (2017).
• All these 4 corvettes under the project are named after islands in the Lakshadweep archipelago in the Arabian Sea
• The ship is equipped to fight in nuclear, chemical and biological warfare conditions and its weapons and sensors suite is predominantly (90%) indigenous.

• Recently, the US President released the Middle East plan, ‘Peace to Prosperity: A Vision to Improve the Lives of the Palestinian and Israeli People’.
• The plan says Jerusalem will not be divided, and it will remain “the sovereign capital of the State of Israel”.
• The capital of Palestine can occupy far-flung eastern neighbourhoods lying beyond “the existing security barrier”, which can be renamed Al Quds, the Arabic name for Jerusalem.
• According to the plan, Jerusalem’s holy sites should be subject to the same governance regimes that exist today, and should remain open and available for peaceful worshippers of all faiths.
• Palestine referred to the geographic region located between the Mediterranean Sea and the Jordan River.
• The plan says the Jordan Valley, which is critical for Israel’s national security, will be under Israeli sovereignty.
• United Nations General Assembly Resolution 3236, adopted by the General Assembly on November 22, 1974 recognizes the Palestinian people's right to self-determination, officializes UN contact with the Palestine Liberation Organization.
• More than 135 United Nations member countries recognize Palestine as an independent state.
• Israel and some other countries, including the United States, don’t make this distinction as an independent state.