Current Affairs for IAS Exams - 28 November 2022

Current Affairs for IAS Exams - 28 November 2022

::NATIONAL::

Supreme Court notice to Centre on plea to recognise same-sex marriage

• The Supreme Court issued a notice to the Centre on a plea to grant legal recognition to same-sex marriages and alliances between members of lesbian, gay, bisexual, trans, intersex and queer or LGBTIQ+ community under the Special Marriage Act.

About:

• Earlier, petitioners had submitted that issue issequel to Navtej Singh Johar and Puttaswamyjudgments.
• Under Puttaswamy case, privacy wasdeclared as a fundamental right and Navtej Singh Johar case decriminalisation ofconsensual Homosexuality in 2018.
• SC held that LGBTQ+ persons enjoy right toequality, dignity and privacy guaranteed by Constitution on same ground as all othercitizens.
• However, legal framework governingmarriage institution in India does notpresently allow members of LGBTQ+community to marry the person of theirchoice.
• This is violative of fundamental rightsincluding Articles 14, 15, 19(1)(a).

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First Night Sky Sanctuary

• The work on India’s first-ever Night Sky Sanctuary, being set up by CSIR under Union Ministry of Science & Technology, in Ladakh’s Hanle is going on in full swing and shall be complete in over a month’s time.

About:

• It will be a part of Changthang Wildlife Sanctuary (CWS).
• According to Government, The Night Sky Sanctuary will attract tourists from across the world over to picturesque Ladakh and also boost astro-tourism in the region.

Significance

• It will be one of the world’s highest-located sites for optical, infra-red,and gamma-ray telescopes.
• It will boost Astro-tourism in the region giving a boost to local tourismand economy through science.
• It aims to work towards the preservation of the night sky fromunwanted light pollution and illumination, which is a serious threatto scientific observations and natural sky conditions.
• About Dark sky Reserves is a designation given to a place that has policiesin place to ensure that a tract of land or region has minimal artificiallight interference.
• International Dark Sky Association, a U.S.-based non-profit, designates places as International Dark Sky Places, parks,sanctuaries and reserves, depending on criteria they meet.

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::INTERNATIONAL::

Free Trade Agreement 

• The Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) Secretary General, Dr. Nayef Falah M. Al-Hajraf, and Mr. Piyush Goyal, Minister of Commerce and Industry, Government of India, held a joint press conference in New Delhi to announce their intention to continue negotiations on the India-GCC FTA.

About:

• Earlier in 2006 and 2008, both sides had negotiated a trade pact however itstopped later on.
• FTA is envisaged to be a modern, comprehensive Agreement with substantialcoverage of goods and services.
• Expected benefits of FTA: Create new jobs, raise living standards, and provide widersocial and economic opportunities in India and GCC countries.

India-GCC relations:

• Strategic relations: Gulf constitutes “immediate” neighbourhood of Indiaseparated only by Arabian Sea.
• Both share desire for political stability and security in the region.
• Trade and economic relations: GCC is currently India’s largest trading partner blocwith bilateral trade in FY 2021-22 valued at over USD 154 billion.
• GCC countries contribute almost 35% of India’s oil imports and 70% of gasimports.
• Top three exports to GCC members: Crude petroleum, Petroleum gas, andDiamonds.
• Top three imports: Refined petroleum, jeweller, and rice.

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UNESCO Asia-Pacific Awards for Cultural Heritage Conservation

• Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj Vastu Sangrahalaya (CSMVS) was conferred with the ‘Award of Excellence’ at the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organisation (UNESCO) Asia-Pacific Awards for Cultural Heritage Conservation-2022 recently.

About:

• The UNESCO Asia-Pacific Awards for Cultural Heritage Conservation is supported by a partnership between UNESCO and Ng Teng Fong Charitable Foundation since 2021.
• UNESCO introduced the new category, ‘Special Recognition for Sustainable Development’, in 2020, together with an updated set of Awards Criteria to acknowledge the role and contribution of cultural heritage to sustainable development within the broader framework of the UN 2030 Agenda.
• Since 2000, the UNESCO Asia-Pacific Awards for Cultural Heritage Conservation programme has been recognizing the efforts of private individuals and organizations in restoring, conserving, and transforming structures and buildings of heritage value in the region.

::Economy::

RBI asks Paytm to reapply for payment aggregator licence 

• The Reserve Bank of India(RBI) has asked Paytm Payments Services Limited to resubmit the application to operate as payment aggregator. 
• RBI put a pause on onboarding of online merchants by Paytm Payments Services. 
• The company will not onboard new online merchants till the time approvals remain pending.

About:

• A payment aggregator provides payment services to merchants and e-commerce sites by accepting payment instruments from customers. As a part of this, they pool the funds received from customers and transfer them to merchants after a certain time.
• The services include facilitating integrated payment options such as transactions of cash and cheque, and online and offline touch points, besides allowing bank transfers for merchants without the need to set up accounts directly with the bank.

Requirement for a licence:

• In a new set of guidelines issued in March 2020, the RBI mandated that all PAs shall be authorised by it. For this, the regulator instructed non-bank companies offering PA services to apply for authorisation by June 30, 2021, which was later pushed to September 30, 2021.
• The decision on granting the licence has come after a period of assessment of the applications. The norms made it important for all payment gateways to acquire a licence to continue. The few firms authorised to operate as payment aggregators in India will come under the direct purview of the RBI.

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::SCIENCE AND TECHNOLOGY::

Bluebugg

• Cybersecurity experts noted that apps that let users connect smartphones or laptops to wireless earplugs can record conversations, and are vulnerable to hacks.

About:

• It is a form of hacking that lets attackers access a device through its discoverable Bluetooth connection.
• Once a device or phone is bluebugged, a hacker can listen to the calls, read and send messages and steal and modify contacts.
• It started out as a threat for laptops with Bluetooth capability.
• Later hackers used the technique to target mobile phones and other devices.

Process:

• Bluebugging attacks work by exploiting Bluetooth-enabled devices.
• The device’s Bluetooth must be in discoverable mode, which is the default setting on most devices.
• The hacker then tries to pair with the device via Bluetooth.
• Once a connection is established, hackers can use brute force attacks to bypass authentication.
• They can install malware in the compromised device to gain unauthorised access to it.
• Bluebugging can happen whenever a Bluetooth enabled device is within a 10-metre radius of the hacker.
• However, according to a blog by VPN service provider NordVPN, hackers can use booster antennas to widen the attack range.

Which devices are most susceptible to such attacks?

• Any Bluetooth-enabled device can be bluebugged.
• Wireless earbuds are susceptible to such hacks.
• Apps that enable users to connect to their TWS (True Wireless Stereo) devices or earbuds can record conversations.
• The apps of these TWS devices can record conversations.
• Once hacked, the attacker can make and listen to calls, read and send messages, and modify or steal your contacts.

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