About Combined Maritime Forces (CMF)

• It is a multi-national naval partnership based in Bahrain which exists to promote security, stability, and prosperity across approximately 3.2 million square miles of international waters, which encompass some of the world’s most important shipping lanes.
• CMF’s main focus areas are defeating terrorism, preventing piracy, encouraging regional cooperation, and promoting a safe maritime environment.
• CMF counters violent extremism and terrorist networks in maritime areas of responsibility; works with regional and other partners to improve overall security and stability; helps strengthen regional nations’ maritime capabilities; and, when requested, responds to environmental and humanitarian crises.
• It is comprised of five task forces:
• Member Nations: Australia, Bahrain, Belgium, Brazil, Canada, Colombia, Denmark, Ecuador, Egypt, France, Germany, Greece, India, Iraq, Italy, Japan, Jordan, Kenya, Republic of Korea, Kuwait, Malaysia, the Netherlands, New Zealand, Norway, Pakistan, the Philippines, Poland, Portugal, Qatar, Saudi Arabia, Seychelles, Singapore, Spain, Thailand, Türkiye, UAE, United Kingdom, United States, and Yemen.
• Participation is purely voluntary. No nation is asked to carry out any duty that it is unwilling to conduct.
• The member nations are not bound by either a political or military mandate. 
• CMF is a flexible organisation. Contributions can vary from the provision of a liaison officer at CMF HQ in Bahrain to the supply of warships or support vessels in task forces, and maritime reconnaissance aircraft based on land.
• It can also call on war ships not explicitly assigned to CMF to give associated support, which is assistance they can offer if they have the time and capacity to do so whilst undertaking national tasking. 
• Headquarters are co-located with US Naval Central Command and US Navy Fifth Fleet at Naval Support Activity (NSA) Bahrain.
• Command:
  • CMF is commanded by a U.S. Navy Vice Admiral, who also serves as Commander of the US Naval Forces Central Command (NAVCENT) and US Navy Fifth Fleet.
  • CMF’s Deputy Commander is a United Kingdom Royal Navy Commodore. 
  • Other senior staff roles at CMF’s headquarters are filled by personnel from member nations.

Q1: Which all countries border the Persian Gulf?

Eight countries border the Persian Gulf, Iraq, Kuwait, Saudi Arabia, Bahrain, Qatar, United Arab Emirates, Oman (Musandam exclave) and Iran.

Source: Indian Navy seizes 940kg drugs in Arabian Sea in 1st interdiction as CMF Member

About UN Women

• It is the United Nations (UN) entity dedicated to gender equality and the empowerment of women.
• In July 2010, the UN General Assembly created UN Women.
• The creation of UN Women came about as part of the UN reform agenda, bringing together resources and mandates for greater impact.
• A global champion for women and girls, UN Women was established to accelerate progress on meeting their needs worldwide.
• The main roles of UN Women are:
  • To support inter-governmental bodies, such as the Commission on the Status of Women, in their formulation of policies, global standards, and norms.
  • To help member states implement these standards, standing ready to provide suitable technical and financial support to those countries that request it, and to forge effective partnerships with civil society.
  • To lead and coordinate the UN system’s work on gender equality as well as promote accountability, including through regular monitoring of system-wide progress.
• It works globally to make the vision of the Sustainable Development Goals (SDG’s) a reality for women and girls and stands behind women’s equal participation in all aspects of life.
• Within countries that request its assistance, UN Women works with government and non-governmental partners to help them put in place the policies, laws, services, and resources that women require to move towards equality.
• Grant-making Funds: UN Women provides grants to fuel innovative, high-impact programmes by government agencies and civil society groups through two funds—the Fund for Gender Equality and the UN Trust Fund to End Violence against Women.
• Commission on the Status of Women (CSW): A global policy-making body, the CSW is a functional commission of the United Nations Economic and Social Council (ECOSOC), dedicated exclusively to gender equality and the advancement of women.
• Aside from the CSW, UN Women offers regular information on women’s rights issues to the General Assembly, the ECOSOC, and the Security Council.

It maintains the UN Secretary-General’s database on violence against women, which tracks measures to end violence taken by UN Member States and UN organizations.

Q1: What are Sustainable Development Goals (SDG’s)?

The 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development, adopted by all United Nations Member States in 2015, provides a shared blueprint for peace and prosperity for people and the planet, now and into the future. At its heart are the 17 Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), which are an urgent call for action by all countries - developed and developing - in a global partnership. They recognize that ending poverty and other deprivations must go hand-in-hand with strategies that improve health and education, reduce inequality, and spur economic growth – all while tackling climate change and working to preserve our oceans and forests.

Source: War’s toll on women: UN Women report sheds light on Gaza’s water, sanitation and hygiene crisis

About Laccadive Sea

• The Laccadive Sea, also known as the Lakshadweep Sea, is a body of water bordering India (including its Lakshadweep islands), the Maldives, and Sri Lanka.
• It is part of the Indian Ocean, the world's third-largest body of water.
• Collectively, the Lakshadweep Sea is 303,476 square miles in area.
• Boundaries:
  • To its south, the Lakshadweep Sea touches the Nine Degree Channel.
  • To its west, it meets the larger Indian Ocean that it is also a part of.
  • To the north, the Lakshadweep Sea meets the Arabian Sea (also part of the Indian Ocean), while to the northeast, it borders the Kerala state of India.
  • Along the more southern eastern portion of the Lakshadweep Sea, it meets the Maldives islands and Sri Lanka.
• With an average depth of 6,329 feet, the Lakshadweep Sea is only half as deep as the average depth of the entire Indian Ocean.
• This warm sea has a stable water temperature throughout the year and is rich in marine life; the Gulf of Mannar alone hosts about 3,600 species.
  • Considering the coral reefsof the Lakshadweep Sea alone, there are nearly 120 observed living species.
• Major cities: Major cities along its shores include Trivandrum and Kochi in India, Quilon and Colombo in Sri Lanka, and Malé in the Maldives.

Related Topics:

• Gulf of Oman
• Persian Gulf
• Gulf of California

Q1: What is a Gulf?

The Gulf is a portion of the sea that is almost surrounded by land except one narrow opening. Gulfs are formed when a giant rock collapses or when a piece of land sinks. This causes a big indentation in the area, and the water eventually fills it up. Gulfs are also formed through a natural process of erosion.

Source: Three new fish species spotted using tools in the Laccadive Sea

About Imported Inflation

• Imported inflation is a general and sustainable price increase due to an increase in the costs of imported products.
• This price increase concerns the price of raw materials and all imported products or services used by companies in a country.
• Imported inflation is also referred to as cost inflation.
• Several factors cause imported inflation:
  • Exchange Rates: The most significant driver of imported inflation is fluctuations in exchange rates. The more the currency depreciates on the foreign exchange market, the higher the price of imports. Effectively, more money is needed to buy goods and services outside the country.
  • Commodity Prices: Many countries, particularly smaller countries, are highly dependent on imported commodities like oil, metals, and agricultural products. When commodity prices rise globally, it directly impacts the cost of imports and can lead to higher inflation in the importing country.
  • Trade Policies and Global Supply-Chains: Changes in trade policies, such as tariffs and quotas, can influence the cost of imported goods.
  • Transportation Costs: Fluctuations in transportation costs, influenced by factors like fuel prices and logistical challenges, can affect the final cost of imported goods.
• Effect:
  • With imported inflation, production costs are higher for companies. These companies most often reflect this increase in the selling price of the goods and services sold.
  • As a result, prices within the country rise. 

Q1: What is the Asian Development Bank (ADB)?

It is a regional development bank established on 19th December 1966.

It envisions a prosperous, inclusive, resilient, and sustainable Asia and the Pacific while sustaining its efforts to eradicate extreme poverty in the region. It has headquarters in Manila, Philippines. Japan holds the largest proportion of shares in ADB followed by the USA, because Japan is one of the largest shareholders of the bank, and the president has always been Japanese.

Source: ‘Higher for longer’: India to face most impact in Asia, says ADB

About Gaia-BH3

• It is the most massive stellar black hole yet discovered in the Milky Way galaxy.
• This black hole was spotted in data from the European Space Agency’s Gaia mission because it imposes an odd ‘wobbling’ motion on the companion star orbiting it. 
  • The researchers used the European Southern Observatory’s Very Large Telescope in Chile’s Atacama Desert and other ground-based observatories to confirm the mass of Gaia BH3.
• It has a mass that is nearly 33 times that ofoursun, and it’s located 1,926 light-years away in the Aquila constellation, making it the second-closest known black holeto Earth.
  • The closest black hole is Gaia BH1, which is located about 1,500 light-years away and has a mass that is nearly 10 times that of our sun.
• Most Massive Black Hole in Milky Way galaxy: The title for the most massive black hole in our galaxy will always belong to Sagittarius A*, the supermassive black hole located at the center of the Milky Way, which has about 4 million times the mass of the sun, but that is because it’s a supermassive black hole, rather than a stellar black hole.

Stellar black hole vs Supermassive black hole

• Stellar-mass black holes are formed from the gravitational collapse of a single staror from the merger of two neutron stars.
• Therefore, stellar-mass black holes have masses similar to the masses of stars.
• More specifically, stellar-mass black holes have masses ranging from about 3 times the mass of our sun to about 50 times the mass of our sun.
• In contrast, supermassive black holes have a mass greaterthan about 50,000 times the massof our sun and are typically millions to billions of times the mass of our sun.
• Supermassive black holes are far too large to have formed from the gravitational collapse of a single star.
• However, scientists do not currently know how supermassive black holes form.
• Supermassive black holes are always found at the center of a galaxy and almost all galaxies have a supermassive black hole at its center. 

This seems to suggest that each supermassive black hole is formed as part of the formation of its galaxy.

Q1: What is a Black hole?

A black hole is a region in space where gravity pulls so much that even light can not get out. The gravity is so strong because matter has been squeezed into a tiny space. This can happen when a star is dying. Because no light can get out, it is difficult to detect a black hole. The largest black holes are called "supermassive." These black holes have masses that are more than 1 million suns together. Albert Einstein first predicted the existence of black holes in 1916, with his general theory of relativity.

Source: Astronomers spot a massive ‘sleeping giant’ black hole less than 2,000 light-years from Earth

About SRVA

• The settlement of international trade through Indian Rupees (INR) is an additional arrangement to the existing system of settlement that uses freely convertible currencies and works as a complimentary system.
  • Freely convertible currency is a currency which is permitted by the rules and regulations of the country concerned to be converted into major reserve currencies like the U.S. Dollar, Pound Sterling.
• This will reduce dependence on hard (freely convertible) currency.
• SRVA requires prior approval of RBI before opening, unlike Rupee Vostro account.
• How does SRVA arrangement function?
  • The framework entails three important components, namely, invoicing, exchange rate, and settlement.
• Invoicing entails that all exports and imports must be denominated and invoiced in INR.
• The exchange rate between the currencies of the trading partner countries would be market-determined.
• The final settlement also takes place in Indian National Rupee (INR).
  • The authorised domestic dealer banks (those authorised to deal in foreign currencies) are required to open SRVA accounts for correspondent banks of the partner trading country.
  • Domestic importers are required to make payment(in INR)into the SRVA account of the correspondent bank against the invoices for supply of goods or services from the overseas seller/supplier.
  • Similarly, domestic exporters are to be paid the export proceeds (in INR) from the balances in the designated account of the correspondent bank of the partner country.
  • As for availing an advance against exports, it would be the responsibility of the domestic bank to accord foremost priority to ensuring that the available funds are used to meet existing payment obligations, that is, from the already executed export orders or export payments in the pipeline.
  • All reporting of cross-border transactions are to be done in accordance with the extant guidelines under the Foreign Exchange Management Act (FEMA), 1999.
• What are the eligibility criteria of banks?
  • Banks from partner countries are required to approach an authorised domestic dealer bank for opening the SRVA.
  • The domestic bank would then seek approval from the apex banking regulator, providing details of the arrangement.
  • It would be the responsibility of the domestic banks to ensure that the correspondent bank is not from a country mentioned in the updated Financial Action Task Force (FATF) Public Statement on High-Risk and Non-Co-operative jurisdictions.
  • Domestic banks must also put forth, for perusal, financial parameters pertaining to the corresponding bank.
  • Authorised banks can open multiple SRV accounts for different banks from the same country.
  • Further, balances in the account can be repatriated in freely convertible currency and/or the currency of the beneficiary partner country, depending on the underlying transaction, that is, for which the account was credited.

Q1: What is the Financial Action Task Force (FATF)?

FATF is an inter-governmental policy-making and standard-setting body dedicated to combating money laundering and terrorist financing. Its objective is to establish international standards, and to develop and promote policies, both at national and international levels, to combat money laundering and the financing of terrorism. It was established in 1989 during the G7 Summit in Paris to develop policies against money laundering. In 2001 its mandate expanded to include terrorism financing.

Source: Payment mechanism for traders importing pulses from Myanmar simplified: Govt

About Athletics Federation of India (AFI)

• It is the top governing body responsible for overseeing athletics in India.
• It is a non-governmental and non-profitable autonomous body.
• It is affiliated to the World Athletics, the Asian Athletics Association (AAA), and the Indian Olympic Association.
• It was formerly called the Amateur Athletic Federation of India (AAFI).
• The AFI has as many as 32 affiliated state units and institutional units.
• The AFI came into existence in 1946, and the federation organises the National Championships, trains the Indian Athletics National Campers, selects the Indian Athletics Teams for various international competitions, including the Olympics, Asian Games, CWG, World Championships, Asian Championships, and other international meets, conducts the National Championships for various age categories.
• Besides, the AFI conducts international and national championships and various meets to promote the sport, popularise it amongst the masses, and make athletics commercially attractive for the further growth of the athlete and the sport. 

The federation also supervises and assists its state units in their activities, plans and sets up special coaching camps, coaches training, and takes initiatives for development programme and grass root promotion of athletics in India.

Q1: What is the Indian Olympic Association (IOA)?

The IOA is the governing body for the Olympic Movement and the Commonwealth Games in India. IOA oversees the representation of athletes or teams participating in the Olympic Games, Commonwealth Games, Asian Games, and other international multi-sport competitions of the IOC, CGF, OCA, and ANOC. Beyond participation in the Games, the IOA has also established various initiatives with different stakeholders for the development of sports education and Olympic studies. IOA is recognised by the Ministry of Youth Affairs and Sports.

Source: AFI disaffiliates 16 districts for skipping inter-district Nationals