Hague Service Convention Latest News

The U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission recently sought assistance from the Union Law Ministry, the central authority for India under the Hague Service Convention, to effectuate summons on Gautam Adani and his associates. 

About Hague Service Convention

• Hague Service Convention, formally known as the Convention on the Service Abroad of Judicial and Extrajudicial Documents in Civil or Commercial Matters, 1965, was adopted at the Hague Conference on Private International Law in 1965.
• Building on the 1905 and 1954 Hague Conventions on Civil Procedure, this multilateral treaty ensures that defendants sued in foreign jurisdictions receive timely and actual notice of legal proceedings while facilitating proof of service.
• Eighty-four states, including India and the U.S., are parties to the Convention. 
• Its procedures apply only when both the sending and receiving countries are signatories.
• Each member state must also designate a central authority to process requests and facilitate the service of documents from other signatory states.
• Signatory states can select the modes of transmission that apply within their jurisdiction. 
• Under the Convention, the primary mode of service is through designated central authorities. 
  • However, alternative channels are also available, including postal service, diplomatic and consular channels, direct communication between judicial officers in both states, direct contact between an interested party and judicial authorities in the receiving state, and direct communication between government authorities.

How is Service Effectuated on Defendants in India?

• India acceded to the Convention on November 23, 2006, with certain reservations, expressly opposing all alternative service methods under Article 10. 
• It prohibits the service of judicial documents through diplomatic or consular channels, except when the recipient is a national of the requesting country. 
• Additionally, all service requests must be in English or accompanied by an English translation.
• As a result, valid service can only be executed through the Ministry of Law and Justice, India’s designated central authority.
• The Ministry is permitted to reject a service request, but must specify the reasons for such refusal. 
  • For instance, under Article 13, a request can be denied if the state believes its sovereignty or security would be compromised.
  • However, a state cannot reject a service request solely because it claims exclusive jurisdiction over the subject matter under its domestic law. 
  • Similarly, under Article 29, a request cannot be refused simply because the state’s internal law does not recognise a right of action.
• If the central authority raises no objections, it proceeds with serving the defendant. 
• The service is then treated as a summons issued by an Indian court under Section 29(c) of the Code of Civil Procedure, 1908. 
• Once completed, the central authority issues an acknowledgement to the requesting party. 
• The entire process typically takes six to eight months.

Can a Default Verdict be Rendered?

• A default judgment may be issued under the Convention if a foreign government refuses to cooperate in serving summons on a defendant residing within its jurisdiction. 
• However, Article 15 prescribes specific conditions that must be met before such a judgment can be rendered:
  • the document must have been transmitted through one of the methods outlined in the Convention; 
  • at least six months must have elapsed since the transmission, with the court determining this period to be reasonable in the given case; and 
  • no certificate of service has been received despite all efforts to obtain it through the competent authorities of the recipient state.
• Notably, India has expressly declared that its courts may issue a default judgment in cross-border disputes even if no certificate of service or delivery has been received, provided that all conditions under Article 15 are met.

Hague Service Convention FAQs

Q1. What countries are part of the Hague Service Convention?

Ans. Eighty-four states, including India and the U.S., are parties to the Convention. 

Q2. When was the Hague Service Convention adopted?

Ans. It was adopted at the Hague Conference on Private International Law in 1965.

Q3. What is the purpose of the Hague Service Convention? 

Ans. It facilitates the efficient and standardized service of legal documents across international borders in civil and commercial matters.

Source: TH

Idukki Wildlife Sanctuary Latest News

During a three-day off-season faunal survey held in the Idukki Wildlife Sanctuary recently, 14 species of birds, 15 butterflies, and 8 odonates have been newly sighted in the sanctuary.

About Idukki Wildlife Sanctuary

• IWL, which came into existence in 1976, is located in the Thodupuzha and Udumbanchola taluks in Idukki District, Kerala.
• It covers 77 sq.km. of forests surrounding the Idukki Arch Dam. 
• Terrain: The terrain of the sanctuary is characterized by steep mountains, valleys, and hills.
• Altitude: Altitude ranging from 450 to 1272 m. The highest peak is Vanjur Medu (1272 m).
• Drainage: The major rivers flowing through the area are Periyar and Cheruthoniar. The sanctuary consists of 33 sq.km. of waterbody of Idukki reservoir.
• Rainfall: Average rainfall is 3800 mm.
• Vegetation: West Coast Tropical Evergreen forests, Semi Evergreen forests, Moist Deciduous Forests, Hill shoals, and Grasslands.
• Flaura: Forests are essentially dense teak, rosewood, jackfruit, ebony, cinnamon, and diverse bamboo species.
• Fauna: 
  • It is home to Elephants, bison, sambar deer, wild dogs, jungle cats, tiger, wild boar etc apart from various species of snakes including cobra, viper, krait, etc.
  • Birds include jungle fowl, myna, laughing thrush, black bulbul, peafowl, woodpecker, kingfisher, etc.
  • It is home to the endangered species of the Nilgiri Tahr.

Idukki Wildlife Sanctuary FAQs

Q1. Where is Idukki Wildlife Sanctuary located?

Ans. It is located in Idukki District, Kerala.

Q2. What is an Arch Dam?

Ans. Arch dams are curved in plan, and most of their water load is carried by the abutment of the arch horizontally. 

Q3. What is the Nilgiri Tahr?

Ans. The Nilgiri Tahr (Nilgiritragus hylocrius) is an endangered mountain goat species endemic to the Western Ghats of India.

Source: TH

Anti-Retroviral Therapy Latest News

The Supreme Court recently directed all States to respond to concerns relating to periodic stockouts, transparency in tendering and procurement, and drug quality and certification processes of the of Anti-Retroviral Therapy (ART) drugs for People Living with HIV/AIDS (PLHIV).

About Anti-Retroviral Therapy 

• ART is a combination of medicationsthat treat human immunodeficiency virus (HIV).
  • HIV is a virus that destroys CD4 cells (also called helper T-cells), an important part of your immune system. 
  • Without the protection of CD4 cells, you’re more likely to get life-threatening infections.
• While ART can’t cure HIV, it can reduce the levels of HIV in your body. 
• Low levels of the virus mean your body can produce more CD4 cells. 
• This keeps your immune system healthy and makes you less likely to get serious infections.
• ART medications use a variety of ways to stop HIV from getting into your cells and reproducing. 
• You usually take a combination of two to four medications that work in different ways to reduce the levels of virus (also called viral load) in your body. 
• Taking a combination of medications, rather than just one, makes the treatment more effective and reduces the risk that it’ll stop working. 
• If your viral load is low enough, tests won’t be able to detect HIV in your blood (undetectable levels).
• HIV treatment is called “antiretroviral” because HIV is a retrovirus.
  • This means it uses its genetic instructions (RNA) as a template to make DNA (most of the time, in human cells, DNA is used to make RNA). 

Anti-Retroviral Therapy FAQs

Q1. What is the purpose of anti retroviral therapy?

Ans. It is treatment of people infected with human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) using anti-HIV drugs

Q2. What is AIDS?

Ans. AIDS (Acquired Immunodeficiency Syndrome) is a life-threatening condition caused by the HIV.

Q3. What is a retrovirus?

Ans. A retrovirus is a virus that uses RNA as its genomic material. 

Source: LL

WHO Framework Convention on Tobacco Control Latest New

Recently, the World Health Organization celebrated the 20th anniversary of the entry into force of its Framework Convention on Tobacco Control (WHO FCTC).

About WHO Framework Convention on Tobacco Control

• It is the first international treaty negotiated under the auspices of the World Health Organization
• It was adopted by the World Health Assembly on 21 May 2003 and entered into force on 27 February 2005.
• There are currently 181 Parties to the Convention.
• It was developed by countries in response to the globalization of the tobacco epidemic.
• It aims to tackle some of the causes of that epidemic, including complex factors with cross -border effects, such as trade liberalization and direct foreign investment, tobacco advertising, promotion and sponsorship beyond national borders, and illicit trade in tobacco products.
• Govt. of India ratified the WHO Framework Convention on Tobacco Control (WHO FCTC) in 2004.
• It provides for various measures to reduce the demand as well as supply of tobacco.
• It asserts the importance of strategies to reduce both demand and supply, and provides a framework for tobacco control measures to be implemented at the national, regional and international levels. This includes actions to:
  • Protect public health policies from commercial and other vested interests of the tobacco industry.
  • Adopt price and tax measures to reduce the demand for tobacco.
  • Protect people from exposure to tobacco smoke
  • Regulate the contents of tobacco products
  • Regulate tobacco product disclosures
  • Regulate the packaging and labelling of tobacco products

WHO Framework Convention on Tobacco Control FAQs

Q1. What is the purpose of WHO Framework Convention on Tobacco Control?

Ans. The objective of the WHO Framework Convention on Tobacco Control (WHO FCTC) is to protect present and future generations from the devastating health, social, environmental and economic consequences of tobacco consumption and exposure to tobacco smoke.

Q2. What is the purpose of the World Health Organization?

Ans. The WHO's purpose is to achieve the highest possible level of health for all the world's people,

Source: NU

General Anti Avoidance Rules Latest News

Income tax authorities may now be able to issue reassessment notices under General Anti Avoidance Rules (GAAR) under the new proposal under the Income Tax Bill 2025.

About General Anti Avoidance Rules

• It is an anti-tax avoidance law in India to curb tax evasion and avoid tax leaks.
• It came into effect on 1st April 2017. The GAAR provisions come under the Income Tax Act, 1961.
• GAAR is a tool for checking aggressive tax planning, especially those transactions or business arrangements that are entered into with the objective of avoiding tax.
• It is specifically aimed at cutting revenue losses that happen to the government due to aggressive tax avoidance measures practiced by companies.
• It is meant to apply to transactions that are prima facie legal, but result in tax reduction.
• Under current rules, reassessment notices where the under-reported income is Rs ₹50 lakh or more, have to be issued within 5 years and 3 months from the end of the assessment year.
• GAAR provisions give wide powers to tax authorities to treat any arrangement or a transaction as an ‘impermissible avoidance arrangement’ (IAA) and re-compute income and consequent tax implications.

General Anti Avoidance Rules FAQs

Q1. What is the anti-avoidance rule?

Ans. Its purpose is to deny tax benefits to any taxpayer that, although complying with a literal reading of the provisions of the tax rules, are not in compliance with the object, spirit or purpose of the legislation.

Q2. What is the difference between GAAR and Saar?

Ans. GAAR is general and it is aimed at targeting tax avoidance broadly. However, SAAR is specific and it assists in tackling particular tax avoidance schemes on a case-by-case basis

Source: TH

Animal Welfare Board of India Latest News

The central government plans to change the Animal Welfare Board's old guidelines to make them more relevant in the current scenario as well as ensure their effective implementation as part of efforts to prevent cruelty towards animals. 

About Animal Welfare Board of India 

• It is a statutory body set up in 1962 in accordance with Section 4 of the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals Act 1960.
• It was started under the stewardship ofLate Smt. Rukmini Devi Arundale, a well-known humanitarian.
• The mandate of the Board is to promote animal welfare in general and to protect animals from being subjected to unnecessary pain or suffering, in particular.
• Headquarters: Chennai
• It advises state and central governments on the issues related to animal welfare, including cruelty meted out to animals.
• The AWBI periodically addresses the letters to the State Governments and UTs regarding the complaints received and requests them to take necessary action against the offenders as per law.
  • The State Authorities are empowered to initiate appropriate action against the offenders meting out cruelty to animals and to take action as per the law. 
• AWBI also gives financial assistance and other assistance to Animal Welfare Organisations functioning in any local area, to impart education in relation to the humane treatment of animals and so on. 
• Membership:
  • The Board consists of 28 Members.
  • The term of office of Members is for a period of 3 years.
  • Several government organisations, along with animal rights activists and parliamentarians, are represented on the Board.

Animal Welfare Board of India FAQs

Q1. Is Animal Welfare Board of India statutory body?

Ans. The Animal Welfare Board of India is a statutory advisory body.

Q2. Where is the Animal Welfare Board of India HQ?

Ans. Ballabhgarh in Haryana

Q3. The Animal Welfare Board of India is under which ministry?

Ans. It is a statutory body of the Department of Animal Husbandry and Dairying, Ministry of Fisheries, Animal Husbandry and Dairying.

Source: ND

Doomsday Fish Latest News

Recent appearances of the doomsday fish near Baja California Sur, Mexico have ignited discussions on social media.

About Doomsday Fish

• It is also known as Orafish and the “sea serpent” is a deep-sea dweller that rarely comes near the surface.
• Diet: It is filter feeders and primarily eat krill, plankton and other small crustaceans. 
• Habitat of Doomsday Fish: They are deep-sea dwellers, thriving most often in the zone least explored by scientists to date: the mesopelagic zone (waters down to 1,000 meters). 

Appearance of Doomsday Fish

• It is a deep-sea creature, known for its long, ribbon-like body and bright orange fins.
• It can grow to more than 30 feet, which makes them quite the sight to behold.

Folklore Related to Doomsday Fish

• In some areas of the world, these creatures are seen as being harbingers of bad news, particularly disasters or destruction.
• The oarfish has the nickname of "Ryugu no tsukai," or "sea god's palace messenger," in Japanese folklore.
• This myth traces back to the 17th century and says that the surfacing of the oarfish is a harbinger of future natural disasters.
• The myth received strong support in 2011 when several oarfish washed up on beaches in Japan only some months before the destructive Tōhoku earthquake and tsunami.

Doomsday Fish FAQs

Q1. Why do they call it the Doomsday fish?

Ans. The eerie nickname "Doomsday Fish" stems from various cultural legends associating oarfish sightings with impending natural disasters.

Q2. How deep do Doomsday fish live?

Ans. The oarfish inhabits the epipelagic to mesopelagic ocean layers, ranging from 250 meters (660 ft) to 1,000 meters (3,300 ft) and is rarely seen on the surface.

Q3 Why do oarfish come to the surface?

Ans. Some researchers suggest rising ocean temperatures, pollution, or deep-sea disturbances.

Source: TOI

Blood Moon Latest News

A total lunar eclipse, or blood moon, will light up the sky on March 14 and will be visible in most parts of the world.

About Blood Moon

It happens when Earth's moon is in a total lunar eclipse.

Occurrence of Blood Moon

• A blood moon occurs when Earth comes directly between the Sun and the moon.
• A process called Rayleigh scattering causes the moon to appear red instead of dark.
• This happens because shorter-wavelength light (blue) is scattered, while longer-wavelength red light passes through the Earth’s atmosphere, making the moon appear red.
• During totality, “the entire Moon falls within the darkest part of Earth’s shadow, called the umbra.
• When the Moon is within the umbra, it appears red-orange.” This colour shift is what earns the event its nickname, the “blood moon.
• Depending on external factors such as atmospheric conditions and light pollution, the moon, during a blood moon phase, may appear red, orange, or copper-coloured.
• This year’s phenomenon will occur during daytime in India, it won’t be visible in the country and it will be visible in America, Western Europe, Western Africa, and the North and South Atlantic Ocean.
• This total lunar eclipse marks its return after nearly three years––the last one occurring in 2022.

Blood Moon FAQs

Q1. What does a blood moon mean?

Ans. A full moon that coincides with a full lunar eclipse and that has an unusually reddish appearance.

Q2. What is blue moon?

Ans. Monthly Blue Moon: It is the second full moon in a single calendar month

Q3. What is the total lunar eclipse?

Ans. A total lunar eclipse occurs when the Earth aligns directly between the Sun and the Moon, casting a shadow that engulfs the Moon's surface.

Source: IE

Minervarya Ghatiborealis Latest News

Researchers from the west Maharashtra region recently discovered a new endemic species of frog named ‘Minervarya ghatiborealis'.

About Minervarya Ghatiborealis

• It is a new species of endemic frog.
• It was found at the hill station Mahabaleshwar in the north-western Ghats of Sahyadri in Maharashtra.
• This species is named after the Sanskrit word ‘Ghati', meaning western, and the Latin word ‘Borealis', meaning northern region, thus meaning ‘from the north western Ghats'.
• It has been included in the genus Minervarya, commonly known as the ‘Cricket frog'.
  • Frogs of the Minervarya genus are distinguished by the parallel lines on their abdomens. 
  • They nest near standing water or small springs and make noises similar to that of nightingales. 
  • The breeding vocalisation of males differs from other species of the genus. 

Minervarya Ghatiborealis FAQs

Q1. What are endemic species?

Ans. Endemic species are those that are restricted to a geographical area and do not occur naturally in any other part of the world.

Q2. The Western Ghats passes through which states in India?

Ans. It traverses the states of Gujarat, Maharashtra, Goa, Karnataka, Kerala, and Tamil Nadu.

Q3. Are frogs and toads the same?

Ans. Frogs and toads are both amphibians belonging to the order Anura, but they have distinct differences in their physical traits, habitat preferences, and behavior.

Source: TOI

Lunar Trailblazer Spacecraft Latest News

Recently, a SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket lifted off from the Kennedy Space Center in Cape Canaveral carrying NASA’s Lunar Trailblazer orbiter. 

About Lunar Trailblazer Spacecraft

• It is an initiative of the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA).
• Objective: It is being sent to find and map water on the moon’s surface.
• It is about the size of a dishwasher and relies on a relatively small propulsion system.
• It weighs about 200 kg and measures about 3.5 metres wide when its solar panels are fully deployed.
• It is scheduled to perform a series of moon flybys and looping orbits over a span of several months to position itself to map the surface in detail.
• It eventually will orbit at an altitude of roughly 100 km and collect high-resolution images of targeted areas to determine the form, distribution and abundance of water and to better understand the lunar water cycle.
• It is carrying two instruments to achieve its science objectives:
  • High-resolution Volatiles and Minerals Moon Mapper (HVM3): It will look at the moon’s surface for a telltale pattern of light given off by water.
  • Lunar Thermal Mapper (LTM): It will map and measure the lunar surface temperature.
• When used in conjunction, these two instruments provide the ability to simultaneously identify the various forms of water on the moon, mineralogy, and temperature.
• It was built by Lockheed Martin’s space division.

Lunar Trailblazer Spacecraft FAQs

Q1: Why is the lunar trailblazer important?

Ans: The small satellite mission will map the Moon to help scientists better understand where its water is, what form it's in, how much is there, and how it changes over time.

Q2: Who is working on the Lunar Trailblazer?

Ans: The Lunar Trailblazer spacecraft will be built and tested by Lockheed Martin.

Source: TH