India and Japan to conduct joint exercise to strengthen cooperation in air defence

Why In News

India and Japan to conduct joint exercise: The Japan Air Self Defense Force and the Indian Air Force will participate in the joint air exercise "Veer Guardian-2023."

Key Points

The joint exercise, which will go through January 26th, intends to encourage international collaboration in air defence.

Four Su-30 MKI, two C-17, and one IL-78 aircraft from the Indian contingent will take part in the air exercise, while four F-2 and four F-15 aircraft from the JASDF will take part.

According to a statement from the Ministry of Defence, the first exercise would involve several aerial combat drills between the two Air Forces.

They’ll engage in sophisticated multi-domain air combat operations while exchanging best practises.

Discussions between experts on both sides will also be held to share knowledge on various operational concerns. The long-standing friendship between the two Air Forces will be strengthened by the exercise “Veer Guardian,” which will also expand their defence cooperation opportunities.

United States Nuclear Submarine Visited Its Indian Ocean Military Base In Diego Garcia

Why In News

United States said its ballistic missile submarine, USS West Virginia, visited its Indian Ocean

military base at Diego Garcia.

Key Points

United States Nuclear Submarine Visited Its Indian Ocean Military Base In Diego Garcia_40.1

In a rare announcement, the United States said its ballistic missile submarine, USS West Virginia, visited its Indian Ocean military base at Diego Garcia. Before it visited the base at Diego Garcia, the submarine had surfaced in the Arabian Sea and participated in a joint, US Strategic Command-directed communications exercise to validate emerging and innovative tactics in the Indian Ocean.

One of the 14 Ohio-class SSBNs in service with the US Navy, the boat is capable of carrying up to 20 Trident II D5 submarine-launched ballistic missiles with multiple, independently targeted warheads. The submarine also conducted a complete crew exchange in Diego Garcia and a subsequent replenishment at sea, highlighting the SSBN force’s readiness and flexibility to remain on patrol for an extended period of time.

Diego Garcia:

Diego Garcia is a part of the Chagos Archipelago, which the UK identifies as British Indian Ocean Territory or BIOT. In 1965, the archipelago was separated from Mauritius, then a British colony, and made part of the UK’s overseas territory. Later, the UK evicted the entire population of the archipelago and leased Diego Garcia to the United States for its Indian Ocean military base.

Chagos Islands dispute:

Mauritius has argued that the Chagos Islands has been a part of its territory since at least the 18th century, till the United Kingdom broke the archipelago away from Mauritius in 1965 and the islands of Aldabra, Farquhar, and Desroches from Seychelles in the region to form British Indian Ocean Territory.

In June 1976, after Seychelles gained independence from the United Kingdom, the islands of Aldabra, Farquhar, and Desroches were returned by the UK.

The UK declared these islands as an overseas territory in November 1965.

After Mauritius gained independence from the UK in 1968, the United Kingdom refused to return the Chagos Islands to Mauritius claiming in petitions submitted to the Permanent Court of Arbitration that the island was required to “accommodate the United States’ desire to use certain islands in the Indian Ocean for defence purposes”.

The largest island on the Chagos Islands archipelago, Diego Garcia, is where the US and the UK operate a large military base and was also used as a US military base for the US-led attacks against Afghanistan and Iraq in the 2000s.

For decades there was no litigation concerning the violation of human rights and sovereignty in the Chagos Islands. 

However, in 2015, Mauritius initiated legal proceedings in these matters against the United Kingdom in the Permanent Court of Arbitration at The Hague in the Netherlands.

The UK made several attempts to resist Mauritius’ attempts to take the matter to international court by claiming that the issue was a bilateral matter.

India’s Contradictory Stance:

India was among nations to vote in favour of a UN General Assembly resolution that demanded the UK withdraw its “colonial administration” from the Chagos Archipelago unconditionally, supporting Mauritius in its quest for the restoration of sovereignty over the island chain in the Indian Ocean.

However, given the increasing Chinese footprint in the Indian Ocean, India also wants the US to retain its presence in Diego Garcia. New Delhi is believed to have nudged Mauritius to offer to renew the lease of Diego Garcia to the US if it is able to wrest back sovereignty from the UK.

NASA named Indian-American space expert AC Charania as chief technologist

Why In News

NASA’s new chief technologist to serve as principal advisor to Administrator Bill Nelson on technology policy and programmes at the space agency’s headquarters. A.C. Charania joined the space agency.

Key Points

An Indian-American aerospace industry expert has been appointed as NASA’s new chief technologist to serve as principal advisor to Administrator Bill Nelson on technology policy and programmes at the space agency’s headquarters. A.C. Charania joined the space agency in his new role on January 3. He replaces another Indian-American scientist Bhavya Lal, who served as acting chief technologist prior to the former’s appointment.

In his position, Charania will align NASA’s agencywide technology investments with mission needs across six mission directorates and oversee technology collaboration with other federal agencies, the private sector, and external stakeholders. Prior to joining NASA, he served as vice president of product strategy at Reliable Robotics, a firm that works to bring certified autonomous vehicles to commercial aviation. His previous experience also includes working at Blue Origin to mature its lunar permanence strategy, Blue Moon lunar lander program, and multiple technology initiatives with NASA.

Prior to joining NASA, he served as vice president of product strategy at Reliable Robotics, a firm that works to bring certified autonomous vehicles to commercial aviation. His previous experience also includes working at Blue Origin to mature its lunar permanence strategy, Blue Moon lunar lander program, and multiple technology initiatives with NASA.

School Students In Australia To Soon Learn Punjabi

Why In News

Now Punjabi is all set to be taught in public schools in Western Australia. The language is all set to be introduced into the school curriculum.

Key Points

Now Punjabi is all set to be taught in public schools in Western Australia. The language is all set to be introduced into the school curriculum. The Australian government is adopting Punjabi as the newest language after a 2021 census showed that it was the fastest-growing language in Australia with more than 239,000 people using it at home, an increase of over 80 per cent from 2016, reported SBS Punjabi.

The number of Punjabi speakers in Australia is continuously increasing. Punjabi language has become the fastest growing language in this country.

In comparison to the year 2016, there has been an increase of 80 percent in the number of Punjabi speakers in Australia in the year 2021.

This year the syllabus from pre-primary to 12th will be prepared. After including Tamil, Hindi and Korean languages in the curriculum in 2021, it has been decided to teach Punjabi in schools.

With over 190 languages spoken in Australia, linguistic diversity is a great strength that provides social, cultural and economic benefits.

While language is a new addition, earlier Australian Sikh history was included in the Humanities and Social Sciences subjects in WA schools for years 5, 6 and 9.

 ‘Title 42’ Immigration Policy of  U.S.

Why In News

The US announced that it will extend COVID-19 pandemic-era restrictions, known as Title 42, to expel migrants from Nicaragua, Cuba and Haiti caught crossing the U.S.-Mexico border back to Mexico.

Key Points

The United States announced that it will extend COVID-19 pandemic-era restrictions, known as Title 42, to expel migrants from Nicaragua, Cuba and Haiti caught crossing the U.S.-Mexico border back to Mexico. The move would block more nationalities from seeking asylum in the United States, and raises questions about the implications of this policy expansion and its legality. At the same time, the White House said it would open more legal pathways for migrants from those nations to apply to enter the country from abroad.

Title 42 is an immigration policy that was implemented by the U.S. health authorities in March 2020, during the early stages of the COVID-19 pandemic.

The policy was implemented to allow border agents to rapidly send migrants crossing the U.S.-Mexico border back to Mexico or other countries. The U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) said at the time it was needed to stem the spread of COVID-19 in crowded detention settings.

The policy was implemented under Republican former President Donald Trump.

Supreme Court rule on Title 42:

A federal judge in Louisiana blocked the termination after a legal challenge brought by a group of two dozen U.S. states with Republican attorneys general who argued that increased migration would saddle their states with costs.

A Washington, D.C.-based judge struck down Title 42 on Nov. 15. The judge, U.S. District Judge Emmet Sullivan, ruled Title 42 violated federal regulatory law but delayed the effective date of his decision until Dec. 21 to give authorities time to prepare.

The Biden Administration and Title 42:

U.S. President Joe Biden, a Democrat who took office in January 2021, campaigned on a promise to reverse Trump’s restrictive asylum policies. While Biden moved to end some Trump restrictions, he left Title 42 in place for more than a year, exempting unaccompanied children but allowing U.S. authorities to send hundreds of thousands of migrants, including families, back to Mexico. Since Biden took office, there have been record numbers of migrants caught crossing the U.S.-Mexico border, causing operational and political challenges for his administration.

It is likely that the decision is based on operational and political challenges that have risen as a result of record numbers of migrants crossing the U.S.-Mexico border since the Biden Administration took office.

The expanding of the Title 42 policy will have significant consequences on migrants from these countries who will be blocked from seeking asylum in the United States. The legality of this policy expansion is also questionable and will likely be challenged in the courts.