{"id":156365,"date":"2025-02-22T18:38:16","date_gmt":"2025-02-22T13:08:16","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/pwonlyias.com\/stage\/?post_type=current-affairs&#038;p=156365"},"modified":"2025-02-22T18:38:16","modified_gmt":"2025-02-22T13:08:16","slug":"news-in-shorts-22-february-2025","status":"publish","type":"current-affairs","link":"https:\/\/pwonlyias.com\/stage\/current-affairs\/news-in-shorts-22-february-2025","title":{"rendered":"News in Shorts: 22 February 2025"},"content":{"rendered":"<h2 style=\"text-align: center;\"><span style=\"font-size: 18pt;\"><strong>Advocate-on-Record<\/strong><\/span><\/h2>\n<p><b>Context:<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> Recently, the Supreme Court held that<\/span><b> Advocates-on-Record (AoRs)<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> bear full responsibility for the accuracy of petitions filed before the Court, even if the drafts are prepared by other advocates.<\/span><\/p>\n<h3><span style=\"font-size: 16pt;\"><b>About Advocate-on-Record (AoR)<\/b><\/span><\/h3>\n<ul>\n<li><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">The concept of Advocate-on-Record (AoR) was introduced by the Supreme Court of India under <\/span><b>Article 145<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> of the Indian Constitution.<\/span>\n<ul>\n<li><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Under Article 145 of the Constitution, the Supreme Court is empowered to<\/span><b> make rules and regulate its own procedure for hearing cases.<\/b><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/li>\n<li><b>British practice: <\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">The AoR system is broadly based on the British practice of barristers and solicitors.<\/span><\/li>\n<li><b>Role of AoR<\/b>\n<ul>\n<li><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">A l<\/span><b>egal professional a<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">uthorized to represent clients in the Supreme Court.<\/span><\/li>\n<li><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Holds the <\/span><b>exclusive right<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> to file and conduct cases in the Supreme Court.<\/span><\/li>\n<li><b>No other advocate<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> can appear or plead in the Supreme Court without the instruction of an AoR.<\/span><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/li>\n<li><b>Uniqueness<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">: This system is exclusive to the Supreme Court and does <\/span><b>not exist in any High Court<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> in India.<\/span><\/li>\n<li><b>Eligibility Criteria: Set out in the Supreme Court Rules, 2013<\/b>\n<ul>\n<li><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Must be enrolled with any <\/span><b>State Bar Council.<\/b><\/li>\n<li><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Requires at least <\/span><b>4 years of legal practice experience<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">.<\/span><\/li>\n<li><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Must complete <\/span><b>1 year of training<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> under a senior Advocate-on-Record.<\/span><\/li>\n<li><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Must pass the <\/span><b>AoR examination<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> conducted by the Supreme Court.<\/span><\/li>\n<li><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Must maintain an office within <\/span><b>10 miles of the Supreme Court<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> in Delhi.<\/span><\/li>\n<li><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Must undertake to hire a <\/span><b>registered clerk<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> within 1 month of registration.<\/span><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/li>\n<li><b>Key Responsibilities<\/b>\n<ul>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"2\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Authorized to file a <\/span><b>Vakalatnama<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> (a document granting authority to represent a client).<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"2\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Handles <\/span><b>all procedural aspects of a case,<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> including drafting and filing petitions, applications, and other legal documents, with the assistance of a registered clerk.<\/span><\/li>\n<li><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Receives <\/span><b>all notices, orders, and correspondence<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> from the Supreme Court on behalf of the client.<\/span><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p>\u00a0<\/p>\n<h2 style=\"text-align: center;\"><span style=\"font-size: 18pt;\"><b>Government to Auction more Critical Mineral Mines by 2031<\/b><\/span><\/h2>\n<p><b>Context: <\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">The Indian government has approved a \u20b916,300-crore National Critical Mineral Mission (NCMM) in January 202<\/span><b>5.<\/b><\/p>\n<h3><span style=\"font-size: 16pt;\"><b>About Critical Mineral<\/b><\/span><\/h3>\n<ul>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Minerals essential for economic growth and national security.<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><b>Examples: <\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Aluminum, Cobalt, Copper, Lithium, Nickel, and Rare earth elements.\u00a0<\/span><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<h3><span style=\"font-size: 16pt;\"><b>About National Critical Mineral Mission (NCMM)<\/b><\/span><\/h3>\n<ul>\n<li><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">The National Critical Mineral Mission (NCMM) is a key initiative aimed at making India self-reliant in critical minerals.<\/span><\/li>\n<li><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">These minerals are essential for renewable energy, electronics, and defense sectors.<\/span><\/li>\n<li><b>Ministry: <\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Ministry of Mines<\/span><\/li>\n<li><b>Objective: <\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">It aims to increase<\/span><b> domestic production of critical minerals a<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">nd reduce dependence on imports.<\/span><\/li>\n<li><b>Key Features of NCMM<\/b>\n<ul>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"2\"><b>End-to-End Mineral Development:<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> Covers the entire value chain\u2014from exploration to recycling.<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"2\"><b>Financial Support<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">: Provides incentives for exploration and sustainable mineral recovery.<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"2\"><b>Stockpile Strategy:<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> Builds a national reserve of critical minerals for long-term security.<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"2\"><b>Public-Private Collaboration:<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> Encourages PSUs and private companies to invest in global mining projects.<\/span><\/li>\n<li><b>Legal Framewor<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">k:<\/span><b> Backed by 2023 amendments to the Mines and Minerals (Development and Regulation) Act, 1957.<\/b><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p>\u00a0<\/p>\n<h2 style=\"text-align: center;\"><span style=\"font-size: 18pt;\"><b>Fragmentation Ammunition Key<\/b><\/span><\/h2>\n<p><b>Context:<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> The Army is preparing to induct new fragmentation ammunition for its 1,300 air defence guns to tackle <\/span><b>evolving aerial threats like drones and loitering munitions.<\/b><\/p>\n<h3><span style=\"font-size: 16pt;\"><b>What is Fragmenting Ammunition?<\/b><\/span><\/h3>\n<ul>\n<li><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Fragmenting ammunition is<\/span><b> a type of bullet designed<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> to break apart upon impact, creating multiple wound channels.\u00a0<\/span><\/li>\n<li><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">This increases the chances of<\/span><b> incapacitating a target.\u00a0<\/b><\/li>\n<li><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">The fragmentation process is achieved using different techniques, such as:<\/span>\n<ul>\n<li><b>Pre-fragmented cores \u2013 <\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">A core divided into multiple small fragments that disperse upon impact.<\/span><\/li>\n<li><b>Specialized jacket designs \u2013<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> Bullet jackets with weak points that break apart on impact.<\/span><\/li>\n<li><b>Frangible materials \u2013 <\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Bullets made from compressed metal or polymer that disintegrate upon contact.<\/span><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<h3><span style=\"font-size: 16pt;\"><b>How Fragmentation Works?<\/b><\/span><\/h3>\n<ul>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">The bullet breaks apart upon hitting a target, creating multiple secondary projectiles.<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">These projectiles spread outward, transferring energy and causing multiple wound tracks.<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">This process increases tissue damage compared to a single bullet path.<\/span><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p>\u00a0<\/p>\n<h2 style=\"text-align: center;\"><span style=\"font-size: 18pt;\"><b>Pir Panjal Valley<\/b><\/span><\/h2>\n<p><b>Context: <\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">A brief exchange of fire occurred on the Line o<\/span><b>f Control (LoC) in Poonch\u2019s Pir Panjal Valley on Sunday in the Gulpur sector.\u00a0<\/b><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Pakistan troops fired small arms at an Indian post, and the Indian Army responded appropriately.<\/span><\/p>\n<h3><span style=\"font-size: 16pt;\"><b>About Pir Panjal Valley<\/b><\/span><\/h3>\n<ul>\n<li aria-level=\"1\"><b>The Pir Panjal Range is a part of the Lesser Himalayas.\u00a0<\/b><\/li>\n<li><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">It extends in an<\/span><b> east-southeast (ESE) to west-northwest (WNW) direction.<\/b><\/li>\n<li><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">It is the largest range in the Lesser Himalayas and gradually rises in elevation along with the <\/span><b>Dhauladhar Range.<\/b><\/li>\n<li><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">It begins in<\/span><b> Ramban<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> and extends westward, passing through south <\/span><b>Jammu and Kashmir<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> to the <\/span><b>Muzaffarabad District in Pakistan-administered Kashmir.<\/b><\/li>\n<li><b>Elevation and Geography<\/b>\n<ul>\n<li><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">The range rises sharply to an average height of over 13,000 feet (4,000 meters).<\/span><\/li>\n<li><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">It acts as a natural divide, separating the Jammu Hills in the south from the Vale of Kashmir in the north.<\/span><\/li>\n<li><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Beyond the Vale of Kashmir, the Great Himalayas lie further north.<\/span><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/li>\n<li><b>Rivers and Water Divide<\/b>\n<ul>\n<li><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">The Pir Panjal range separates itself from the Himalayas near the Sutlej River.<\/span><\/li>\n<li><b>It forms a divide between:<\/b>\n<ul>\n<li><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Beas and Ravi rivers on one side.<\/span><\/li>\n<li><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Chenab River on the other side.<\/span><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/li>\n<li><b>Major Passes<\/b>\n<ul>\n<li><b>The range has six significant historical passes:<\/b>\n<ul>\n<li><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Hajipir Pass<\/span><\/li>\n<li><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Gulabgarh Pass<\/span><\/li>\n<li><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Ratanpir Pass<\/span><\/li>\n<li><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Pir Panjal Pass<\/span><\/li>\n<li><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Banihal Pass<\/span><\/li>\n<li><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Bairam Gala Pass<\/span><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/li>\n<li><b>Important Peaks<\/b><\/li>\n<li style=\"list-style-type: none;\">\n<ul>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"2\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Deo Tibba (6,001 m)<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"2\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Indrasan (6,221 m)<\/span><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/li>\n<li><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">These peaks are located at <\/span><b>the eastern end of the range.<\/b><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p>\u00a0<\/p>\n<h2 style=\"text-align: center;\"><span style=\"font-size: 18pt;\"><b>Perovskite Nanocrystals (PNCs)<\/b><\/span><\/h2>\n<p><b>Context<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">: Recently, researchers at the <\/span><b>Centre for Nano and Soft Matter Sciences (CeNS), Bengaluru<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> have developed a uniform and efficient <\/span><b>synthesis method for perovskite nanocrystals (PNCs), <\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">paving the way for efficient, durable optoelectronic devices.<\/span><\/p>\n<h3><span style=\"font-size: 16pt;\"><b>About Perovskite Nanocrystals (PNCs)<\/b><\/span><\/h3>\n<ul>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">PNCs are <\/span><b>nanomaterials with a perovskite-like crystal structure (CaTiO\u2083)<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">.<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Exhibit <\/span><b>exceptional optical properties<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> such as <\/span><b>tunable bandgaps, high photoluminescence quantum yield (PLQY), and narrow emission spectra<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">.<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><b>Advantages:<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> Easy synthesis, low cost, and customizable emission color.<\/span><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<h3><span style=\"font-size: 16pt;\"><b>Applications of PNCs<\/b><\/span><\/h3>\n<ul>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><b>Light-Emitting Diodes (LEDs): <\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">High efficiency &#038; color purity for <\/span><b>next-gen displays<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">.<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><b>Solar Cells: High light absorption &#038; tunable bandgap<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> enhance energy conversion.<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><b>Lasers: <\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Used as <\/span><b>gain media for compact &#038; tunable lasers<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">.<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><b>Photodetectors: <\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">High <\/span><b>light sensitivity<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> for optical applications.<\/span><\/li>\n<li><b>Bioimaging: <\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Engineered for <\/span><b>fluorescent imaging in medical diagnostics<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">.<\/span><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<div class=\"vc_table_green\"><\/p>\n<table style=\"width: 99.6375%;\">\n<tbody>\n<tr>\n<td style=\"width: 111.19%; text-align: center;\" colspan=\"2\"><span style=\"font-size: 18pt;\"><b>Also 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About Advocate-on-Record (AoR) The concept of Advocate-on-Record (AoR) was introduced by the Supreme Court of India under Article 145 of the Indian Constitution. Under&hellip; <a class=\"more-link\" href=\"https:\/\/pwonlyias.com\/stage\/current-affairs\/news-in-shorts-22-february-2025\">Continue reading <span class=\"screen-reader-text\">News in Shorts: 22 February 2025<\/span><\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":11,"featured_media":156362,"menu_order":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"rank_math_lock_modified_date":false,"footnotes":""},"tags":[],"paper-wise":[],"subject":[],"acf":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/pwonlyias.com\/stage\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/current-affairs\/156365"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/pwonlyias.com\/stage\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/current-affairs"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/pwonlyias.com\/stage\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/current-affairs"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/pwonlyias.com\/stage\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/11"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/pwonlyias.com\/stage\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=156365"}],"version-history":[{"count":2,"href":"https:\/\/pwonlyias.com\/stage\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/current-affairs\/156365\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":156368,"href":"https:\/\/pwonlyias.com\/stage\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/current-affairs\/156365\/revisions\/156368"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/pwonlyias.com\/stage\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/156362"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/pwonlyias.com\/stage\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=156365"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/pwonlyias.com\/stage\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=156365"},{"taxonomy":"paper-wise","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/pwonlyias.com\/stage\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/paper-wise?post=156365"},{"taxonomy":"subject","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/pwonlyias.com\/stage\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/subject?post=156365"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}