Daily Current Affairs and News Analysis 15-02-2025

Ongoing Fire: Amsterdam Island, a French territory in the southern Indian Ocean, has been experiencing a fire for nearly a month. This highlights an environmental concern.

Location: The island is situated in the southern Indian Ocean, roughly equidistant from Australia, Antarctica, Madagascar, and other territories. Its remote location emphasizes the challenges of dealing with the fire.

Geography: Amsterdam Island is a small, volcanic island (approximately 55 sq. km) with a potentially active stratovolcano, adding a layer of geological interest.

Limited Human Presence: While uninhabited, the island hosts a small scientific research station (Martin-de-Viviès), indicating a scientific focus. The fire could endanger these researchers.

Ecological Significance: It’s home to the rare Amsterdam albatross and is the only French sub-Antarctic island supporting a native tree (Phylica nitida), pointing to a unique ecosystem at risk. The fire threatens these species.

Leopard Death & Probe Demand: Wildlife activists are calling for an investigation into the recent death of a leopard in Bhadra Tiger Reserve. The animal was found dead with a spinal injury and activists suspect it was hit by a safari vehicle a month prior.

Location & Significance: Bhadra Tiger Reserve is located in the Western Ghats of Karnataka. It’s the 25th Project Tiger reserve in India (declared in 1998) and has a significant tiger population. It is also an Elephant Reserve.

Concerns about Cause of Death: Activists allege the leopard was injured earlier by a safari vehicle and may have died from starvation. They are requesting a thorough investigation and better control of safari vehicle movement.

Veterinary Findings: Veterinarians found an injury in the spine and after post-mortem the carcass was burnt.

Habitat Diversity: The reserve has diverse vegetation including dry-deciduous, moist-deciduous, shola, and semi-evergreen patches. The area is also well drained by the Bhadra river and its tributaries.

Species: The reserve is home to various species including Tigers, Leopards, and many other animals.

Response from Authorities: The Conservator of Forests of Chikkamagaluru Circle has stated he would look into the issue.

River & Dam: The Bhadra River flows through the reserve. The Bhadra Dam (Lakkavalli Dam) is built on this river.

Rare Condition Detected: Doctors in Maharashtra, India, recently identified a case of “foetus in foetu” in a pregnant woman. This is a very rare congenital disorder.

What it is: “Foetus in foetu” is a rare condition where an underdeveloped twin is found inside the

How it Happens: It’s believed to result from an uneven cell split in the embryo around 10-15 days after conception. One twin becomes smaller and trapped within the other, which is considered a singleton pregnancy.

The Parasitic Twin: The trapped twin (parasitic) relies on the host twin for blood and nutrients. The parasitic twin might have some features like limbs and a spine, but lacks vital organs like a brain.

Impact on the Host: The host twin’s health can be affected because it has to feed the parasitic twin. The parasitic twin’s growth can also compress the host twin’s organs.

Discovery and Treatment: The condition was found during a routine scan. The undeveloped twin was removed via surgery after the baby’s birth, and both mother and baby recovered well.

Rarity: It affects about one in 500,000 births and has a global occurrence with only a few cases reported in India.

Why it’s a Mystery: The exact cause is unknown and the presentation varies, making diagnosis difficult. Some believe it may be a developmental anomaly and not a true twin pregnancy.

India’s CPI Rank and Score: India ranked 96th out of 180 countries in the 2024 Corruption Perceptions Index (CPI) with a score of 38. This is a decrease from 39 in 2023 and 40 in 2022.

CPI Methodology: The CPI is a widely used global corruption ranking published annually by Transparency International since 1995. It measures perceived public sector corruption based on expert assessments and opinion surveys, using a scale of 0 (highly corrupt) to 100 (very clean).

Global Trends: The global average score remains stagnant at 43. Over two-thirds of countries score below 50. There is a link between corruption and declining democracy, instability, and human rights violations.

Regional Comparisons: In the Asia-Pacific region, the average score dropped to 44, with countries failing to meet anti-corruption pledges. Among India’s neighbors, Pakistan (135), Sri Lanka (121), and Bangladesh (149) ranked lower. China ranked 76.

Corruption and Climate Action: The 2024 CPI highlights the connection between corruption and climate action, hindering emission reduction efforts and adaptation measures. Funds meant for climate initiatives are often stolen or misused, obstructing effective climate policies.

Least Corrupt Countries: Denmark tops the list, followed by Finland and Singapore.

Impact and Importance: Corruption undermines development, erodes public trust, and disproportionately affects the poor and disadvantaged. Combating corruption is crucial for a peaceful, free, and sustainable world.

Definition of AGR: Adjusted Gross Revenue (AGR) is the metric used to determine the revenue telecom operators must share with the government for spectrum usage and licensing.

Supreme Court Ruling: The Supreme Court has rejected review petitions from Vodafone Idea and Bharti Airtel, effectively closing all AGR-related legal avenues for the companies.

AGR Calculation Dispute: A key point of contention has been the definition of AGR. The Department of Telecommunications (DoT) wants to include all telecom company revenues, including non-telecom sources like interest and asset sales. Telecom companies, however, argue that AGR should only include revenue from telecom services.

Supreme Court’s Definition: In 2019, the Supreme Court sided with the government, widening the AGR definition. The court included almost all revenues within the AGR calculation.

Financial Implications: The court’s decisions have significant financial implications, particularly for companies like Vodafone Idea, which has substantial AGR dues. Vodafone Idea owes 70,000 crore in AGR.

Vodafone Idea’s Challenges: Vodafone Idea faces massive regulatory payouts starting in FY26 after a moratorium, and is seeking financial support from

India’s First Manned Submersible: Matsya 6000 is India’s first manned submersible, marking a significant step in deep-sea exploration.

Deep-Sea Exploration: Designed for deep-sea mining and biodiversity studies, it will explore the ocean at depths of up to 6,000 meters.

Advanced Capabilities: Equipped with cutting-edge technology, including life support, navigation, robotic arms, and imaging systems, enabling deep-sea observation and sample collection.

Samudrayaan Mission: Developed by the National Institute of Ocean Technology (NIOT) under the Samudrayaan Mission, showcasing India’s commitment to ocean exploration.

Titanium Alloy Personnel Sphere: Features a 2.1-meter Titanium alloy sphere, developed with ISRO, to safely carry three crew members to great depths.

Extended Operational Capabilities: Capable of continuous operations for up to 12 hours at 6,000 meters, with an emergency endurance of up to 96 hours.

Part of the Deep Ocean Mission: Aligned with the Indian government’s Blue Economy policy, focusing on studying deep-ocean resources and conducting biodiversity assessments.

Nodal Ministry: The Ministry of Earth Sciences (MoES) oversees the project, highlighting its importance in scientific and technological advancement.

Timeline: Expected to be operational by 2026, signifying a future expansion of India’s oceanographic capabilities.

What is Indirect Prompt Injection: A technique that manipulates AI chatbots to execute malicious commands by embedding instructions within seemingly benign documents or emails.

How it Works: Exploits LLMs’ tendency to follow instructions embedded in processed content. Attackers insert malicious commands that trigger unauthorized actions.

Potential Impacts: Data breaches, misinformation, manipulation of chatbot’s long-term memory.

Vulnerability: LLMs’ inherent trust in input, making them susceptible to deceptive prompts.

Delayed Tool Invocation: A sophisticated technique where malicious instructions are executed based on user actions, making attacks more covert.

Long-Term Memory Corruption: Malicious documents can plant false memories in chatbots, leading to persistent misinformation and compromised reliability.

Current Status: Despite security efforts, indirect prompt injection remains a significant unresolved issue, necessitating continuous innovation in AI security.

Illustrative Example: Cybersecurity researcher Johann Rehberger demonstrated how Google’s Gemini chatbot could be manipulated through this method.