DAILY  CURRENT AFFAIRS ANALYSIS

17.02.2025

• News 1: Foetus in Foetu
  
  

GS-3 Science and Tech  

About The News:                                                 

• Recently, doctors at the Buldhana District Women’s Hospital in Maharashtra detected a rare case of “foetus in foetu” in a pregnant woman.

Key points for prelims

Foetus in Foetu:

• It is a rare congenital disorder which is also known as cryptodidymus.
• It is a foetus-like mass developed within the body of the other foetus in a monozygotic twin pregnancy.
• Basically, one twin is very underdeveloped and enwrapped inside the body of the other twin, so much so that the pregnancy is considered a singleton pregnancy.
• The presence of a twin inside the body of the other twin may go undetected for years.
• This condition occurs when a malformed foetus develops inside another foetus.
• It affects about one in 500,000 births. Less than 200 cases have been reported worldwide, with about 10 to 15 cases in India.

Causes of Foetus in Foetu:

• The exact cause of this condition is not fully understood, but it’s believed to result from an anomaly during the development of monozygotic or identical twins.
• About 10 to 15 days after the conception of monozygotic twins, the cell mass of the embryo may be split unevenly, due to which one twin is smaller and incompletely formed with the other twin fully developed.
• The smaller twin gets trapped within the larger twin. The trapped twin is considered “parasitic,” as it draws its blood supply and nutrients from the other “host” twin.
• The trapped or “parasitic twin” has some morphologic features of a normal foetus such as an umbilical cord-like structure, a bag of membranes surrounding it, and blood vessel connections to the host twin. It may have a vertebral column, limbs, and a few organs but lacks vital organs like the brain, heart or gut.
• Despite having “living tissue,” the parasitic twin has no prospects of independent existence outside the host twin.
• The presence of the parasitic twin affects the health of the host twin, who has to “feed” the former from the nutrients received over a single umbilical cord.
• In addition, enlargement of the trapped parasitic twin may compress vital organs in the host and cause discomfort or life-threatening complications.
• Generally, the parasitic twin is found in the abdomen of the host twin. Rarely, it may be found in other organs like the brain or chest.
• NEWS 2: US-India COMPACT Initiative

GS-02 International Organisation  

About The News:

• Recently, the President of the USA and Prime Minister of India launched the U.S.-India COMPACT initiative.

Key points for prelims:

US-India COMPACT Initiative::

• The Catalyzing Opportunities for Military Partnership, Accelerated Commerce & Technology (COMPACT) initiative will drive transformative change across key pillars of cooperation.
• It is a framework that will lay the foundation for deepening military partnerships, with a clear focus on technology, trade, and defence industrial cooperation.
• Under this initiative, they committed to a results-driven agenda with initial outcomes this year to demonstrate the level of trust for a mutually beneficial partnership.

Key features of US-India COMPACT Initiative:

• New Defence Procurements & Regulatory Reforms: A new ten-year Framework for the US-India Major Defense Partnership, with the US pledging additional defence sales and co-production initiatives.
• Advancing Defence Technologies & Military Collaboration: To accelerate cooperation in space, air defence, missile systems, maritime, and undersea operations.
• The launch of the Autonomous Systems Industry Alliance (ASIA) will spur innovation in AI-enabled counter-UAS and maritime defence.
• Economic & Trade Expansion: Under this component both countries aim to double bilateral trade to $500 billion by 2030 under “Mission 500.” They plan to negotiate the first phase of a Bilateral Trade Agreement by fall 2025, focusing on fair trade, national security, and job creation.
• Strengthening Technology & Innovation Ties: The launch of the US-India TRUST initiative will boost cooperation in defence, AI, semiconductors, quantum computing, biotechnology, energy, and space.
• Boosting Space Cooperation & Critical Minerals Partnership: To deepen space collaboration includes the introduction of INDUS Innovation, inspired by the INDUS-X platform, which will drive academic and industrial partnerships in space and emerging tech.
• Space Collaboration in 2025: NASA and ISRO partner via AXIOM to send the first Indian astronaut to the ISS and expedite the NISAR dual-radar satellite launch.

GS-01 Geography

About the news:

• For nearly a month the French territory of Amsterdam Island in the southern Indian Ocean has been engulfed in flames.

Key points for prelims:  

Amsterdam Island:

• Referred to as Nouvelle Amsterdam or Île Amsterdam, Amsterdam Island is a small French island territory that is situated in the southern Indian Ocean.
• Along with the neighboring Île Saint-Paul, Amsterdam Island is administered under the French Southern and Antarctic Territories.
• It is located roughly midway between Australia, Antarctica, Madagascar, the Australian external territory of Cocos (Keeling) Islands, and British Indian Ocean Territory.
• It is approximately 3,200 km away from each of these territories.
• The elliptical-shaped volcanic Amsterdam Island covers an area of about 55 sq.km. and has a length of 10 km and a maximum width of 7 km.
• The island is relatively recent, having formed between 400,000 and 200,000 years ago.
• The island consists of a potentially active stratovolcano, although there are no historical records of volcanic eruptions on the island.
• Human Presence: The island has no permanent population but hosts a small scientific research station called Martin-de-Viviès, which is manned by a rotating team of scientists.

Amsterdam Island Flora & Fauna:

• The endemic Amsterdam albatross is one of the world’s rarest species of avifauna, found only on Amsterdam Island.
• Amsterdam Island is the only French sub-Antartic isle that supports a native tree, Phylica nitida.

Mains Questions:

• The US-India COMPACT Initiative aims to strengthen military, trade, and technological cooperation between the two nations. Discuss the strategic significance of this initiative for India. What challenges could arise in its implementation, and how can they be addressed?