Why in news?

US President Donald Trump has reversed his plan to charge a 20% fee on commercial vessels transiting the Strait of Hormuz, just a day after announcing it.

He announced to replace the 20% United States Reimbursement Fee with Trade and Investment Deals. The abrupt reversal came amid widespread scepticism from experts over the plan's legality and feasibility.

What’s in Today’s Article?

• The Original Proposal and Its Flaws
• International Opposition
• The Underlying Battle for Control of Hormuz
• India's Broader Response to the Crisis

The Original Proposal and Its Flaws

• Trump had announced that the US would become "THE GUARDIAN OF THE HORMUZ STRAIT" and, as a matter of fairness, be reimbursed at 20% on all cargo shipped to cover the costs of providing security in the region.
• However, the proposal left several critical questions unanswered:
  • Calculation ambiguity: It was unclear whether the fee would apply to the total value of cargo, the cost incurred by American forces, or some other formula.
  • Cost impact: If based on total cargo value, shipping costs through the strait would have risen sharply, significantly increasing the landed price of commodities.
  • Implementation and legality: Questions arose over how the fee would be enforced and its legality under international law.
  • Security guarantee: The US's ability to guarantee safety of commercial vessels was doubtful, given its response to Iranian strikes had so far been only retaliatory, without pre-emptive protective measures.

International Opposition

• The International Maritime Organization (IMO) firmly opposed the plan, stating there is no legal basis to impose mandatory tolls for transiting straits used for international navigation.
• Notably, the US has traditionally championed freedom of navigation and had strongly opposed Iran's attempts to charge tolls for the same strait, making Trump's proposal a reversal of Washington's own long-held position.
• Also, this could have inadvertently strengthened Iran's case for imposing its own tolls.

The Underlying Battle for Control of Hormuz

• 
• The fee flip-flop reflects a deeper contest between the US and Iran over control of the strategically vital waterway:
  • An interim US-Iran pact signed on June 17, 2026 had promised to reopen the Strait of Hormuz, and vessel transits rose meaningfully thereafter, though still below pre-war levels of up to 140 daily transits.
  • Renewed tensions caused vessel transits to crash to their lowest levels in nearly a month.
  • Iran's Foreign Minister asserted that Iran, not the US, has "always been the GUARDIAN of the Strait," while also calling Trump's 20% figure excessive.
• Since the war began in February 2026, Iran has claimed sovereignty over parts of the strait and targeted vessels sailing outside its authorised shipping lanes, while the US has struck Iranian military targets in response.
• Iran closed the strait to commercial vessels over the preceding weekend, prompting the US to reinstate a naval blockade in the region.
• Under UNCLOS, straits are natural waterways with no general transit charge, though neither the US nor Iran has ratified this convention; it is nonetheless widely accepted as customary international law.

Why This Mattered for India?

• Had the fee been implemented, it would have significantly impacted India as a major energy importer:
  • India sources around 40% of its crude oil, 60% of its LNG, and 90% of its LPG imports from West Asia via the Strait of Hormuz.
    • India's import dependence stands at over 88% for oil, 60% for LPG, and about 50% for natural gas.
  • A 20% fee on a $75/barrel crude oil price would have pushed the landed cost to over $90/barrel.
  • Assuming 30% of India's oil imports continued via Hormuz, the fee alone could have added $9 billion annually to India's oil import bill, excluding additional costs for LNG, LPG, fertilisers, and industrial inputs.
  • Every $1/barrel rise in oil prices increases India's annual oil import bill by up to $2 billion, given India imports 1.8-2 billion barrels of crude annually.

India's Broader Response to the Crisis

• India has consistently advocated that navigation through international waterways like the Strait of Hormuz should remain free and accessible to all.
• Diversified crude sourcing helped maintain adequate oil supplies, but the government had to ration gas supplies to certain industries and take emergency measures to prevent panic fuel buying; some of these were rolled back after the June MoU improved the situation.
• India's oil imports surged 47% year-on-year to $48.88 billion in March-May 2026, as the country prioritised supply security over cost, as per Ministry of Petroleum and Natural Gas data.
• Elevated energy import costs have wider ramifications for India's trade balance, current account, inflation, and the rupee's exchange rate.

Conclusion

Trump's rapid U-turn exposed the impracticality of unilaterally taxing a strategic international waterway, legally, diplomatically, and economically. For India, it underscores continued vulnerability to West Asian energy disruptions, reinforcing the need for diversified sourcing and sustained advocacy for free global navigation.

Why in news?

A Special NIA Court in Jammu has issued a non-bailable warrant against Hafiz Saeed, the Pakistan-based chief of the proscribed terror outfit Lashkar-e-Taiba (LeT), in connection with the investigation into the Pahalgam terror attack.

The warrant was issued at the request of the National Investigation Agency (NIA), two days after it filed a supplementary charge sheet against Saeed. Since Saeed is unlikely to appear before an Indian court, the NIA is expected to seek a trial in absentia under Section 356 of the Bharatiya Nagarik Suraksha Sanhita (BNSS).

What’s in Today’s Article?

• Background of the Case
• What is Trial in Absentia?
• Who Does This Apply To?
• Procedural Safeguards Under Section 356

Background of the Case

• The NIA's supplementary chargesheet has charged Hafiz Saeed both in his individual capacity and as chief of LeT and its proxy outfit, The Resistance Front (TRF).
• He has been charged under various provisions of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (BNS), 2023, and the Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act, 1967, including provisions relating to waging war against India and conspiracy hatched from across the border.

What is Trial in Absentia?

• A trial in absentia refers to a criminal trial conducted in the absence of the accused.
• Under Section 356 of the BNSS, if a person declared a proclaimed offender has absconded to evade trial and there is no immediate prospect of arrest, the court may treat the accused's absence as a waiver of their right to be present.
• After recording reasons in writing, the court can proceed with the inquiry, trial, and pronouncement of judgment as though the accused were present.
• Comparison with the Earlier CrPC Framework
  • Under the Code of Criminal Procedure, 1973 (CrPC), which BNSS has replaced:
    • Section 82(4) CrPC allowed proclamation and attachment of property of an absconding accused.
    • Section 317 CrPC allowed trial in the accused's absence only in specific cases.
    • Section 299 CrPC allowed recording of evidence in the accused's absence if there was no prospect of arrest.
  • These provisions gave presiding officers discretion to proceed in-absentia only if the accused's personal attendance was not necessary for justice, or if the accused persistently disrupted proceedings.
  • Crucially, none of these provisions allowed a full-fledged trial in absentia, causing many trials to remain pending for years until the accused was apprehended.
  • BNSS's Section 356 addresses this gap by enabling complete trials, not just partial proceedings, in the accused's absence

Who Does This Apply To?

• Trial in absentia does not apply to every accused person; it is available only for a "proclaimed offender," as defined under Section 84 of the BNSS.
• Under Section 84(4), if a proclamation has been issued against a person accused of an offence punishable with imprisonment of 10 years or more, life imprisonment, or death, and the person fails to appear before the court, the court may declare them a proclaimed offender after due inquiry.
• Thus, trial in absentia is restricted to serious offences carrying at least 10 years' imprisonment, life imprisonment, or death, where the accused has already been declared a proclaimed offender.

Procedural Safeguards Under Section 356

• To protect the accused's right to a fair trial, several safeguards must be met before proceedings can begin:
  • Two consecutive arrest warrants must be issued at an interval of at least 30 days.
  • A public notice must be published in a local or national newspaper, giving the accused 30 days to appear.
  • The notice must be displayed at the accused's last known residence, and a relative or friend must be informed.
  • The trial cannot commence until 90 days have elapsed from the framing of charges, ensuring adequate opportunity for the accused to appear.
  • If the accused has no legal representation, the court must appoint a defence lawyer at State expense.
  • Statements of prosecution witnesses recorded before the trial may be used as evidence; however, if the accused is later apprehended, the court may permit cross-examination of witnesses in the interest of justice.
  • Depositions and witness examinations may be recorded through audiovisual electronic means, preserved to ensure transparency, accuracy, and integrity, and to enable review if the accused is later apprehended.

Conclusion

Trial in absentia under BNSS marks a significant shift from the CrPC's fragmented approach, enabling complete trials of proclaimed offenders in serious cases while embedding robust safeguards. It balances the need for timely justice against absconding offenders like Hafiz Saeed with the constitutional guarantee of a fair trial.

Context:

• A new kind of teacher has emerged in 2026, one celebrated by parents and students for explaining lessons through trending audio, going live on Instagram at night for "real talk," and replying to student DMs.
• While the intent behind such behaviour is often warm, being a "cool teacher" increasingly means becoming a content creator.
• This shift from educator to influencer is quietly eroding a crucial structure in a child's life: the boundary between adult and child.
• This article highlights the emerging challenges posed by the growing trend of teachers becoming social media influencers.

The Legal Architecture Around Teacher-Student Relationships

• India's legal framework around teacher-student interactions is not accidental:
  • The POCSO Act, 2012 imposes specific statutory duties on teachers.
  • The doctrine of loco parentis imposes a judicially recognised duty of care on teachers.
  • The Juvenile Justice Act, 2015 imposes general duties on persons in charge of a child, which can extend to teachers in some circumstances.
• Crucially, this duty of care does not come with a "digital off-switch."
• When a teacher follows a student on social media, sends late-night messages, or comments on personal posts, the adult-child boundary carefully maintained offline dissolves online.

The Grooming Risk

• Grooming doesn't usually start with obvious harm. It works slowly, by using access to a child, building trust, and gradually breaking down normal boundaries.
• Even if a teacher messages a student with no bad intention at all, this kind of behaviour can still create the same warning signs as grooming.
• That's why keeping clear boundaries matters, no matter how good the teacher's intentions are.
• Also, these casual chats don't always stay private. They can be saved, shared, or shown later as evidence in a POCSO case.

Teaching as Performance

• A subtler danger lies in how teaching, once turned into content, begins obeying the logic of social media algorithms, logic that rewards outrage, oversimplification, and para-social intimacy.
• The teacher transforms from a symbol of institutional authority into a personal brand dependent on likeability.
• In this environment, enforcing discipline or giving honest, critical feedback becomes a threat to one's online image.
• Recent research distinguishes genuine relational teaching from performative, institutionally-driven approaches, though this remains a conceptual distinction without confirmed data linking it to outcomes like grade inflation.
• Emotional "candid sessions" streamed live risk monetising student vulnerability rather than building authentic connection.

The Data Privacy Concern

• India's Digital Personal Data Protection Act, 2023 clearly states that a child below 18 cannot give valid consent for processing their personal data.
• Yet classroom reels featuring identifiable student voices, reactions, and context are published daily, sometimes even with faces blurred.
• The UN Convention on the Rights of the Child (General Comment 25) affirms children's right to privacy in digital spaces.
• Indian law is gradually catching up, but a wide ethical gap remains between what is legal and what is right.

Uneven Impact and Institutional Pressure

• The social approval associated with being "cool" is not equally available to all teachers, discrimination based on gender, caste, and religion shapes who benefits from this dynamic.
• Compounding this, schools increasingly and informally expect teachers to build the institution's online brand, adding further pressure.

Existing Regulatory Safeguards

• Several frameworks already exist, though enforcement remains inconsistent:
  • CBSE Affiliation Bye-Laws require teachers to maintain professional dignity and avoid conduct unbecoming of their role.
  • Teachers collecting or publishing student data without consent may face liability under privacy, data protection, or IT laws.
  • Tamil Nadu's educational authorities have issued guidelines regulating digital communication between teachers and students.
  • The POCSO Act criminalises sexual harassment, solicitation, grooming, and other sexual communications directed at children.

The Way Forward

• The solution is not a return to rigid, fear-based pedagogy, but a middle path with enforceable safeguards: no personal following of students, no DMs, no late-night Lives, and no classroom reels on personal accounts.
• Teachers must understand that engagement-driven digital platforms are not neutral educational tools.
• Equally, schools must protect teachers from being screen-recorded, misrepresented, or harassed online, recognising that vulnerability in this relationship runs both ways.

Conclusion

• A teacher's purpose has never been to be liked, but to be trusted.
• As classrooms increasingly meet algorithms, safeguarding the adult-child boundary must take precedence over online validation, protecting both students' dignity and the sanctity of the teaching profession itself.

Context

• India–United States defence cooperation has expanded significantly over the past two decades, reflecting growing strategic convergence in the Indo-Pacific.
• While bilateral defence trade, military exercises, and interoperability have strengthened considerably, the industrial dimension of the partnership has lagged behind.
• Successive initiatives have promised co-development, co-production, and technology transfer, yet most have been hindered by export controls, intellectual property disputes, and differing commercial priorities.
• As a result, the relationship has evolved into a strong procurement partnership but has fallen short of becoming a robust defence-industrial collaboration.

Evolution of India–U.S. Defence Cooperation the Case of the GE Engine

• Evolution of India–U.S. Defence Cooperation
  • Since 2002, India has procured over $22 billion worth of U.S. defence equipment, including Apache and Chinook helicopters, C-17 and C-130J transport aircraft, P-8I maritime patrol aircraft, and M777 howitzers.
  • These acquisitions have enhanced India's military capabilities and established the United States as a major defence supplier.
  • However, meaningful technology transfer and domestic manufacturing have remained limited, keeping the relationship largely transactional.
• The Case of the GE Engine
  • The GE F414 fighter engine programme best illustrates the gap between political ambition and industrial reality.
  • Announced during Prime Minister Narendra Modi's 2023 visit to Washington under the Initiative on Critical and Emerging Technologies (iCET), it was projected as a landmark project for defence-industrial cooperation.
  • However, negotiations have faced significant hurdles. The estimated cost of each engine reportedly increased from ₹70–80 crore to over ₹200 crore, while General Electric sought nearly $800 million in Indian investment to establish a production line.
  • Differences over technology transfer, intellectual property, and licensed manufacturing have complicated negotiations involving Hindustan Aeronautics Limited (HAL), the Defence Research and Development Organisation (DRDO), and the Aeronautical Development Agency (ADA) for the Tejas Mk-II, Advanced Medium Combat Aircraft (AMCA), and the Navy's Twin-Engine Deck-Based Fighter.
  • The programme has consequently become a symbol of the persistent implementation gap.

Vision, Stagnation & Other Challenges in US-India Defence Ties

• Defence Technology and Trade Initiative (DTTI)
  • Launched in 2012, the Defence Technology and Trade Initiative (DTTI) aimed to promote joint development and production of defence technologies.
  • Despite extensive consultations, it produced few tangible outcomes and gradually lost momentum.
• Initiative on Critical and Emerging Technologies (iCET)
  • Introduced in 2022, iCET expanded cooperation to artificial intelligence, quantum technologies, semiconductors, biotechnology, telecommunications, drones, and resilient supply chains.
  • Nevertheless, several flagship defence projects, including the F414 engine programme, continue to face implementation challenges.
• India–United States Defence Acceleration Ecosystem (INDUS-X)
  • The India–United States Defence Acceleration Ecosystem (INDUS-X), launched in 2023 to connect defence start-ups, academia, and industry, has yet to produce significant co-development outcomes.
• Other Stalled Defence Projects
  • Several other initiatives have followed a similar trajectory. Proposed collaboration on the Javelin anti-tank guided missile and the Stryker infantry combat vehicle has remained unresolved for years.
  • Likewise, India's acquisition of 31 MQ-9B SkyGuardian and SeaGuardian remotely piloted aircraft through the Foreign Military Sales (FMS) route has largely remained a procurement deal, while promised local assembly, manufacturing, and maintenance infrastructure are yet to materialise.
• The Technology Transfer Divide
  • The core challenge lies in the contrasting approaches of both countries.
  • India views defence partnerships as instruments for strengthening indigenous manufacturing, building domestic technological capabilities, and advancing Atmanirbhar Bharat.
  • In contrast, the United States considers advanced defence technologies strategic assets protected under the International Traffic in Arms Regulations (ITAR), which impose strict restrictions on transferring sensitive technologies and manufacturing expertise.
  • The F414 negotiations clearly reflect this divergence. India seeks access to manufacturing know-how and critical technologies to develop long-term domestic capabilities, whereas the United States prioritises security concerns and export-control obligations.
  • Consequently, cooperation has expanded in defence procurement and military interoperability but remains limited in industrial capability creation.

Future Prospects

• The proposed Reciprocal Defence Procurement Agreement (RDPA) represents the next major opportunity to deepen industrial cooperation by granting reciprocal access to defence procurement markets.
• However, India's developing defence industry could face intense competition from larger and technologically superior American firms.
• Without adequate safeguards, such reciprocity may reinforce existing asymmetries instead of fostering balanced industrial collaboration.

Conclusion

• India–United States defence cooperation has made remarkable progress in strategic partnership, defence trade, military exercises, and logistics cooperation.
• However, initiatives such as DTTI, iCET, INDUS-X, and the GE F414 programme demonstrate that political ambition has not yet translated into meaningful industrial outcomes.
• Bridging this gap requires greater policy alignment, mutual trust, and mechanisms that balance India's objective of self-reliance with U.S. security and export-control concerns.
• Only then can the partnership evolve from a buyer-seller relationship into a genuine defence-industrial alliance capable of supporting long-term strategic objectives.

About Pygoluciola mawsynram:

• It is a new species of firefly.
• It was discovered from Mawsynram in Meghalaya's East Khasi Hills district, the world's wettest place.
• It was named Pygoluciola mawsynram in recognition of the region's unique biodiversity and the Khasi community that has long protected it through traditional conservation practices.
• Adults of the newly discovered firefly were observed flying close to water bodies surrounded by dense vegetation, ferns, and semi-evergreen forests.
• The researchers believe such habitats, along with the area's high humidity and extensive leaf litter, may be crucial for the species' life cycle and survival.
• Pygoluciola mawsynram has distinct body characteristics and unique flashing patterns that differentiate it from other members of the genus.
• The discovery raises the number of known species in the rare Pygoluciola genus to 29
• It also raises the number of Pygoluciola species recorded from India to five.

About Indian Giant Flying Squirrel:

• The Indian giant flying squirrel (Petaurista philippensis), also known as the large brown flying squirrel or the common giant flying squirrel, is a type of rodent in the Sciuridae family, which includes squirrels.
• It is capable of gliding flight using a skin membrane, the patagium, stretched between front and hind legs.
• Scientific Name: Petaurista philippensis
• Habitat and Distribution:
  • It can be found only in Southeast and South Asia and southern and central China.
  • In South Asia they have a patchy distribution in Sri Lanka and India, primarily concentrated in the Himalayan Mountains and northeast regions north of Bombay and Rajasthan.
  • They live in dry deciduous and evergreen forests, usually at higher elevations.
  • They can also be found in plantations.
• Features:
  • It is one of the largest flying squirrels.
  • It is nocturnal
  • It is arboreal and spends most of the life in the canopy.
• Conservation Status:
  • IUCN Red List: Least Concern

About Gulf of Mannar:

• It is a vast shallow bay that forms part of the Laccadive Sea in the Indian Ocean.
• It is located between southeastern India and western Sri Lanka.
• It is bounded to the northeast by Rameswaram (island), Adam’s (Rama’s) Bridge (a chain of shoals), and Mannar Island.
• It is connected to the Palk Bay in the north through the Palk Strait.
• It receives several rivers, including the Tambraparni (India) and the Aruvi (Sri Lanka).
• The port of Tuticorin is on the Indian coast.
• The gulf is noted for its pearl banks and sacred chank (a gastropod mollusk).
• Biodiversity:
  • Endowed with three distinct coastal ecosystems (coral reefs, seagrass beds, and mangroves), it is considered one of the world’s richest regions from a marine biodiversity perspective.
  • Sea Turtles, sharks, dugongs, and dolphins are regular visitors to the Gulf, and species of hard coral have been recorded here.
  • The Gulf became a protected national park in 1986, earning the name Gulf of Mannar National Park.
  • It was designated as a Biosphere Reserve in 1989, the first such marine conservation area in India and the South Asian region.

About Begonia quadricornualata:

• It is a new plant species.
• It was discovered in the Papum Pare district of Arunachal Pradesh, a region nestled at the intersection of the Himalaya and Indo-Burma biodiversity hotspots.
• The discovery occurred during a routine botanical documentation project in Senki View, located on the eastern fringe of the Itanagar Wildlife Sanctuary.
• Features:
  • It is characterised by its four-horned fruit, upright stems and delicate white-to-pink flowers.
  • Derived from the Latin words quattuor (four), cornu (horn), and alatus (winged), the name quadricornualata refers to the way four horns on the plant’s ovary transform into four fully developed wings as the fruit matures.
    • This unique fruit structure, which is densely covered in reddish-brown wool, helps distinguish it from other hornless or ridged species in the region.
  • What sets it apart from its closest relatives is its distinctively rugged appearance.
  • The female plants are covered in dense, long, red-to-brown "hispid" hairs, stiff bristles that give the leaves a woolly texture.
  • It also boasts exceptionally long leaf stalks, or petioles, which can reach up to 50 centimetres in length, nearly double the size of its nearest cousins, Begonia handelii and Begonia tessaricarpa.
  • While its relatives often grow flowers in clusters, the female version of this new species produces only a single flower at a time.
  • For now, the species has been categorised as Data Deficient.

About United Nations Population Fund:

• It is an international development agency created in 1967 to support the execution of projects and programmes in the area of population and sexual and reproductive health.
• Background:
  • It was originally called the United Nations Fund for Population Activities.
  • In 1987, it was officially renamed as the United Nations Population Fund but the original abbreviation UNFPA (United Nations Fund for Population Activities) was retained.
• Funding: It is entirely supported by voluntary contributions of donor governments, intergovernmental organizations, the private sector and foundations and individuals, not by the United Nations regular budget.
• It is not directly responsible for the collection of primary statistics; it plays an important role in the technical and financial support of statistical activities in countries, such as population censuses and thematic surveys etc.
• It funds assistance, research, and advocacy programs in three major areas:
  • Reproductive health, including family planning, safe motherhood, and the prevention and treatment of sexually transmitted diseases,
  • The population problems of developed and developing countries and possible strategies for addressing them.
  • Issues related to the status of women, including the gender gap in education.
• UNFPA receives overall policy guidance from the General Assembly and Economic and Social Council (ECOSOC).
• Headquarters: New York.