News In Short 14-10-2024

Aurora 

Syllabus: GS1/ Physical Geography, GS 3/ Space 

In News 

• Auroras captured at India’s Highest Observatory in Hanle, Ladakh.

About Auroras

• Auroras are brilliant ribbons of light weaving across Earth’s northern or southern polar regions. 
• Aurora in the Northern Hemisphere is called aurora borealis and in the Southern Hemisphere it is called aurora australis. 
• These natural light shows are caused by magnetic storms that have been triggered by solar activity, such as solar flares (explosions on the Sun) or coronal mass ejections (ejected gas bubbles).
  • Energetic charged particles from these events are carried from the Sun by the solar wind.
  • These are caused by the interaction of solar wind with oxygen and nitrogen gas in the atmosphere.

Source: TH 

National Commission for Protection of Child Rights (NCPCR)

Syllabus: GS2/ Governance

Context

• The National Commission for Protection of Child Rights (NCPCR) has raised concerns by urging a halt to state funding for madrasas unless they adhere to the Right to Education (RTE) Act.

National Commission for Protection of Child Rights (NCPCR)

• Background: NCPCR is a statutory body set up under the Commissions for Protection of Child Rights (CPCR) Act, 2005.
  • It is under the administrative control of the Ministry of Women & Child Development.
• Structure: This commission has a chairperson and six members of which at least two should be women.
• The Commission’s Mandate is to ensure that all Laws, Policies, Programmes, and Administrative Mechanisms are in consonance with the Child Rights perspective as enshrined in the Constitution of India and also the UN Convention on the Rights of the Child.
  • The Child is defined as a person in the 0 to 18 years age group.

Functions of NCPCR

• The Commission shall examine and review the legal safeguards in place for the protection of child rights.
• It shall present reports to the Central Government annually or at intervals deemed appropriate on the functioning of those safeguards.
• The Commission shall not enquire into any matter that is already under consideration by a State Commission or any other legally constituted Commission.

Source: TH

Symbol Allocation to Political Parties

Syllabus: GS2/Polity

Context

• The Election Commission of India brought in new rules for allocation of symbols to Registered Unrecognised Political Parties (RUPPs).

About

• ECI has made it mandatory for them to furnish audited accounts of last three financial years, expenditure statements of last two elections, and the signature of the authorised office-bearer of the party along with the application form for symbols.
• RUPPs are either newly-registered parties or those which have not secured enough percentage of votes in the Assembly or general election to become a State party, or those that have never contested elections after being registered.
  • Common symbols are provided to RUPPs based upon an undertaking that they would put up “at least 5% of total candidates with regard to said Legislative Assembly election of a State”.

Symbol Allocation

• Symbols are allotted to political parties and contesting candidates as per the provisions of the Symbols Order by ECI. 
• A recognised political party has a reserved symbol that is not allotted to any other candidate in any constituency. 
• For registered but unrecognised political parties, one of the free symbols is allotted as a common symbol during an election if that party contests in two Lok Sabha constituencies or in 5% of seats to the Assembly of a State as the case may be.

Source: TH

UNIFIL Mission

Syllabus: GS2/ International Relations

Context

• According to the United Nations Interim Force in Lebanon (UNIFIL), Israel Defense Forces (IDF) fired on UN peacekeepers in Lebanon.

What is UNIFIL?

• UNIFIL is a peacekeeping mission established by the UN Security Council (UNSC) in 1978, after Israel invaded Lebanon.
• The UNSC passed Resolutions 425 and 426, calling on Israel to withdraw from Lebanon. 
• UNIFIL was deployed to Lebanon to fulfill three objectives;
  • Confirming the withdrawal of Israeli forces, 
  • Restoring international peace and security, 
  • Assisting the Government of Lebanon in ensuring the return of its effective authority in the area.

Source: TH

Murine Typhus

Syllabus: GS2/Health

Context

• Recently, a Kerala man was diagnosed with the bacterial disease murine typhus.

About

• Also known as endemic typhus, flea-borne typhus or flea-borne spotted fever. 
• Caused by flea-borne bacteria Rickettsia typhi. 
• It is transmitted to humans through the bites of infected fleas. Once a flea is infected, it can spread the disease for the rest of its life. Murine typhus is not spread from one person to another.
• Found worldwide, primarily in tropical and subtropical climates where rats and rat fleas are present.
• Symptoms: Fever, chills, headache, and rash.
• Treatment: There is no vaccine currently available against the disease.

Source: IE

PM GatiShakti National Master Plan

Syllabus: GS3/Infrastructure

Context

• The PM GatiShakti National Master Plan (NMP) for multimodal connectivity, launched in 2021 has completed three years of implementation.

About

• It was launched to enhance the country’s infrastructure and promote seamless connectivity across various sectors. 
• It is a transformative approach for economic growth and sustainable development which is driven by seven engines – railway, roads, ports, waterways, airports, mass transport and logistics infrastructure.
• Implementation: PM Gati Shakti will incorporate the infrastructure schemes of various Ministries and State Governments like Bharatmala, Sagarmala, inland waterways, dry/land ports, UDAN etc.
  • Economic Zones like textile clusters, pharmaceutical clusters, defence corridors, electronic parks, industrial corridors, fishing clusters, agri zones will be covered to improve connectivity & make Indian businesses more competitive. 
  • It will also leverage technology extensively including spatial planning tools with ISRO (Indian Space Research Organisation) imagery developed by BiSAG-N (Bhaskaracharya National Institute for Space Applications and Geoinformatics). 

Source: BS

WTO Cuts Trade Growth Outlook 

Syllabus: GS 3/ Economy 

In News 

• The World Trade Organization(WTO) revised its projection for world merchandise trade growth in 2025 down to 3%, from an earlier estimate of 3.3%.

Key Findings 

• GDP Growth: World real GDP is projected to grow by 2.7% in both 2024 and 2025.
  • Lower inflation and reduced interest rates are expected to boost consumer and investment spending.
• Services Trade Outlook is more favorable than goods trade, with strong growth in 2024. Commercial services trade grew 8% year-on-year in the first quarter of 2024.
• Global merchandise trade saw a 2.3% year-on-year increase in the first half of 2024, recovering from a 1.1% contraction in 2023 caused by inflation and high interest rates.
• Region wise : European Trade Outlook: European exports are expected to decline by 1.4% and imports by 2.3% in 2024, with the automotive and chemicals sectors dragging down performance.
  • Asian Trade Performance: Asia is projected to lead global export growth, with 7.4% growth in 2024. China, Singapore, and South Korea are key contributors, while India and Vietnam’s imports show strong growth.
  • North & South American Trade: South America is rebounding, while North American trade is driven by the U.S., with Mexico showing stronger import growth.

• Geopolitical Concerns: Escalating conflicts, especially in the Middle East, could disrupt global energy costs and shipping routes, indirectly affecting global trade.
• Monetary Policy Divergence: Diverging central bank policies could cause financial volatility, impacting capital flows and debt servicing for poorer economies

Source : TH 

Terminal High Altitude Area Defence (THAAD) Battery

Syllabus: GS 3/ Defence 

In News 

• The U.S. will send a Terminal High Altitude Area Defence (THAAD) battery and troops to Israel amid its conflict with Hezbollah. 

About THAAD

• It is an American anti-ballistic missile defense system capable of intercepting short, medium, and intermediate-range missiles. It uses a “hit to kill” approach, destroying missiles during their descent.
• It was developed by the U.S. after Iraq’s Scud missile attacks in the 1991 Gulf War, which caused significant damage in Israel and Saudi Arabia. After initial proposals in 1987 and multiple test failures, a successful version emerged in 1999. 
• The U.S. deployed parts of the THAAD system to Israel in 2008, with further deployments in 2012 and 2019, enhancing Israel’s military strength.

Source:HT

Dragon Drones

Syllabus: GS3/Defence

Context

• A new deadly weapon known as the “dragon drone” has surfaced in the Russia-Ukraine war.

What are dragon drones?

• Dragon drones release a substance called thermite, a mixture of aluminum and iron oxide, developed a century ago to weld railroad tracks.
• When ignited ( with the help of an electrical fuse), thermite triggers a self-sustaining reaction that is quite difficult to extinguish. 
• Dragon drones tend to be low-flying because thermite is more effective when it’s in close contact with the target.
• It can burn through almost anything, from clothes to trees to military-grade vehicles, and can even burn underwater.
  • On humans, it causes severe burns and bone damage.

Source: IE

Biopolymers

Syllabus: GS3/ S&T

In News

• The Union Minister inaugurated India’s first demonstration facility for biopolymers at Jejuri in Pune (Maharashtra). 

About

• Objective: The facility is a demonstration of India’s commitment to transitioning from fossil-based plastics to eco-friendly alternatives, addressing the global plastic pollution crisis.
• India’s Growing Bioeconomy: India’s bioeconomy has grown to more than US $150 billion in 2023 and is projected to reach US $300 billion by 2030.
  • Earlier, the government has approved the BioE3 Policy (Biotechnology for Economy, Environment, and Employment), aimed at promoting sustainable growth against the backdrop of climate change and resource depletion.

What is Biopolymer?

• They are the materials derived from biological sources such as fats, vegetable oils, and sugars, which offer several advantages over traditional synthetic polymers, which are typically made from petrochemical sources.
• Biopolymers decompose naturally in the environment, primarily through the action of bacteria, leading to minimal environmental pollution.
• When biopolymers degrade, the carbon dioxide (CO₂) they release can be absorbed by the crops or biomass used to replace them, thus maintaining a carbon-neutral cycle.

Source: PIB