News In Short 11-11-2024

4B Movement 

Syllabus: GS 1/Society

Context

• After Donald Trump’s victory, social media in the US is seeing the rise of the ‘4B’ movement, where women reject sex and marriage with men to protest patriarchal and often misogynist institutions and practices.

About: 4B Movement

• It was started in South Korea after the ‘MeToo’ and ‘escape the corset’ movements.
• 4B stands for the four “Nos”, B is a shorthand for no in Korean, and these are “biyeonae” (no dating men); “bisekseu” (no sex with men); “bihon” (no marrying men); and “bichulsan” (no having children).
• 4B is sometimes expanded to 6B4T, which advocates staying away from firms perceived as misogynist, rejecting the fandom culture, rejecting beauty standards that conform to the male gaze, etc.

Reasons

• The 4B movement belongs to the strain of radical feminism that believes that heterosexual relationships at their heart remain structures of oppression, and women need to break free of them to be truly independent and happy.
• The proponents of the 4B movement, also believe that unless men work more actively for a gender-just society, women should not reward them with children, love, and emotional and other forms of labour.

Impacts

• In 2021, South Korean President Yoon Suk Yeol said that such movements were “blocking healthy relationships” between women and men in the nation.
• In fact, in June 2024, South Korea declared a “demographic national emergency” due to a declining birth rate, with critics suggesting that the 4B movement may have contributed to this trend.

Source: IE

QS World University Rankings

Syllabus: GS2/Education 

In News

• The QS World University Rankings: Asia (2025) has recently been released, highlighting the top universities across Asia. 

About

• The QS World University Rankings: Asia (2025) assesses 984 institutions across 25 countries in Eastern, Southern, South-Eastern, and Central Asia.
• Compiled by Quacquarelli Symonds (QS), an organization known for offering data, expertise, and solutions in the global higher education sector, these rankings highlight key indicators that reflect institutional quality.
• The rankings focus on key indicators: Academic Reputation, Employer Reputation, Faculty-Student Ratio, and International Research Network to assess university quality and global impact.

Indian Universities Ranking

• India has 2 institutions in the top 50 and 7 in the top 100.
• Top Institutions: Indian Institute of Technology Delhi (IITD) leads at 44th, followed by IIT Bombay at 48th.
  • Other top 100 institutions include IIT Madras (56), IIT Kharagpur (60), Indian Institute of Science (62), IIT Kanpur (67), and University of Delhi (81).
• Notable Achievements: IIT Delhi (44th) achieved a high employer reputation score of 99%.
  • IITBombay (48th) scored 99.5% in employer reputation and 96.6% in academic reputation.
  • University of Delhi rose from 94th to 81st, scoring 96.4% in the International Research Network.
• Growth in Ranking Representation: India has the highest number of institutes in the rankings, with a 318% increase in ranked institutions from 11 in 2015 to 46 in 2025
• Regional Dominance: India leads in Southern Asia, with seven institutions in the region’s top ten.

Source: AIR

Recruitment Rules For Government Jobs Can’t Be Changed Midway

Syllabus: GS2/ Polity and Governance

Context

• The Supreme Court held that the ‘rules of the game’ for the selection of candidates to public services cannot be changed midway once the recruitment commences.

About

• The ‘game’ is the process of selection and appointment.
• The ‘rules’ fell into two categories;
  • One which prescribes the eligibility criteria or the essential qualifications of the candidates seeking employment, and
  • The other which stipulates the method and manner of making the selection from amongst the eligible candidates.

Supreme Court ruling

• The Eligibility criteria notified at the commencement of the recruitment process, cannot be changed midway through the recruitment process unless the extant rules so permit, or the advertisement, which is not contrary to the extant rules, so permits
• Even if the criteria has to be altered, the change will have to meet the requirements of Articles 14 (right to equality), and Articles 16 (equal opportunity in public employment and non-discrimination) of the Constitution and satisfy the test of non-arbitrariness.

Source: TH

51st Chief Justice of India (CJI)

Syllabus: GS 2/Polity and Governance

Context

• Supreme Court (SC) judge Justice Sanjiv Khanna was sworn in as the 51st Chief Justice of India (CJI), and his term will last until May 13, 2025.

About: Appointment of the CJI

• The Constitution of India does not mention any procedure for appointment of the CJI.
• Article 124 (1) of the Constitution merely says, “there shall be a Supreme Court of India consisting of a Chief Justice of India.”
• Clause (2) of Article 124 of the Constitution says that every Judge of the Supreme Court shall be appointed by the President.
• Thus, in the absence of a constitutional provision, the procedure to appoint CJI relies on convention.

What is the Convention?

• The outgoing CJI recommends his successor a practice, which is based on seniority.
• Seniority at the apex court, however, is not defined by age, but by the date a judge was appointed to the SC.
• If two judges are elevated to the Supreme Court on the same day,
  • the one who was sworn in first as a judge would trump another;
  • if both were sworn in as judges on the same day, the one with more years of high court service would ‘win’ in the seniority stakes;
  • an appointment from the bench would ‘trump’ in seniority an appointee from the bar.

Do you know? – Justice Khanna has been part of several landmark Supreme Court judgements such as upholding the sanctity of Electronic Voting Machines (EVMs), scrapping the electoral bonds scheme, upholding the abrogation of Article 370 and the granting of interim bail to former Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal.

Source: TH

Gluten

Syllabus: GS2/Health

Context

• Gluten is infamous for the allergic reaction it induces in some people.

About

• Gluten: Many cereal grains — but in particular barley, wheat, and rye — contain specific proteins that, when mixed with water and kneaded, create an elastic mass, called gluten. 
  • Two important types of these proteins are gliadins and glutenins. 
  • At the microscopic level, gluten is an elastic mesh of the protein molecules.
• Allergy: An enzyme called protease helps digest proteins but it cannot break down gluten.
  • When such gluten reaches the small intestine, the body can develop gastrointestinal problems.
• Coeliac disease: It’s characterised by a severe allergic reaction in the small intestine, prompting the immune system to produce a large number of antibodies that attack the body’s own proteins.
  • The disease is present in around 2% of the general population.
  • Maintaining a diet very low in gluten is the only effective way to treat coeliac disease at present.

Source: TH

Indian firms on U.S. blacklist

Syllabus: GS3/ Economy

Context

• The US has sanctioned 19 Indian companies involved in supplying dual use items to Russia. 

About

• The U.S. government issued an executive order titled “Blocking Property With Respect To Specified Harmful Foreign Activities of the Government of the Russian Federation”.
• The order allows the U.S. to take action against entities aiding Russia in its activities considered harmful by the U.S.
• The recent ban was sanctioned for providing dual-use technologies to Russia and other transactions with Russian companies.
  • These companies are identified as “Third-Country Sanctions Evaders.”

Implications of Sanctions

• These companies will now be on a U.S. “blacklist”, have assets or funds in the U.S. frozen, and face travel bans.
• India does not recognize unilateral sanctions imposed by the U.S. or any other country.
  • India adheres only to sanctions imposed by the United Nations (UN).

Source: TH

Lightning Rods to Prevent Lightning Strikes

Syllabus: GS3/ Science and Technology

Context

• The need for lightning rods to prevent strikes is rising as climate change amplifies lightning frequency, causing about 24,000 deaths annually.

What is lightning?

• Lightning is an electrical discharge between charged particles in a cloud and the ground.
• Although air is typically an electrical insulator, when exposed to a high voltage of approximately 3 million V/m, its insulating properties break down, allowing it to conduct current.

What is a lightning rod?

• While a lightning strike occurs between a cloud and an object on or near the ground, it takes the path of least resistance, which means it moves towards the closest object with the highest electric potential.
• A lightning rod is a pointed metal rod installed on top of buildings and structures. 
• The pointed shape of the rod creates a stronger electric field around it, ionizing the surrounding air first and offering a clear path for the lightning to flow.

Where does the current in a lightning rod go?

• An electric current flows from a place with higher electric potential to a place with lower electric potential.
• The lightning rod is connected to a wire that drops through the length of the building into the ground, where it dissipates its electric charges into its surroundings.
• The earth acts as an abundant source of lower electric potential, helping to dissipate the electric charges safely.

What are Lightning Arresters?

• Lightning arresters are specialized devices used to protect electrical systems from sudden high currents induced by lightning strikes. 
• They work by diverting the high current away from sensitive electrical equipment and directing it through a path that can handle the surge, thus preventing damage.

Can Lightning Avoid a Lightning Rod?

• Despite the effectiveness of lightning rods, strikes may sometimes evade them due to several reasons;
  • Improper installation: Rods installed at incorrect heights, angles, or too close to other structures.
  • Poor grounding: If the rod is not properly grounded, it fails to channel the current effectively.
  • Multiple thunderstorms: High frequency of strikes can sometimes overwhelm the system.
  • Flawed design or maintenance: Rods that are misshapen, corroded, or poorly maintained may not function as intended.

Source: TH

Pinaka Multi-Barrel Rocket Launch (MBRL) System 

Syllabus: GS3/Defence

Context

• France is considering India’s Pinaka Multi-Barrel Rocket Launch (MBRL) system for its requirements and is soon going to carry out a detailed evaluation of the system.

About

• The Pinaka MBRL system was developed by the Defence Research and Development Organisation (DRDO) of India.
• The system is named after “Pinaka,” a mythical weapon used by Lord Shiva.
• It has the capability to hit targets at 75 kilometers and beyond.
• The Pinaka MBRL is capable of launching a salvo of 12 rockets in 44 seconds, which makes it an effective weapon for quickly overwhelming enemy defenses.
• Armenia became the first export customer for the indigenously developed Pinaka with interest expressed by several countries in the system. 

Source: TH