Every Monday, UPSC Current Affairs Pointers in UPSC Essentials aim to go beyond the headlines and provide content relevant to your UPSC Prelims, State PCS, and other competitive examinations.

If you missed the UPSC Current Affairs Pointers of the past week | November 4 to November 10, 2024, from the Indian Express, read it here.

— On the occasion of World Diabetes Day (14th November), published a report on diabetes.

— According to the report, a quarter of adults living with diabetes globally are in India (212 million of the 828 million). The other nations with the most diabetics are China (148 million), US (42 million), Pakistan (36 million), Indonesia (25 million) and Brazil (22 million).

— The study, conducted by the NCD Risk Factor Collaboration (NCD-RisC) in collaboration with WHO, is the first global analysis of trends in both diabetes rates and treatment.

 

— The Indian government is hosting a two-day global maritime conference – Sagarmanthan: The Great Oceans Dialogue – in the national capital on November 18 and 19.

— The conference, the first-ever being held in India, is being co-hosted by the Ministry of Ports, Shipping and Waterways and Observer Research Foundation.

 

— At COP29, China and India, along with other BASIC country partners Brazil and South Africa, confronted the European Union (EU) against the Carbon Border Adjustment Mechanism (CBAM) introduced last year.

— CBAM taxes certain products coming in from other countries on the basis of their emissions footprint in their production process. For instance, if the imported steel was produced through a process that entailed higher emissions than the emissions standards for that product in Europe, it would be taxed.

— CBAM allows industries in Europe to remain competitive while continuing to maintain high environmental standards. It prevents these industries from relocating their production to countries where the production might be cheap owing to less strict emission norms, a situation described as carbon leakage. In the process, it hopes to contribute to reducing global emissions.

— COP, or Conference of Parties, is the annual meeting of the members of the UN Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC) — an international agreement, signed in 1992, that has provided a basis for climate negotiations.

— COP3 in Kyoto, 1997: The Kyoto Protocol was adopted in this COP. It placed obligations on the set of rich and industrialised countries to cut their greenhouse gas emissions by assigned amounts. It did not last long as the rich and powerful countries were not happy with its provisions.

— COP21 in Paris, 2015: It led to the landmark Paris Agreement — a legally binding international treaty to limit global temperatures to below 2 degree Celsius, and preferably below 1.5 degree Celsius. The parties also agreed to submit their climate action plans, known as nationally determined contributions (NDCs), by 2020.

— COP26 in Glasgow, 2021: The Glasgow pact made a commitment to “phase down” the use of coal (this language was weakened from “phase out” late in the negotiations) and to phase out “inefficient fossil fuel subsidies”. This was the first time that a UN climate agreement explicitly mentioned coal.

— COP28 in Dubai, 2023:  A Loss and Damage fund was officially launched in Dubai. The fund is meant to provide financial help to countries struck by climate disasters.

 

— According to the toxicology report of the 10 elephants that died at Bandhavgarh Tiger Reserve, they had consumed a “large quantity” of kodo millet plants that were infected with a fungus. In all the pooled samples, there was the presence of cyclopiazonic acid.

— According to a 2023 research paper, ‘Potential Risk of Cyclopiazonic Acid Toxicity in Kodua Poisoning’, published in the journal of scientific and technical research, kodo millet is mainly cultivated in dry and semi-arid regions.

— However, sometimes “environmental conditions like spring and summer strike as being suitable for a certain kind of poisoning which leads to greater economic crop loss.”

— According to the paper, “CPA (cyclopiazonic acid) is one of the major mycotoxins associated with the kodo millet seeds causing kodo poisoning, which was first recognised during the mid-eighties.”

— Ergot is a parasitic fungal endophyte that grows in the ear heads of various blades of grass, most frequently on kodo millet. Consumption of such kodo grains is often found to cause poisoning.

— The world’s first wood-panelled satellite of Japanese spacecraft named Lignosat was launched into space on November 5 to test the reliability of timber as a renewable building material for future space travel.

— It is developed by Kyoto University and homebuilder Sumitomo Forestry. It arrived at the International Space Station (ISS) on November 5 aboard a SpaceX Dragon cargo capsule. After a month, it will be released into orbit above the Earth, where it will remain in orbit for six months.

— LignoSat measures just 4 inches (10 centimeters) on each side, and weighs 900 grams.

— The satellite is named after the Latin word for wood, with panels built from a type of magnolia tree, using a traditional Japanese crafts technique without screws or glue to hold it together

— Turritopsis dohrnii also known as “immortal jellyfish” was discovered by chance in the 1980s by two young scientists, Christian Sommer and Giorgio Bavestrello.

— They found that when adult Turritopsis dohrnii jellyfish were stressed, they reverted to an earlier stage in their life-cycle — rather than die.

— Two scientists in Norway have discovered that Turritopsis dohrnii is not the only jellies who can reverse development but comb jellies from the species Mnemiopsis leidyi can also reverse from a mature “lobate”, or adult with lobes, to an early larval-state — also when stressed.

 

— The Reserve Bank of India (RBI) has retained the State Bank of India, HDFC Bank and ICICI Bank as Domestic Systemically Important Banks (D-SIBs).

— Some banks, due to their size, cross-jurisdictional activities, complexity, lack of substitutability and interconnectedness, become systemically important. They are perceived as banks that are ‘Too Big To Fail (TBTF)’ and enjoy certain advantages in the funding markets.

 

— The ‘Animal Health Security Strengthening in India for Pandemic Preparedness and Response’ initiative was launched by the Union Minister of Fisheries, Animal Husbandry and Dairying  in New Delhi on October 25.

— The project was approved by the Pandemic Fund, created by G20 countries under the Indonesian presidency in 2022.

— The project will work with the help of three implementing agencies—the Asian Development Bank (ADB), the World Bank, and the Food and Agriculture Organisation (FAO). It is expected to be completed by August 2026.

— Holding station staff to officials at divisional and zonal railway levels responsible, the Commissioner of Railway Safety (CRS) said that the Kanchanjunga Express-goods train collision in West Bengal this June was an “accident-in-waiting” due to “lapses at multiple levels” in managing train operations in the event of “automatic signal failures”, and could have been avoided.

— The railway safety body also called for the implementation of the automatic train protection system—KAVACH—as the top priority.

— KAVACH is an advanced Automatic Train Protection (ATP) system, designed to prevent collisions and enhance operational safety. It was earlier named as Train Collision Avoidance System (TCAS).

— This technology features an electronic device linked with radio frequency identification systems positioned at stations, trains and tracks. If a loco pilot inadvertently skips a red signal, Kavach automatically activates and controls the train’s braking systems. Additionally, the system detects any trains approaching the same tracks, taking necessary actions to avert collisions and alerting the loco pilot.

— The Manipur government, in a letter to the Ministry of Home Affairs Saturday, requested the withdrawal of the Armed Forces (Special Powers) Act (AFSPA), 1958, from areas under the jurisdiction of six police stations in the state.

— AFSPA provides for special powers for the armed forces that can be imposed by the Centre or the Governor of a state, on the state or parts of it, after it is declared “disturbed’’ under Section 3.

— The Act defines these as areas that are “disturbed or dangerous condition that the use of armed forces in aid of the civil power is necessary’’. AFSPA has been used in areas where militancy has been prevalent.

— The Comptroller and Auditor General of India (CAG) has found that city self-governments in 18 states that cater to 241 million residents are facing a 42 per cent gap between their resources and expenditure and that only 29 per cent of their expenditure goes towards programmatic and development work.

— The CAG found that on average, 32 per cent of the revenue of the urban bodies was their own, with the rest coming from the Union and state governments.

— Only 29 per cent of the current expenditure of the urban local bodies was directed towards programmatic and development work.

— There was an average vacancy of 37 per cent against the sanctioned staff strength. On the other hand, urban bodies of 16 states had limited or no power over recruitment.

— Urban planning and fire services are the least devolved functions by law.

 

— The SDS program was launched by Canada in 2018 for faster processing of student visa applications.

— It was for admission into post-secondary Designated Learning Institutions (DLI), which are colleges approved by the Canadian territorial or provincial government for hosting international students.

— It had strict requirements, such as paying one year’s tuition fee in advance and providing a mandatory Guaranteed Investment Certificate (GIC) worth $20,635 as proof of funds.

— Turkey was offered partner country status by the BRICS group of nations.

— Turkey, a NATO member, has in recent months voiced interest in joining the BRICS group of emerging economies.

— The “partner country” category was introduced in the recently concluded BRICS in Kazan.

— BRICS comprises Brazil, Russia, India, China, South Africa, Ethiopia, Iran, Egypt, and the United Arab Emirates.

— Australia has come up with a MATES that allows talented young people from India to work in the country for some time.

— According to the Department of Home Affairs of Australia, MATES gives Indian university graduates and early career professionals a chance to work in Australia for two years.

— MATES has been established under the Migration and Mobility Partnership Arrangement (MMPA) on May 23, 2023.

— The MMPA is a bilateral framework that supports and promotes two-way migration and mobility between the two countries, while addressing issues pertaining to illegal and irregular migration.

 

(Just FYI: Noting historical personalities’ anniversaries aids UPSC prep. UPSC often includes such personalities in questions, so revisiting their lives refreshes your static syllabus.)

— Professor Comaralingam V Ramakrishnan, father of Nobel laureate Venki Ramakrishnan, died on Friday in Cambridge, United Kingdom.  He was 98 years old.

— Prof CVR, as he was popularly known, founded the Department of Biochemistry at the Maharaja Sayajirao University of Baroda (MSU), in Vadodara in 1955 and was its first head, at a very young age.

— 21-year-old Victoria Kjaer Theilvig of Denmark was crowned the 73rd Miss Universe, marking Denmark’s first-ever victory in the prestigious beauty pageant’s history.

— Mexico’s María Fernanda Beltrán emerged as the first runner-up, while Nigeria’s Cnidimma Adetshina finished as the second runner-up.

— Mauritius’s opposition leader Navin Ramgoolam was appointed prime minister on Tuesday, returning to the post a decade on after his coalition won a near clean sweep of seats in parliament in a general election.

— The Sarai Kale Khan Chowk in Delhi was renamed ‘Bhagwan Birsa Munda Chowk’, with Union Home Minister Amit Shah inaugurating the tribal cultural icon’s statue on the occasion of his 150th birth anniversary year.

— November 15 marks the 150th birth anniversary of the tribal icon Birsa Munda, which is celebrated as “Janjatiya Gaurav Divas” to honour the contributions of the tribal freedom fighters.

— He, also known as “Dharti Aba” (“Father of the Earth”), organised the “Ulgulan” or the Munda Rebellion against British oppression in the late 1890s.

— The Odisha government has announced a year of celebrations for the 125th birth anniversary of Dr Harekrushna Mahatab, a former Chief Minister of the state and towering Odia icon.

—  He was a freedom fighter, prolific writer, and one of the architects of modern Odisha, who was born on November 21, 1899 at Agarapada in Bhadrak district (then Balasore district).

— He served as the last Prime Minister of Odisha from 1946 to 1950, and then as Chief Minister from 1956 to 1961.

— The Prajatantra, a newspaper founded by him in 1923, continues to be published to this day.

— November 11 is observed as National Education Day, to commemorate the birth anniversary of Maulana Abul Kalam Azad.

— He was the first education minister of independent India. He served as the education minister from August 15, 1947 to February 2, 1958 and passed away in Delhi on February 22, 1958.

— Maulana Azad was posthumously awarded the Bharat Ratna in 1992.

 

(Just FYI: The location of the place is important, considering that UPSC has asked several questions about places that were in the news, such as Aleppo and Kirkuk, in the 2018 UPSC Prelims. The best way to remember them is to plot them on a world map.)

— At least 26 people were killed, and over 60 injured after an explosion tore through at the Quetta railway station in Pakistan’s Balochistan.

—  The name Quetta is a variation of kwatkot, a Pashto word meaning “fort,” and locally, it is known by its ancient name of Shāl or Shālkot.

 

— British writer Samantha Harvey won the Booker Prize for fiction on Tuesday with “Orbital,” a short, wonder-filled novel set aboard the International Space Station that ponders the beauty and fragility of Earth.

— Harvey is the first female Booker winner since 2019.

— The prize is open to English-language writers of any nationality and has a reputation for transforming writers’ careers. Previous winners include Ian McEwan, Margaret Atwood, Salman Rushdie and Hilary Mantel.

(Just FYI: With the unpredictability of the UPSC examinations and questions like the ICC World Test Championship question 2021, you can’t be sure of anything. It is wise to know what it is and not go into too much detail.)

— The captain of the Indian men’s hockey team Harmanpreet Singh, who led the country to its second successive bronze medal at the Paris Olympics, won the FIH Player of the Year award for 2024 in Oman.

— PR Sreejesh, who retired from the game after winning his second Olympic medal, won the Goalkeeper of the Year award.

— As Donald Trump returns to the White House, social media in the US is seeing the rise of the ‘4B’ movement, where women swear off sex and marriage with men to protest patriarchal and often misogynist institutions and practices.

— 4B stands for four bis, or no in the Korean language: bihon, bichulsan, biyeonae, and bisekseu, meaning the refusal of (heterosexual) marriage, childbirth, romance, and sexual relationships, respectively.

— 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.

 

(Note: The best way to remember facts for UPSC and other competitive exams is to recall them through MCQs. Try to solve the following questions on your own.)

A. Loss and Damaged Fund has been operationalised in which of the following COP?

(a) COP 19

(b) COP 21

(c) COP 24

(d) COP 28

B. With reference to the history of India, ‘Ulgulan’ or ‘the Great Tumult’ is led by?

(a) Bakshi Jagabandhu

(b) Alluri Sitaramaraju

(c) Sidhu & Kanhu Murmu

(d) Birsa Munda

C. Consider the following banks:

1. ICICI

2. BOB

3. HDFC

4. PNB

5. SBI

Which of the following banks are designated as Domestic Systemically Important Banks (D-SIBs)?

(a) 1, 2 and 5

(b) 1, 3 and 5

(c) 2, 4 and 5

(d) 2, 3 and 4

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