DAILY CURRENT AFFAIRS IAS | UPSC Prelims and Mains Exam –13th May 2024

Syllabus

• Prelims – Science

Context: Two baby girls diagnosed with kawasaki disease , a condition causing inflammation of blood vessels, were successfully treated at Coimbatore Medical College and Hospital.

Background:-

• The disease is named after Japanese pediatrician Tomisaku Kawasaki, who first described it in 1967.

About Kawasaki disease

• Kawasaki disease is a rare but serious condition that primarily affects children under the age of 5.
• It’s also known as mucocutaneous lymph node syndrome.
• Kawasaki disease can lead to complications, particularly affecting the heart.
• If untreated for a prolonged period it may lead to heart complications such as inflammation of the coronary artery, inflammation of heart muscles, problems associated with heart valves, and weakening of the blood walls in the heart.
• Treatment usually involves intravenous immunoglobulin (IVIG) to reduce inflammation and fever, along with aspirin to prevent blood clots.
• Early diagnosis and treatment are crucial to reduce the risk of complications, especially involving the heart.
• It is not an infectious disease, that is, it does not spread between people
• The cause is not fully understood, but it’s believed to involve an abnormal immune response triggered by an infection or other environmental factors in genetically predisposed individuals.

Symptoms

• Symptoms of Kawasaki disease include a fever greater than 102.2 degrees Fahrenheit (39 degrees Celsius) for five or more days. And the child has at least four of the following symptoms:

1. A rash on the main part of the body or in the genital area.
2. An enlarged lymph node in the neck.
3. Very red eyes without a thick discharge.
4. Red, dry, cracked lips and a red, swollen tongue.
5. Swollen, red skin on the palms of the hands and the soles of the feet. Later the skin on fingers and toes peels.

• Other symptoms might include:Belly pain, Diarrhea, Fussiness, Joint pain, Vomiting.

Risk factors include:

• Age: Children below 5 years are at high risk
• Gender: Boys are more likely than girls to develop Kawasaki disease
• Ethnicity: Japanese or Korean children are at higher risk to develop Kawasaki disease

Source: Mayoclinic

Syllabus

• Prelims – Science

Context: The night sky was lit up by northern lights, or aurora borealis, at Hanle village in Ladakh early Saturday morning. Northern lights were also witnessed in other parts of the world, including in the United States and the United Kingdom. Meanwhile, southern lights, or aurora australis, were spotted in countries such as New Zealand and Australia.

Background:

• Severe geomagnetic storm has allowed rare aurora to show in Ladakh, as observed from the Hanle observatory. While rare, this is not the first sighting of Northern lights in Ladakh.

Key takeaways :

• Auroras are essentially natural lights that appear as bright, swirling curtains in the night sky and can be seen in a range of colours, including blue, red, yellow, green, and orange.
• These lights primarily appear near the poles of both the northern and southern hemispheres all year round but sometimes they expand to lower latitudes.
• In the north, the display is called the aurora borealis; in the south, it is known as the aurora australis.

Why do auroras occur?

• It is due to activity on the surface of the Sun. The star continuously releases a stream of charged particles, mainly electrons and protons, and magnetic fields called the solar wind.
• As the solar wind approaches the Earth, it is deflected by the planet’s magnetic field, which acts like a protective shield.
• However, some of the charged particles are trapped in the magnetic field and they travel down the magnetic field lines at the north and south poles into the upper atmosphere of the Earth.
• These particles then interact with different gases present there, resulting in tiny flashes that light up the night sky. When solar wind particles collide with oxygen, a green colour light is produced. Interaction with nitrogen produces shades of blue and purple.
• Auroras expand to midlatitudes when the solar wind is extremely strong. This happens when the activity on the Sun’s surface goes up, leading to solar flares and coronal mass ejections (CMEs), which are essentially extra bursts of energy in the solar wind.
• In such cases, the solar wind is so intense that it can result in a geomagnetic storm, also known as a magnetic storm — a temporary disturbance of the Earth’s magnetic field. It is during a magnetic storm that auroras can be seen in the mid-latitudes.
• One such geomagnetic storm was kicked off on Friday after a CME hit the Earth. That’s why auroras were visible in several parts of the world.
• Geomagnetic storms can also affect space-dependent operations like Global Positioning Systems (GPS), radio and satellite communications, flight operations, power grids, and space exploration programmes.

Source: Indian Express

Syllabus

• Prelims – Geography

Context: European naval force detained six suspected pirates on Friday after they opened fire on an oil tanker traveling through the Gulf of Aden, likely part of a growing number of piracy attacks emanating from Somalia.

Background:

• Once-rampant piracy off the Somali coast diminished after a peak in 2011. That year, there were 237 reported attacks in waters off Somalia. Somali piracy in the region at the time cost the world’s economy some $7 billion — with $160 million paid out in ransoms.However, concerns about new attacks have grown in recent months. In the first quarter of 2024, there have been five reported incidents off Somalia.

About Gulf of Aden

• The Gulf of Aden is a deepwater gulf of the Indian Ocean between Yemen to the north, the Arabian Sea to the east, Djibouti to the west, and the Guardafui Channel, Socotra and Somalia to the south.
• In the northwest, it connects with the Red Sea through the Bab-el-Mandeb strait, and it connects with the Arabian Sea to the east.
• To the west, it narrows into the Gulf of Tadjoura in Djibouti. The Aden Ridge lies along the middle of the Gulf and is causing it to widen about 15mm per year.
• The Gulf of Aden is approximately 900 km long and 500 km wide, covering roughly 410,000 square kilometers. It has an average depth of 500 meters and a maximum depth of 2,700 meters.
• The Gulf of Aden is an important shipping route, with over 20,000 vessels passing through the Gulf annually. This route is often used for the delivery of Persian Gulf oil, making the gulf an integral waterway in the world economy.
• This strategic waterway is of significant geopolitical importance due to its proximity to the Suez Canal and its role in global trade. However, it has also been known for piracy, particularly off the coast of Somalia.
• Important cities along the Gulf of Aden include Aden and Mukalla in Yemen, and Djibouti City in Djibouti.

Source: Livemint

Syllabus

• Prelims – Geography

Context: Khanij Bidesh India Ltd (KABIL) hopes to acquire a lithium block in Australia this year, a top official said on Saturday. The government had earlier said that India would pump in about Rs 200 crore to explore and develop five lithium mines in Argentina. Argentina is part of the ‘lithium triangle’ along with Chile and Bolivia with more than half of the world’s total lithium resources.

Background:

• KABIL is owned by three public sector undertakings — National Aluminium Company Ltd (Nalco), Hindustan Copper Ltd (HCL) and Mineral Exploration and Consultancy Ltd (MECL).

About Lithium :

• The Lithium is a chemical element with the symbol Li and atomic number 3.
• It is a soft, silvery-white alkali metal that is highly reactive and flammable.
• Lithium is the most important mineral for the energy transition, a fundamental component of lithium-ion batteries, which power electric vehicles and battery energy storage systems.
• India is 100 per cent reliant on imports for its lithium.

Physical Properties:

• Lithium is a silvery-white metal.
• It has a standard atomic weight of approximately 6.94.
• Lithium is the lightest metal and the lightest solid element, and it is known for its low density and high electrochemical potential.
• At standard temperature and pressure, lithium is a solid.
• It has a melting point of 180.50 °C (356.90 °F) and a boiling point of 1330 °C (2426 °F).

Chemical Properties:

• Lithium is part of the alkali metal group and has a single valence electron in its outer shell, which it readily donates to form cations and ionic bonds.

Occurrence and Production:

• Lithium occurs in a number of pegmatitic minerals, but is also commonly obtained from brines and clays.
• It’s extracted commercially from spodumene and lepidolite.
• Lithium reserves are primarily found in salt flats (salars), particularly in countries like Chile, Argentina, Australia, and China.
• Due to the growing demand for lithium-ion batteries, there is increasing interest in lithium mining and production, as well as efforts to develop more efficient recycling processes to reduce reliance on newly extracted lithium

Uses:

• Lithium and its compounds have several industrial applications, including heat-resistant glass and ceramics, lithium grease lubricants, flux additives for iron, steel and aluminium production, lithium batteries, and lithium-ion batteries.
• Lithium is also used in the treatment of bipolar disorder.

Safety Precautions:

• Lithium is corrosive and requires special handling to avoid skin contact.
• Ingesting lithium can be fatal. Lithium toxicity, which occurs at only slightly higher doses than the medicinal levels, can cause drowsiness, slurred speech, and even seizures.

Source: Indian Express

Syllabus

• Prelims & Mains – Geography

Context: Flash floods, that have ripped through northern Afghanistan, have left more than 300 people dead, the United Nations World Food Programme (WFP) said.

Background:

• A climate-sensitive nation, Afghanistan was battered by a similar calamity in April as heavy rains and flash floods resulted in the deaths of at least 100 people across 10 provinces in Afghanistan.Afghanistan’s vulnerability to climate change is exacerbated by its relatively dry winter, making it challenging for the soil to absorb rainfall.

About Flash floods

• Flash floods are rapid floods that occur in low-lying areas. They can be caused by heavy rain associated with a severe thunderstorm, hurricane, or tropical storm, or by meltwater from ice or snow flowing over ice sheets or snowfields.
• Flash floods can also occur after the collapse of a natural ice or debris dam, or a human structure such as a man-made dam.
• Flash floods are distinguished from regular floods by having a timescale of fewer than six hours between rainfall and the onset of flooding.
• The unpredictability and short time frame of flash floods make them more destructive than regular floods
• Flash floods can also deposit large quantities of sediments on floodplains and can be destructive of vegetation cover not adapted to frequent flood conditions
• In India, flash floods are often associated with cloudbursts – sudden, intense rainfall in a short period of time. Himalayan states further face the challenge of overflowing glacial lakes, formed due to the melting of glaciers, and their numbers have been increasing in the last few years.
• India is the worst flood-affected country in the world after Bangladesh and accounts for one-fifth of the global death count due to floods. Flash floods have been commonly witnessed in cities like Chennai and Mumbai.

Source: Indian Express

Syllabus

• Mains – GS 3

Context: Manipur Chief Minister N Biren Singh said on Sunday that 5,801 illegal immigrants from Myanmar had been detected in Kamjong district since a civil war broke out in the neighbouring country. This has brought back the topic of illegal migration again in news

Background:

• The topic is very sensitive and humanitarian dimension also needs to be considered along with others.

Illegal Immigration is a threat to Internal Security:

• It is alleged that among the illegal migrants there are also militants especially groups such as NSCN/KUFLA, who enter India to carry out terrorist activities.
• In recent decades, trafficking of women and human smuggling has become quite rampant across borders.
• The Commission on Integration and Cohesion found that tension usually exists with the presence of high levels of migration combine with other forms of social exclusion like poverty, poor housing, etc.
• Immigration has increased pressure on the part of the government, as the government has to increase the expenditure on education and health facilities for the immigrants.
• Most illegal immigrants have got their names enlisted in the voting list illegally, thereby claiming themselves as citizens of the state.
• The influx of immigrants created a crisis of identity among the indigenous people of the region.
• Large areas of forestland were encroached upon by the immigrants for settlement and cultivation. This creates conflict in resource utilization with the local communities.

Laws in India to tackle Illegal Migration:

• Under the Foreigners Act of 1946, the central government can deport illegal foreign nationals.
• Under the Passport (Entry into India) Act of 1920, the state governments have been entrusted to remove an illegal foreigner by force.
• The Citizenship Act of 1955 provides for the acquisition and determination of Indian citizenship.

Way Forward:

• A considerable portion of the problem of illegal immigration lies in the fact that we have no such effective refugee policy. The central government should frame a holistic refugee policy.
• India has to make a diplomatic effort to get neighboring countries to cooperate as illegal migration cannot be solved unless the origin country cooperates.
• Government should introduce identity cards for the borderland people who frequently used to cross borders for different reasons.
• There is a vast area of the border that is not protected by fencing. The central government should complete the border fencing.
• Regional forums like BIMSTEC can be used to discuss issues like illegal migration from neighboring countries and garner support and coordination from the members.
• Border guards like BSF, and ITBP should be strengthened and a second line of defence can be created by the State government through the state police force.

Source: The Hindu

Q1.) Consider the following statements about Kawasaki disease:

1. It is an infectious disease primarily affecting lactating mothers.
2. It can lead to complications particularly affecting heart.
3. It is caused by radiation exposure.

How many of the statements given above are correct?

1. Only one
2. Only two
3. All three
4. None

Q2.)With reference to aurora borealis and aurora australis, consider the following statements:

1. Auroras expand to midlatitudes when the solar wind is extremely weak.
2. Aurora borealis is the other name for northern lights.
3. Ladakh has witnessed Auroras multiple times.

How many of the statements given above are correct?

1. Only one
2. Only two
3. All three
4. None

Q3.) Consider the following statements about Lithium

1. Spodumene and lepidolite are the main mineral resources for extracting lithium.
2. It is a soft, silvery-white alkali metal that is highly reactive and flammable.
3. Lithium is used in the treatment of bipolar disorder.

How many of the statements given above are correct?

1. Only one
2. Only two
3. All three
4. None

Comment the answers to the above questions in the comment section below!!

ANSWERS FOR ’  13th May 2024 – Daily Practice MCQs’ will be updated along with tomorrow’s Daily Current Affairs.st

Q.1) – d

Q.2) – c

Q.3) – c