DAILY CURRENT AFFAIRS IAS | UPSC Prelims and Mains Exam – 3rd December 2024

Syllabus:

• Mains – CURRENT EVENT

Context: Setting the stage to counter any challenge to the dollar’s domination in global trade, US President-elect Donald Trump has threatened the BRICS grouping with “100 per cent tariffs” if they moved to create a new currency or back any other option as the world’s reserve.

Background: –

• BRICS stands for Brazil, Russia, India, China and South Africa, the original five members. This year, the group admitted four new members — Egypt, Ethiopia, Iran and UAE — and now represents almost half the world’s population and almost one quarter of its economy.

Key takeaways

• USD accounts for over 90 per cent of global transactions.
• Trump’s latest remarks come amid divergent views on the issue at the BRICS summit in October. Russian President Vladimir Putin had warned that the “dollar is being used as a weapon”. But Prime Minister Modi had cautioned that the grouping should not acquire the image of one that is trying to replace global institutions.
• Several countries have been looking at other “mechanisms” after the US “weaponised the global financial infrastructure” by throwing Iran and Russia out of the Society for Worldwide Interbank Financial Telecommunication (SWIFT), which is the key to international transactions.
• IMF’s Currency Composition of Official Foreign Exchange Reserves (COFER) has pointed to a gradual decline in the dollar’s share of central bank and government foreign reserves. But the reduced role of the US dollar over the past two decades has not been matched by corresponding increases in the shares of the other “big four” currencies, the euro, yen and pound.
• Rather, this has been accompanied by a rise in the share of what we refer to as non-traditional reserve currencies, including the Australian dollar, Canadian dollar, Chinese renminbi, South Korean won, Singaporean dollar, and the Nordic currencies.
• Significantly, the IMF also said that one non-traditional reserve currency gaining market share is the Chinese renminbi, whose gains match a quarter of the decline in the dollar’s share. 
• The Chinese government has been advancing policies on multiple fronts to promote renminbi internationalization, including the development of a cross-border payment system, the extension of swap lines, and piloting a central bank digital currency.
• In India, an effort to reduce reliance on the US dollar and internationalise the rupee saw the RBI allowing invoicing and payments for global trade in rupees in 2022 after sanctions were imposed on Russia amid the Ukraine war.
• According to the BIS Triennial Central Bank Survey 2022, foreign exchange market turnover — daily averages — shows that the US dollar accounted for 88 per cent of the global forex turnover while the rupee accounted for 1.6 per cent. The survey stated that if rupee turnover rises to equal the share of non-US, non-Euro currencies in global forex turnover of 4 per cent, it will be regarded as an international currency.

Source: Indian Express

Syllabus:

• Prelims & Mains – ENVIRONMENT

Context: Forty years after the Bhopal disaster on December 2-3, 1984, several hundred tonnes of toxic waste still remain around the ill-fated Union Carbide plant.

Background: –

• Despite pleas from locals and activists — bolstered over the years by orders from the National Green Tribunal and the Supreme Court — to dispose of the waste, the Madhya Pradesh government has only been able to get rid of a small fraction.

Key takeaways

• Union Carbide India, Ltd. (UCIL) built the Bhopal plant in the 1960s to manufacture an insecticide called carbaryl using a reaction of methyl isocyanate (MIC) with 1-naphthol. 
• MIC is a highly toxic compound. It reacts with water at high temperatures and its reaction with water also releases heat.
• On the night of December 2, 1984, a large quantity of water entered a tank storing MIC at the plant such that the MIC was soon boiling. Facilities at the plant to cool the tank were otherwise diverted, leaving MIC vapours to escape to the environment and spread.
• MIC doesn’t have a particular smell at concentrations at which other gases may become noticeable but it can irritate the eyes. However, given the hours, most of the people exposed to the gas were asleep.
• The Union Carbide Corporation has never officially specified which gases were leaked from the plant, including MIC. This decision also compromised health workers’ ability to respond effectively to the hordes of people who showed up in clinics and hospitals in Bhopal that night and the next day. 
• Some visual cues, including the blood-red colour of the viscera of those who died, also raised concerns that hydrogen cyanide was present in the fumes.

What are the toxins at the plant?

• A report by Greenpeace released in 1999, based on analyses of samples collected at the site reported the presence of mercury, chromium, copper, nickel, and lead. The report also noted the presence of hexachlorobutadiene, chloroform, carbon tetrachloride, and trichlorobenzene, among other compounds.

How toxic are heavy metals?

• Chromium, copper, lead, mercury, and nickel are classified as heavy metals because their density is at least 5x that of water. 
• Mercury has been known to damage multiple organs even at low concentrations by accumulating in soft tissue and preventing normal cellular function.
• There is evidence for arsenic and its compounds being able to cause cancers of the urinary bladder and the lungs; for hexavalent chromium to cause cancers of the lungs; and for nickel and its mixtures to cause cancers of the lungs, nose, nasal cavity, and the paranasal sinuses.
• Chromium is an essential nutrient required by the human body to promote the action of insulin for the utilisation of sugars, proteins and fats. But high doses of chromium and long exposure can give rise to various cytotoxic and genotoxic reactions that affect the immune system of the body.
• Lead is capable of damaging chlorophyll and disrupting photosynthesis in plants and rendering structural damage to cells and hampering their ability to produce energy in animals.

How are organic compounds harmful?

• Hexachlorobutadiene is a possible carcinogen. When inhaled, ingested, or brought in contact with skin, this compound can cause the liver to store too much fat (hepatic steatosis), destroy cells in the kidneys involved in producing urine, and inhibit brain activity, among other effects.
• Chloroform by another name is trichloromethane, and is infamous for its effects on the central nervous system. At a sufficient concentration, it can cause an adult to faint, but at even higher ones it can cause death. 
• Carbon tetrachloride, a.k.a. carbon tet, is classified as an “acute toxin” and a “health hazard”. According to at least one review, ingesting 1 ml of carbon tet can also blur vision, damage nerves, and/or cause heartbeat to become irregular.
• Trichlorobenzene is volatile and spread easily through the air, although they have also been found in groundwater and in surface water bodies like lakes. These compounds build up in the body’s fatty tissues and at high concentrations can damage the liver and the kidneys.

Source: The Hindu

Syllabus:

• Prelims – SCIENCE & TECHNOLOGY

Context: A female elephant died due to suspected anthrax at the at the Bandipur Tiger Reserve.

Background:

• The incident came to light during the regular patrolling of the forest department staff in the area.

Key takeaways

• Anthrax is a serious infectious disease caused by the spore-forming bacterium Bacillus anthracis.
• The bacteria produce spores that can live in the ground for years. Wild animals like deer, and livestock such as cattle or sheep, can inhale or ingest the dormant (inactive) spores while grazing.
• After mixing with bodily fluids, anthrax bacteria activate, multiply and spread throughout body. The bacteria cause a toxic, potentially deadly reaction. The same process happens to people who inhale, ingest or come into skin contact with the spores.
• Anthrax isn’t contagious like chickenpox or the flu. Rarely, people develop cutaneous anthrax after coming into direct contact with another person’s infected skin lesion.
• Antibiotics are the first line of treatment for this potentially deadly infection. There are other treatments, including a vaccine.
• Types of anthrax: The types of anthrax reflect the different ways the bacteria enter your body. Anthrax types include –
  • Cutaneous (skin): Bacteria infect your body through a wound in your skin. Cutaneous anthrax is the most common and least deadly form.
  • Gastrointestinal: This type affects people who eat undercooked or raw meat from an infected animal.
  • Inhalation: People who breathe in anthrax spores can develop this deadly form of anthrax.
  • Injection: People who inject heroin can get injection anthrax.
• Anthrax is found all over the world. Disease outbreaks tend to occur in developing countries that don’t vaccinate livestock against the infection.

Is anthrax a biological weapon?

• A bioterrorism anthrax attack using anthrax spores is a possibility. 
• In 2001, a U.S. military researcher mailed envelopes containing anthrax powder to members of Congress and the media. Five of the 22 people who developed cutaneous or inhalation anthrax died.

Source: Times Of India

Syllabus:

• Prelims – GEOGRAPHY

Context: Fifteen people have died and at least 100 more are missing after a landslide buried dozens of homes across several villages in eastern Uganda.

Background: –

• The landslides happened after heavy rains in the mountainous district of Bulambuli, where landslides are common. The district is about 280 kilometers (173miles) east of the capital, Kampala.

Key takeaways

• Uganda, officially known as the Republic of Uganda, is a landlocked country located in East Africa. 
• Independence: Uganda gained independence from the United Kingdom on October 9, 1962.
• Colonial Period: Before independence, Uganda was a British protectorate established in 1894.
• Historical Events: The country has experienced significant political turmoil, including the brutal regime of Idi Amin in the 1970s and subsequent periods of instability.
• Location: Uganda is bordered by Kenya to the east, South Sudan to the north, the Democratic Republic of the Congo to the west, Rwanda to the southwest, and Tanzania to the south.
• Lake Victoria: A significant portion of Uganda’s southern border is formed by Lake Victoria, the largest freshwater lake in Africa.
• Climate: Uganda has a varied equatorial climate, with two rainy seasons and two dry seasons.
• Population: As of 2024, Uganda has a population of around 49 million people.
• Capital City: The capital and largest city is Kampala, which is home to about 8.5 million people.
• Ethnic Groups: Uganda is home to dozens of ethnic groups, with the Baganda being the largest at 16.5% of the population.
• Official Languages: English and Swahili are the official languages.

Source: Indian Express

Syllabus:

• Prelims – SCIENCE & TECHNOLOGY

Context: Recently, the government announced the soft launch of Nafithromycin, India’s first indigenously developed antibiotic designed to combat antimicrobial resistance (AMR).

Background: –

• This development brings hope for treating drug-resistant pneumonia, which is responsible for over two million deaths globally each year.

Key takeaways

• Nafithromycin is designed for the treatment of Community-Acquired Bacterial Pneumonia (CABP), a serious illness caused by drug-resistant bacteria that affects vulnerable populations, including children, the elderly, and immunocompromised individuals such as patients with diabetes and cancer.
• India currently has 23 per cent of the world’s community pneumonia burden.
• Nafithromycin is marketed as “Miqnaf” by the pharmaceutical company Wolkardt.
• It has been developed with support from the Biotechnology Industry Research Assistance Council (BIRAC), which is a unit of the Department of Biotechnology.
• Nafithromycin targets both typical and atypical pathogens, providing a strong solution in a time when no new antibiotics in this class have been developed globally for over thirty years.

Pneumonia

• Pneumonia is a disease that affects the lungs. The lungs have small air sacs called alveoli, which fill with air when you breathe in. When an individual has pneumonia, the alveoli are filled with pus and fluid, which makes breathing painful and limits oxygen intake.
• Pneumonia can be caused by bacteria, viruses, fungi, or mycoplasma. The most common bacterial cause is Streptococcus pneumoniae, while common viral causes include influenza and COVID-19.

Source: Indian Express

Q1.) With reference to anthrax, consider the following statements:

1. Anthrax is caused by a virus and primarily affects humans.
2. Inhalation anthrax is more fatal than cutaneous anthrax.
3. Vaccination of livestock can help prevent its spread.

Which of the above statements is/are correct?
(a) 1 and 2 only
(b) 2 and 3 only
(c) 1 and 3 only
(d) 1, 2, and 3

Q2.) With reference to Uganda, consider the following statements:

1. Uganda is a landlocked country in East Africa.
2. Lake Victoria, the largest freshwater lake in Africa, forms a significant portion of Uganda’s western border.
3. Swahili is one of the official languages of Uganda.

Which of the statements given above is/are correct?
(a) 1 and 2 only
(b) 1 and 3 only
(c) 2 and 3 only
(d) 1, 2, and 3

Q3.) With reference to Nafithromycin, consider the following statements:

1. It is the first indigenously developed antibiotic in India.
2. It specifically targets only typical bacterial pathogens causing pneumonia.
3. It was developed with support from the Biotechnology Industry Research Assistance Council (BIRAC).

Which of the statements given above is/are correct?
(a) 1 and 2 only
(b) 1 and 3 only
(c) 2 and 3 only
(d) 1, 2, and 3

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

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Q.1) – a

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