22 November 2024

• Diplomacy: PM Modi attended the India-CARICOM Summit in Georgetown, Guyana. A seven-pillar cooperation framework was announced.
• Environment: Delhi's AQI stayed in the severe category. GRAP Stage III measures (construction ban, stone crusher shutdown) were in force.
• International: The International Criminal Court was in focus as warrants were issued against Israeli Prime Minister Netanyahu and Hamas leader Sinwar (posthumously).
• Science: Mealworm larvae were confirmed to degrade polystyrene plastic, a potential bioremediation tool.

GS area: International Relations

PM Modi hosted the India-CARICOM Summit in Georgetown, Guyana.

• CARICOM: Caribbean Community and Common Market. Established 1973. 15 full members including Trinidad and Tobago, Guyana, Jamaica, Barbados and Suriname. Secretariat in Georgetown, Guyana.
• Seven-pillar framework: India announced cooperation in IT, healthcare, agriculture, education, renewable energy, cricket and cultural exchange.
• Key offers: 1,000 IT scholarships for CARICOM nationals. Regional forensic centre. Millet cultivation promotion. ISA membership invitation. Jan Aushadhi scheme (affordable generics) sharing. 11 women's cricket scholarships per nation.
• Strategic interest: Guyana recently discovered major offshore oil reserves. India's ONGC Videsh is seeking investment opportunities. CARICOM states are important UN vote banks.
• Indian diaspora: Significant Indian-origin populations in Guyana, Trinidad and Tobago and Suriname, descendants of indentured labour brought under the British.

Static linkage: India's global outreach, South-South cooperation, multilateral diplomacy.

GS area: Environment, Governance

Delhi's air pollution continued in the severe range, keeping GRAP Stage III restrictions in place.

• PM2.5 contribution: Vehicle emissions account for 58 per cent of PM2.5 pollution in Delhi.
• GRAP Stage III measures: Ban on construction activity (except essential projects). Shutdown of brick kilns and hot mix plants. Closure of stone crushers. School restrictions for younger grades.
• National Clean Air Programme (NCAP): Government's overarching programme targeting a 20 to 30 per cent reduction in particulate matter by 2024.
• SAFAR: System of Air Quality and Weather Forecasting and Research. Provides real-time air quality data and forecasts.
• BS-VI standards: Bharat Stage VI emission norms for vehicles (equivalent to Euro 6). In force since 2020.

Static linkage: Air quality, Delhi's environment, governance.

GS area: International Relations, Polity

The International Criminal Court issued arrest warrants related to the Gaza conflict, drawing global attention.

• ICC: Established by the Rome Statute, 1998. Operations began 2002. Headquartered at The Hague, Netherlands.
• Jurisdiction: Genocide, war crimes, crimes against humanity and aggression.
• Member states: 123 countries. Notable non-members: US, China, Russia, India.
• Warrants: Issued against Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, former Defence Minister Yoav Gallant and Hamas leader Yahya Sinwar (posthumously).
• India's position: India is not a signatory to the Rome Statute. The warrants are thus not directly binding on India.
• Significance: Warrants against sitting heads of government are rare. The ICC's ability to enforce depends on member state cooperation.

Static linkage: International law, human rights, international organisations.

GS area: Defence, International Relations

Russia fired the RS-26 Rubezh intercontinental ballistic missile at Ukraine, marking the first operational use of an ICBM in an active armed conflict.

• RS-26 Rubezh: Solid-fuelled ICBM. Range: 5,800 kilometres. Payload: capable of carrying nuclear warheads up to 800 kg. Has MIRV (Multiple Independently targetable Re-entry Vehicle) capability.
• MIRV: Allows a single missile to deliver multiple warheads to different targets.
• Significance: Russia fired it conventionally at Ukraine. This is the first time a nuclear-capable ICBM has been used in combat in a conventional mode.
• Nuclear signalling: The test-use is widely read as a warning signal, not a sign of imminent nuclear use.

Static linkage: Nuclear deterrence, international security, Russia-Ukraine conflict.

GS area: Art and Culture, History

Twenty-four pairs of carved footprints were discovered at Kanhirapoil in Kasaragod district, Kerala.

• Period: Megalithic era, approximately 3rd century BCE to 1st century CE. An Iron Age culture.
• Significance: Carved footprints in stone are rare megalithic monuments. They may mark burial sites or ritual locations.
• Kasaragod: Northernmost district of Kerala.
• Megalithic culture in India: Associated with iron tools, burial of the dead with pottery and iron grave goods, and the beginning of settled agriculture in peninsular India.

Static linkage: Indian history, art and culture, archaeology.

• Mealworm larvae: The Kenyan lesser mealworm (a darkling beetle) can degrade polystyrene. Gut bacteria (Proteobacteria and Firmicutes) break down the plastic. Research interest in using insect gut microbiomes for plastic pollution remediation.
• Solar Energy Corporation of India (SECI): Established 20 September 2011. Granted Navratna status on 30 August 2024. The only renewable energy Central Public Sector Undertaking. Operates under the Ministry of New and Renewable Energy.
• Global Alliance Against Hunger and Poverty: Launched at the Rio G20. 81 countries (including India) and 26 organisations. Six "Sprints 2030" initiatives for food security. Annual cost: 2 to 3 million dollars. A coordination and financing mechanism, not a direct delivery programme.