13 December 2024

• Health: The DRC outbreak put Disease X back in focus. WHO's 2018 designation as a category placeholder and the zoonotic disease threat were examined.
• Space: Orbital debris crossed 13,000 tonnes. The Kessler Syndrome risk and ESA's ClearSpace-1 mission were discussed.
• Sports: D. Gukesh of India became the youngest World Chess Champion in history by defeating Ding Liren of China in Singapore.
• Polity: The One Nation One Election Bill was cleared by the Union Cabinet with proposed constitutional amendments.

GS area: Health, Science and Technology

An outbreak in Kwango province, Democratic Republic of Congo, killed over 400 people (with some sources citing 143 confirmed deaths, others up to 400). WHO described symptoms as flu-like with rapid deterioration. The episode revived attention to Disease X.

• Disease X defined: A term introduced by WHO in 2018 on its Blueprint List of Priority Diseases. It represents an unknown pathogen that could cause a serious international epidemic. The designation prompts pre-emptive research into platform vaccine technologies.
• Zoonotic origin: About 70 per cent of emerging infectious diseases originate in animals. An estimated 1.7 million unknown viruses exist in wildlife, any of which could potentially jump to humans.
• Factors driving emergence: Deforestation (human-wildlife contact), live animal markets, climate change (expanding pathogen ranges), global travel and antimicrobial resistance.
• India's preparedness: Integrated Disease Surveillance Programme (IDSP) under the National Centre for Disease Control (NCDC). National Institute of Virology, Pune handles laboratory confirmation of novel pathogens.
• WHO Pandemic Treaty: Under negotiation since 2022, aimed at codifying advance financing, data sharing and vaccine equity commitments.
• Salar de Uyuni link: Also in the news for its lithium content. Bolivia's Salar de Uyuni (10,582 sq km, world's largest salt flat) is part of the "lithium triangle" (Bolivia, Chile, Argentina) critical for battery technology.

Static linkage: Health (zoonotic diseases, WHO, pandemic preparedness).

GS area: Sports, Social issues

D. Gukesh of India became the 18th World Chess Champion on 12 December 2024, defeating the reigning champion Ding Liren of China in Singapore.

• Age: 18 years old. The youngest world champion in chess history.
• Match result: Gukesh won 7.5 to 6.5 in a 14-game classical match.
• Venue: Singapore, 25 November to 12 December 2024.
• Historical place: Only the third Asian to win the World Chess Championship, after Viswanathan Anand of India (five titles) and Ding Liren.
• FIDE: The World Chess Championship is organised by the International Chess Federation (FIDE), headquartered in Lausanne, Switzerland.
• Viswanathan Anand: India's first World Chess Champion (2000, 2007, 2008, 2010, 2012). Anand won five titles. He is also a Padma Vibhushan and Rajiv Gandhi Khel Ratna awardee.
• UPSC angle: Award winners, historic firsts and FIDE are all testable.

Static linkage: Sports, modern India (chess achievement).

GS area: Science and Technology, Environment

December 2024 data on orbital debris underscored a growing space sustainability challenge.

• Active satellites: Over 10,200 operational as of December 2024. Total objects in orbit: over 13,230 satellites (including decommissioned).
• Debris mass: Exceeds 13,000 tonnes.
• Trackable debris: 36,860 objects larger than 10 cm tracked by space agencies. Millions of smaller fragments are untracked.
• Black carbon: Rocket exhaust deposits black carbon in the upper atmosphere. It absorbs sunlight 500 times more efficiently than CO2 at that altitude, potentially affecting climate.
• Kessler Syndrome: A cascading collision scenario where each breakup creates more debris, which causes more collisions. First described by NASA scientist Donald Kessler in 1978.
• Active debris removal missions: ESA's ClearSpace-1 (planned to capture debris by 2025), Japan's ELSA-d (magnetic capture technology).
• UN guidelines: UN Guidelines for Long-Term Sustainability of Outer Space Activities adopted by COPUOS in 2019.

Static linkage: Science and technology (space debris, COPUOS, sustainability).

GS area: Polity

The Union Cabinet approved the Constitution (129th) Amendment Bill for simultaneous elections.

• What it proposes: Synchronise Lok Sabha and state assembly elections. Municipal and panchayat elections to follow within 100 days.
• Historical practice: Simultaneous elections were the norm from 1951 to 1967. Premature dissolutions disrupted the cycle.
• Constitutional amendments required: Articles 82A (new), 83(2) amendment, 327 amendment and a new Article 324A for local body synchronisation.
• Kovind Committee: The High Level Committee on Simultaneous Elections, chaired by former President Ramnath Kovind, submitted its 18,626-page report in September 2023.
• Arguments in favour: Reduced election expenditure, continuous governance, reduced voter fatigue, lower administrative burden.
• Arguments against: Regional issues get overshadowed by national narratives, asymmetric impact on smaller regional parties, federalism concerns.
• Referral: The Bill was referred to a Joint Parliamentary Committee (JPC) with 31 members (21 from Lok Sabha, 10 from Rajya Sabha) for 90 days.

Static linkage: Polity (elections, constitutional amendments, simultaneous elections).

GS area: Defence, International Relations

India, France and the UAE conducted the Desert Knight 2024 trilateral air combat exercise.

• Location: Over the Arabian Sea, 350 to 400 km southwest of Karachi.
• India's participation: Indian Air Force Sukhoi Su-30MKI and Rafale fighters (from the 2020 procurement of 36 Rafale aircraft from France).
• Objective: Enhance interoperability and air combat readiness among three partner air forces.
• India-France defence context: France has supplied Rafale fighters to India (2016 deal, 36 aircraft delivered 2020-22). A larger Rafale deal for the Indian Navy (26 aircraft) was under negotiation. France is India's key partner in naval propulsion and submarine technology.
• India-UAE ties: UAE hosts the largest Indian diaspora (3.5 million). Bilateral defence ties include intelligence sharing and port access.

Static linkage: Defence (air exercises, India-France, India-UAE relations).

GS area: International Relations, Social Issues

47 Indian migrant workers from Jharkhand were stranded without pay at a cement company in Cameroon.

• Cameroon geography: Located at the junction of western and central Africa. Capital: Yaoundé. Major city: Douala. Borders Nigeria, Chad, Central African Republic, Congo, Gabon, Equatorial Guinea and the Atlantic Ocean.
• India's response: The MEA coordinated with the Indian High Commission in Yaoundé. Partial payment was eventually released.
• Migrant worker vulnerability: India does not have a bilateral labour agreement with Cameroon. Indian workers in informal sectors abroad lack the protections available under MIGA, ILO conventions or bilateral social security agreements.
• e-Migrate system: India's mandatory pre-departure portal for workers emigrating to Emigration Check Required (ECR) countries. Cameroon's ECR status is relevant context.

Static linkage: International relations (diaspora, migrant labour), geography (Africa).

• Manganese contamination: A Mahavir Cancer Sansthan study (Patna) found manganese levels exceeding the WHO limit of 100 µg/L in drinking water in Bihar's Gangetic plains and West Bengal districts. Manganese causes neurological disorders and potential carcinogenesis.
• World Chess Championship history: The championship has been held since 1886. Wilhelm Steinitz was the first champion. India's Anand won five titles. Gukesh is the 18th champion and the youngest ever.