Current Affairs Reverse Engineering – CARE (05-06-2024)
| News at a Glance |
| International Relations: Slovenia becomes latest European country to recognize a Palestinian state |
| Australia opens military to non-citizen residents from Five Eyes |
| World Geography: Indonesia’s Mount Ibu erupts, spewing red lava, thick ash and dark clouds into the sky |
| Environment and Ecology: Environmentalists Jai Dhar Gupta and Vijay Dhasmana create India’s first biosphere in a tiger reserve |
| Polity and Governance: Remove claim of ‘100% fruit juice’ from label and ads, FSSAI directs food businesses |
| Economy: Netherlands emerges as India’s 3rd largest export destination in 2023-24 |
Slovenia becomes latest European country to recognize a Palestinian state
Source: The Hindu
UPSC Syllabus Relevance: GS 2 – West Asia Crisis, International Relations
Context: Spain, Norway and Ireland recently recognized a Palestinian state
Why in News
- Slovenia recognized a Palestinian state on June 4 after its parliament voted overwhelmingly in favour of the move, following in the recent steps of three other European countries.
Key Highlights
- Slovenia’s government endorsed a motion to recognize a Palestinian state, and sent the proposal to the parliament for final approval, which was needed for the decision to take effect.
- Lawmakers on June 4 voted with 52 in favour and no one against recognition in the 90-seat Parliament.
- The remaining lawmakers were not present for the vote.
- Slovenia’s decision came days after Spain, Norway and Ireland recognized a Palestinian state, a move that was condemned by Israel.
Recognition to Palestine
- Previously, only seven members of the 27-nation European
- Union officially recognized a Palestinian state.
- Five of them are former East bloc countries that announced recognition in 1988, as did Cyprus, before joining the EU.
- Sweden’s recognition came in 2014.
Internal Politics of Slovenia
- The ruling coalition led by Mr. Golob holds a comfortable majority in Slovenia’s Assembly and the vote was expected to be a formality.
- Mr. Golob also evoked Slovenia’s independence from the former Yugoslavia in 1991 in his remarks to parliament.
- Slovenia’s main opposition party, the Slovenian Democratic Party, opposes the recognition.
- The right-wing party has demanded a referendum on the issue that would delay the vote, but on June 4 withdrew the bid before again filing another one that was rejected by parliament.
- Slovenia first began the recognition process in early May but said it would wait until the situation in the ongoing Israel-Hamas war in Gaza improved.
Impact of Rafah Attack
- Mr. Golob has explained he was speeding up the process in reaction to Israel’s latest attacks on the southern Gaza city of Rafah, which have caused more than 1 million Palestinians to flee.
- The war was triggered by the Oct. 7 Hamas-led attack in which militants stormed across the Gaza border into southern Israel, killing 1,200 people and taking about 250 hostage.
- Israel’s air and land attacks have since killed more than 36,000 Palestinians, according to Gaza’s Health Ministry, which doesn’t distinguish between combatants and civilians.
- More than 140 countries recognize a Palestinian state — more than two-thirds of the United Nations.
Israel-Palestinian conflict
- The conflict pits Israeli demands for security in what it has long regarded as a hostile region against Palestinian aspirations for a state of their own.
- Israel’s founding father David Ben-Gurion proclaimed the modern State of Israel on May 14, 1948, establishing a safe haven for Jews fleeing persecution and seeking a national home on land to which they cite deep ties over generations.
- Palestinians lament Israel’s creation as the Nakba, or catastrophe, that resulted in their dispossession and blocked their dreams of statehood.
- In the war that followed, some 700,000 Palestinians, half the Arab population of what was British-ruled Palestine, fled or were driven from their homes, ending up in Jordan, Lebanon and Syria as well as in Gaza, the West Bank and East Jerusalem.
- Israel, a close U.S. ally, contests the assertion it drove Palestinians from their homes and points out it was attacked by five Arab states the day after its creation. Armistice pacts halted the fighting in 1949 but there was no formal peace.
- In 1967, Israel made a pre-emptive strike against Egypt and Syria, launching the Six-Day War. Israel has occupied the West Bank, Arab East Jerusalem, which it captured from Jordan, and Syria’s Golan Heights ever since.
- In 1973, Egypt and Syria attacked Israeli positions along the Suez Canal and Golan Heights, beginning the Yom Kippur War. Israel pushed both armies back within three weeks.
| CARE MCQ | UPSC PYQ |
Q 1. Which of the following statements accurately reflects the essence of the two-state solution in the context of the Israeli-Palestinian conflict?
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Q. The term “two-state solution” is sometimes mentioned in the news in the context of the affairs of (2018)
(a) China (b) Israel (c) Iraq (d) Yemen Ans: (b) |
| Answer 1- A
Explanation:
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Indonesia’s Mount Ibu erupts, spewing red lava, thick ash and dark clouds into the sky
Source: The Hindu
UPSC Relevance: GS1 –World Geography
Context: Indonesia’s Mount Ibu erupts
Why in News
- Indonesia’s Mount Ibu spewed red lava and thick grey ash clouds that towered 5,000 meters into the sky during a two-minute eruption on June 4.
Key Highlights
- A timelapse video distributed by Indonesia’s Geological agency shows red sparks at the top of the volcano followed by a thick column of ash.
- The video was recorded from an observation post located next to an evacuation site in a field at Gam Ici village. Several evacuation tents were erected nearby.
- Mount Ibu has been continually erupting almost every day since early May.
- Indonesian authorities raised an eruption alert to the highest level following a series of eruptions, as thousands of deep volcanic earthquakes and visual activities from Mount Ibu have significantly increased.
Volcano Eruptions in Indonesia
- Indonesia, an archipelago of 270 million people, has 120 active volcanoes.
- It is prone to volcanic activity because it sits along the “Ring of Fire,” a horseshoe-shaped series of seismic fault lines around the Pacific Ocean.
What is a volcano?
- A volcano is a mountain that opens downward to a pool of molten rock below the surface of the earth. This molten rock is known as magma.
- When it erupts, huge amounts of very hot gas, boulders, ash and molten rock can burst out. This is thrown into the air, often pouring down the side of the mountain.
- When the molten rock pours down the mountain it creates lava or pyroclastic flows. Any buildings or structures surrounding the area of a volcano when it erupts will be destroyed or damaged.
- As well as flows of incredibly hot liquid mud and rock, homes are commonly destroyed by hot ash falling like rain on everything below.
Volcanic eruptions
- Volcanic eruptions are among the most awesome of all natural phenomena on Earth. They may be strangely beautiful as fountains of glowing-red lava rise above a vent to feed a lava flow that spreads rapidly downhill.
- They may consist of terrifying explosions that send clouds of scorching hot ash high into the atmosphere or roaring down a volcano’s slopes and destroying everything in its path.
- While a great range in the type, style, and violence of volcanic eruptions exists, they all are part of one of the most fundamental geologic processes that builds and shapes Earth’s crust.
- The place to begin an exploration of the diversity of the different types and kinds of volcanic eruptions is with the definition.
- A volcanic eruption is the expulsion of gases, rock fragments, and/or molten lava from within the Earth through a vent onto the Earth’s surface or into the atmosphere.
How Do Volcanoes Erupt?
- Some volcanic eruptions are explosive and others are not. The explosivity of an eruption depends on the composition of the magma. If magma is thin and runny, gases can escape easily from it.
- When this type of magma erupts, it flows out of the volcano. A good example is the eruptions at Hawaii’s volcanoes. Lava flows rarely kill people because they move slowly enough for people to get out of their way. If magma is thick and sticky, gases cannot escape easily. Pressure builds up until the gases escape violently and explode.
- In this type of eruption, the magma blasts into the air and breaks apart into pieces called tephra. Tephra can range in size from tiny particles of ash to house-size boulders.
- Explosive volcanic eruptions can be dangerous and deadly. They can blast out clouds of hot tephra from the side or top of a volcano.
- These fiery clouds race down mountainsides destroying almost everything in their path. Ash erupted into the sky falls back to Earth like powdery snow.
- If thick enough, blankets of ash can suffocate plants, animals, and humans. When hot volcanic materials mix with water from streams or melted snow and ice, mudflows form.
- Mudflows (lahars) have buried entire communities located near erupting volcanoes.
| CARE MCQ | UPSC PYQ | ||||||||||
Q2. Match the following pairs related to volcanoes around the world:
Select Correct Options: A) A-1, B-2, C-3, D-4 B) A-3, B-2, C-1, D-4 C) A-1, B-4, C-3, D-2 D) A-2, B-1, C-4, D-3 |
Q. Consider the following statements: (2018)
Which of the statements given above is/are correct? A. 1 only B. 2 and 3 C. 3 only D. 1 and 3 Ans: A |
| Answer 2– A
Explanation –
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Environmentalists Jai Dhar Gupta and Vijay Dhasmana create India’s first biosphere in a tiger reserve
Source: The Hindu
UPSC Relevance: GS 3- Environment and Ecology
Context: In the Rajaji Tiger Reserve lies the Rajaji Raghati Biosphere (RRB), a 35-acre private forest initiative
Why in News
- New Delhi-based Environmentalist Jai Dhar Gupta and Vijay Dhasmana create India’s first biosphere in a tiger
Background
- About a decade ago, New Delhi-based entrepreneur Jai Dhar Gupta became a clean air activist when he was diagnosed with bronchial asthma.
- His motive was to spread knowledge about the need to ensure our cities breathe easy, and he was on the air pollution think tank of the Delhi Government, and also went on to found Nirvana Being, which retails air purifiers and masks.
- Over the past few years, Jai has been working on yet another pet project: creating India’s first biosphere within a tiger reserve.
Rajaji Raghati Biosphere (RRB)
- In the Rajaji Tiger Reserve lies the Rajaji Raghati Biosphere (RRB), a 35-acre private forest initiative led by ecologist Vijay Dhasmana and environmentalist Jai Dhar Gupta.
- The primary objective is to restore the natural habitat, promoting co-existence with the environment.
- The project is an attempt to revive and restore some of these species, and protect the area from poachers and mining.
- Situated within the Rajaji National Park in Uttarakhand, the biosphere overlooks the rocky white Raghati riverbed, nestled in the Shivalik foothills.
Significance
- Dhasmana, renowned for restoring the Aravalli landscapes, emphasises active rewilding efforts in this endeavour.
- The focus of this agricultural land extends beyond combating climate change to establish a harmonious model of cohabitation.
- Their objectives encompass forest cultivation, protection, restoration of indigenous flora, ecological succession monitoring, climate research, and the establishment of carbon sinks.
- Furthermore, the initiative aims to create a native forest and a limited number of sustainable residences, exemplifying a symbiotic relationship between humans and nature.
Aravalli Range
- The Aravalli Range is a mountain range in western India. It stretches up to 692 kilometers northeast over Gujarat, Rajasthan, Haryana, and Delhi.
- It is one of the world’s oldest mountain ranges, stretching back over 2.5 billion years.
- The Aravalli Range is a significant ecological hotspot due to its rich geological history and diverse flora and fauna.
- It is rich in marble, granite, and mica minerals and has significantly determined the region’s cultural and economic development.
| CARE MCQ | UPSC PYQ |
Q3. Consider the following statements with regards to Rajaji Raghati Biosphere (RRB):
Which of the statements given above is/are correct? A) None B) 1 and 4 C) 3 D) 2 and 3 |
Q. Which of the following are in Agasthyamala Biosphere Reserve?(2019)
(a) Neyyar, Peppara and Shendurney Wildlife sanctuaries; and Kalakad Mundanthurai Tiger Reserve (b) Mudumalai, Sathyamangalam and Wayanad Wildlife Sanctuaries; and Silent Valley National Park (c) Kaundinya, Gundla Brahmeswaram and Papikonda Wildlife Sanctuaries; and Mukurthi National Park (d) Kawal and Sri Venkateswara Wildlife Sanctuaries; and NagarjunasagarSrisailam Tiger Reserve Ans: (a)
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| Answer 3 C
Explanation
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Remove claim of ‘100% fruit juice’ from label and ads, FSSAI directs food businesses
Source: The Hindu
UPSC Syllabus Relevance: GS 2- Polity and Governance
Context: FSSAI notes that branding was incorrectly used for reconstituted fruit juices as well
Why in News
- The Food Safety and Standards Authority of India (FSSAI) has issued a directive mandating all Food Business Operators (FBOs) to remove any claim of ‘100% fruit juice’ from the labels and advertisements of reconstituted fruit juices with immediate effect.
Key Highlights
- FSSAI noted that several FBOs have been inaccurately marketing various types of reconstituted fruit juices by claiming them to be 100% fruit juice.
- Upon thorough examination, FSSAI has concluded that according to the Food Safety and Standards (Advertising and Claims) Regulations, 2018, there is no provision for making a ‘100%’ claim.
- Such claims are misleading, particularly under conditions where the major ingredient of the fruit juice is water and the primary ingredient, for which the claim is made.
- It has come to the attention of FSSAI that several FBOs have been inaccurately marketing various types of reconstituted fruit juices by claiming them to be 100 per cent fruit juices.
- FBOs have been told to comply with the standards for fruit juices as specified under sub-regulation of the Food Safety and Standards (Food Products Standards & Food Additives) Regulation, 2011.
- FSSAI said it is dedicated to protecting and promoting public health through the regulation and supervision of food safety standards across the country.
Food Standards and Regulations in India
- Food Safety and Standard Act, 2006: It aims to establish a single reference point for all matters relating to food safety and standards, by moving from multi-level, multi-departmental control to a single line of command. The Act established FSSAI and the State Food Safety Authorities for each State.
- Food Safety and Standards Rule, 2011: It provides for the Food Safety Appellate Tribunal and the Registrar of the Appellate Tribunal, food safety standards for organic food, and regulates food advertising. It covers licensing and registration, packaging and labelling of food businesses, food product standards, and food additive regulations. It prohibits and restricts sales or approval of non-specified foods and food ingredients; such ingredients may cause harm to human health.
- FSSAI: It is an autonomous statutory body established under the Food Safety and Standards Act, 2006. Ministry of Health & Family Welfare, Government of India is the administrative Ministry of FSSAI. Its headquarters is in Delhi. The main role of the authority is to regulate and monitor, the manufacture, processing, distribution, sale and import of food while ensuring safe and wholesome food to the consumers.
Important initiatives for food safety in India
- Eat Right India Movement: To transform the country’s food system to ensure safe, healthy, and sustainable food for all Indians. It is aligned with the National Health Policy 2017 with its focus on preventive and promotive healthcare and flagship programmes like Ayushman Bharat, POSHAN Abhiyaan, Anemia Mukt Bharat, and Swachh Bharat Mission.
- Eat Right Station Certification: It is awarded by FSSAI to railway stations that have set benchmarks (as per the Food Safety and Standards Act, 2006) in providing safe and wholesome food to passengers.
- State Food Safety Index (SFSI): Developed by the FSSAI, the index aims to measure the performance of states and Union Territories on selected “parameters” of food safety. The SFSI is released annually for a financial year. SFSI measures the performance of states on five parameters of food safety. The parameters include human resources and institutional data, compliance, food testing, infrastructure and surveillance, training and capacity building, and consumer empowerment.
Shortcomings of FSSAI
- Frequent controversies over food products in India show the country’s food business regulator, FSSAI, in poor light.
- The agency has had a chequered record. It has consistently been hamstrung by staff and infrastructure shortages.
- This has meant that a large section of the market views regulation as paperwork rather than regular inspections followed by expert guidance.
- The FSSAI is mandated to educate businesses and consumers on food safety. It is also tasked to “collect and collate data regarding food consumption, incidence and prevalence of biological risk, contaminants in food, residues of various contaminants in foods products, and identify risks”.
- The frequent controversies around food items indicate that the agency has done scarce justice to its remit.
- Thus, regulations must contend with scientific uncertainty and the variance in rules amongst nations. Food authorities must regularly update standards and handhold exporters.
- The FSSAI has fallen short on both counts. A country with a growing food market and an aspiration to increase its footprint in the global market needs a more proactive regulator.
| CARE MCQ | UPSC PYQ |
| Qr. Which of the following initiatives aims to measure the performance of states and Union Territories on selected parameters of food safety?
A) Eat Right India Movement B) Eat Right Station Certification C) State Food Safety Index (SFSI) D) Ayushman Bharat |
Q. Consider the following statements: (2018)
Which of the statements given above is/are correct? (a) 1 only (b) 2 only (c) Both 1 and 2 (d) Neither 1 nor 2 Ans: (a) |
| Answer 4 C
Explanation
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Netherlands Emerges as India’s 3rd largest export destination in 2023-24
Source: The Hindu
UPSC Syllabus Relevance: GS3- Economy
Context: Netherlands emerges as India’s 3rd largest export destination in 2023-24
Why in news
The Netherlands has emerged as India’s third largest export destination after the U.S. and UAE during 2023-24, even as the country’s merchandise shipments dipped by over 3%, according to the Commerce Ministry data.
Background
- India’s trade surplus with the Netherlands has increased to $17.4 billion in the last fiscal from $13 billion in 2022-23.
- The Netherlands has taken over major destinations such as the U.K., Hong Kong, Bangladesh and Germany.
India-Netherland Trade
- India and the Netherlands established diplomatic relations in 1947. Since then, the two countries have developed strong political, economic and commercial relations.
- India’s exports to the Netherlands rose by about 3.5% to $22.36 billion in 2023-24 as against $21.61 billion in 2022-23, the data showed.
- The main commodities which registered healthy exports growth in the Netherlands include petroleum products ($14.29 billion), electrical goods, chemicals, and pharmaceuticals in the last fiscal.
- The exports have been registering healthy growth continuously since 2000-01, when India’s exports to that nation were $880 million.
- In 2021-22, the Netherlands was the fifth largest destination for Indian exports as against the ninth largest in 2020-21.
Significance of Netherland in Global market
- The Netherlands is a gateway to Europe as its ports are very efficient.
- According to trade experts, the Netherlands has emerged as a hub for Europe with efficient ports and connectivity with the EU through roads, railways and waterways.
- The Netherlands is among the top trading partners of India in Europe, after Germany, Switzerland, the U.K. and Belgium.
Significance for India
- Netherlands is also a major investor in India. During the last fiscal, India received about $5 billion in foreign direct investment from the Netherlands. It was $2.6 billion in 2022-23.
- There are over 200 Dutch companies present in India, including Philips, Akzo Nobel, DSM, KLM and Rabobank.
- Similarly, there are more than 200 Indian companies operating in the Netherlands, including all the major IT firms such as TCS, HCL, Wipro, Infosys, Tech Mahindra as well as Sun Pharmaceuticals and Tata Steel.
| CARE MCQ | UPSC PYQ |
Q5. Consider the following statements with regards to India-Netherlands relations:
Which of the statements given above is/are correct?
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Q. Consider the following statement: (2023)
Statement – I: India accounts for 3.2% of global export of goods. Statement-II: Many local companies and some foreign companies operating in India have taken advantage of India’s ‘Production-linked Incentive’ scheme. Which one of the following is correct in respect of the above statements? a. Both statement-I and Statement-II are correct and Statement-II is the correct explanation for Statement-I b. Both Statement-I and Statement-II are correct and Statement-II is not the correct explanation for Statement-I c. Statement-I is correct but Statement-II is incorrect. d. Statement-I- is incorrect but Statement-II is correct. Answer – D |
| Answer 5 A
Explanation
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Australia opens military to non-citizen residents from Five Eyes
Source: The Hindu
UPSC Syllabus Relevance: GS 2- International Relations
Context: The ‘Five Eyes’ is a multilateral intelligence-sharing network shared by over 20 different agencies of five English-speaking countries — Australia, Canada, New Zealand, the United Kingdom and the United States.
Why in news
- Australia will allow non-citizens to join its armed forces, as the sparsely populated nation struggles to meet recruitment targets.
Key Highlights
- Defence Minister Richard Marles said that from July, looser eligibility criteria would allow “permanent residents who have been living in Australia for 12 months” to serve.
- Citizens from Britain, Canada, New Zealand and the United States are being favoured.
- Australia has a coastline that would stretch one-and-a-bit times around the Earth, but a population of just 26 million.
- Canberra has surged defence spending in recent years, buying fleets of submarines, jets and scores of fighting vehicles to meet mounting regional tensions.
- But it has struggled to find enough pilots, mariners and troops to operate and maintain them.
- Experts warn too few Australians don a uniform to meet even current requirements, much less a beefier military of tomorrow.
- The Australian Defence Forces can today count on about 90,000 personnel, including reservists, according to the Australian Strategic Policy Institute.
Who are the ‘Five Eyes’?
- The ‘Five Eyes’ is a multilateral intelligence-sharing network shared by over 20 different agencies of five English-speaking countries — Australia, Canada, New Zealand, the United Kingdom and the United States.
- It is both surveillance-based and signals intelligence (SIGINT). Intelligence documents shared between the member countries are classified ‘Secret—AUS/CAN/NZ/UK/US Eyes Only,’ which gave the group its title ‘Five Eyes.’
How did the alliance come into being?
- The alliance between the U.S. and the U.K. evolved around the Second World War to counter the Cold War Soviet threat.
- The two countries, which had successfully deciphered German and Japanese codes during the World War, forged a collaboration to share intelligence related to signals such as radio, satellite and internet communications.
- In the aftermath of the war in 1946, the alliance was formalised through an agreement for cooperation in signals intelligence.
- The treaty called the British-U.S. Communication Intelligence Agreement, or BRUSA (now known as the UKUSA Agreement), was signed between the State-Army-Navy Communication Intelligence Board (STANCIB) of the U.S. and the London Signal Intelligence Board (SIGINT) of Britain.
- The arrangement was later extended to ‘second party’ countries —Canada joined in 1948, while Australia and New Zealand became part of the alliance in 1956.
| CARE MCQ | UPSC PYQ |
Q6. Consider the following statements with regards to Five Eyes alliance:
Which of the statements above are correct? a) 1 and 2 only b) 2 and 3 only c) 1, 2, and 4 only d) 1, 2, and 3 only |
Q. Which of the following is not a member of ‘Gulf Cooperation Council’? (2016)
a) Iran b) Saudi Arabia c) Oman d) Kuwait Answer: (a) |
| Answer 6 A
Explanation
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