01 November 2023

DAILY CURRENT AFFAIRS ANALYSIS

 1 – About the Palestinians: GS II – International Relations

Context:

• The oversimplification of the Palestinian identity has been a recurring theme in the media’s portrayal of the most recent violent phase of the Israel-Palestine conflict.

When the word “Palestine” was first used, what did it mean?

Initial use in the fifth century:

• First recorded in the fifth century BCE, the coastal region between Phoenicia (modern-day Lebanon) and Egypt was referred to as Palestine by the Greek historian and geographer Herodotus.
• It was named after the area in the southwest Levant, primarily the cities of Gaza, Ashkelon, Ashdod, Ekron, and Gath (all in modern-day Israel or Palestine), which Greek writers referred to as “Philistia.”
• The area surrounding the eastern Mediterranean Sea, which serves as the land bridge connecting Africa and Eurasia, is referred to historically and geographically as the Levant.

Roman use:

• Palestine was first and foremost used as the name of a place, and later on, it was used to refer to all the inhabitants of the area, irrespective of their race or religion.
• For this reason, the phrase is used in Roman documents without making a distinction between Christians and Jews.

Arab victory:

• When the Arabs conquered the Levant in the seventh century CE, the title “Palestine” was essentially abandoned in official discourse.
• It was still widely used locally and was translated as “Filasteen” in Arabic; in fact, Palestine is called “Filisteen” in Hindi.

The effects of Islamization:

• A number of overlapping identities developed as the area became more Islamic and experienced an increase in Arabic cultural influence.
• For Palestinians, identity has always been entwined with belonging on a multitude of different levels, be it Islamic or Christian, Ottoman or Arab, regional or global, or familial and tribal.

The colonial era:

• The Ottoman sultan’s lands, which included Palestine (aside from modern-day Turkey, Syria, and portions of the Arabian Peninsula and North Africa), were partitioned between the British and the French following the Ottomans’ loss in World War I and the Ottoman Empire’s dissolution in 1922.
• Palestine’s boundaries were established by the British Mandate of Palestine.
• Later, in 1947, this Mandate would be divided into the states of Israel and Palestine.

Use by Palestinians:

• Palestine is the area between the sea (the eastern Mediterranean) and the river (the historically important Jordan, which runs from the Golan Heights through the Sea of Galilee and the Dead Sea to the north and south).
• It’s possible for some residents of Israeli territory to also identify as Palestinians.
• The conceptual foundation of contemporary Palestinian nationalism, the 1948 Palestinian National Charter, placed a strong focus on the Arab character of the Palestinian people.
• According to this, Palestinians are Arab nations who, up until 1947, had lived in Palestine regularly, whether they were forced out or chose to remain there.
• Anybody born after that date, inside or outside of Palestine, to a Palestinian father, is also considered to be a Palestinian.
• Palestine is not defined in terms of religion in the Charter.
• Today’s Palestinians are mostly Sunni Muslims.
• Muslims make up 99 percent of people in the Gaza Strip and 80–85 percent of people in the West Bank.

Groups of Minorities:

• Jews, who make approximately 12–14% of the population, are the largest religious minority in Palestinian areas. They are primarily Zionist settlers who live in occupied lands in the West Bank.
• There are 2.5 percent of Palestinian Christians.
• Their percentage could reach 6% of the total population, according to some other estimations.

Source The Hindu

2 – As the temperature warms, microalgae are adjusting: GS III – Environmental Conservation related issues

Context:

• A recent study suggests that microalgae, which make up the base of the ocean’s food chain and absorb carbon dioxide from the atmosphere, may have a special way of adjusting to global warming.

How are the microalgae changing?

• Rhodopsin is a protein that is activated by marine microalgae or eukaryotic phytoplankton when the amount of nutrients in the water decreases due to climate change.
• It has something to do with the protein in the eye that allows people to see in low light.
• Instead of standard chlorophyll, this light-responsive protein is allowing the microalgae to thrive in the presence of sunshine.

Microbial rhodopsins: what are they?

• It is suggested that microbial rhodopsins are important ocean light-absorbing organisms.
• According to estimates, they might be able to absorb as much light as the sea’s chlorophyll-based photosynthesis, which uses light to produce food and energy.

A need for modification:

• Drought on land is getting worse due to global warming, and the same is happening in the ocean:
• The nutrient levels in these surface water layers decrease with increasing surface water temperature.
• As the oceans warm, there is less mixing between the deeper, nutrient-rich waters and the surface waters.
• As a result, nutrients become scarce near the surface, which affects the top layer’s primary producers, such as microalgae.
• The starvation of algae results in reduced food production and reduced atmospheric carbon dioxide absorption.

Principal results of the research:

• In order to comprehend the function of rhodopsins, scientists cloned them in the laboratory and verified that they absorb light in order to produce energy.
• Low latitudes, where there is less mixing of ocean waters and lower amounts of nutrients, such as dissolved iron, have been discovered to have higher concentrations of rhodopsins.
• Algae require sunshine in order to grow food and absorb carbon dioxide from the atmosphere.
• The microalgae need a lot of iron in order to absorb solar radiation.
• But, he clarified, 35% of the ocean’s surface lacks sufficient iron to sustain the growth of algae.

Significance of the Southern Ocean:

• As the largest aquatic habitat with low iron, this is especially pertinent to the Southern Ocean.
• However, they support the biggest populations of consumers—fish, whales, krill, and penguins—that rely on microalgae, the principal producer.

Relevance of the research:

• These discoveries may mitigate the adverse consequences of evolving environmental circumstances, including sea level rise and decreased food yields.
• The similar technique might be used to increase the activity of bacteria like yeast that are incapable of using light.
• These can be altered to grow by using light, which is advantageous in biotechnology for the synthesis of insulin, enzymes, antibiotics, antivirals, and even biofuel.

Source The Hindu

3 – About the Nuclear Briefcase: GS II – Government Policies and Interventions

Context:

• Vladimir Putin, the president of Russia, was spotted in China recently with officers who were carrying the “nuclear briefcase.”

The “nuclear briefcase”: what is it?

• It is also referred to as the “Cheget,” after a Russian peak.
• The briefcase is a component of a bigger system that permits the use of nuclear weapons.
• It is a component of a secure communication system designed to provide the nation’s rocket forces orders to launch a nuclear attack.
• The electronic command-and-control network known as the “Kazbek” facilitates communication between the armies.
• Kazbek is in favour of the “Kavkaz” system.

Examples of its application:

• The year 1995 marked the first and only known occasion of a nuclear suitcase being opened in times of emergency.
• The briefcase originated from the last stages of the Cold War, in the tense early 1980s, when Soviet officials were afraid of an unexpected attack coming from the oceans or Europe.
• In order to reduce response time, they required a remote command system.
• When a rocket was launched off the northern coast of Norway in 1995, Russian officers interpreted it for an aggressive American missile.
• Actually, it was the Black Brant XII, a research rocket used for aeronautics sent to investigate the Northern Lights.
• At this point, the leaders received the briefcases so they could prepare a reply.
• The strike was carried out once the Russians recognised what kind of launch it was.

How is the system operated?

• The Russian electronic command-and-control networks came online when radar operators transmitted signals about potential enemy activity.
• The duty general obtained his information via Krokus, a unique notification terminal operated by the radar operator.
• Then he gave it to the Kavkaz, the intricate system of radio signals, satellites, cables, and relays that forms the backbone of Russian command and control.
• The three nuclear briefcases were then alerted.
• It included multiple buttons: a red button to halt the order and a white button to authorise the commencement of a strike.

Are there similar briefcases in other nations?

• Officially known as the Presidential Emergency Satchel, the American president carries a briefcase akin to this.
• It was dubbed the “football” in reference to a 1960s mission known as “Dropkick,” which is an American football-related phrase.

Source The Hindu

4 – The Gyan Sahayak Scheme: GS II – Government Policies and Interventions

Context:

• The Gyan Sahayak Scheme was announced by the Gujarati government.

Regarding the plan:

• Gyan Sahayaks will be appointed in the interim until formal appointments are made to cover the open teaching positions in elementary, secondary, and upper secondary government schools.
• The program’s objective is to hire instructors on a contract basis to cover vacancies in government schools until the usual appointment procedure is finished.
• The administration stated that the goal was to have no impact on schooling.
• Government and grant-in-aid schools, particularly Mission Schools of Excellence, are eligible for the Gyan Sahayak Scheme.

Availability:

Elementary school:

• In order to be a Gyan Sahayak in elementary school, a candidate had to pass the Teachers Eligibility Test (TET)-2, which was administered by the Gujarat Examination Board.
• Candidates for secondary and upper secondary Gyan Sahayak must have passed the Teacher Aptitude Test (TAT).
• Applicants who passed the TET-2 five years prior to the Gyan Sahayak Scheme announcement are ineligible to apply.

Maximum age:

• Teachers in primary and secondary schools should be under forty years old, while for higher secondary schools, the age restriction is forty-two.

Pravasi Shikshak Scheme Comparison:

• All resolutions for Pravasi Shikshak are to be revoked in light of the Gyan Sahayak Scheme.
• Other than the Gyan Sahayak Scheme’s more thorough hiring procedure, altered qualifying requirements, and pay scale, not much has changed between the two schemes.

Source The Hindu

5 – Special and Local Laws: GS II – Government Policies and Interventions

Context:

• It is necessary to alter the Special and Local Laws (SLLs) since they are extremely relevant both quantitatively and qualitatively to the criminal justice system in India.

Interpretation of Local Law and Special Law:

Unique law:

• A legislation that applies to a specific topic is known as a special law.
• Laws that address particular topics are known as special laws.
• They turn things that were not previously covered by the Penal Code into crimes.
• The Excise, Opium, Cattle Trespass, Gambling, and Railway Acts are a few examples of these legislation.
• The provisions of the Negotiable Instruments Act supersede those of the Cr PC, 1973, making it a unique statute.

Regional law:

• A local law is one that is exclusive to a specific region of India.
• Local laws are those that only apply to a certain area; an example of one would be the Port Trust Act.

Setting the scene for the reform movement:

• The recent filing of bills pertaining to criminal laws has gained attention.
• They sparked long necessary reforms.
• The Indian Penal Code (IPC), Code of Criminal Procedure (CrPC), and Indian Evidence Act (IEA) all contain substantive criminal law amendments that are well-done.
• It’s important to understand that the most important offences and procedures are covered by the Special and Local Laws (SLLs), and that the offences and procedures listed in the IPC or CrPC reflect only one aspect of a general criminal law.
• The exclusion of SLLs from the current reform process is a significant disadvantage.
• SLLs are extremely relevant in both quantitative and qualitative terms to the criminal justice system in India.

Importance of SLLs:

• SLLs accounted for over 39.9% of all cognisable offences reported in 2021.
• According to the Crime in India Statistics of 2021, 24.3 lakh offences under SLLs alone were registered out of roughly 61 lakh cognisable offences.
• Qualitatively speaking, SLLs have sparked a number of important and relevant conversations, discourses, and debates about the boundaries of the state’s criminalization authority, particularly in relation to the infringement of personal freedoms.

Reform is required in SLLs:

Critiques of children having consenting sex:

• The applicability of the Protection of Children from Sexual Offences Act, 2012 to consenting sexual activity between minors is drawing criticism.

The criminalization of behaviour:

• The criminalization of such behaviour through SLLs, which would ordinarily fall under the purview of civil wrongs or, at most, regulatory wrongs, has also drawn criticism.

Sluggishness of due process:

• Procedurally, due process values that are widely acknowledged are being progressively weakened through SLLs.
• Prime examples include the expanded authority for search and seizure granted by Section 43A of the UAPA and the admissibility of police officer-recorded confessions under Section 18 of the MCOCA.
• Bail is almost never granted due to the strict guidelines outlined in Section 43(D)(5) of the UAPA, Section 37 of the Narcotic Drugs and Psychotropic Substances Act, 1985, and Section 45 of the Prevention of Money Laundering Act (PMLA) 2002.

Path ahead:

• The principle of codifying penal laws as ingrained in the IPC and CrPC should not be permitted to be subordinated to the increasing reliance that successive administrations have placed on the SLLs for a variety of reasons.
• Every SLL that criminalises or attempts to criminalise a behaviour ought to have its own chapter within the penal code’s overall framework.
• Included in the CrPC either as distinct procedures or as exceptions to the basic provisions contained therein are the SLLs that establish a different process for reporting offences, arrest, investigation, prosecution, trial, evidence, and bail.
• One major shortcoming of the current reform endeavour is the exclusion of the substantive and procedural features of the SLLs.
• Therefore, in order to remedy the gaps, a second generation of reforms must be implemented.

Source The Hindu