Daily Current Affairs for UPSC IAS: 5th October 2024

Negro River : Dropped To Its Lowest Level

One of the Amazon River’s main tributaries, the Negro River, has dropped to its lowest level in 122 years, Brazil’s geological service recently.

• The Rio Negro is one of the largest tributaries of the Amazon River.
• It is also one of the world’s largest rivers in terms of discharge.
  Course:
• It originates in several headstreams, including the Vaupés (Mapés) and the Guainía, which rise in the rain forest of eastern Colombia.
• It flows along the Colombian and Venezuelan border before crossing into Brazil, where it becomes the Rio Negro.
• The Negro meanders generally east-southeastward, picking up the Branco River and other tributaries, to Manaus, Brazil (the largest city in the Amazon Rainforest).
• There it joins the Solimões Riverto form the Amazon.
• It passes through Colombia, Venezuela, and Brazil.
• The river was named the Negro, which means black in Portuguese because of the water’s dark coloration.
• It is caused by the decomposition of organic matter and the presence of tannins leached from surrounding vegetation, giving the river its distinctively rich coloration.
• The Rio Negro is the largest blackwater river in the world, and despite the coloration, the water contains little sediment and ranks as one of the cleanest rivers on Earth.
• The reserves and national parks along the Rio Negro form a giant protected area called the Central Amazon Ecological Corridor, which is the largest section of protected Amazon Rainforest.
• At 52 million hectares, this is also one of the world’s largest protected areas.

Pseumenes siangensis:

Entomologists recently discovered a new species of potter wasp from Arunachal Pradesh, named Pseumenes siangensis.

• Pseumenes siangensis is a new species of wasp belonging to the genus Pseumenes.
• The genus Pseumenes belongs to the subfamily Eumeninae, commonly called potter wasps.
• It is primarily distributed across the Oriental region.
• These are solitary wasps identified with their construction of small, pot-like mud structures that they use as nests for their larvae.
• Around 3,795 species of these wasps have been described across 205 genera.
• India has previously reported only one species of the genus, making the recent discovery of Pseumenes siangensis “a significant addition” to the country’s wasp diversity.
• Pseumenes siangensis was discovered in Upper Siang District of Arunachal Pradesh, in the Eastern Himalayas.
• It is named after Siang Valley where it was found.
• At about 30.2 mm in length, the new species differs from others in having specific morphological features and colour patterns.
• It has critical role in controlling pest populations as the larvae primarily feed on caterpillars and other insects.

Charon : Study

Scientists have detected the gases carbon dioxide and hydrogen peroxide on Pluto’s largest moon, ‘Charon’.

• Charon is the largest of Pluto’s five moons, about half the size of Pluto.
• It was discovered telescopically on June 22, 1978, by James W. Christy and Robert S. Harrington at the U.S. Naval Observatory station in Flagstaff, Arizona.
• The moon was named for Charon, the ferryman of dead souls to the realm of Hades (the Greek counterpart of the Roman god Pluto) in Greek mythology.
• Charon is 754 miles (1,214 kilometers) across, and Pluto is about 1,400 miles wide.
• Its mass is more than one-tenth of Pluto’s mass.
• Since Charon is so large and massive with respect to Pluto– the two are sometimes referred to as a double dwarf planet system.
• The distance between them is 12,200 miles (19,640 km).
• The same surfaces of Charon and Pluto always face each other, a phenomenon called mutual tidal locking.
• In addition, Charon always shows the same hemisphere to Pluto, because (like many other moons) its rotation period is identical to its orbital period.
• Charon orbits Pluto every 6.4 Earth days.

European Union Deforestation Regulation:

Giving relief to exporters of certain products, the European Commission has proposed to extend the implementation of its deforestation regulation by one year.

• European Union Deforestation Regulation (EUDR) was scheduled to commence on 30 December 2024.
• It has been introduced to limit the EU market’s impact on global deforestation/forest degradation and biodiversity loss, promote deforestation-free supply chains, reduce the EU’s contribution to greenhouse gases (GHG) emissions, and protect human rights and the rights of indigenous people.
• Under the EUDR, certain products for export to the European Union (EU) will have to meet new rules relating to the land on which they were produced.
• Commodities targeted by the EUDR are:
  • Cattle (including beef),Cocoa,Wood,Coffee,Oil Palm,Rubber,Soya
• It also extends to a range of relevant products derived from these commodities, such as leather, chocolate, and paper.
• Exporters will need to prove that these goods/products do not originate from land where forests haven’t been cut since Jan. 1, 2021, regardless of whether the deforestation was legal in the countries of origin.
• They will need to provide clear evidence to EU operators and EU traders to support this.
• Small businesses further down the supply chain are subject to the same obligations and retain legal responsibility if regulations are violated.
• But they are not liable for due diligence for parts of their products that were already subject to review.
• Failure to comply can result in financial penalties and restricted access to the EU market.

Joint United Nations Programme on HIV/AIDS:

Without India doing a large part of the heavy lifting, it is unlikely that the world will meet the Sustainable Development Goal of ending AIDS as a public health threat by 2030, UNAIDS director for the Asia Pacific said recently.

• Joint United Nations Programme on HIV/AIDS (UNAIDS) is an innovative joint venture of the United Nations family established in 1994.
• It leads and inspires the world to achieve its shared vision of zero new HIV infections, zero discrimination, and zero AIDS-related deaths.
• UNAIDS unites the efforts of 11 UN organizations—UNHCR, UNICEF, WFP, UNDP, UNFPA, UNODC, UN Women, ILO, UNESCO, WHO, and the World Bank—and works closely with global and national partners towards ending the AIDS epidemic by 2030 as part of the Sustainable Development Goals.
• UNAIDS fulfils its mission by the efforts of the United Nations system, civil society, national governments, the private sector, global institutions and people living with and most affected by HIV;
• Speaking out in solidarity with the people most affected by HIV in defense of human dignity, human rights, and gender equality;
• Mobilizing political, technical, scientific, and financial resources and holding ourselves and others accountable for results;
• Empowering agents of change with strategic information and evidence to influence and ensure that resources are targeted where they deliver the greatest impact and bring about a prevention revolution; and
• Supporting inclusive country leadership for sustainable responses that are integral to and integrated with national health and development efforts.
• It leads the world’s most extensive data collection on HIV epidemiology, programme coverage and finance and publishes the most authoritative and up-to-date information on the HIV epidemic—vital for an effective AIDS response.
• The Joint Programme is coordinated by the UNAIDS Secretariat, headquartered in Geneva, Switzerland.

United States Commission on International Religious Freedom:

India has strongly rejected a report by the US Commission on International Religious Freedom (USCIRF), which flagged “increasing abuses” against religious minorities in the country.

• United States Commission on International Religious Freedom (USCIRF) is an independent, bipartisan U.S. federal government agency.
• It was created by the 1998 International Religious Freedom Act (IRFA), as amended.
• USCIRF reviews the facts and circumstances of violations of religious freedom internationally and makes policy recommendations to the President, the Secretary of State, and Congress.
• USCIRF’s nine Commissioners are appointed by either the President or Congressional leaders of each political party.
• Their work is supported by a professional, nonpartisan staff.
• USCIRF issues an annual report that assesses the US government’s implementation of IRFA, highlights “Countries of Particular Concern” engaging in severe religious freedom violations, documents the conditions of religious freedom in many countries, and provides policy recommendations.
• It uses international standards to monitor religious freedom violations globally.
• Article 18 of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights affirms that: “Everyone has the right to freedom of thought, conscience, and religion; this right includes freedom to change his religion or belief, and freedom, either alone or in community with others and in public or private, to manifest his religion or belief in teaching, practice, worship, and observance.”

Pygmy hog : Released

Nine captive-bred pygmy hogs were released in western Assam’s Manas National Park.

• Pygmy hog is the smallest and rarest species of wild pig in the world.
• It is one of the very few mammals that build its own home, or nest, complete with a ‘roof’.
• It is an indicator speciesas its presence reflects the health of its primary habitat, tall and wet grasslands.
• It prefers undisturbed patches of grassland dominated by early succession riverine communities, typically comprising dense tall grass intermixed with a wide variety of herbs, shrubs and young trees.
• Currently, the viable population of this pig in the wild is in the Manas Tiger Reserve in Assam.
• Conservation status:
  • IUCN:Critically Endangered
  • The Wildlife Protection Act, 1972:Schedule I
• Manas National Park is located in the state of Assam. It is contiguous with the Royal Manas National Park in Bhutan.
• It is a national park, UNESCO Natural World Heritage site, a Project Tiger reserve, an elephant reserve and a biosphere reserve.

PM Internship Scheme:

The Prime Minister’s Internship Scheme, which was announced by the Union Finance Minister during her Budget speech was launched.

• PM Internship Scheme will enhance youth employability in India by offering them hands-on exposure to real-world business environments.
• The scheme represents a transformative opportunity to bridge the skills gap and drive sustainable growth in India.
• The scheme aims to provide internship opportunities to one crore youth over five years, in the top 500 companies.
• The pilot project will be implemented through an online portal managed by the Ministry of Corporate Affairs (MCA).
• A monthly stipend of ₹4,500 will be provided to the interns from the central government via DBT (Direct Benefit transfer), with an additional ₹500 offset provided by the company’s Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR)
• They will also be provided a one-time grant of Rs 6,000 upon joining and insurance coverage under PM Jeevan Jyoti Bima Yojana and PM Suraksha Bima Yojana.
• Internship period: One year

International Medical Device Regulators Forum:

India has become an affiliate member of the International Medical Device Regulators Forum (IMDRF).

• International Medical Device Regulators Forum was established in 2011.
• It is a group of global medical device regulators whose aim is to speed up the adoption of international medical device regulatory harmonisation and convergence.
• Its members include national regulatory authorities of the U.S., Australia, Canada, the European Union, Japan, the United Kingdom, Brazil, Russia, China, South Korea, Singapore and the World Health Organization (WHO).
• The membership helps to harmonize regulatory requirements across the globe, which reduces the complexity for manufacturers and helps in safeguarding public health by promoting collaboration, harmonizing regulations, and promoting convergence.
• It also helps to support innovation and timely access to new medical devices.
• India will participate in IMDRF Open Sessions to have an information exchange on technical topics with other regulators, discuss on latest medical device regulatory strategies and trends, provide feedback on India’s experience and perspectives.

Classical Language : In News

The Union Cabinet chaired by the Prime Minister of India has approved to confer the status of Classical Language to Marathi, Pali, Prakrit, Assamese and Bengali languages.

• The recognition of a classical language is based on criteria established by a Linguistic Experts Committee.
• According to the committee, the following revised benchmarks must be met for a language to be considered “classical”:
  • High antiquity of (its) early texts/recorded history over a period of 1500- 2000 years.
  • A body of ancient literature/texts, which is considered a heritage by generations of speakers.
    Knowledge texts, especially prose texts in addition to poetry, epigraphical and inscriptional evidence.
  • The Classical Languages and literature could be distinct from its current form or could be discontinuous with later forms of its offshoots.
• Other Recognised Classical Languages are: Tamil ( 2004), Sanskrit (2005), Telugu( 2008), Kannada (2008), Malayalam( 2013) and Odia (2014).

Kolkata’s Tram Service:

The West Bengal government has decided to discontinue Kolkata’s tram service after 151 years of its introduction. A small stretch from Maidan to the Esplanade will be retained for tram lovers as a heritage stretch.

Bihar Flood:

Bihar, India, is severely affected by annual floods, with millions displaced and livelihoods disrupted. The region’s geographic vulnerability, coupled with ineffective flood control measures, continues to exacerbate the problem

e-ABkari portal:

The Delhi Excise Department has introduced the e-ABkari portal to digitize and regulate the alcohol business in Delhi after the scrapping of the previous liquor policy. Developed by NIC, the portal aims to streamline the entire alcohol trade process.

Odisha Leopard Population:

Odisha’s leopard population has increased by 22%, rising from 568 to 696 in two years between 2022 and 2024, despite ongoing concerns about poaching and the illegal trade of leopard skins in the State.The number of leopards increased by 22%, rising from 568 to 696 between 2022 and 2024.Leopards are found both within and outside protected areas, with 45% residing outside designated protected zones.

My Quynh Safari Park:

An outbreak of the H5N1 bird flu virus has caused the deaths of several large carnivores in zoos in southern Vietnam. This highlights the risks posed by zoonotic diseases not just to wildlife but also to human health, as the virus has the potential to infect mammals and, in rare cases, humans.

Irani cup:

Irani cup title finally returning to Mumbai after the drought of 27 years. Ajinkya Rahane led reigning Ranji champion team has drawn the match after taking the first innings lead against the Rest of India in a 5 day match.

ADB Approves $162 Million Loan to Boost Sustainable Tourism Development:

the Asian Development Bank (ADB) approved a $162 million loan to enhance tourism development in Himachal Pradesh. This funding, aimed at reviving the tourism economy in the five districts severely affected by the pandemic—Hamirpur, Kangra, Kullu, Mandi, and Shimla—will support the Sustainable and Inclusive Tourism Development Project.