23 May 2024 Daily Current Affairs 

About International Criminal Court (ICC):

• It is a permanent judicial body established by the Rome Statute (1998) to investigate, prosecute and try individuals accused of genocide, war crimes, crimes against humanity and the crime of aggression and to impose prison sentences upon individuals who are found guilty of such crimes. 
• Background: The court’s founding treaty, the Rome Statute, was adopted in July 1998, and the court began work in 2003. 
• HQ: Hague, Netherlands
• Members: 123 nations are States Parties to the Rome Statute and recognize the ICC’s authority. The notable exceptions are the US, China, Russia, and India.
• Funding: The Court is funded by contributions from the States Parties and by voluntary contributionsfrom Governments, international organizations, individuals, corporations, and other entities.
• Composition:
  • Judges: The Court has eighteen judges, each from a different member country, elected to nonrenewable nine-year terms.
  • The Presidency: Consists of three judges (the President and two Vice-Presidents) elected from among the judges. It represents the Court to the outside world and helps with the organization of the work of the judges.
  • Judicial Divisions: 18 judges in 3 divisions, the Pre-Trial Division, the Trial Division, and the Appeals Division.
  • Office of the Prosecutor (OTP):OTP is responsible for receiving referrals and any substantiated information on crimes within the jurisdiction of the Court. OTP examines these referrals and information, conducts investigations, and conducts prosecutions before the Court.
  • Registry: The core function of the Registry is to provide administrative and operational support to the Chambers and the OTP.
• Jurisdiction of ICC:
  • Unlike the International Court of Justice, which hears disputes between states, the ICC handles prosecutions of individuals. 
  • The ICC is only competent to hear a case if:
    • the country where the offence was committed is a party to the Rome Statute; or
    • the perpetrator's country of origin is a party to the Rome Statute.
  • The ICC may only exercise its jurisdiction if the national court is unable or unwilling to do so.
  • The ICC only has jurisdiction over offences committed after the Statute’s entry into force on 1 July 2002.
  • Relation with United Nations (UN):
    • While not a UN organization, the Court has a cooperation agreement with the UN.
    • When a situation is not within the Court’s jurisdiction, the UN Security Council can refer the situation to the ICC, granting it jurisdiction.

About Bharal: 

• The bharal, also called the blue sheep, is a caprine native to the high Himalayas.
• Scientific Name: Pseudois nayaur
• It is the only member of the genus Pseudois.
• Distribution: It occurs in India, Bhutan, China (in Gansu, Ningxia, Sichuan, Tibet, and Inner Mongolia), Myanmar, Nepal, and Pakistan. 
• Features:
  • These medium-sized caprids are 115 to 165 cm (45 to 65 in) long along the head and body, with a tail of 10 to 20 cm (3.9 to 7.9 in).
  • They stand 69 to 91 cm (27 to 36 in) high at the shoulder. 
  • Males are slightly larger than females. 
  • The short, dense coat is slate grey in colour, sometimes with a bluish shine. The underparts and backs of the legs are white, while the chest and fronts of the legs are black.
  • It has horns that grow upwards, curve out, and then towards the back, somewhat like an upside-down.
  • Bharal are active throughout the day, alternating between feeding and resting on the grassy mountain slopes.
• Conservation Status:
  • IUCN Red List: Least Concern
  • Wildlife Protection Act 1972: Schedule 1

• About Himalayan Ibex:

  • It is a subspecies of the Siberian ibex that is native to the Himalayan region of India, Pakistan, Tibet, and Nepal.
    • Ibex is any of several sure-footed, sturdy wild goatsof the genus Capra in the family Bovidae that are found in the mountains of Europe, Asia, and northeastern Africa.
  • Scientific Name: Capra sibirica hemalayanus
  • They inhabit the high-altitude regions of the Himalayas, including the Trans-Himalayan region, where they can be found at elevations between 3,000 and 5,800 meters.
  • It is found in several parts of India, primarily in the states of Jammu and Kashmir, Himachal Pradesh, and Uttarakhand.
  • Features:
    • An adult ibex weighs about 90 kgs, and stands around 40 inches tall, with huge curved horns. Males are larger than females.
    • The horns have notches on the front and grow each year.
    • They have a light brown to reddish-brown coat, with a white belly and black and white markings on their legs. 
    • Their coat is thick and woolly in winter, and shed in early summer.
    • The colour ranges from pale brown to dark brown, with a darker dorsal stripe.
    • They are usually found in small herds, sometimes around 50 together. 
    • They can run at a speed of up to 50 km/h. 
  • Conservation Status:
    • IUCN Red List: Near Threatened

Source: Census exercise begins in Himachal’s cold desert Lahaul & Spiti district to estimate blue sheep, Himalayan ibex

3. What is Section 436A of the Code of Criminal Procedure (CrPC)?

The Supreme Court (SC) recently reiterated that the benefit of Section 436A of the Code of Criminal Procedure (CrPC) is also applicable to those accused of money laundering.

 

About Section 436A of the CrPC:

• It was introduced in the CrPC, 1973, vide an amendment in 2005. 
• As per Section 436A CrPC, a person who has spent one half of the maximum period of the prescribed sentence as an undertrial shall be released on bail. 
• It states that where a person has, during the period of investigation, inquiry, or trial under the CrPC, 1973, of an offence under any law (not being an offence for which the punishment of death has been specified as one of the punishments under that law) undergone detention for a period extending up to one-half of the maximum period of imprisonment specified for that offence under that law, he shall be released by the Court on his personal bond with or without sureties.
  • Provided that the Court may, after hearing the Public Prosecutor and for reasons to be recorded by it in writing, order the continued detention of such person for a period longer than one-half of the said period or release him on bail instead of the personal bond with or without sureties.
  • Provided further that no such person shall, in any case, be detained during the period of investigation, inquiry, or trial for more than the maximum period of imprisonment provided for the said offence under that law.
• In computing the period of detention under this Section for granting bail, the period of detention passed due to delay in proceeding caused by the accused shall be excluded.
• The SC held that Section 436A would apply to the Special Acts also in the absence of any specific provision.

Source: PMLA accused who has spent half of maximum sentence as undertrial can be given bail: SC

4. What is X-Chromosome?

Scientists have found a molecular link between altered X-chromosome inactivation and autoimmune diseases.

About X-Chromosome:

• It is one of the two sex chromosomes in humans (the other is the Y chromosome). 
  • There are 23 pairs of chromosomes in the human body. This includes 22 pairs of autosomal or somatic chromosomes that are common to both men and women and one chromosome that differs according to what gender a person is (sex chromosomes).
• Each person usually has one pair of sex chromosomes in each cell. Females typically have two X chromosomes, while males typically have one X and one Y chromosome.
• Men inherit the X chromosome they have from their mother and the Y chromosome from their father, while women inherit one X chromosome from the mother and the other from the father.
• In women, the X chromosome represents almost 5% of the total DNA, and in men, who have only one X chromosome, it represents about 2.5% of the total DNA.
• Early in the embryonic development of people with two X chromosomes, one of the X chromosomes is randomly and permanently inactivated in cells other than egg cells. This phenomenon is called X-inactivation or lyonization.
  • X-inactivation ensures that people with two X chromosomes have only one functional copy of the X chromosome in each cell.
  • Because X-inactivation is random, normally, the X chromosome inherited from one parent is active in some cells, and the X chromosome inherited from the other parent is active in other cells.
• The X chromosome likely contains 900 to 1,400 genes that provide instructions for making proteins. 
• Genetic disorders that arise from missing, additional, or malformed copies of the X chromosome are termed numerical disorders.
• Examples include Klinefelter’s syndrome, where a male has one or more extra copies; Triple X syndrome, where a female has one extra copy and Turner syndrome, where a female has one normal X chromosome and one missing or abnormal one.

Source: X chromosome revival in older women increases autoimmune disease risk

5. What is Prime Minister Wi-Fi Access Network Interface (PM-WANI) Scheme?

Public wifi hotspots under the Prime Minister Wi-Fi Access Network Interface (PM-WANI) scheme are nearing the 2-lakh mark in the country.

About PM-WANI Scheme:

• It was launched by the Department of Telecommunication (DoT) in December 2020 to provide affordable and high-speed internet connectivity to the public in rural and remote areas of the country. 
• The scheme aims to establish a public Wi-Fi network across the country through the creation of Wi-Fi Access Points (WAPs) set up by public data offices (PDOs).
• The WAPs will operate on an open-architecture system, allowing multiple service providers to offer their services to the public through a single platform. 
• PM-WANI ecosystem: It consists of four parts: Public Data Office (PDO), Public Data Office Aggregator (PDOA), App Provider, and Central Registry.
  • PDO establishes the Wi-Fi hotspots and provides internet access to users. There shall be no license required by PDOs from the DoT for providing broadband internet through these public Wi-Fi networks.
  • PDOA provides authorisation and accounting services to PDOs. PDOA provides user interface for the user to buy a plan and keep track of their data consumption. PDOA need not pay any license fees.
  • The small shopkeepers can become PDOs as last-mile access service providers and take services from PDOAs for Internet and backend services.
  • App Provider, who will develop an application to register users, and ‘discover’ and display PM-WANI Wi-Fi hotspots in proximity for accessing the internet service, and also authenticate the potential broadband users. Startups and wallet providers can become App Providers.
  • The central registry overseen by the Centre for Development of Telematics maintains details of App Providers, PDOs and PDOAs.
• How can you access the PM-WANI internet?
  • To access public hotspots under the PM-WANI scheme, one needs to download a relevant app which shows the available networks.
  • The user can then choose from a list of available connections and make a payment to use the network.
  • The user can access the network till his/her balance is exhausted.

Source: Public Wifi Hotspots Near 2 Lakh Mark Under PM Wani: How To Use Internet Economically While Travelling?

6. Emblica chakrabartyi

Recently, scientists have reported the discovery of a new plant species Emblica chakrabartyi from Adichilthotti within the Edamalayar forest range of Kerala.

About Emblica chakrabartyi:

• The species belonging to the gooseberry (Phyllanthaceae) family has been named after Tapas Chakrabarty, former scientist at the Botanical Survey of India, for his contribution to the study on Phyllanthaceae.
• Features
  • The plant attains a height of approximately 2 metres. The leaves are large with a shiny elongated oval shape of up to 13 cm.
  • The flowering and fruiting occur during December to June. Male flowers are found in inflorescence whereas females ones are in single, on the leaf axils.
  • Each flower bears yellowish green coloured six petals. The fruits are brown to black when they ripen and the seeds are black about 8-9 mm diameter.
  • Generally growing as shrubs in tropical rain forests, 55 species of the genus Emblica have been recorded all around the world.
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  • The new plant is the eleventh from India.

Source: New plant species discovered from Edamalayar forest range

7. International Booker Prize

Recently, Kairos’ by Jenny Erpenbeck, translated by Michael Hofmann, has won the International Booker Prize 2024.

About International Booker Prize:

• It is awarded annually for the finest single work of fiction from around the world which has been translated into English.
• This prize began life in 2005 as the Man Booker International Prize.
• It was initially a biennial prize for a body of work and there was no stipulation that the work should be written in a language other than English.
• This prize aims to encourage more reading of quality fiction from all over the world and has already had an impact on those statistics in the UK.
• Eligibility: Eligible work of long-form fiction, written originally in English by an author of any nationality and published in the UK and/or Ireland. 
• Prize money
  • The prize celebrates the vital work of translators, with the £50,000 prize money divided equally between the author and the translator.
  • In addition, the shortlisted authors and translators each receive £2,500.

Source: Jenny Erpenbeck’s ‘Kairos’ wins the International Booker Prize 2024

8.What are Rangelands?

 

 

 

The recently published report, “Global Land Outlook Thematic Report on Rangelands and Pastoralists” by the United Nations Convention to Combat Desertification highlighted that rangelands are facing a ‘silent demise’.

About Rangelands:

• The rangelands are category of Earth’s land cover consists mostly of the natural grasslands used by livestock and wild animals to graze and forage.
• The vegetation of ranges may include tallgrass prairies, steppes (shortgrass prairies), desert shrublands, shrub woodlands, savannas, chaparrals and tundras.
• Rangelands are the "Wild Open Spaces" that cover about half of the earth's land surface and half of western North America.
• Reasons for degradation
  • The problem is driven largely by converting pastures to cropland and other land use changes due to population growth and urban expansion.
  • Rapidly rising food, fibre and fuel demands, excessive grazing, abandonment and policies that incentivise overexploitation.
• Significance of Rangelands
  • These are used for livestock forage, wildlife habitat, water, mineral resources, wood products, wildland recreation, open space and natural beauty.
  • These are an important economic engine in many countries and define cultures. Home to one quarter of the world’s languages, they also host numerous World Heritage Sites and have shaped the value systems, customs and identities of pastoralists for thousands of years.
  • Two billion people – small-scale herders, ranchers and farmers, often poor and marginalised – depend on healthy rangelands worldwide.

Source: Rangelands are facing a ‘silent demise’, suffering losses as high as 50%

9. What is Aircraft Turbulence?

Recently, one passenger died of a suspected heart attack and 30 others were injured after a Singapore Airlines flight from London to Singapore hit severe turbulence.

 

About Aircraft Turbulence:

• Turbulence means disruption of airflow over the wings of an airplane, which causes it to enter irregular vertical motion.
• These pockets of disturbed air can have many causes, most obviously the unstable weather patterns that trigger storms.
• There are at least seven kinds of turbulence that an aircraft can run into:
  • Wind Shear:It happens when there is a sudden change in wind direction, whether vertically or horizontally. Typically occurs close to thunderstorms, jet streams, etc.; tricky for pilots as tailwinds suddenly change to headwinds or vice versa.
  • Frontal: Created in the frontal zone when warm air is lifted by sloping frontal surface and friction between opposing air masses. Most palpable when warm air is moist; intensity increases with thunderstorms. Most common close to thunderstorms.
  • Convective: When land surface temperature rises, the air above the ground heats up and rises, creating air pockets around it. Convection currents cause difficulties during approach as they tend to affect the rate of descent.
  • Wake:It forms behind an aircraft when it flies through air-creating wingtip vortices.
  • Mechanical: This type of turbulence occurs when tall solid objects such as mountains or highrise constructions disrupt the normal airflow, causing the air for planes to fly through to become dirty.
  • Clear air: It occurs when an aircraft crosses from one air mass to another, which has a different direction. Clear air turbulence could also happen when an aircraft moves out of a jet stream. Clear air turbulence is mainly caused by wind or jet streams.
  • Mountain view: It is one of the most severe; these are oscillations that form on the downwind side of mountains when strong winds flow towards mountains in a perpendicular fashion.
• Aircraft tracking perpendicularly across, or downwind of a mountain, may experience sudden loss of altitude followed by a sudden reduction in airspeed.

 

Source: What is aircraft turbulence and how common is it? | Explained

10. What is Naegleria fowleri?

Recently, a five-year-old girl undergoing treatment for primary amoebic meningoencephalitis (PAM), a rare infection caused by Naegleria fowleri or “brain-eating amoeba”, died at the Government Medical College Hospital in Kozhikode.

 

About Naegleria fowleri:

• It is a free-living amoeba or a single-celled living organism.
• It lives in warm fresh water and soil around the world and infects people when it enters the body through the nose.
• Higher temperatures of up to 115°F (46°C) are conducive to its growth and it can survive for short periods in warm environments.
• The amoeba can be found in warm freshwater, such as lakes and rivers, swimming pools, splash pads, surf parks, or other recreational venues that are poorly maintained or minimally chlorinated.
• It enters the body through the nose, usually when people are swimming. It then travels up to the brain, where it destroys the brain tissue and causes swelling.

Key facts about Primary Amoebic Meningoencephalitis (PAM)

• It is a rare brain infection that is caused by Naegleria fowleri. 
• It is also non-communicable and people cannot get infected with Naegleria fowleri from drinking water contaminated with the amoeba.
• Symptoms
  • In the initial stage, the symptoms include headache, fever, nausea and Later on, the patient may have a stiff neck and experience confusion, seizures, hallucinations and slip into a state of coma.
  • Most people with PAM die within 1 to 18 days after symptoms begin. It usually leads to coma and death after 5 days.”
• Treatment
  • There are no effective treatments for the disease yet.
  • At present, doctors treat it with a combination of drugs, including amphotericin B, azithromycin, fluconazole, rifampin, miltefosine and dexamethasone.

Source: What is Naegleria fowleri or ‘brain-eating amoeba’, which led to a girl’s death in Kerala?