UPSC Daily Current Affairs- 22nd October 2023 | Current Affairs & Hindu Analysis: Daily, Weekly & Monthly PDF Download

GS-I

Graphite

Subject: Geography

Why in News?

Recently, China has unveiled plans to restrict exports of graphite—a mineral crucial to the manufacture of batteries for electric vehicles (EVs)—on national security grounds.

About Graphite:

• It is an opaque, non-metallic carbon polymorph that is blackish silver in colour and metallic to dull in sheen.
• Since it resembles metal lead, it is also known colloquially as black lead or plumbago.
• It is formed by the metamorphosis of sediments containing carbonaceous material.
• It is a naturally occurring form of crystalline carbon.
• It is extremely soft, cleaves with very light pressure, and has a very low specific gravity.
• In contrast, it is extremely resistant to heat and nearly inert in contact with almost any other material.
• These extreme properties give it a wide range of uses in metallurgy and manufacturing.
• Molecular structure
  • It consists of a ring of six carbon atoms closely bonded together hexagonally in widely spaced layers.
  • The bonds within the layers are strong, but the bonds between the layers are less in number and therefore weaker.
  • Graphite is a stable form of carbon.
• Applications: It is used in pencils, lubricants, crucibles, foundry facings, polishes, arc lamps, batteries, brushes for electric motors, and cores of nuclear reactors.
• It is mined extensively in China, India, Brazil, North Korea, and Canada.

Source: The Hindu

Mehrauli Archaeological Park

Subject: History

Why in News?

A revamped Mehrauli Archaeological Park was unveiled to the public recently .

 About Mehrauli Archaeological Park

• It is spread over 200 acres and is adjacent to Qutub Minar, a UNESCO World Heritage Site.
• It is home to 55 historic structures built by various empires — including the Khaljis, Tughlaqs, Lodhis, Mughals, and the British — and many have now been revamped.
• These include the Jamali Kamali Mosque, Metcalfe House, Rajon ki Baoli, as well as the tombs of Mamluk king Ghiyas-ud-din Balban and Mughal governor Shah Quli Khan.

Source: The Hindu

GS-II

White Phosphorous Bombs

Subject: International Relations

Why in News?

Recent reports indicated that Israeli forces are using white phosphorous on the civilian population of Gaza.

About White Phosphorous Bombs:-

• White phosphorus exists in different allotropes and is the most reactive and least stable among all the elemental forms of phosphorus.
• It is pyrophoric (it is ignited by contact with air).
• It burns fiercely and can ignite cloth, fuel, ammunition, and other combustibles.
• It is a highly efficient smoke-producing agent, reacting with air to produce an immediate blanket of phosphorus pentoxide vapour.
• White phosphorus munitions are not banned under international law, but because of their incendiary effects, their use is supposed to be tightly regulated.

History of phosphorus use:-

• Phosphorus ammunitions have been used throughout history and in modern wars such as the Iraq war and, the Arab-Israeli conflict.
• There have been White phosphorus is believed to have been first used by Fenian (Irish nationalist) arsonists in the 19th century.
• The British Army introduced the first factory-built white phosphorus grenades in late 1916 during the First World War. Health risk:-
• Exposure to white phosphorus can lead to severe health hazards, including burns, necrosis, and other serious skin injuries.
• It can also cause systemic toxicity when ingested or inhaled.
• The combustion of white phosphorus produces phosphorus pentoxide, which can cause damage to the respiratory system upon inhalation. 
• Applications:-
  • Industrial applications: manufacture of phosphoric acid, phosphorus trichloride, and other organic phosphorus compounds.
  • In the military: it has been used in incendiary weapons, smoke screens, and tracer ammunition due to its pyrophoric properties.

Source: Indian Express

Guidelines for Designation of Senior Advocates by the Supreme Court of India, 2023

Subject: Polity

Why in News?

The Supreme Court (SC), in its full court meeting held recently, decided to confer senior designations on 47 former judges of the High Courts.

Who is a Senior Advocate?

• Under Section 16 of the Advocates Act 1961,two classes of advocates are classified: Senior Advocate and Junior or those who are not designated as seniors.
• The senior advocates play the role of legal experts in India who have significant knowledge in the field of law.
• They are associated with many prominent cases as they are good contributors to the principle of the Rule of Law.
• Special Provisions:
  • A senior advocate shall not appear without an advocate on record in the SC or without an advocate in any other court.
  • A senior advocate shall not accept instructions to draft pleadings or affidavits, advice on evidence, or to do any drafting work of an analogous kind in any Court or Tribunal or before any person or other authority.
  • A senior advocate shall not accept directly from a client any brief or instructions to appear in any Court or Tribunal or before any person or other authority in India.

Guidelines for Designation of Senior Advocates by the Supreme Court of India, 2023:

• The candidates need to be at least ten years' standing as an Advocate or ten years' combined standing as an Advocate and as a District and session Judge or as a Judicial Member of any Tribunal in India to be designated as Senior Advocates at the SC.
• They must practice mainly in the Supreme Court, but advocates with domain expertise in practising before specialised tribunals may be given concession.
• The age limit for applying for the designation of senior advocate is now 45 years, unless the age limit is relaxed.
• The age limit can be relaxed by the Committee for Designation of Senior Advocates or if the name has been recommended by the Chief Justice of India or a SC judge.
• Criteria:
  • The new guidelines have a revised point system for evaluating candidates.
  • The new criteria include the number of years of practice and the body of work.
    • Number of years of practice: Applicants will get a maximum of 20 points, 10 points for 10 years of practice, and 1 point each for every additional year of practice.
    • Judgements reported and unreported; pro bono work; domain expertise (such as constitutional: 50 points
    • Publication of academic articles, experience of teaching assignments in the field of law, guest lectures delivered in law schools and professional institutions connected with law: 5 points
    • Test of personality and suitability based on the interview: 25 points
• Selection:
  • The selection for the designation of senior advocates will be done by the Committee for Designation of Senior Advocates. The Committee is headed by CJI as the Chairperson.
  • The applications will be invited once a year, and the committee will meet twice a year.
  • It will also have a permanent secretariat, whose members will be selected by the CJI and the committee.

Source: The Hindu

GS-III

Superionic ice

Subject: Science 

Why in News?

Recently, scientists discovered a new phase of superionic ice.

Background:-

• Previously superionic ice had only been glimpsed in a brief instant as scientists sent a shockwave through a droplet of water, but in a new study published in Nature Physics, scientists found a way to reliably create, sustain and examine the ice.
• Using the Advanced Photon Source, scientists have recreated the structure of ice formed at the centre of planets like Neptune and Uranus.

About superionic ice:-

• Depending on the conditions, water can actually form more than a dozen different structures like ice, liquid and vapour.
• Scientists have now added a new phase to the list: superionic ice.
• This type of ice forms at extremely high temperatures and pressures, such as those deep inside planets like Neptune and Uranus.
• Superionic ice may be among the most abundant forms of water in the Universe.
• It is presumed to fill not only the interiors of Uranus, and Neptune but also similar exoplanets.
• The superionic phase of ice was predicted two decades ago.
• Five years ago, scientists recreated this exotic ice, called superionic ice, for the first time in lab experiments.
• Four years ago they confirmed its existence and crystalline structure.
• Then just last year (2022), researchers at several universities in the United States and the Stanford Linear Accelerator Center laboratory in California (SLAC) discovered a new phase of superionic ice.

Significance:-

• Superionic ice phases could explain unusual magnetic fields around Uranus and Neptune.

Source: The Hindu

Operation Chakra II

Subject: Defence

Why in News?

The Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) has recently launched Operation Chakra-II.

About: Operation Chakra II

• The operation was launched to fight against transnational organised cyber-enabled financial crimes in India. 
• For this, CBI has partnered with Microsoft and Amazon as well as with national and international agencies to combat and dismantle infrastructure of illegal call centres. 
• The CBI is working closely with the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) of the United States, the Cyber Crime Directorate and IFCACC of the INTERPOL, the National Crime Agency (NCA) in the United Kingdom, the Singapore Police Force and the BKA of Germany to notify further leads.

Why Microsoft and Amazon are part of Operation Chakra-II?

• In these scams, commonly known as tech support fraud, criminals establish and operate illegal call centres, by impersonating Microsoft and Amazon customer support. 
• According to the companies, the cybercriminals have targeted over 2,000 customers based in the US, Canada, Germany, Australia, Spain, and the UK which are the important customer bases of these companies. 
• They believe actionable partnerships like these are critical in helping protect consumers from impersonation scams. 

How to safeguard?

• While Amazon and Microsoft will be working closely on the tech part to mitigate threats online, users should be aware of such ‘tech support’ calls. 
• Always treat all unsolicited messages with scepticism and do not provide any personal information.

Source: Times of India

Paintbrush swift butterfly

Subject: Environment

Why in News?

Recently, the paintbrush swift butterfly has been photographed and documented for the first time in Himachal Pradesh’s Chamba district.

About the Paintbrush Swift Butterfly:

• It is a butterfly species of the Hesperiidae family.
• The species has never been photographed in Himachal Pradesh since its discovery in 1878.
• This is the first time that we have photographed and documented it.
• It was first described by lepidopterist Frederic Moore more than 145 years ago.
• It is identified based on two separated spots in the upper forewing cell. 
• The species’ larvae feed on bamboo and some other grass species. 
• Habitat: Its habitat is distributed in northeast, central and south India, and rare in Uttarakhand.
• Threats: Habitat loss and scarcity of larval host plants are major causes of the decline in the butterfly population. An increase in pesticide use, deforestation, and climate change.
• Conservation status
  • This species is legally protected in India under Schedule IV of the Wildlife (Protection) Act, 1972.

Source: The Hindu