{"id":132706,"date":"2024-09-18T19:38:14","date_gmt":"2024-09-18T14:08:14","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/pwonlyias.com\/stage\/?post_type=current-affairs&p=132706"},"modified":"2024-09-19T17:49:54","modified_gmt":"2024-09-19T12:19:54","slug":"news-in-shorts-18-september-2024","status":"publish","type":"current-affairs","link":"https:\/\/pwonlyias.com\/stage\/current-affairs\/news-in-shorts-18-september-2024","title":{"rendered":"News in Shorts: 18 September 2024"},"content":{"rendered":"\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n
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Metformin: Study<\/b><\/span><\/h2>\n

\"Metformin\"<\/td>\n

Context:<\/b> A study titled <\/span>\u2018Metformin decelerates ageing clock in male monkeys\u2019<\/b> found that metformin, a common diabetes drug, slows ageing in male monkeys, particularly in their brains.<\/span><\/p>\n

What is Metformin?<\/b><\/p>\n

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  • Metformin is an<\/span> anti-diabetic medication<\/b> (biguanide)<\/span><\/li>\n
  • It is widely used to treat type 2 diabetes mellitus and <\/span>polycystic ovarian syndrome (PCOS).<\/b><\/li>\n
  • It was<\/span> first introduced for diabetes treatment in France<\/b> during the 1950s.<\/span><\/li>\n
  • Metformin is derived from <\/span>guanidine<\/b>, a compound found in Goat\u2019s Rue, a herbal medicine that has been used in Europe for a long time.<\/span><\/li>\n
  • Benefits of Metformin<\/b><\/li>\n
  • \n
      \n
    • Metformin has effects beyond controlling diabetes.<\/span>\n
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      • It reduces the risk of cancer.<\/span><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
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Windfall Tax<\/b><\/span><\/h2>\n

\"Windfall<\/td>\n

The government <\/span>slashed windfall tax<\/b> on domestically Produced crude oil to ‘nil’ per tonne with effect from September 18.<\/span><\/p>\n

About Windfall Tax:<\/b><\/p>\n

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  • A windfall tax is a<\/span> higher tax levied by the government <\/b>on specific industries when they experience unexpected and above-average profits.<\/span>\n
      \n
    • For Example:<\/b> Windfall tax was levied on the oil companies of the United States in the 1980s. There was a sudden rise in oil prices due to the crisis of oil in 1979, leading to windfall gain for the companies in the sector later on.<\/span><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/li>\n
    • Purpose:<\/b> To redistribute excess profits in one area to raise funds for the greater social good.<\/span><\/li>\n
    • Introduction\u00a0 of Windfall Tax in India: <\/b>To address the shortage of energy products on the domestic market, the Indian government added a special additional excise duty on the export of gasoline and diesel, known as the Windfall Tax, on July 1st, 2022.<\/span><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
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Karam Parv<\/b><\/span><\/h2>\n

\"Karam<\/td>\n

Context: <\/b>Recently, <\/span>the tribal populations in Jharkhand, West Bengal, Bihar, Madhya Pradesh, Chhattisgarh, Assam, and Odisha <\/b>celebrated the<\/span> harvest festival of Karma or Karam Parv.<\/b><\/p>\n
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  • About Karam Parv: Karam (colloquially Karma) is a harvest festival dedicated to the worship of Karam-Devta (Karam-Lord\/God), the god of power, youth and youthfulness.\u00a0<\/b><\/li>\n
  • Origins of the festival: <\/b>The Oraon\/Kurukh people linked their cultural traditions to the agricultural cycle, celebrating <\/span>Karma as the festival of grains (dhaan\/anaaj) after watering their fields during the autumn rains.<\/b><\/li>\n
  • Symbolism of Karam Tree\/Kadam Tree:<\/b> The Karam tree is the focus of the festival<\/b>. It is traditionally seen as a <\/span>symbol of Karam Devta or Karamsani.<\/b>\n
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    • Kadam Tree (Neolamarckia cadamba)\u00a0 is an <\/span>evergreen, tropical tree<\/b> native to South and Southeast Asia.\u00a0<\/span><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/li>\n
    • Communities Celebrating the Karma Festival: <\/b>Popular among <\/span>Munda, Ho, Oraon, Baiga, Kharia, and Santhal peoples.<\/b><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
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Hezbollah\u00a0 and Its Reliance On Pagers<\/b><\/span><\/h2>\n

\"Hezbollah<\/td>\n

Context: At least nine people died and <\/b>nearly 3,000 were injured in<\/span> Lebanon after thousands of Hezbollah’s pagers, <\/b>allegedly<\/span> rigged with explosives by Israel’s Mossad, exploded.<\/b><\/p>\n
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  • Pagers<\/b>\n
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    • About: A pager is a small, portable device used to receive short messages or alerts.<\/b><\/li>\n
    • Operates on: <\/b>\u00a0It operates on a <\/span>radio frequency network.<\/b><\/li>\n
    • Working of Pagers: Pagers work by receiving wireless signals transmitted over a radio frequency network.\u00a0<\/b>\n
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      • Message Sent: <\/b>A message is <\/span>sent to the pager<\/b> via phone or computer, <\/span>then relayed through a paging network’s base station.<\/b><\/li>\n
      • Radio Signal Transmission: <\/b>The paging system<\/span> then broadcasts a radio signal, <\/b>carrying the message, to the <\/span>pager’s unique identification code (address).<\/b> This signal is <\/span>transmitted over dedicated radio frequencies.<\/b><\/li>\n
      • Pager Receives Signal: <\/b>The pager <\/span>listens for signals on the specific frequency<\/b> and, when it <\/span>recognizes its code<\/b>, it picks up the transmitted message or phone number.<\/span><\/li>\n
      • Alert:<\/b> Upon receiving the message, the pager alerts the user and the message is <\/span>displayed.<\/b><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/li>\n
      • Hezbollah:<\/b>\n
          \n
        • About: <\/b>Hezbollah is a<\/span> Iran backed Shia Islamist political party <\/b>and<\/span> militant group <\/b>rooted in <\/span>Lebanon<\/b>, which arose in the<\/span> 1980s<\/b> in <\/span>response to the Israeli occupation of southern Lebanon.<\/b>\u00a0<\/span>\n
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          • It is<\/span> designated as a terrorist organisation<\/b> by several nations, including the <\/span>United States and Israel.<\/b><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/li>\n
          • Reasons for Iran Backed Hezbollah\u2019s Reliance on Pagers:<\/b>\n
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            • Evade Israeli location-tracking: <\/b>Pagers <\/span>use their own frequency<\/b> and are therefore considered <\/span>more reliable<\/b> as they <\/span>bypass mobile telephone networks<\/b> that can be impacted by frequent interruptions, connection issues or can be intercepted.<\/span><\/li>\n
            • They offer<\/span> reliable, real-time communication<\/b> in areas with <\/span>poor cellular coverage or during emergencies.<\/b><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
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Green Climate Fund (GCF)<\/b><\/span><\/h2>\n

\"Green<\/td>\n

Context: <\/b>The head of the GCF is working to assist vulnerable nations that have not yet received any funding from this major climate finance source<\/span>.<\/b><\/p>\n

More on the news<\/b><\/p>\n

    \n
  • The GCF has identified 19 climate-vulnerable nations that have received little or no funding from the organisation.<\/span><\/li>\n
  • These nations include <\/span>Algeria, the Central African Republic, Chad, Iraq, Lebanon, Mozambique, Papua New Guinea, South Sudan, and Somalia.<\/b><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n

    About Green Climate Fund<\/b><\/p>\n

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    • Founded: <\/b>It was set at COP 16 held in<\/span> Cancun i<\/b>n<\/span> 2010<\/span><\/li>\n
    • Headquarters: <\/b>Songdo, Incheon, South Korea.\u00a0<\/span><\/li>\n
    • It is a major climate finance organisation.<\/span><\/li>\n
    • It was established under the framework of <\/span>the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change.<\/b><\/li>\n
    • This fund focuses on the needy societies that are highly impacted by climate change such as<\/span> Least Developed Countries (LDCs), Small Island Developing States (SIDS), and African States.<\/b>\n
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      • The funds help countries:<\/span>\n
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        • Reduce greenhouse gas emissions.<\/span><\/li>\n
        • Adapt to climate change effects such as storms, droughts, heatwaves, and rising sea levels.<\/span><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/li>\n
        • Goals of GCF:<\/b>\n
            \n
          • Enhance the organization’s role as a key partner for the most vulnerable nations.<\/span><\/li>\n
          • Ensure funds are used effectively where they are needed most.<\/span><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
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Demchok and Depsang friction points\u00a0<\/b><\/span><\/h2>\n

\"Demchok<\/td>\n

Context: <\/b>External Affairs Minister claimed that 75% of disengagement between India and China along the Line of Actual Control (LAC) in eastern Ladakh is complete.<\/span><\/p>\n

About Demchok and Depsang Friction\u00a0<\/b><\/p>\n