1. TUNDRA ECOSYSTEM (Syllabus: GS Paper 3 – Env and Eco)

Context: The warming planet may alter the characteristics of tundra environments and could transform them from carbon sinks to carbon sources, a study has warned.

Tundra Ecosystem

• About: It is a biome characterized by its extremely cold climate, low temperatures, and short growing seasons.
• Distribution: It is primarily found in the polar regions, including the Arctic tundra in the Northern Hemisphere and the alpine tundra at high altitudes in mountain ranges.
• Treeless Areas: Tundra ecosystems are almost treeless areas where environmental conditions are very severe.
• Characteristics

oClimatic Conditions: The average temperature is -30 to 20 degrees Fahrenheit (-34 to -6 degrees Celsius) in the Arctic tundra.

oSpecies Found: Animal species that may be found in the Arctic include polar bears, caribou, arctic foxes, gray wolves, snow geese, and musk oxen.

oShort Summers: The summer growing season is just 50 to 60 days, when the sun shines up to 24 hours a day.

oPrecipitation: Scanty rainfall, precipitation is mainly in the form of snow.

oSoil Composition: Permafrost, or soil that is perpetually frozen, is deficient in nutrients. It is a layer of frozen soil and dead plants that extends some 1,476 feet (450 meters) below the surface. A large portion of the Arctic is permanently frozen.

oLow Biotic Diversity: Due to its extremely low temperatures, little precipitation, and poor nutrients, tundra regions support very few species.

• Tundras are divided into 3 types: Arctic, Antarctic and Alpine.

oArctic Tundra: It includes the northernmost regions of European Russia, Canada, Siberia, Alaska, and the Arctic Ocean’s island group. 

oAlpine Tundra: Alpine tundra can be found high up in the mountains above the treeline. 

oAntarctic Tundra: It encompasses the region surrounding the South Pole on the continent of Antarctica.

---

2. BAN ON HOOKAH (Syllabus GS Paper 2 – Polity)

Context: The Karnataka health department recently issued a notification banning the sale and consumption of hookahs in order to protect public health.

Notification on Hookah Bars

• Violation of Fire Safety Laws: The notification highlights that hookah bars are in breach of fire safety regulations, posing a risk to public safety.
• Unsafe Food Items: It emphasizes that the operation of hookah bars renders food items unsafe for public consumption, raising concerns about hygiene and health hazards.
• Legal Ramifications: The notification warns that violators will face legal consequences under the Cigarettes and Other Tobacco Products Act (COTPA) of 2003, along with other pertinent state and central laws.
• Karnataka Government's Response: The  government swiftly introduced a bill aimed at curbing hookah bar establishments, recognizing the urgency of the issue.
• Prohibition Across All Locations: The bill proposed a blanket prohibition on opening hookah bars "in any place", indicating the government's firm stance on the matter.
• Penalties Imposed: From 1 to 3 years and fines up to 1 lakh rupees, underscoring the severity of the offense and the government's commitment to enforcement.

Article 47, Article 21 and Article 19(1)(g)

• Article 47: Directive Principle of State Policy

oArticle 47 mandates the State to elevate nutrition standards, living conditions, and public health, including prohibiting harmful substances.

oPart IV of the Constitution outlines directive principles, which are fundamental to governance but not enforceable by courts.

• Interconnection with Right to Life

oThe High Court affirmed that Article 47 is intertwined with the right to life with dignity, as per Article 21 of the Constitution.

oIt emphasizes the state's paramount duty to safeguard human life and health, fundamental rights under Article 21.

• Fundamental Right to Occupation

oThe petitioners contended that the government's notification breaches the fundamental right to engage in any profession, trade, or business, protected by Article 19(1)(g).

---

3. GLACIAL LAKES (Syllabus: GS Paper 1 – Geography)

Context: A little over one in every four glacial lakes larger than 10 hectares in area (100000 sq m) in the Himalayas have increased in size since 1984, increasing the risk of a glacial lake outburst flood or GLOF, a phenomenon that’s become common on account of the climate crisis.

Glacial Lakes

• About: It is defined as a body of water that is present in adequate quantities, extends with a free surface in, beneath, beside, and/or in front of a glacier, and is the result of glacier activities and/or glacier retreating processes.
• Location: Glacial Lakes are common around the borders of glaciers and ice sheets, and they frequently shift from ice-contact lakes to ice-distal lakes when glaciers and ice sheets recede and become spatially separated from the lake.
• Formation: When a glacier erodes the surface before melting and filling the resulting depression. 
• Example: Devtal Glacial Lake, India's highest glacial lake which is located in the Garhwal Himalaya.
• Two main groups: 

oIce-contact lakes: These are characterized by the presence of glacier ice terminating in lake water

oDistal lakes: These are distant from glaciers or ice sheets, but still influenced by, their presence.

• Sediments: Organic muds, glacial clays, silty clays, and sands are some of the sediments found in glacial lakes, depending on the time of creation.
• Distribution: The distribution of these elements over the lake bottom is determined by the status of the drainage basin as well as the chemical composition of the water.

Glacial Lake Outburst Floods (GLOFs)

• About: Glacial Lake Outburst Flood (GLOF) is a type of flood that occurs when a glacier-contained water body is suddenly released.
• Causes of GLOF: GLOFs happen when the natural dam formed by a glacial lake fails, allowing the stored water to flow rapidly.

---

4. LLAMA 3 (Syllabus: GS Paper 3 – Sci and Tech)

Context: Meta recently introduced its most capable Large Language Model (LLM), the Meta Llama 3.

Llama 3

• About: It is a family of Large Language Model (LLM) introduced by Meta AI.
• LLMs: A large language model is a type of artificial intelligence algorithm that uses deep learning techniques and massively large data sets to understand, summarize, generate and predict new content.

oThe term generative AI also is closely connected with LLMs, which are, in fact, a type of generative AI that has been specifically architected to help generate text-based content.

• Model Sizes: Similar to its predecessors, Llama 3 comes in various sizes, with the initial release offering models with 7B, 13B, 33B, and 65 billion parameters.
• Superior Performance: The 13B version of Llama 3 reportedly surpassed the performance of OpenAI's GPT-3, despite having fewer parameters, showcasing its efficiency and effectiveness in natural language processing tasks.
• Release of Llama 2: Before Llama 3, Meta AI introduced Llama 2 in July of the preceding year, representing a significant advancement over its predecessor.
• Features of Llama 2: It was available in 7B, 13B, and 70B parameter configurations, indicating a broader range of options for users. Moreover, it was trained on a dataset expanded by 40% compared to the original Llama model, resulting in improved performance and capabilities.

How good is Llama 3?

• Meta's Assertion: Meta claims that Llama 3, with its 8B and 70B parameter models, represents a significant advancement over Llama 2.
• Expanded Capabilities: Llama 3 exhibits notable enhancements in various capabilities, including reasoning, code generation, and instruction following.
• Increased Steerability: The incorporation of advanced post-training processes has made Llama 3 more adaptable and easier to control, offering users greater flexibility and control over its functionalities.

---

5. NCS PORTAL (Syllabus: GS Paper 3 – Economy)

Context: The Centre plans to upgrade the nine-year-old National Career Service (NCS) portal to link millions of youths with prospective employers in a bid to prepare a future-ready workforce.

National Career Service (NCS) Portal

• About: The Portal provides online career counselling and vocational guidance services to its registered users. This service aims to equip the jobseeker with necessary information that is required to make right career choices based on his/her qualification, skill set and interest. 
• Features:

oOnline Job Matching: The NCS portal provides a nation-wide online platform for jobseekers and employers for job matching in a dynamic, efficient and responsive manner.

oRich Career Content: The NCS also makes available a rich repository of career content on over 3000 occupations across 53 sectors.

oAccessibility: The services under NCS are available online and can be accessed directly, through career centres, Common Service Centres, mobile devices, cyber cafes etc.

oOrganisation of Job Fairs: The NCS Portal also facilitates the organization of job fairs where both employers and job seekers can interact.

National Career Service (NCS)

• About: It is a Five Year Mission Mode Project launched by the Hon’ble Prime Minister on 20th July, 2015.
• Implementing Authority: The project is being implemented by the Directorate General of Employment, Ministry of Labour & Employment.
• One-Stop Solution: It is a one-stop solution that provides a wide array of employment and career related services to the citizens of India.

---

6. BLACKBUCK (Syllabus: GS Paper 3 – Env and Eco)

Context: This summer, the blackbucks of Bihar’s Bhojpur, Buxar, and Rohtas districts will likely find some relief, as they won't have to travel long distances in search of water under the scorching sun.

Blackbuck

• About: It is a species of antelope native to India and Nepal.
• Also known as: Antilope cervicapra or the Indian Antelope
• Distribution: It is widespread in Rajasthan, Gujarat, Madhya Pradesh, Tamil Nadu, Odisha, and other areas throughout peninsular India.
• Symbol of Grasslands: It is considered as the epitome of grassland.
• Behavior: The blackbuck is a diurnal antelope (active mainly during the day).
• Recognition: It has been declared as the State Animal of Punjab, Haryana, and Andhra Pradesh.
• Cultural Importance: It is a symbol of purity for Hinduism as its skin and horns are regarded as sacred objects. For Buddhism, it is a symbol of good luck.
• Protection Status
• Wildlife Protection Act 1972: Schedule I
• IUCN Status: Least Concern.
• CITES: Appendix III
• State Animal: Punjab, Haryana and Andhra Pradesh. Blackbuck conservation reserve is being built at Allahabad, UP (first in India).

• Threats: Habitat Fragmentation, Deforestation, Natural Calamities, Illegal Hunting.
• Protected Areas

oVelavadar Blackbuck Sanctuary

oPoint Calimere Wildlife Sanctuary

oNilgiri biosphere reserve

oCorbett national park

---

7. ETHYLENE OXIDE (Syllabus: GS Paper 3 – Sci and Tech)

Context: Hong Kong banned the sale of Indian spice brands MDH Pvt. and Everest Food Products Pvt. after authorities detected the presence of carcinogenic pesticide ethylene oxide in several spice mixes.

Ethylene Oxide

• About: It is an important organic compound widely used in various industrial processes.
• Applications: A small amount (less than 1%) is used to control insects in some stored agricultural products, and a very small amount is used in hospitals to sterilize medical equipment and supplies.
• Health Impacts: It mainly impacts human central nervous system depression and irritation of the eyes and mucous membranes. 

oChronic exposure can cause irritation of the eyes, skin, nose, throat, and lungs, and damage to the brain and nervous system. 

oIt's recognized as a top-level cancer-causing substance by the International Agency for Research on Cancer.

• Legal Ramifications: According to food safety laws, foods with pesticide residues can only be sold if they are safe to eat. Breaking this rule could lead to a $50,000 fine and six months in jail.
• Long-Term Health Risks: Eating food with small amounts of ethylene oxide isn't immediately harmful, but it can cause health problems over time. Thus, it's advisable for people to avoid this substance as much as possible.

---

8. LEGAL PROVISION FOR STAR CAMPAIGNERS (Syllabus: GS Paper 2 – Polity/Governance)

Context: Sunita Kejriwal, wife of the Delhi Chief Minister, was recently appointed as a 'star campaigner' by the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) for its campaign in Gujarat.

Legal Provisions Regarding Star Campaigners

• Definition: Section 77 of the Representation of the People Act, 1951 (RP Act) defines 'leaders of a political party' as star campaigners.
• Membership Requirement: Star campaigners, according to the RP Act, must be members of the political party that appoints them.
• Maximum Number: A recognized national or State political party can appoint a maximum of 40 star campaigners.
• A registered unrecognised political party can appoint up to 20 star campaigners.
• Notification Requirement: The names of the star campaigners must be communicated to the Election Commission (EC) and Chief Electoral Officer (CEO) of the States within seven days from the date of notification of such election.
• Multi-phase Election Provision: In the case of a multi-phase election, a political party can submit a separate list of star campaigners for different phases.
• Single List for the Entire State: Despite the provision for separate lists for different phases, it is observed that all major parties provide a single list for a State that is applicable for all phases.

Benefits of the RP Act Provision

• Exemption from Election Expenditure: The RP Act provides that expenditure incurred by the ‘leaders of a political party’ on account of travel by air or any other means of transport for campaigning for their political party shall not be deemed to be part of the election expenditure of a candidate of such party.
• Expenditure Limit for Candidates: The election expenditure limit for candidates is ₹95 lakh per Lok Sabha constituency in larger States and ₹75 lakh in smaller States.
• Star Campaigners as Vote-fetchers: It would be vote-fetchers for candidates set up by respective parties without affecting their expenditure limit.
• General Campaigning Provision: This is applicable only if the star campaigners limit themselves to general campaigning for the party.

---

9. RAMPAGE MISSILE (Syllabus: GS Paper 3 – Sci and Tech)

Context: Israel recently used the Rampage, an efficient air-to-surface missile, in an attack on an Iranian military base.

Rampage Missile 

• About: It is a long-range, supersonic, air-to-ground, seekerless, precision strike missile developed by Israel Aerospace Industries and Israeli Military Industries Systems.
• Target and Mission: It is designed for use in missions targeting high-quality, well-protected assets such as communication and command centers, air force bases, maintenance centers, and infrastructure.
• Supersonic Speed: It travels at supersonic speeds, making it challenging to identify and intercept with air defense systems.
• Range: The missile has an operational range of over 190 miles.
• Payload Capacity: It can carry 150 kg of explosives, facilitating significant damage upon impact.
• Warhead Type: Equipped with a blast fragmentation or general-purpose warhead.
• Guidance and Navigation: Utilizes GPS/INS guidance navigation and anti-jamming capabilities.
• Mid-flight Adjustment: It can adjust its path mid-flight, ensuring precise targeting of its programmed objective.
• All-Weather Capability: The Rampage Missile is operable in any weather conditions, day or night.

---

10. UN SUMMIT OF THE FUTURE (Syllabus: GS Paper 3 – Economy)

Context: The UN Secretary-General recently emphasized that the reform of multilateral development banks (MDBs) will be a key theme at this year’s Summit of the Future, the flagship event of his term, scheduled during the annual high-level UN General Assembly meeting this September.

UN Summit of the Future

• About: It is a timely initiative by the United Nations, recognizing historically unprecedented challenges in their globality and vast time horizon.
• Aim: To build upon the Sustainable Development Goal (SDG) Summit and deliver an action-oriented Pact for the Future to accelerate progress towards the Sustainable Development Goals, achieved through an action-oriented outcome document called the Pact for the Future.
• A High-Level Event: The summit gathers world leaders to forge a new international consensus on delivering a better present and safeguarding the future.
• Restoring Trust and Cooperation: It serves as a moment to mend eroded trust and demonstrate that international cooperation can effectively tackle current challenges and those that have emerged or may yet emerge.
• Participation: The high-level event will bring together UN Member States, UN agencies, NGOs, CSOs, academic institutions, the private sector, and youth under the theme, ‘Summit of the Future: Multilateral Solutions for a Better Tomorrow’.
• Centered Around Five Key Targets:

oReaffirm the UN Charter

oReinvigorate multilateralism

oBoost implementation of existing commitments

oAgree on solutions to new challenges

oRestore trust

---