14-06-2021

14-JUNE-2021

The Hindu News Analysis – 14th June 2021 – Shankar IAS Academy
S. Page Number*
News Articles
No. C B D H T

1 Vinoo Mankad inducted into the ICC Hall of Fame 13 13 13 13 13

2 Britain calls Macron’s view of N. Ireland ‘offensive’ 11 11 11 11 11

3 Planning for a biosecure future (OPED) 7 7 7 7 7

4 Rare earth metals at the heart of China-U.S. rivalry 11 11 11 11 11

5 ₹498 crore for iDEX challenge 8 8 8 8 8

6 Prelims Practice Questions

@ end of the video
7 Mains Practice Question
*C – Chennai; B – Bengaluru; D – Delhi; H – Hyderabad; T – Thiruvananthapuram

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Pg: 13 – C, B, T, H, D

International Cricket Council (ICC)

• Global governing body for cricket - represents

• Presides over the ICC Code of Conduct, playing
104 members.
conditions, the Decision Review System and
• Responsible for the staging of all ICC Events other ICC regulations.
- World Cup, Champion’s Trophy, World
• Appoints all match officials - officiate all
Twenty20 etc.
sanctioned international matches.
• 1909 - Founded as the Imperial Cricket
• Anti-Corruption Unit of ICC - coordinates
Conference by Australia, England and South
action against corruption and match fixing.
Africa.

• Renamed as the International Cricket

Conference; and finally International Cricket
Council.

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ICC Cricket Hall of Fame

• Launched in 2009 in association with the Federation of International Cricketers Associations (FICA).

• Recognizes the achievements of the legends of the game.

• From 2009, inductions each year - throughout the cricket calendar.

• News: ICC inducted 10 cricket icons

into the Hall of Fame to celebrate Image source: https://www.icc-cricket.com/
the prestigious history of Test cricket.

Vinoo Mankad

• Played 44 Tests, scored 2,109 runs, took 162

wickets.

• Known as one of India’s greatest-ever

all-rounders.

• One of only three cricketers to have batted in

every position in his Test career.

• Also coached Sunil Gavaskar - another ICC Hall

of Fame member.

• Mankading, a method of run out, is named after

Vinoo Mankad.

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Pg: 11 – C, B, T, H, D

News

• Controversial statement of French President

Emmanuel Macron regarding the status of
Northern Ireland.

The United Kingdom

• Consists of a group of islands - off the northwest

coast of Europe.

• Unique country made up four nations

 England  Scotland

 Wales  Northern Ireland

Image source: https://geology.com/

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Major waterbodies and rivers

• Lake Lough Neagh

 Located in central east part of Northern

Ireland.

 Lake covers nearly 396 square km with

a catchment area of 5,700

• Lake Loch Ness - Scotland.

 Largest volume of freshwater in Great Britain.

• River Thames - River Isis - chief river of

southern England.

 Rises in the Cotswold Hills - basin covers an

area of 14,250 square km.

Image source: https://geology.com/

• River Severn - Britain’s longest river from source

to tidal waters.

 Drains into the Bristol Channel.

• English Channel - narrow arm of the Atlantic

Ocean - separating the southern coast.
of England from the northern coast of France.

• North channel - strait linking the Irish Sea with

the North Atlantic Ocean.

• Bristol Channel - inlet of the Atlantic Ocean -

separating southwestern England from southern
Wales.

• Strait of Dover - narrow water passage -

separating England from France - connects
the English Channel with the North Sea.

Image source: https://geology.com/

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Northern Ireland

• Part of the United Kingdom - lies in the

north-eastern region of the Island of Ireland.

• Separated on the east from Scotland by the

narrow North Channel.

• Irish sea - Separates Northern Ireland from

England and Wales.

• Southern and western borders are with the

republic of Ireland.

Image source: https://geology.com/

Practice Question – Prelims

Q. Consider the following pairs:
Lake Location
1. Lough Neagh - Northern Ireland
2. Victoria - North America
3. Ontario - Africa
4. Baikal - Russia
Which of the pairs given above is/are
correctly matched?
a) 1 and 2 only
b) 2 and 3 only
c) 1 and 4 only
d) 1, 3 and 4

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Pg: 7 – C, B, T, H, D

Part A—Preliminary Examination Synthetic biology

Paper I - (200 marks)
• Design and construction of new biological parts, devices
 Current events of national and international
importance.
and systems.

 General Science. • Involves re-design of existing, natural biological

Part B—Main Examination
systems for useful purposes.
PAPER-III
General Studies- II: Governance, Constitution, • Examples
Polity, Social Justice and International relations.
 Microorganisms harnessed for bioremediation to
 Important International institutions, agencies and
fora-their structure, mandate. clean pollutants from our water, soil and air.
PAPER-IV
 Rice modified to produce beta-carotene, a nutrient
General Studies-III: Technology, Economic
Development, Biodiversity, Environment, Security usually associated with carrots, that
and Disaster Management. prevents vitamin A deficiency.
 Security challenges and their management in
border areas - linkages of organized crime with  Yeast engineered to produce rose oil substitute for
terrorism. real roses.

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Synthetic biology risks

• Article 1 of BWTC bans bio-weapons
• Scientists in the United States synthesized a viral
but research for medical and
genome for the first time in 2002 - brought attention
bio-defence purposes are allowed.
to the possibility to develop biological weapons.
• Pharmaceutical industry is also
• Synthetic biology stumbling into defence and
vehemently opposed to any intrusive
bio-weaponry is not far away in reality.
inspection regime.

• Ad Hoc Group group of 1994 - To

Poor regulation of synthetic biology
negotiate a Protocol to enhance the
Biological and Toxin Weapons Convention (BTWC) of 1972 transparency and activities to help
- inadequate deter violations of the BTWC.

• Doesn’t have implementing body. • Submitted a report at the Fifth BTWC

• Does not have a verification clause. Review Conference in 2001 - No action

taken.
• Doesn’t regulate the research also.

India’s under preparedness

• The poor state of health system in India A. Multiplicity of bodies and ministers

• Multiple institutions dealing with bio-safety and makes coordination difficult - We don’t

bio-security threats-no coordination among them. even have a coordinating body.

 Example: implementation of bio-safety B. Given the rising risk of diseases of

guidelines is the responsibility of the Science zoonotic origin, the traditional

and Technology Ministry and the Environment ministry-wise separation might not be

Ministry. But the labs dealing with biological useful.

research are set up under the Indian Council • Porous borders that are ill equipped to deal
of Medical Research (ICMR) and the Indian with pathogen entry.
Council of Agricultural Research (ICAR) which
are under the Ministries of Health and
Agriculture.

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Biological weapon convention

• Formally known as “The Convention on the • Total of eight Review Conferences have
Prohibition of the Development, Production and taken place.
Stockpiling of Bacteriological (Biological) and
• First one in 1980.
Toxin Weapons and on their Destruction”.
• Ninth Review Conference is due in November
• Negotiated by the Conference of the Committee
on Disarmament in Geneva, Switzerland. 2021.

• Opened for signature on 10 April 1972

• Entered into force on 26 March 1975.

• BWC supplements the 1925 Geneva Protocol.

Practice Question – Mains

GS – II
Q. Global security dimensions are changing.
Pandemic has reminded us about the
perils of biological potential as a weapon.
In that context discuss the preparedness
of the world for a bio-weapon face off
with special focus on India
(250 Words, 15 marks)

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Pg: 11 – C, B, T, H, D

Part A—Preliminary Examination

Paper I - (200 marks)
 Current events of national and international importance.
 General Science.
Part B—Main Examination
PAPER-III
General Studies- II: Governance, Constitution, Polity, Social Justice and
International relations.
 Effect of policies and politics of developed and developing countries on
India’s interests, Indian diaspora.
PAPER-IV
General Studies-III: Technology, Economic Development, Biodiversity,
Environment, Security and Disaster Management.
 Science and Technology - developments and their applications and effects
in everyday life.

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Rare earth elements (REEs)

• A group of seventeen metallic elements that occur together in the periodic table.

• Include the fifteen lanthanides plus scandium and yttrium.

Image source: https://geology.com/

• Lanthanides - lanthanum, cerium,

praseodymium, neodymium, promethium,
gadolinium, dysprosium, holmium,
ytterbium etc.

• REEs are all metals - also referred

to as the "rare earth metals.”

• Also known as "rare earth oxides” -

many of them are sold as oxide
compounds.

Applications of REEs

• In magnets, batteries, phosphors, and

catalysts.

• Used in health care, transportation, power

generation, petroleum refining, and consumer
electronics.

• In smartphones, computer screens, computer

memory, DVDs, rechargeable batteries etc.

• Military uses - night-vision goggles,

precision-guided weapons, communications
equipment, G PS equipment, guidance systems,
lasers etc. Image source: https://geology.com/

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The US - China friction over REEs

Global production in the last decades
• 2019: U.S. imported 80% of its rare earth
• 1993 - 38% of world production in China, 33%
minerals from China.
in the United States, 12% in Australia, and 5%
• European Union imported 98% of its rare
each in Malaysia and India.
mineral from China.
• 2008 - more than 90% from China; became
 Huge dependency on China for future
97% in 2011 - Chinese monopoly.
technological developments.
• Frictions - China changed the amount of
• US Senate law - improve critical minerals
production and export of REEs; limited export
supply chains and boost production.
from Chinese companies.
 Work with allies to increase sustainable
global supply; reduce reliance on competitors.

Practice Question – Prelims

Q. Which of the following rare earth
elements are used in smartphones?
1. Neodymium
2. Praseodymium
3. Gadolinium
4. Lanthanum
Select the correct answer using the code
given below:
(a) 1 and 3 only
(b) 1, 2 and 4 only
(c) 4 only
(d) 1, 2, 3 and 4

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Innovations for Defence Excellence (iDEX)

• Launched in April 2018

Aims and components

• Creation of an ecosystem to foster innovation and

technology development in Defence and Aerospace.

• To engage Industries including MSMEs, Startups,

Individual Innovators, R&D institutes and Academia.

• Grants provided

• Support to carry out R&D

• Mandates setting up of “Defence Innovation Hubs”

across the country - To provide necessary
incubation and infrastructure support to defence
Pg: 8 – C, B, T, H, D start-ups and innovator

• iDEX functions as an executive arm of the

Defence Innovation Organisation (DIO).

Practice Question – Prelims

DIO - Defence Innovation Org Q. iDEX seen in news often is associated with
• ‘not for profit’ company
which of the following

• Registered under Section 8 of the Companies

(a) Defense innovation
Act 2013. (b) Defense export policy

• Founding members: Hindustan Aeronautics Limited

(c) Annual Defense expo
(HAL) & Bharat Electronics Limited (BEL) - (d) None of the above
Defence Public Sector Undertakings (DPSUs)

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Practice Question – Prelims

Q. Consider the following pairs:
Lake Location
1. Lough Neagh - Northern Ireland
2. Victoria - North America
3. Ontario - Africa
4. Baikal - Russia
Which of the pairs given above is/are
correctly matched?
a) 1 and 2 only
b) 2 and 3 only
c) 1 and 4 only
d) 1, 3 and 4

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Practice Question – Prelims

Q. Which of the following rare earth
elements are used in smartphones?
1. Neodymium
2. Praseodymium
3. Gadolinium
4. Lanthanum
Select the correct answer using the code
given below:
(a) 1 and 3 only
(b) 1, 2 and 4 only
(c) 4 only
(d) 1, 2, 3 and 4

Practice Question – Prelims

Q. iDEX seen in news often is associated with
which of the following
(a) Defense innovation
(b) Defense export policy
(c) Annual Defense expo
(d) None of the above

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Practice Question – Mains

GS – II
Q. Global security dimensions are changing.
Pandemic has reminded us about the
perils of biological potential as a weapon.
In that context discuss the preparedness
of the world for a bio-weapon face off
with special focus on India
(250 Words, 15 marks)

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