| 1. Why PM is concerned about deepfakes |  | Caution note- Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Friday cautioned that deepfakes created by artificial intelligence can lead to a "big crisis" and "stoke the fire of discontent" in society, as he urged the media to raise awareness about its misuse and educate people.
'I didn't do the garba'- Addressing the media at BJP's 'Diwali Milan' programme at the party's headquarters in Delhi, Modi said he recently saw a video of him performing garba even though he has not done so since school days. Even those who love him are forwarding the video, he said in a lighter vein.
A chat with ChatGPT- Modi said he had recently suggested to ChatGPT professionals that as products like cigarettes come with health warnings, deepfakes too should carry disclosures.
What are deepfakes?- Deepfake videos are synthetic media in which a person in an existing image or video is replaced with someone else's likeness.
- AI tools being used to create deepfakes have become a big concern across the world.
Recent controversies- Of late, deepfake videos featuring several celebrities have surfaced online, including one on actor Rashmika Mandanna, which led to a police FIR and action by the Union IT ministry. Actor Kajol too recently flagged a deepfake video of her going viral on social media.
- Earlier this week, the Indian government issued an advisory to major social media platforms, urging them to take prompt action against deepfakes and remove content that spreads misinformation.
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| 2. Trapped in a tunnel, what's hampering the rescue work |  | An obstruction- There is more bad news from the site where a portion of a Char Dham road project tunnel collapsed on Sunday morning. Drilling work had to be halted on Friday after rescue teams encountered an obstruction 24 metres from the opening.
- They need to drill another 35 metres to reach the trapped workers.
What next- A team of experts from Delhi has reached the site for a "geo-physical survey" of the debris.
- They will use ground penetrating radar (GPR) and seismic reflection methods to detect the obstacles in the path of the drilling machine.
- A survey team member told TOI, "As some machines and iron garters are also buried under the debris, which may be causing the obstruction. If that is the case, we will have to choose a new path and penetrate the pipes again...We are in a good situation and are hopeful of achieving a breakthrough."
Safety norms flouted- There is no escape route at the 4.5 km-long tunnel. Experts say safety norms were flouted during its construction.
- "As a norm, escape routes should be there in such long tunnel projects to facilitate rescue work for emergency situations like this," PC Nawani, former director of the Geological Survey of India, told TOI.
- Nawani said, "Companies and agencies involved in tunnel construction in India tend to overlook safety concerns and measures suggested by geologists."
- Workers trapped inside the tunnel are also facing the challenge of a contaminated environment as the gases generated underground are not being exhausted.
A stroke of luck?- The tunnel disaster could have been bigger in terms of the number of workers trapped inside had it not happened on Diwali.
- Usually, around 150 people used to work inside the tunnel on a given day in a single shift. But that day, because of the festival, the strength was less than half, officials said.
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| 3. A setback for BJP-JJP over quota in Haryana |  | A high court verdict- The Punjab and Haryana High Court on Friday quashed a Haryana law that provided 75% reservation in private sector jobs to the residents of the state.
- In a setback to the Haryana government, the two-judge bench quashed the law saying the Haryana State Employment of Local Candidates Act, 2020 violated fundamental rights under Articles 14 and 19 of the Constitution.
What the court said- "We are of the considered opinion that the writ petitions are liable to be allowed and The Haryana State Employment of Local Candidates Act, 2020 is held to be unconstitutional and violative of Part III of the Constitution of India and is accordingly held ultra vires and the same is ineffective from the date it came into force," according to the court order.
- The court had admitted multiple petitions against the implementation of the act that provided 75% reservation in jobs in the private sector to candidates from the state.
The law- The reservation law came into effect on January 15, 2022, and covered jobs offering a maximum gross monthly salary or wages up to Rs 30,000.
- Several industrial associations had moved the court against the law.
- The law was applicable to private sector companies, societies, trusts, limited liability partnership firms, partnership firms and any person who employed 10 or more persons on salary, wages, or other remuneration for manufacturing, carrying on business, or rendering any service in Haryana.
- Haryana Governor Bandaru Dattatreya had given his assent to the Haryana State Employment of Local Candidates Bill in March 2021.
Why a political setback- Providing 75% reservation in private sector jobs for Haryana-domiciled candidates was a key poll promise of the Jannayak Janta Party in the 2019 assembly polls.
- After the polls, the JJP extended support to BJP and formed a government as the saffron party fell short of attaining a simple majority on its own.
- The law was backed by both the JJP and the BJP. More here
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| 4. Modi proposes 'five Cs' formula to ease Gaza conflict |  | What Modi said- New challenges are emerging from the incidents in West Asia and it is time for the countries of the Global South to talk in one voice for greater global good, Prime Minister Narendra Modi said on Friday while condemning civilian deaths in the Hamas-Israel conflict.
- Addressing the virtual Voice of Global South Summit, he said "India has condemned the horrific terrorist attacks in Israel on October 7. Along with restraint, we have also emphasised dialogue and diplomacy. We strongly condemn the deaths of civilians in the conflict between Israel and Hamas."
A formula- Modi also called for cooperation under the framework of the 'five Cs' which he explained as consultation, cooperation, communication, creativity and capacity building.
- "For 'one earth, one family, one future', let us all move forward together with five Cs," he said. "One earth, one family, one future" has been India's theme for its G20 presidency.
- This comes even as Israel continued its massive military operation in Gaza following the Hamas raid on October 7, killing over 1,400 people and kidnapping more than 220 others.
Aid halts in Gaza- Aid agencies called off deliveries of basic necessities, warning of the looming possibility of widespread starvation a day after internet and telephone services collapsed in Gaza due to a lack of fuel.
A window of relief- Meanwhile, Israeli officials say the country's War Cabinet has unanimously approved small shipments of fuel for humanitarian needs in the Gaza Strip.
- They said they would allow two containers of diesel fuel each day for the United Nations to support water and sewage infrastructure in the besieged territory.
In West Bank- Israeli troops and Palestinian militants exchanged fire in the town of Jenin in the occupied West Bank during an overnight army raid.
- It ended at a hospital where the Palestinian Red Crescent said Israeli forces detained and searched paramedic crews Friday.
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| NEWS IN CLUES | | 5. Identify this Indian district | Clue 1: Its name was officially changed in 2016
Clue 2: It was named India's most backward by the NITI Aayog in 2018
Clue 3: The highest concentration of the Meo ethnic community is found here
Scroll below for answer
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| 6. Will odd-even return to Delhi? |  | Toxicity still severe- As a layer of haze continued to cover the national capital on Friday, the air quality was recorded in the 'severe' category in several parts of the city.
- Delhi Environment Minister Gopal Rai sought the Centre's intervention to curb the pollution.
- Delhi's air quality index (AQI) worsened after it recorded the cleanest pre-Diwali air in eight years on Sunday, when AQI read 218.
Will odd-even return?- Implemented four times since 2016, the measure allows cars to operate on alternate days based on the odd or even last digit of their registration numbers. The last enforcement was in 2019.
- Earlier this week, Gopal Rai spoke about the possibility of the return of the odd-even car rationing measure.
- But it was not implemented after Delhi's AQI improved and the Supreme Court questioned the odd-even scheme's efficacy in controlling pollution. A decision is likely in a day or two.
'Stop polluting vehicles'- Gopal Rai on Friday said, "We have found that private buses from other states have been violating the ban and have directed the transport department to run a special drive to check the entry of such vehicles into Delhi."
'Not only Delhi's problem'- Rai said that the issue of pollution persists not only in Delhi but the entire north India. "This situation is persisting in all of north India. Besides Delhi, Haryana is showing severe category air quality in 12 districts...There are 14 such locations in Rajasthan...There are several districts in western Uttar Pradesh where there is a similar situation," he said on Friday.
- His comment came amid complaints about rising cases of farm fires in Punjab, where Rai's AAP is in power.
Focus on Punjab fires- Punjab reported more than 1,200 stubble-burning incidents on Thursday, despite the police sounding a red alert and warning of legal action.
- The Supreme Court on November 7 directed Punjab, Haryana, Uttar Pradesh and Rajasthan to ensure crop residue burning was stopped "forthwith", saying it cannot let "people die" due to pollution.
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| 7. Can BJP's magic spell work on MP, Chhattisgarh? |  | What- The Election Commission (EC) said on Friday that the tentative voter turnout till 5 pm was 67.34% in Chhattisgarh and 71.11% in Madhya Pradesh.
- The voting percentage is likely to "go upwards" when reports from all the polling stations, including those in the interiors, are obtained, the poll panel said.
- Both states primarily witnessed a contest between the BJP and Congress.
BJP's past record- While MP has a 230-member Assembly, Chhattisgarh has 90 constituencies - of which 18 went to polls last week and 72 on Friday.
- BJP had lost 2018 assembly polls in both the states, but in MP the Congress government was eventually overturned by resignation and then defection of 22 sitting MLAs - a strategy that gave birth to the political jargon "Operation Kamal".
Violence in MP- Instances of violence marred the electoral process in MP.
- The Dimani assembly seat in Morena witnessed gunfire and stone pelting, which also caused injuries. Mirghan village faced a law and order crisis at two polling booths leading to violent clashes that impeded voters.
- In a separate incident at Manharh village of Mehgaon assembly in Bhind, BJP candidate Rakesh Shukla faced an attack by assailants.
Anxieties and concerns- In both states, there is some degree of anti-incumbency factor, for which political parties left no stone unturned in their campaigns.
- Top leaders of contesting parties criss-crossed Madhya Pradesh addressing rallies, holding roadshows, trading charges and making a slew of promises to seek votes for their candidates.
- While PM Narendra Modi and Union home minister Amit Shah led BJP's charge in both states, Rahul and Priyanka Gandhi did so for the Congress.
- Both parties did not officially name CM candidates in MP and Chhattisgarh.
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| 8. Can India avenge 2003 WC final defeat? |  | The final countdown- India will face Australia in the final match of the ODI cricket World Cup 2023 tomorrow in Ahmedabad. Formidable batting and bowling line-ups in both teams have heightened expectations for a nail-biting contest. The countdown has begun.
Encounter no. 14- The two have played against one another 13 times so far in ODI World Cups - of which Australia won eight and India five.
- Two of them were semi-finals - both teams won one each - and one was a final.
- The two teams did not face each other in the 1975, 1979, and 2007 editions of the tournament.
20 years ago- The last time the two teams had faced one another in the finale of the ODI World Cup was in 2003 - a game that Australia won by 125 runs.
- Indian skipper Sourav Ganguly won the toss and decided to field first - a decision that baffled many. Australia went on to set a target of 360 runs for India - with skipper Ricky Ponting scoring an unbeaten 140.
- The loss broke millions of hearts as India had a terrific campaign in the tournament. Sachin Tendulkar was named the player of the tournament.
'Don't do anything different'- India will be overwhelming favourites in the upcoming World Cup final against Australia, the team's former head coach Ravi Shastri said on Friday while urging the hosts to stick to their game plans.
- Shastri said India does not need to do anything different. "I think they will be relaxed. They are playing at home, and it's a very experienced side. And they don't need to do anything different."
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| 9. Killer tobacco: 1.3 mn cancer deaths in 7 countries |  | Injurious to health- Over 1.3 million lives are lost annually to cancers caused by smoking tobacco in seven countries: India, China, the UK, Brazil, Russia, the US, and South Africa.
- Collectively these nations represent over 50% of the global burden of cancer deaths each year, according to a study published in The Lancet's eClinicalMedicine journal.
Cost of avoidable risk factors- Smoking, as well as three other preventable risk factors — alcohol consumption, obesity, and human papillomavirus (HPV) infections — combined, cause almost two million deaths annually across the studied countries.
- Smoking tobacco has the most significant impact, leading to 20.8 million years of life lost.
- The study found that the four avoidable risk factors led to a yearly loss of over 30 million life-years, with smoking tobacco being the most significant contributor, causing a loss of 20.8 million years of life.
Global disparities- The impact of preventable risk factors varies among countries and regions.
- In India, there are more premature deaths from head and neck cancer in men and gynaecological cancer in women, while in other countries, tobacco smoking causes the most years of life lost to lung cancer.
Gender differences- The study shows men generally experience higher rates of years of life lost to smoking and alcohol consumption due to higher prevalence. In China, India and Russia, rates of years of life lost to tobacco smoking and alcohol were up to nine times higher in men than women.
- While women face more significant risks from being overweight or obese and HPV infections, leading to higher cancer deaths and years of life lost. In South Africa and India, high rates of life-years lost due to HPV show a substantial gender imbalance—60 times higher in South African women and 11 times higher in Indian women.
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| Answer To NEWS IN CLUES |  | Nuh. Markets remained closed in parts of Haryana’s Nuh on Friday following an incident of stone pelting involving Hindu and Muslim communities the previous night. Three women reportedly suffered injuries in Thursday night’s incident. An FIR was registered by the police on Friday and three teenagers were apprehended. The incident set alarm bells ringing because the district witnessed communal violence around four months ago, which claimed at least six lives.
COURTESY : TIMES TOP 10 |
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