1. JORDAN

In a marked flare-up in tensions within Jordan’s royal household, Prince Hamzah bin Al Hussein, the former crown prince and half-brother of ruling monarch Abdullah, has reportedly been placed under house arrest as part of a crackdown on critics.

About:

• Jordan is an Arab country in the Levant region of Western Asia, on the East Bank of the Jordan River.
• Jordan is bordered by Saudi Arabia, Iraq, Syria, Israel and Palestine (West Bank).
• The Dead Sea is located along its western borders and the country has a 26-kilometre coastline on the Red Sea in its extreme south-west.
• Its capital city is Amman.
• The sovereign state is a constitutional monarchy, but the king holds wide executive and legislative powers.
• Sunni Islam, practised by around 95% of the population, is the dominant religion and coexists with an indigenous Christian minority.

Source : Indian Express

2. RAFALE

India will receive another 8 to 9 Rafale jets from France by mid-May, with some expected later this month, completing the first squadron of the fighters in the Indian Air Force (IAF), according to a defence official.

About:

• With the inductions this month set to complete the first squadron, which currently has 14 jets, the IAF is all set to operationalise the second Rafale squadron at Hasimara in West Bengal later this month.
• Last September, the IAF inducted the batch of five Rafales, of the 36 contracted from France under a €7.87 billion Inter-Governmental Agreement signed in September 2016 with 13 India Specific Enhancements (ISE).
• The first batch of five jets, three single-seat and two twin-seater trainers, were formally inducted into the No. 17 ‘Golden Arrows’ squadron of the IAF last September at the Ambala Air Force station.
• The second batch of three Rafales arrived in India last November. The third batch of three Rafales arrived in India in January. The fourth batch of three jets arrived on March 31.
• Last December, IAF Chief Air Chief Marshal R.K.S. Bhadauria said the Force would get three to four Rafales every two to three months till all 36 jets are delivered and added that the first squadron would be fully ready by the end of 2021 and the second squadron by 2023.

Source : The Hindu

3. NAXALISM

Since the 2010 Chintalnar massacre, the Dantewada-Sukma-Bijapur axis has claimed the lives of more than 175 security force personnel, besides several civilians.

About:

• While the Chintalnar encounter saw 76 CRPF men killed, the latest encounter in Bijapur led to the death of 22 security personnel.
• A look at the data on Maoist violence in Chhattisgarh shows that most attacks and casualties have happened between March and July.
• Sources say this is because the CPI (Maoist) usually launches its tactical counter-offensive campaign between February and the end of June. This campaign involves aggressive military operations against security forces before the monsoons—that make movement difficult—hit the region.
• The key concern is that security forces are still struggling in this region, known as Bastar, despite the campaign against the Left-wing extremists starting around 15 years ago.
• Bastar is a district in Chhattisgarh. Jagdalpur is the district headquarters.
• A host of factors—remoteness, jungle terrain, absence of administration and lack of political will—have been blamed for the slow progress there.
• The eradication of the movement in neighbouring Andhra Pradesh and Odisha has led to a concentration of cadre and leaders in the Bastar region—which provides easy movement for the rebels across borders because of its proximity to other states.
• Most, however, point to absence of roads, communication and proper administration as the main reason for Maoists continuing to hold the area.

Source : Indian Express

4. SANKALP SE SIDDH

TRIFED under Ministry of Tribal Affairs has now launched “Sankalp se Siddhi” - Village and Digital Connect Drive.

About:

• It is a 100 day drive which was stared from April 1, 2021.
• The drive will entail 150 teams visiting ten villages each of which 10 in each region from TRIFED and State Implementation Agencies, visiting ten villages each.
• The main aim of this drive is to activate the Van Dhan Vikas Kendras in these villages.
• The visiting teams will also identify locations and shortlist potential Van Dhan Vikas Kendras for clustering as TRIFOOD, and Scheme of Fund for Regeneration of Traditional Industries- SFURTI units as larger enterprises.
• TRIFOOD aims to enhance the income of tribals through better utilization of and value addition to the Minor Forest Produce collected by the tribal forest gatherers.

Source : PIB

5. E-COURTS PROJECT

The eCommittee Supreme Court has prepared the draft vision document for Phase III of the eCourts Project under the auspices of the Supreme court of India.

About:

• E-Courts Project is a mission mode project undertaken by the Department of Justice, Government of India.
• The Chairperson of eCommittee is Dr Justice Dhananjaya Y Chandrachud, Judge, Supreme Court of India.
• The eCommittee of the Supreme Court has been overseeing the implementation of the eCourts Project, conceptualized under the "National Policy and Action Plan for Implementation of Information and Communication Technology (ICT) in the Indian Judiciary-2005".
• Phase III of the eCourts Project in India is rooted in two central facets—access and inclusion.
• Phase III of the eCourts Project envisions a judicial system that is more easily accessible irrespective of geographical distances, efficient and equitable for every individual who seeks justice, makes more efficient use of human and other resources, and absorbs the latest technology for a positive environmental impact.

Source : PIB

6. URANUS

Uranus, the seventh planet from the sun is reflecting X-rays, says a new study by scientists.

About:

• This is the first time astronomers have detected X-rays from Uranus, which is also known as the 'sideways planet' because it rotates on its side, unlike any other planet in our solar system.
• As part of this new study, scientists compared observations of the Chandra Space Telescope dating back to 2002 and 2017.
• The Chandra program is managed by NASA's Marshall Space Flight Center and is a vital source of information for scientists examining the solar system, along with the Hubble Space Telescope.
• NASA said the Sun could cause Uranus to emit X-rays. This is not entirely uncommon since scientists have already established that both Jupiter and Saturn scatter X-ray light given off by the sun.
• Uranus has the third-largest planetary radius and fourth-largest planetary mass in the Solar System. Uranus is similar in composition to Neptune, and both have bulk chemical compositions which differ from that of the larger gas giants Jupiter and Saturn. For this reason, scientists often classify Uranus and Neptune as "ice giants" to distinguish them from the other gas giants.
• It has the coldest planetary atmosphere in the Solar System.
• Like the other giant planets, Uranus has a ring system, a magnetosphere, and numerous moons.
• Voyager 2 remains the only spacecraft to visit the planet.

Source : India Today

7. INGENUITY (HELICOPTER)

In another major success for the US space agency NASA, its Mars helicopter Ingenuity has been dropped on the surface of the Red Planet ahead of its historic first flight scheduled for April 11.

About:

• Ingenuity is a small robotic helicopter located on Mars since February 18, 2021 that is intended to make the first powered atmospheric flight on a planet beyond Earth.
• Part of NASA's Mars 2020 mission, the small coaxial, drone rotorcraft will serve as a technology demonstrator for the potential use of flying probes on other worlds, with the potential to scout locations of interest and support the future planning of driving routes for Mars rovers.
• Ingenuity, now on the Martian surface, was attached to the underside of the Perseverance rover.

Source : DNA

8. FOREST FIRES

Uttarakhand has witnessed over 1,000 incidents of forest fire over the last six months, including 45 in the last 24 hours alone, and has reached out to the Centre for helicopters and personnel from the National Disaster Response Force (NDRF).

About:

• Since the start of 2021, there has been a series of forest fires in Himachal Pradesh, Nagaland-Manipur border, Odisha, Madhya Pradesh, and Gujarat, including in wildlife sanctuaries.
• April-May is the season when forest fires take place in various parts of the country.
• But forest fires have been more frequent than usual in Uttarakhand and have also taken place during winter; dry soil caused by a weak monsoon is being seen as one of the causes.
• Forest fires can be caused by a number of natural causes, but officials say many major fires in India are triggered mainly by human activities.

How prone to fire are India’s forests?

• As of 2019, about 21.67% (7,12,249 sq km) of the country’s geographical area is identified as forest, according to the India State of Forest Report 2019 (ISFR) released by the Forest Survey of India (FSI), Dehradun. Tree cover makes up another 2.89% (95, 027 sq km).
• Based on previous fire incidents and recorded events, forests of the Northeast and central India regions are the most vulnerable areas to forest fires, the FSI has said. Forests in Assam, Mizoram and Tripura have been identified as ‘extremely prone’ to forest fire.
• Uttarakhand and Himachal Pradesh are the two states that witness the most frequent forest fires annually.

Source : Indian Express