18 April 2021 CURRENT AFFAIRS | UPSC CDS AFCAT NDA COMPETITITVE EXAMS

1. REWACONODON INDICUS

The Tiki Formation in Madhya Pradesh, a treasure trove of vertebrate fossils, has now yielded a new species and two genera of cynodonts, small rat-like animals that lived about 220 million years ago.

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The researchers from the Indian Institute of Technology Kharagpur, used scanning electron microscopy to study about 10 teeth samples collected from the village of Tihki in Shahdol District, Madhya Pradesh.
The results showed that they had found a new species, and they named it Rewaconodon indicus, indicating India, the country it was discovered from.
The team also identified two new genera from the area. The first was named Inditherium floris, after India and the Latin word therium meaning beast. As the teeth had a flower-shaped crown, it earned the species name floris.
The second was named Tikiodon cromptoni, after Tiki Formation and Greek word odon meaning tooth. The species name is after paleontologist A.W. Crompton.

Source : The Hindu

2. ABHIJIT SINHA COMMITTEE

The Nagaland government has decided to form a joint consultative committee (JCC) involving all traditional tribal bodies and, civil society organisations for taking an exercise to register the State’s indigenous inhabitants.

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The JCC will be headed by Home Commissioner Abhijit Sinha.
The decision was taken at a meeting on the issue of preparing the Register of Indigenous Inhabitants of Nagaland (RIIN).
In July 2019, the Nagaland government launched the RIIN, seen as a variant of Assam’s National Register of Citizens that excluded 19.06 lakh people out of about 3.3 crore applicants.
The exercise was put on hold after some civil society and extremist groups opposed its stated objective of preventing outsiders from obtaining fake indigenous certificates for seeking jobs and benefits of government schemes.
December 1, 1963 — the day Nagaland attained Statehood — was the cut-off date for determining the “permanent residents” of the State. Apart from non-Nagas, the “outsiders” implied Nagas living in areas beyond the boundaries of Nagaland could be left out of the RIIN.

Source : The Hindu

3. CHANDRA SHEKHAR

Prime Minister Narendra Modi has paid homage to former Prime Minister Chandra Shekhar on his Jayanti.

About:

Chandra Shekhar Singh (1927 – 2007) was an Indian politician who served as the eighth Prime Minister of India, between 10 November 1990 and 21 June 1991.
He headed a minority government of a breakaway faction of the Janata Dal with outside support from the Indian National Congress. His government was largely seen as a "puppet" and "lame duck" and the government was formed with the fewest party MPs in the Lok Sabha.
Chandra Shekhar was prime minister for seven months, the second shortest period after that of Charan Singh. He also handled the portfolios of Defence and Home Affairs during this period.
The Indian economic crisis, 1991, and the Assassination of Rajiv Gandhi plunged his government into crisis.

Source : All India Radio

4. CUBA

Raul Castro confirmed he was handing over the leadership of the all-powerful Cuban Communist Party to a younger generation at its congress that kicked off recently, ending six decades of rule by himself and older brother Fidel.

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Cuba is a country comprising the island of Cuba, as well as Isla de la Juventud and several minor archipelagos.
Cuba is located in the northern Caribbean where the Caribbean Sea, Gulf of Mexico and Atlantic Ocean meet.
Havana is the largest city and capital.

Important Info :

History of Cuba

From the 15th century, it was a colony of Spain until the Spanish–American War of 1898, when Cuba was occupied by the United States and gained nominal independence as a de facto United States protectorate in 1902.
In 1940 Cuba attempted to strengthen its democratic system, but mounting political radicalization and social strife culminated in a coup and subsequent dictatorship under Fulgencio Batista in 1952.
Open corruption and oppression under Batista's rule led to his ousting in January 1959 by the 26th of July Movement, which afterwards established communist rule under the leadership of Fidel Castro.
Since 1965, the state has been governed by the Communist Party of Cuba.
The country was a point of contention during the Cold War between the Soviet Union and the United States, and a nuclear war nearly broke out during the Cuban Missile Crisis of 1962.

Source : Indian Express

5. BLACK SEA

Two Russian warships transited the Bosphorus en route to the Black Sea today and 15 smaller vessels completed a transfer to the sea as Russia beefs up its naval presence at a time of tense relations with the West and Ukraine.

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The Black Sea is a marginal sea of the Atlantic Ocean lying between Europe and Asia. It is bordered by Bulgaria, Georgia, Romania, Russia, Turkey, and Ukraine.
It is supplied by major rivers, principally the Danube, Dnieper, and Don.
The Black Sea ultimately drains into the Mediterranean Sea, via the Turkish Straits and the Aegean Sea. The Bosporus Strait connects it to the small Sea of Marmara which in turn is connected to the Aegean Sea via the Strait of the Dardanelles.
To the north, the Black Sea is connected to the Sea of Azov by the Kerch Strait.
The Black Sea covers 436,400 km2 (not including the Sea of Azov), making it the world's largest inland body of water.

Source : All India Radio

6. ADITYA-L1 SUPPORT CENTRE (ASC)

The Indian programme to study the Sun and the region between the Sun and the Earth from space – Aditya-L1 – is due to be launched next year.

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It will carry seven payloads which have been developed by various institutions across the country. Once the mission is launched, there will be a need for a ground support centre to monitor and coordinate the work on its various payloads.
This role will be played by the ARIES facility (short for Aryabhata Research Institute for observational Sciences) which is situated near Nainital.
In January 2021, an agreement was signed to this effect based on the proposal submitted by the ARIES team. With about four to five personnel, this centre will come up at Haldawani, where ARIES is setting up a data centre also.
The Aditya-L1 Support Centre (ASC) will provide training through regular workshops for the guest users. Apart from this, it will provide ready-to-use Python and Java apps for the satellite data and demos and handouts to facilitate the guest users.

Source : The Hindu

7. CONSERVATION OF MIGRATORY SPECIES

India has undertaken various steps for the conservation of migratory species.

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In February last year, India hosted the 13th Conference of Parties to the Convention on Migratory Species (CMS).
India was able to successfully list Asian Elephant, Great Indian Bustard and Bengal Florican to the Appendix I of CMS for cooperative action from the range countries of these species.
India is currently the President of CMS Conference of Parties. For the first time, India has been elected as a Chair of the CMS Standing Committee.
'The Marine Mega Fauna Stranding Management Guidelines' have been launched which is the first of its kind in the country.
'National Marine Turtle Action Plan for the period extending from 2021 to 2026 has also been launched.
A new National programme, 'Project Dolphin' was announced last year for more focussed conservation of both riverine and marine Dolphins.
The government has also launched a five-year Action Plan for Vulture Conservation in India.
Last year on International Snow Leopard Day, Himal Sanrakshak Community Volunteer Programme was launched.
India and Bangladesh have signed a Protocol on Trans-boundary Elephant Conservation. It aims at conservation of Elephants including their safe natural migration across international Borders as well as mitigation of Human-Elephant Conflicts.

Source : All India Radio

8. MK-4482

An experimental antiviral drug, MK-4482, significantly decreased levels of virus and disease damage in the lungs of hamsters treated for SARS-CoV-2 infection, according to a new study from scientists from the US National Institutes of Health (NIH).

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MK-4482, delivered orally, is now in human clinical trials.
The scientists found MK-4482 treatment effective when provided up to 12 hours before or 12 hours after infecting the hamsters with SARS-CoV-2.
These data suggest that MK-4482 treatment potentially could mitigate high-risk exposures to SARS-CoV-2, and might be used to treat established SARS-CoV-2 infection alone or possibly in combination with other agents.

Source : Indian Express

18 April 2021 CURRENT AFFAIRS | UPSC CDS AFCAT NDA COMPETITITVE EXAMS

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