Table of Contents:
A. GS1 Related:
B. GS2 Related:
1. Amid tensions, China expels South Korean missionaries
C. GS3 Related:
1. Green drive on blue waters — solar power lights up naval vessel
2. India’s own interceptor missile soars high
3. What is the Thor experiment?
D. GS4 Related:
E. Important Editorials : A Quick Glance
1. India Successfully Test Fires Exo-Atmospheric Interceptor Missile
2. ‘India Pharma 2017’ & ‘India Medical Device 2017’ International Conference inaugurated
F. Concepts-in-News: Related Concepts to Revise/Learn
G. BILLS/ACTS/SCHEMES/ORGS IN NEWS
H. Fun with Practice Questions 🙂
I. Archives
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Useful News Articles for UPSC Current Affairs
A. GS1 Related
Nothing here for Today!!!
B. GS2 Related
Category: International Relations
Topic: Effect of policies and politics of developed and developing countries on India’s interests
Key Points:
- In a recent development, China has expelled 32 South Korean Christian missionaries.
Background:
- In South Korea, China is widely believed to be retaliating against Seoul’s plan to host the Terminal High Altitude Area Defence (THAAD) system of the U.S. military, against the threat of the missile attack from North Korea.
- But there was no indication of a direct link between the expulsions and tension over THAAD
- China’s Communist Party says it protects freedom of religion, but keeps a tight rein on religious activities and allows only officially recognised religious institutions.
- The US has announced it would deploy THAAD in South Korea to neutralise the threat from North Korea’s alleged Nuclear ambitions. However, this decision has irked China and become lead to a rupture in Sino-US relationship.
What is THAAD?
- The Terminal High Altitude Area Defence (THAAD) system of the U.S. military is an easily transportable defensive weapon system to protect against hostile incoming threats such as tactical and theatre ballistic missiles at ranges of 200km and at altitudes up to 150km.
- The THAAD system provides the upper tier of a ‘layered defensive shield’ to protect high value strategic or tactical sites such as airfields or populations centres.
- The THAAD missile intercepts exo-atmospheric and endo-atmospheric threats.
C. GS3 Related
Category: Science and Technology
Topic: Developments
Key Points:
- INS Sarvekshak is a naval survey vessel.
- This warship of the Navy has turned to the sun to generate a share of its on-board power.
- This ship has innovatively deployed the zero-maintenance solar power system, capable of generating 5.4KW electricity, by customising and installing ‘razor-thin, flexible’ solar panels on the canopy of its telescopic (retractable) helicopter deck.
Challenges
- Rigid, glass-topped solar panels are unsuitable in the humid, salty marine environment, as they cannot withstand high wind speeds.
- They were found to be unfit for fitment on ships and they needed to be stationary for the sensors to receive sunlight.
- Conventional, fume-emitting batteries posed a further challenge, as they are not advisable over turbulent seas
Innovative Deployment
- Given these constraints, the team then decided on the ‘light weight, extra-thin and flexible panels that would not break’.
- These panels have been imported from the U.S. through a local vendor.
- These panels have a maintenance free life for 24 years while the no-fume solid electrolyte batteries have a guaranteed life of 20 years.
Category: Science and Technology
Topic: Developments
Key Points:
- An indigenously developed interceptor missile on 11th February, 2017 successfully destroyed an incoming ballistic missile in a direct hit.
- This demonstrated the capability of India’s Ballistic Missile Shield (BMD), which is under development.
- With this test, India has crossed an important milestone and has entered an exclusive club of four nations with developing capabilities to secure its skies and cities against hostile threats.
- It is an experiment aims to investigate electrical activity from thunderstorms.
- Between 10 and 100 kilometres in the atmosphere, the interaction between charged particles produces a variety of dazzling electric phenomena from blue jets to red sprites.
- The Thor experiment will look at them with a thundercloud imaging system from the vantage point of the International Space Station.
Aim of this Experiment
- The key aims of the study include understanding how these discharges influence water vapour levels, cloud formation, and eventually changes in climate.
D. GS4 Related
Nothing here for today!!!
E. Important Editorials: A Quick Glance
PIB
Category: Science and Technology
Topic: Developments
Key Points:
- India successfully conducted a test wherein an incoming ballistic missile target was intercepted by an exo-atmospheric interceptor missile off the Bay of Bengal.
- With this commendable scientific achievement, India has crossed an important milestone in building its overall capability towards enhanced security against incoming ballistic missile threats.
- It has entered an exclusive club of four nations with developing capabilities to secure its skies and cities against hostile threats.
- India has a target of reaching upto 100 GW of solar power generation by the year 2022.
- Prime Minister Shri Narendra Modi and Defence Minister Shri Manohar Parrikar lauded the efforts of the DRDO and all the scientists involved for their dedicated efforts in this significant achievement.
Category: Economy, Science and Technology
Topic: Pharma Industry
Key Points:
- Union Minister for Chemicals & Fertilizers and Parliamentary Affairs, Shri Ananthkumar inaugurated the 2nd edition of India Pharma & India Medical Device International Conference in Bengaluru.
- The three day event, with the Vision – ‘For Responsible Healthcare’, is being organized by the Department of Pharmaceuticals, Ministry of Chemicals & Fertilizers and Federation of Indian Chambers of Commerce & Industry (FICCI) from 11th-13th February, 2017.
- Addressing the gathering, Shri Kumar called the International Conference as a ‘Pharma and Medical Devices Kumbh’. He called upon all the stakeholders present to make India as the ‘Pharmacy of the World’.
Important Statements
- Talking about the achievements of the Pharma sector, the Minister congratulated the industry for achieving a Compounded Annual Growth Rate (CAGR) of over 15% and expressed confidence that the sector would be worth $55 billion by 2020 from the present $32 billion.
- The Minister also said that India accounts for around 20% of the World’s generic medicine supply chain, exporting to over 250 countries globally. Indian Pharma Industry provides over 60% of global vaccines, he added.
- Further, Shri Kumar informed that in this fiscal year, the Indian Pharma sector has received Foreign Direct Investment (FDI) close to $14 billion and has generated employment for over 2.5 million people across India.
- The Minister also announced from the podium that Bengaluru, being the hub of Information technology and skilled manpower, would prove to be the ideal location to set up a Pharma and Med Tech Zone and hence the Ministry would work with the State Government to establish it soon. This step would give a boost to domestic manufacturing of pharmaceuticals and medical devices in India under the Make in India mission, he added.
Category: Science and Technology
Topic: Developments
Key Points:
- The first indigenous Airborne Early Warning and Control System (AEW&C) in IOC configuration shall be handed over to the Indian Air Force (IAF), on 14th February during Aero India 2017 at Yelahanka Air base in Bengaluru.
Significance of the system
- The Airborne Surveillance System is a game changer in air warfare.
- The AEW&C System is a system of systems populated with state-of-the art Active Electronically Scanned Radar, Secondary Surveillance Radar, Electronic and Communication Counter Measures, LOS (Line of Sight) and beyond LOS data link, voice communication system and self protection suite, built on an Emb-145 platform, having an air to air refueling capability to enhance surveillance time.
- A Complex tactical software has been developed for fusion of information from the sensors, to provide the air situation picture along with intelligence to handle identification/classification threat assessment.
- Battle management functions are built in house to work as a network centric system of Integrated Air Command & Control System (IACCS) node.
Concluding Remarks
- This system has been developed and evaluated through collaborative efforts between DRDO and the IAF, with coordination for certification clearance and quality assurance by CEMILAC and DGAQA.
- The AEW&C system has undergone all weather and environmental trials and has been accepted by the IAF for induction.
F. Concepts-in-News: Related Concepts to Revise/Learn
- Airborne Early Warning and Control System
- Exo-Atmospheric interceptor
- THAAD system
G. BILLS/ACTS/SCHEMES/ORGS IN NEWS
H. Fun with Practice Questions 🙂
Question 1: Consider the following statements regarding The “Thor Experiment” was recently in the news. What is it?
- It is an experiment aims to investigate electrical activity from thunderstorms.
- The key aims of the study include understanding how these discharges influence water vapour levels, cloud formation, and eventually changes in climate.
Which of the above statements is/are correct? a) 1 Only b) 2 Only c) Both 1 and 2 d) Neither 1 nor 2
Question 2: Consider the following statements, regarding “INS Sarvekshak” which was recently in the news:
- INS Sarvekshak is a naval survey vessel.
- This ship has innovatively deployed the zero-maintenance solar power system, capable of generating 5.4KW electricity.
Which of the above statements is/are correct? a) 1 Only b) 2 Only c) Both 1 and 2 d) Neither 1 nor 2
Question 3: Consider the following statements regarding the “THAAD” system which was recently in the news:
- The Terminal High Altitude Area Defence (THAAD) system of the U.S. military is an easily transportable defensive weapon system to protect against hostile incoming threats such as tactical and theatre ballistic missiles at ranges of 200km and at altitudes up to 150km.
- The THAAD missile intercepts exo-atmospheric and endo-atmospheric threats.
Which of the above statements is/are incorrect? a) 1 Only b) 2 Only c) Both 1 and 2 d) Neither 1 nor 2
Question 4: The “38th Parallel” divides which two countries?
- a) North and South Korea b) Canada and the United States c) North Vietnam and South Vietnam d) Poland and Germany
Question 5: Consider the following statements:
1] International Solar Alliance (ISA ) is conceived as a coalition of solar resource rich countries lying fully or partially between the Tropic of Cancer and the Tropic of Capricorn to address their special energy needs and will provide a platform to collaborate on addressing the identified gaps through a common, agreed approach.
2] ISA was launched jointly by the Prime Minister of India and the President of France on 30th November, 2015 at Paris on the side-lines of the 21st CoP meeting of the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change.
3] The ISA will strive to bring together more than 121 solar resource rich nations for coordinated research, low cost financing and rapid deployment.
Which of the above statements is/are correct? a) 1 Only b) 2 Only c) Both 1 and 2 d) Neither 1 nor 2
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I. Archives:
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