UPSC 2017: Comprehensive News Analysis - June 06

TABLE OF CONTENT

A. GS1 Related
B. GS2 Related
INTERNATIONAL RELATIONS
1. India to weather Qatar storm now
2. Nepal, China ink mega hydropower agreement
3. ‘Saudi, UAE seek to isolate Qatar’
C. GS3 Related
ENVIRONMENT AND ECOLOGY
1. India rejects Trump’s allegations on Paris pact
2. Survey puts Nilgiri tahr population at 1,420
3. India’s biodiversity riches grow by 499 species
SCIENCE AND TECHNOLOGY
1. India successfully fires heaviest launch vehicle
2. IMD to give malaria, chikungunya alerts
D. GS4 Related
E. Concepts-in-News: Related Concepts to Revise/Learn
F. Bills/Acts/Schemes/Orgs in News
G. Practice Questions for UPSC Prelims Exam

 

Need Expert Guidance on how to prepare for Current Affairs

 

UPSC Current Affairs 2017: News Analysis

 

A. GS1 Related

Nothing here for Today!!!

 

B. GS2 Related

Category: INTERNATIONAL RELATIONS

1. India to weather Qatar storm now

Context: Isolation of Qatar by the Gulf countries.

In News:

Political ties in the region

Background information:

  • Qatar is a part of the Islamic Military Alliance, as well as part of the Saudi coalition taking part in the Yemen intervention.
  • Qatar challenges the Saudi monarchy as well as the regimes in many countries in the Gulf.
  • Qatari Emir Al-Thani’s tie with Iran is the major trigger.
  • There has been an increased call from the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia (KSA), as well as UAE, Bahrain and other countries for Qatar to proclaim which side it is on.
  • India has traditionally stayed out of the “Shi’a-Sunni”, “Arab-Persian” or “Wahabbi-Salafi” divides, and maintained good ties with all.

Present scenario: fragmenting West Asia will require even more deft diplomacy from India’s side to keep these ties untouched by the tensions.

Trade and manpower

  • India sources more than half of its energy import needs from countries in the Persian Gulf.
  • Six million Indians live and work in West Asia and they sent home about $63 billion last year.
  • Energy imports may not be affected immediately, unless the Gulf countries follow through with sanctions. However, as in the case of Yemen, Libya, Lebanon and other countries, any tensions in the region have an immediate impact on thousands of Indian workers.

Cooperation in fighting terror: The KSA and the UAE are important partners for India on counter-terrorism cooperation and intelligence sharing.

Air travel : The Saudi coalition has decided to cancel Qatar Airways flights to their countries. This will affect Indian passengers who hoped to use Doha as a hub to get to other destinations in the Gulf.

2. Nepal, China ink mega hydropower agreement

In news:

  • Nepal has signed an agreement with a Chinese company to build 1,200 megawatt Budhi-Gandaki hydroelectric project (the largest hydroelectric plant).
  • Nepal suffers from a chronic energy shortage. Water-rich Nepal has a mountain river system that could make it an energy-producing powerhouse, but instead it imports much of its electricity from neighbouring India.
  • Demand for electricity has long outstripped supply in Nepal due to chronic under-investment and inefficiencies in the power network. The result has been crippling for domestic industry and deterred foreign investment.

3. ‘Saudi, UAE seek to isolate Qatar’

In news:

  • The Arab world’s strongest powers cut ties with Qatar. Saudi Arabia, Egypt, the United Arab Emirates and Bahrain cut relations with Qatar in a coordinated move. Yemen, Libya’s eastern-based government and the Maldives joined in later.

Reasons: Alleged support for Islamists- the Muslim Brotherhood, ISIS (Islamic State) and al-Qaeda and Iran.

Aircraft banned: Saudi Arabia and Bahrain’s civil aviation bodies banned Qatari planes from landing in the kingdom’s airports and banned them from crossing their airspace.

Key Fact:

  • Qatar meets almost a third of global LNG demand. The fuel is used largely for power generation.
  • India is the second biggest buyer of Qatari LNG, according to energy consultancy Wood Mackenzie, after Japan.
  • Qatar is also a major exporter of condensate, an ultra-light form of crude oil, as well as liquefied patroleum gas (LPG), with most supplies of the two fuels going to Japan and South Korea under long term supply contracts.

 

C. GS3 Related

Category: ENVIRONMENT AND ECOLOGY

1. India rejects Trump’s allegations on Paris pact

Context:

  • S. President Donald Trump’s allegation: India joined the Paris climate agreement for a large financial incentive. 

In news:

  • India rejected the allegations as unreal and did not join the agreement for any kind of financial greed.
  • India signed the agreement fort protection of climate. Worship of forests, worship of rivers, worship of mountains continue even now in India. These actions are part of India’s ethos that are five thousand years old. These are all heritage of India.
  • India will continue to remain in the Paris agreement framework, whether the U.S. continues in it or not

2. Survey puts Nilgiri tahr population at 1,420

In news:

  • The first ever State wide population estimation of Nilgiri tahrs conducted by the Kerala Forests and Wildlife Department, using the bounded count method, has put the total population of the endangered species at 1,420, which include 664 at the Eravikulam National Park in Munnar.
  • Endangered: The Nilgiri tahr being confined to a narrow belt of higher elevation areas in a restricted geographical region and with specialised habitat requirement is all more threatened.

Facts Round up:

  • Nilgiri tahr: The Nilgiri tahr known locally as the Nilgiri ibex or simply ibex, is endemic to the Nilgiri Hills and the southern portion of the Western Ghats in the states of Tamil Nadu and Kerala in southern India. It is the state animal of Tamil Nadu.

3. India’s biodiversity riches grow by 499 species

In news:

  • New species discovered last year: 313 species of animal and 186 of plants.
  • Most of the new species of animals were from the four biological hotspots of the country — the Himalayas, the northeast, the Western Ghats and the Andaman and Nicobar Islands.
  • India is one of the 17 megadiversity countries and it has about 6.42 per cent of the global fauna.
  • The geographical distribution of the new plant species reveals that most discoveries were made in the Western Ghats (17%), followed by the Eastern Himalayas (15%), the Western Himalayas (13%), the Eastern Ghats (12%) and the west coast (8%).

Category: SCIENCE AND TECHNOLOGY

1. India successfully fires heaviest launch vehicle

In News:

  • India joined a select group of nations having their own indigenous cryogenic engine technology, when the Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO) successfully launched its heaviest launch vehicle, GSLV MkIII-D1, and placed the country’s heaviest satellite till date, GSAT-19, into a precise orbit.

GSAT-19:

  • Communication satellite
  • Orbit: Geosynchronous Transfer Orbit (GTO).
  • The satellite weighs 3,136 kg.
  • This successful launch will enable India to launch 4-tonne class satellites from India

2. IMD to give malaria, chikungunya alerts

In news:

The India Meteorological Department (IMD) is working on a forecasting system to give 15-day warnings on the likelihood of a malaria or chikungunya outbreak, over different regions.

 

D. GS4 Related

Nothing here for Today!!!

 

PIB Articles                           

 

E. Concepts-in-News: Related Concepts to Revise/Learn

 

F. Bills/Acts/Schemes/Orgs in News
Article in News About the article

 

G. Practice Questions for UPSC Prelims Exam
Question 1: Nilgiri tahr is declared as the Sate animal of
  1. Tamil Nadu
  2. Kerala
  3. West Bengal
  4. Andhra Pradesh
See
Answer


(a)

Type: Current Affair Level: Moderate

Explanation: Nilgiri tahr: The Nilgiri tahr known locally as the Nilgiri ibex or simply ibex, is endemic to the Nilgiri Hills and the southern portion of the Western Ghats in the states of Tamil Nadu and Kerala in southern India. It is the state animal of Tamil Nadu.

Question 2: Consider the following statements:
  1. The Nilgiri tahr is endemic to the Nilgiri Hills and the southern portion of the Western Ghats.
  2. Nilgiri tahr has been classified as critically endangered species under IUCN’s Red Data book.

Choose the correct answers.

  1. Only 1
  2. Only 2
  3. Both 1 and 2
  4. Neither 1 nor 2
See
Answer


(a)

Topic: Current Affairs Level: Moderate

Explanation:

  • The Nilgiri tahr known locally as the Nilgiri ibex or simply ibex, is endemic to the Nilgiri Hills and the southern portion of the Western Ghats in the states of Tamil Nadu and Kerala in southern India.
  • Nilgiri tahr has been classified as endangered species under IUCN’s Red Data book.
Question 3: Which state government has launched “Mahaswayam portal” for job 
seekers and employers?
  1. Maharashtra
  2. Uttar Pradesh
  3. Kerala
  4. Haryana
See
Answer


(a)

Type: Current Affair
Level: Easy

Explanation

The Chief Minister of Maharashtra Devendra Fadnavis has recently launched a web portal ‘Mahaswayam’ for job seekers, employers, entrepreneurs and training institutes. At ‘Mahaswayam’, job seekers will be able to register themselves, search as well as apply for jobs, inquire for training, get information on self-employment and get details of job fairs. Besides, training institutes can also register, get details on participation in the state skill development programme, get training fee receipts, and can also receive training fee through ECS. Apart from this, entrepreneurs can also post job vacancy advertisements at the portal.

Question 4: Lion-tailed macaque is found in ______.
  1. Eastern Ghats
  2. Western Ghats
  3. East Himalayas
  4. West Himalayas
See
Answer


(b)

Type: Environment and Ecology
Level: Easy

Explanation

The lion-tailed macaque or the wanderoo, is an Old World monkey endemic to the Western Ghats of South India. The lion-tailed macaque ranks among the rarest and most threatened primates. Their range has become increasingly isolated and fragmented by the spread of agriculture and tea, coffee, teak and cinchona, construction of water reservoirs for irrigation and power generation, and human settlements to support such activities.

Question 5: Which among the following temples does not belong to the Chola Empire?
  1. Brihadishwara
  2. Koranganatha
  3. Kailashanatha
  4. Airavateshwar
See
Answer


(c)

Type: Culture
Level: Difficult

Explanation:

Kailashanatha Temple Architecture of Cholas : a)Brihadishwara Temple of Tanjore was built by Rajaraja Chola-I. b)Koranganatha Temple,Srinivasanallur was built by Parantaka Chola-I. c)Airavateshwar Temple, Darasuram was built by Rajaraja Chola II Chola-I. »Kailashanatha Temple , Kanchipuram (Tamil Nadu) was built by Pallava King ,Narsimhamvarman. »Kailasanathar Temple of Ellora was built by the Rashtrakuta king Krishna I.

 

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