TNPSC Current Affairs January 13, 2020

www.tnpsc.academy – TNPSC Current Affairs January 13, 2020 (13/01/2020)

 

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Topic: Historical Diary of Events

Taanaji Malusare and the Battle of Singhagad

A Bollywood film, based on Subedar Taanaji Malusare, a Maratha military leader, was recently released.

Who was Tanaaji Malusare?

He was a Maratha military leader and a close aide of Chhatrapati Shivaji. Hailing from the Malusare clan, Taanaji is popularly remembered for the Battle of Singhagad that took place in the year 1670.

In the battle, Taanaji fought against Udaybhan Rathore, a formidable Rajput warrior, who was put in charge of Fort Kandhana (later named Singhagad) by Jai Singh.

Battle of Singhagad, 1670:

In the year 1665, the Treaty of Purandar was signed between Jai Singh and Shivaji. Amongst several demands, the treaty had required the Maratha ruler to give up Fort Kandhana to the Mughals. After it was taken over by the Mughals, the fort was guarded by Rajput, Pathan and Arab troop guards and was said to be impenetrable.

This deeply disturbed and enraged Shivaji’s mother Rajmata Jijabai. Upon knowing this, Shivaji entrusted Taanaji, the only man he could think of capable of reconquering the fort Kondhana at any cost.

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Topic: Latest Diary of Events

National Youth Day celebrated on Swami Vivekananda Jayanti

January 12 marks the birthday of Swami Vivekananda. National Youth Day is celebrated on this day. Celebrated since 1984. The main objective is to promote rational thinking among the youth, believed to be the future of the country.

About Swami Vivekananda:

He was a true luminary, credited with enlightening the western world about Hinduism. He was an ardent disciple of Sri Ramakrishna Paramahansa and a major force in the revival of Hinduism in India. He pushed for national integration in colonial India, and his famous speech remains as the one that he gave in Chicago in 1893.

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Topic: Latest inventions on Science and Health

H9N2

Indian scientists have detected the country’s first case of infection with a rare variant of the virus- H9N2- that causes avian influenza, or bird flu.

About H9N2:

H9N2 is a subtype of the influenza A virus, which causes human influenza as well as bird flu. The H9N2 subtype was isolated for the first time in Wisconsin, US in 1966 from turkey flocks. H9N2 viruses are found worldwide in wild birds and are endemic in poultry in many areas.

Threats and concerns:

H9N2 viruses could potentially play a major role in the emergence of the next influenza pandemic.

According to the World Health Organization (WHO), with avian influenza viruses circulating in poultry, there is a risk for sporadic infection and small clusters of human cases due to exposure to infected poultry or contaminated environments. Therefore, sporadic human cases are not unexpected.

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Topic: Awareness in Space, Latest International Events

Artemis Mission

NASA announces graduating class of 11 astronauts for upcoming space missions including the Artemis Mission. The team includes an Indian American- Raja Chari.

About Artemis:

NASA wants to send the first woman and the next man to the Moon by the year 2024, which it plans on doing through the Artemis lunar exploration program.

ARTEMIS stands for Acceleration, Reconnection, Turbulence and Electrodynamics of Moon’s Interaction with the Sun.

The mission was named Artemis after the Greek mythological goddess of the Moon and twin sister to Apollo, namesake of the program that sent 12 American astronauts to the Moon between 1969 and 1972.

Objective:

The main objective is to measure what happens when the Sun’s radiation hits our rocky moon, where there is no magnetic field to protect it.

The mission:

For the Artemis program, NASA’s new rocket called the Space Launch System (SLS) will send astronauts aboard the Orion spacecraft a quarter of a million miles away from Earth to the lunar orbit.

Once astronauts dock Orion at the Gateway — which is a small spaceship in orbit around the moon — the astronauts will be able to live and work around the Moon, and from the spaceship, astronauts will take expeditions to the surface of the Moon.

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Topic: Latest Diary of Events

Kolkata port renamed

Centre has renamed the Kolkata Port Trust after Bharatiya Jana Sangh founder Dr Syama Prasad Mookerjee.

Key facts:

In the early 16th century, the Portuguese first used the present location of the port to anchor their ships, since they found the upper reaches of the Hooghly river, beyond Kolkata, unsafe for navigation.

After the abolition of slavery in the British Empire in 1833, this port was used to ship lakhs of Indians as ‘indentured labourers’ to far-flung territories throughout the Empire.

The Kolkata port is the only riverine port in the country, situated 203 km from the sea. The river Hooghly, on which it is located, has many sharp bends, and is considered a difficult navigational channel.

The Farakka Barrage, built in 1975, reduced some of the port’s woes as Ganga waters were diverted into the Bhagirathi-Hooghly system.

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Topic: Latest Diary of Events

Shopper Malware

A new Trojan called Shopper malware is increasing its presence among smart phone users. The malware is screening unsolicited ads and flashing fake reviews.

Key facts:

The malware is now focusing on retail applications. The malware is capable of reading data being entered on the screen. As the trojan gains permission, it interacts with the system interfaces and captures every data being featured in the screen. After acquiring information, it is using google and Facebook data to register on popular shopping sites.

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Topic: Environment and Ecology

Australian Koalas become endangered in bush fires

The Australian Koalas population suffered an extraordinary hit in the bush fires of Australia. It took 3 months for the firemen to control the fires.

Key facts:

Australia recorded 2019 as its hottest year on record. Around 1.25 billion animals are believed to be dead in bush fires. It has also destroyed more than 10 million hectares of land.

The Australian Koalas are to be put under “endangered” from “vulnerable” as 30% of their habitat were destroyed by the fires. The Australian Government has announced 50 million Australian Dollars emergency fund to save the wildlife affected due to the fires.