TNPSC Current Affairs April 30, 2018

www.tnpsc.academy – TNPSC Current Affairs April 30, 2018 (30/04/2018)

 

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Topic : General Administration, Latest Diary of Events, India’s Foreign Policy

Peace Mission 2018

It is a multi-nation counter-terror exercise that will take place under the framework of Shanghai Cooperation Organisation.

The main aim of the exercise will be to enhance counter-terror cooperation among the eight SCO member countries.

Peace Mission exercises are held once in two years. This year’s exercises will be the 10th edition. The last time, it was held in 2016 in Kyrgyztan.

Where is it being held?

The 2018 edition will be held in the Ural mountains of Russia.

Significance of this edition:

In a first, India and Pakistan will be part of this exercise. It will be for the first time since Independence that India and Pakistan will both be part of a military exercise, though the armies of the two nations have worked together in UN peace keeping missions.

SCO:

The SCO was founded at a summit in Shanghai in 2001 by the Presidents of Russia, China, Kyrgyz Republic, Kazakhstan, Tajikistan and Uzbekistan.

India and Pakistan were admitted as observers of the grouping in 2005. Both the countries were admitted as full members of the bloc last year.

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Topic : General Administration, Welfare Oriented Govt., Schemes and Their Utilities, Profile of States

Leisang in Manipur

Leisang in Manipur has become the last village to be added to the national power grid under the Rural Electrification Scheme.

Definition:

The government considers a village electrified if it has basic electrical infrastructure and 10% of its households and public places including schools, local administrative offices and health centres have power.

Background:

The government had allocated Rs75,893 crore for the Deen Dayal Upadhyaya Gram Jyoti Yojana with the aim of providing electricity access to all villages.

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Topic : New Inventions on Science and Technology

Sentinel-3B satellite

The European Union has successfully managed to launch its new, highly-advanced Sentinel Earth observation satellite into space.

The earth observing satellite is called Sentinel-3B and it flew to space atop a Russian Rockot launcher.

Key facts:

The main aim of the Sentinel-3B satellite is to monitor the Earth’s ocean. Along with that it will map the vegetation growth on the earth surface and will measure the thinning ice sheets.

The Sentinel-3B was the seventh rocket that was launched by the European Union for its ambitious Copernicus mission.

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Topic : Latest Diary of Events, Geographical Events

Great Barrier Reef

Australia has pledged Aus $500 million ($379 million) in new funding to restore and protect the Great Barrier Reef. The reef is a critical national asset, contributing Aus$6.4 billion a year to the Australian economy.

Threats to the great barrier reef: It is reeling from significant bouts of coral bleaching due to warming sea temperatures linked to climate change.

It is also under threat from the coral-eating crown-of-thorns starfish, which has proliferated due to pollution and agricultural run-off. The predator starfish feeds on corals by spreading its stomach over them and using digestive enzymes to liquefy tissue.

With its heavy use of coal-fired power and relatively small population, Australia is considered one of the world’s worst per-capita greenhouse gas polluters.

About the Great barrier reef:

The Great Barrier Reef is the world’s largest coral reef system composed of over 2,900 individual reefs and 900 islands stretching for over 2,300 kilometres over an area of approximately 344,400 square kilometres.

The reef is located in the Coral Sea, off the coast of Queensland, Australia.

The Great Barrier Reef can be seen from outer space and is the world’s biggest single structure made by living organisms.

This reef structure is composed of and built by billions of tiny organisms, known as coral polyps.

It was selected as a World Heritage Site in 1981.

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Topic : World Organizations, Latest Diary of Events, Summits and Pacts

International Buddhist Conference

As part of 2562nd Buddha Jayanti celebrations, International Buddhist Conference was held in Lumbini, the birth place of Gautama Buddha.

The basic objective of the conference was to disseminate teachings of Gautam Buddha and spread the messages of nonviolence, brotherhood, co-existence, love and peace to the international community.

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Topic : Awards and Honours, Persons in News

India at Archery World Cup

Indian mixed pair Abhishek Verma and V. Jyothi Surekha defeated the Turkish team of Yesim Bostan and Demir Elmaagacli and won the Bronze Medal.

Abhishek Verma:

Abhishek Verma is an Indian archer. At the 2014 Asian Games at Incheon, he won the gold medal in the men’s compound archery team event along with Rajat Chauhan and Sandeep Kumar, and the silver medal in the men’s individual compound event.

Jyothi Surekha Vennam:

Jyothi Surekha Vennamis an Indian archer.

At the age of 4, she was entered in the Limca Book of Records after crossing the Krishna River three times with a distance of 5 km in three hours, 20 minutes and six seconds.

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Topic: Latest Diary of Events

World Veterinary Day – April 28

The theme of World Veterinary Day 2018, is “The role of the veterinary profession in sustainable development to improve livelihoods, food security, and safety”.

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Topic : Games and Sports, Awards and Honours, Persons in News

India’s CA Bhavani Devi won silver at Fencing

India’s CA Bhavani Devi won a silver medal in the sabre event of the Tournoi World Cup Satellite Fencing Championship in Reykjavik, Iceland.

The Tamil Nadu fencer went down 10-15 to USA’s Alexis Browne in the final.

She had beaten Parede Torres 15-9 in the quarterfinal and followed it up by getting past Guila Arpino of Italy 15-10 in the semifinal.