TNPSC Current Affairs January 20, 2018

www.tnpsc.academy – TNPSC Current Affairs January 20, 2018 (20/01/2018)

Download as PDF

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

Australia Group

India was recently admitted as the 43rd member of the Australia Group, an informal bloc of countries that keeps a tight control over exports of substances used in the making of chemical weapons.

Significance of this development:

With its admission into the Australia Group, India is now part of three of the four key export control groups in the world.

This includes the Missile Technology Control Regime—an informal and voluntary partnership among 35 countries that regulates trade in sensitive equipment and technologies to ensure there is no proliferation of missile and unmanned aerial vehicle technology capable of carrying payloads above 500kg for more than 300km.

The Australia Group:

The Australia Group works to counter the spread of materials, equipment and technologies that could contribute to the development or acquisition of chemical and biological weapons (CBW) by states or terrorist groups. It was established in 1985.

_

Topic : New Appointments, Persons in News

Governor of Madhya Pradesh

The President of India has appointed Smt Anandiben Patel as the Governor of Madhya Pradesh with effect from the date she assumes charge of her office.

About Smt Anandiben Patel:

Anandiben Patel is an Indian politician and the current Governor of Madhya Pradesh and former Chief Minister of Gujarat, a western state of India.

She was the first woman Chief Minister of the state. She is a member of the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) since 1987.

_

Topic : Information about space technology, Mass Communication

Kilopower

NASA has announced new tests are underway for the Kilopower project, a program designed to create small nuclear power sources to fuel further space exploration.

A prototype, which was created by NASA and the Department of Energy, has completed non-nuclear tests and is now running with a real reactor core at a facility in Nevada.

About Kilopower:

The Kilopower project is a near-term technology effort to develop preliminary concepts and technologies that could be used for an affordable fission nuclear power system to enable long-duration stays on planetary surfaces.

_

Topic : Latest Historical Events, Places in News

Largest flooded cave discovered in Mexico

Underwater archaeologists have discovered the World’s largest flooded cave in Mexico.

Where is it located?

The Great Maya Aquifer Project (GAM) team spent years exploring the caves of Sac Actun and Dos Ojos studying the mysterious waters of Mexico’s Yucatan peninsula in Tulum.

Key features:

The discovery marks the identification of an “incredible” archaeological site, illuminating the stories and rituals of the lost Mayan civilisation.

According to the rules of caving, when two caves connect, the largest absorbs the smallest. This means Sac Actun takes the title of largest cave.