TNPSC Current Affairs June 30, 2020

www.tnpsc.academy – TNPSC Current Affairs June 30, 2020 (30/06/2020)

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Topic: Geographical Landmarks, Latest Diary of Events

Zealandia

Researchers from GNS Science in New Zealand have announced that they mapped the shape and size of the Zealandia continent in unprecedented detail.

Key facts:

Scientists confirmed the existence of an eighth continent, called Zealandia, under New Zealand and the surrounding ocean in 2017. Because 94% of Zealandia’s 2 million square miles are underwater, mapping the continent is challenging.

Latest findings:

Zealandia‘s area is nearly 2 million square miles (5 million square kilometers) — about half the size of Australia.

But only 6% of the continent is above sea level. That part underpins New Zealand’s north and south islands and the island of New Caledonia.

Latest map depicts coastlines, territorial limits, and the names of major undersea features. The map is part of a global initiative to map the planet’s entire ocean floor by 2030.

This map also reveals where Zealandia sits across various tectonic plates, which of those plates are being pushed under the other in a process known as subduction, and how quickly that movement is happening.

How Zealandia evolved?

Gondwana formed when Earth’s ancient supercontinent, Pangea, split into two fragments. Laurasia in the north became Europe, Asia, and North America.

Gondwana in the south dispersed to form modern-day Africa, Antarctica, South America, and Australia. Further, Geologic forces continued to rearrange these land masses, and Zealandia was forced under the waves about 30 million to 50 million years after it broke off Gondwana as the largest tectonic plate — the Pacific Plate — slowly subducted beneath it.

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Topic: World Organizations, International Events

World Bank’s STARS project

STARS stands for Strengthening Teaching-Learning and Results for States Program (STARS). It is a project to improve the quality and governance of school education in six Indian states.

Six states are- Himachal Pradesh, Kerala, Madhya Pradesh, Maharashtra, Odisha, and Rajasthan.

Some 250 million students (between the age of 6 and 17) in 1.5 million schools, and over 10 million teachers will benefit from the program.

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Topic: Latest inventions on Science and Health

Covaxin

It is India’s first COVID vaccine candidate approved by the Drug Controller General of India (DCGI). Covaxin is an inactivated vaccine created from a strain of the infectious SARS COV-2 virus.

It is the first vaccine that has got approval of the drug controller for phase 1 and II human clinical trials.

The vaccine has been developed by Hyderabad Major Bharat Biotech in collaboration with ICMR and the National Institute of Virology (NIV).

The company is also involved in the development of CoroFlu, a nasal vaccine for COVID-19, as part of an international collaboration of virologists at the University of Wisconsin–Madison and vaccine firm FluGen.

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Topic: General Administration, Latest Diary of Events

Custodial Violence

The recent death of a father-son duo from Tamil Nadu, allegedly due to custodial violence, has sparked anger across India. Custodial violence primarily refers to violence in police and judicial custody. It includes death, rape and torture.

Data Related to Violence in Custody:

According to National Crime Records Bureau (NCRB) data, between 2001 and 2018, only 26 policemen were convicted of custodial violence despite 1,727 such deaths being recorded in India.

Only 4.3% of the 70 deaths in 2018 were attributed to injuries during custody due to physical assault by police.