Current Affairs - 2019-20

Notes:
The world’s highest railway bridge will come up over Chenab River in Jammu and Kashmir (J& K), which is expected to be completed in 2019. The bridge will form a crucial link in the 111-km stretch between Katra and Banihal, which is part of the Udhampur- Srinagar-Baramu rail link project. It will be constructed at a cost of around Rs 1,100 crore in hostile terrain, will use over 24,000 tonnes of steel and will rise 359 m above the river bed. It will be designed to withstand wind speeds of upto 260 km per hour, the 1.315 km long engineering marvel” will connect Bakkal (Katra) and Kauri (Srinagar). Once completed, it will surpass the record of the Beipan river Shuibai railway bridge (275 m) in China.

Notes:
The Australia Group is an informal group of countries that work together to prevent the spread of chemical and biological weapons. The group was established in 1985 after Iraq used chemical weapons in 1984. The group’s members include 42 countries and the European Union. The group’s members meet annually to improve export licensing measures and stop potential proliferators from acquiring CBW materials.
The Australia Group’s members coordinate their national export controls to limit the supply of chemicals, biological agents, and related equipment, technologies, and knowledge. In 2020, the group agreed to add Novichok nerve agent precursors to its list of chemical weapons precursors.
The Australia Group’s first meeting was held in Brussels, Belgium in September 1989. India became the 43rd member of the group.

Notes:
India has been ranked 79th out of 176 countries in the recently released Corruption Perception Index (CPI) for the year 2016 by the Berlin-based corruption watchdog Transparency International (TI)
New Zealand and Denmark stands in joint first place
Somalia was ranked the most corrupt country

Notes:
∠PRQ = 60°
∠PRS = 180° – 60° = 120°
=>∠PSR + ∠RPS = 60°
As RS = PR
∴ ∠PSR = ∠RPS
∴ ∠PSR =
Hence option [B] is the right answer.

Notes:

Area of sectors
=> Area of square = 4 4 = 16 sq.cm.
∴ Area of the remaining portion = (16 – 4π) sq.cm.
Hence option [B] is the right answer.

Notes:
Pakke Tiger Reserve located in East Kameng district of Arunachal Pradesh has received the “India Biodiversity Award 2016” under the category, "conservation of threatened species".

Notes:
Recently, Indian scientists announced the discovery of an almost fully preserved fossil of a Jurassic age sea-dwelling reptile known as the ‘fish lizard’ from a village in Gujarat’s Kutch district. The discovery was reported in PLOS ONE, a scientific journal, by a group of researchers who found the fossil in early 2016. The discovery adds to the knowledge of ichthyosaur from the southern continents. Ichthyosaur is a combination of two Greek words meaning fish and lizard, a name the reptile gets because of its fish-like appearance. The discovered fossil is believed to be from the Jurassic period, which lasted from about 250 million to 200 million years ago. Ichthyosaur fossils from the Jurassic period have been found in the Americas, Australia and Europe but never in India.

Notes:
Recently, the Ministry of Health and Family Welfare recently announced the launch of National Strategic Plan (2017-24) and Mission “SAMPARK” with an aim to eradicate the menace of HIV/AIDS from country by year 2030. Under Mission SAMPARK, the government aims to promote “Community Based Testing”. This would help in fast-tracking the identification of all those people who are HIV positive and subsequently link them to Anti-retroviral therapy (ART) programme.

Notes:
BGR-34 is an anti-diabetic Ayurvedic drug developed by the research wing of the Science and Technology Ministry. It was recently in news when it was placed 14^th among the top branded drugs manufactured by multinational Pharma companies, according to a survey by the All Indian Origin Chemists and Distributors (AIOCD). The Ayurvedic drug 'BGR-34' was launched in 2015, and has been developed jointly by two CSIR laboratories, National Botanical Research Institute (NBRI) and Central Institute for Medicinal and Aromatic Plant (CIMAP). It is prepared by a combination of natural extracts from four plants mentioned in Ayurveda, and it helps in treatment of type-II diabetes. It works as antioxidant and checks free radicals, thus, boosting our immune system. It helps to maintain the normal blood glucose levels, and reduces chances of complications due to persistent high blood glucose levels. Therefore, it imparts a good quality life to patients with high blood sugar levels.

Notes:
Operation Resolute Support is a NATO-led counter-terror mission in Islamic Republic of Afghanistan which began on January 1, 2015. The mission aims to assist the Afghan security forces and institutions as well as counter-terror and combat.