Hindu Notes from General Studies-01

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Guatemala volcanic eruption kills 25

News:

• A fiery volcanic eruptionin Guatemala sent lava flowing into rural communities, killing at least 25 as rescuers struggled to reach people where homes and roads were charred and blanketed with ash.

Beyond News:

• The death toll rose with 18 bodies found in the community of San Miguel Los Lotes, disaster agency spokesman said, adding to the seven victims previously confirmed elsewhere earlier in the day.
• At least 20 people were injured, and authorities have said they feared the death toll could rise with an undetermined number of people unaccounted for.
• Director of the country’s seismology and volcanology institute, said the flows reached temperatures of about 1,300 degrees Fahrenheit (700 Celsius).
• Guatemala’s disaster agency said 3,100 people had evacuated nearby communities, and ash fall from the eruption was affecting an area with about 1.7 million of country’s 15 million or so people. Shelters were opened for those forced to flee.
• Guatemalan President said he would issue a declaration of a state of emergency to be approved by Congress and urged people to heed warnings from emergency officials.
• Aviation authorities closed the capital’s international airport because of the danger posed to planes by the ash.
• One of Central America’s most active volcanos, the conical Volcan de Fuego reaches an altitude of 12,346 feet (3,763 metres) above sea level at its peak.

Limit global warming to curb dengue

News

• Limiting global warming to 1.5 degree Celsius could prevent around 3.3 million cases of dengue fever ever year in Latin America and the Caribbean alone, a study has found.

Findings

• The study limiting warming to the goal of the UN Paris Agreement would also stop dengue spreading to areas where incidence is currently low.
• A global warming trajectory of 3.7 degree Celsius could lead to an increase of up to 7.5 million additional cases per year by the middle of this century.
• Since the mosquitoes that carry and transmit the virus thrive in warm and humid conditions, it is more commonly found in areas with these weather conditions.
• There is no specific treatment or vaccine for dengue and in rare cases it can be lethal.
• There is growing concern about the potential impacts of climate change on human health. While it is recognised that limiting warming to 1.5 degree Celsius would have benefits for human health, the magnitude of these benefits remains mostly unquantified,said lead researcher.
• The research team found that limiting global warming to 2 degree Celsius could reduce dengue cases by up to 2.8 million cases per year by the end of the century compared to a scenario in which the global temperature rises by 3.7 degree Celsius.
• Limiting warming further to 1.5 degree Celsius produces an additional drop in cases of up to half a million per year.

1000-year-old mummy discovered in Peru

News:

• Scientists have discovered an intact mummy in Peru that is believed to have been buried between 1000 and 1200 AD.

Significance:

• The finding confirms Pachacamac’s status as a pre-colombian pilgrimage site under the Inca empire.

Beyond News:

• Discoveries like this one are exceptionally scarce, and this mummy is incredibly well preserved. Samples were collected for carbon-14 dating, but the area in which it was discovered and the type of tomb suggest this individual was buried between 1000 and 1200 AD.
• The excavation was carried out as a part of the ‘Ychsma’ project, named after the region’s native people, under the supervision of professor Eeckhout.
• Due to how well it was preserved, the researchers will be able to study it without needing to unwrap the bundle.
• They will soon examine the mummy using the latest techniques in medical imaging such as X-ray scans, axial tomography and 3D reconstruction.
• This will enable them to determine the individual’s position, any pathologies they might have suffered from, but also what offerings might be inside the bundle.

Hindu Notes from General Studies-02

Modi, Mattis pledge to continue strong U.S.-India strategic partnership

News:

• India and the United States have pledged to continue their strong bilateral strategic partnership, the Pentagon said after a meeting between Prime Minister Narendra Modi and U.S. Defence Secretary Jim Mattis.

Beyond News

• S. Defence Secretary met the prime minister on the sidelines of the International Institute for Strategic Studies’ 17th Asia Security Summit also known as the Shangri-La Dialogue  in Singapore .
• The two discussed the importance of the U.S.-India relationship, and the role of both nations in cooperating to uphold international laws and principles, and to maintain a free and open Indo-Pacific, defence spokesperson said .
• The two leaders “pledged to continue the strong US-India strategic partnership and affirmed their commitment to maintaining peace, stability and prosperity in the region.

Hindu Notes from General Studies-03

India successfully test-fires nuclear-capable Agni-5

News

• Long-range ballistic missile Agni-5 was successfully test fired off Odisha coast proving its reliability. This is the sixth successful test of the missile and the second in its pre-induction configuration.

Beyond News

• Agni-5 can carry nuclear warhead weighing 1.5 tonnes to a distance of over 5,000 km and is the longest missile in India’s arsenal capable of reaching most parts of China. With a smaller payload, the range can go up much higher.
• The missile features many new indigenously-developed technologies, including the very high accuracy Ring Laser Gyro based Inertial Navigation System (RINS), and the most modern and accurate Micro Navigation System (MINS) which improves the accuracy of the missile.
• The first test was conducted on April 19, 2012 and after two tests, the missile was tested in canisterised configuration for improving its mobility, reducing launch time and improving safety and storage.
• Agni-5 is expected to be inducted into the Strategic Forces Command very soon.
• The missile has been programmed in such a way that after reaching the peak of its trajectory, it will turn towards the earth and continue its journey towards the intended target with an increased speed due to the attraction of earth’s gravitational pull.
• The path has been precisely directed by the advanced on-board computer and inertial navigation system.
• As the missile enters the earth’s atmosphere, the atmospheric air rubbing the skin of the missile during the re-entry phase raises the temperature beyond 4,000 degrees Celsius, sources said.
• However, the indigenously designed and developed carbon-carbon composite heat shield continues to burn sacrificially, protecting the payload and maintaining the inside temperature below 50 degrees Celsius, the sources added.
• Finally, commanded by the on-board computer with a support of ring laser gyro- based inertial navigation system, the micro inertial navigation system, fully digital control system and advanced compact avionics, the missile hit the designated target point accurately, meeting all mission objectives, they said.
• It also has advantages of higher reliability, longer shelf life, less maintenance and enhanced mobility, sources said.
• At present, India has in its armoury the Agni series Agni-1 with 700 km range, Agni-2 with 2,000 km range, Agni-3 and Agni-4 with 2,500 km to more than 3,500 km range.
• The first test of Agni-5 was conducted on April 19, 2012, the second on September 15, 2013, the third on January 31, 2015 and fourth on December 26, 2016. The last test was held on January 18, 2018.
• All the five earlier trials were successful.

Traces of water, metal found in unique exoplanet

News:

• Scientists have identified traces of of multiple metals, along with possible signs of water, in one of the least dense exoplanets ever found.

Beyond News:

• The team, from the University of Cambridge and the Instituto de Astrofisica de Canarias, Spain used the Gran Telescopio Canarias to observe WASP-127b, a giant gaseous planet with partly clear skies and strong signatures of metals in its atmosphere.

Odisha beach is Asia’s first to get ‘Blue Flag’ tag

News:

• The Chandrabhaga beach on the Konark coast of Odisha will be the first in Asia to get the Blue Flag certification the tag given to environment-friendly and clean beaches, equipped with amenities of international standards for tourists.

Beyond News:

• It will be awarded the honour on World Environment Day on June 5, Environment Ministry sources say.
• Twelve more beaches in the country are being developed by the Society for Integrated Coastal Management (SICOM), an Environment Ministry’s body working for the management of coastal areas, in accordance with the Blue Flag standards.
• Among them are the Chiwla and Bhogave beaches in Maharashtra and one beach each from Puducherry, Goa, Daman and Diu, Lakshadweep and the Andaman and Nicobar Islands.
• SCIOM project head, said that to achieve the Blue Flag standards, a beach must be plastic-free and equipped with a waste management system. Clean water should be available for tourists, apart from international amenities. The beach should have facilities for studying the environmental impact around the area.
• To achieve the Blue Flag standards, a beach had to strictly comply with 33 environment and tourism-related conditions.
• The standards were established by the Copenhagen-based Foundation for Environmental Education (FEE) in 1985.
• The Environment Ministry embarked on the Blue Flag project in December 2017.

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