DAILY CURRENT AFFAIRS

By admin: Aug. 16, 2022

India gift Dornier Maritime Reconnaissance aircraft to Sri Lanka

Tags: International Relations Defence

India on August 15 gifted Sri Lanka a Dornier maritime reconnaissance aircraft that will enable the island nation to tackle a range of challenges such as human and drug trafficking and other organized crimes in its waters.

Important facts

• It was gifted at a special event at the Sri Lanka Air Force Base in Katunayake.

• Sri Lankan Navy and Air Force personnel who have undergone training in India for nearly four months will operate the aircraft.

• Sri Lankan President Ranil Wickremesinghe and Indian High Commissioner Gopal Baglay were also present on the occasion.

• The celebrations took place as India celebrates its 76th Independence Day and a day later China's high-tech missile and satellite surveillance vessel will anchor at Sri Lanka's Hambantota port.

• The aircraft has been delivered to Sri Lanka by the Indian Navy to help meet the immediate security needs of Sri Lanka.

• The Indian Navy has also given intensive training in maritime reconnaissance aircraft to a team of the Sri Lankan Navy and Air Force.

• During the 2018 Defence Dialogue between India and Sri Lanka in New Delhi, Sri Lanka had discussed the possibility of acquiring two Dornier reconnaissance aircraft from India to enhance its maritime surveillance capabilities.

Dornier Aircrafts

• In March 2022, India and the Government of Sri Lanka signed a Memorandum of Understanding to provide two Dornier 228 aircraft to the Sri Lankan Navy.

Dornier 228 Aircraft

• It is a 17-seater non-pressurised aircraft that has a turboprop engine.

• It is capable of day and night operations, short take-off and landing, and can take off from semi-prepared runways.

• Hindustan Aeronautics Limited (HAL) started manufacturing Dornier-228 in India.

• The Dornier-228 aircraft have been used by the armed forces so far.

• Alliance Air had signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with HAL to operate Dornier aircraft.

Researchers develop 3D printed artificial cornea

Tags: Science and Technology

A team of researchers from Hyderabad have successfully 3D-printed an artificial cornea and transplanted it into a rabbit eye for the first time in the country.

Important facts

• This 3D printed cornea has been made by scientists from LV Prasad Eye Institute (LVPEI), IIT Hyderabad (IITH) and Centre for Cellular and Molecular Biology (CCMB).

• This cornea is made from the corneal tissue of the human eye.

• This cornea has been completely made by the country's scientists with indigenous technology.

• It does not contain any synthetic components and can be applied to patients as well.

How was the 3D cornea made?

• Scientists have created a biomimetic hydrogel by extracting decellularized corneal tissue and stem cells from the human eye.

• Scientists have said that this 3D printed cornea has been prepared from the corneal tissue of the human eye, so it is completely biocompatible and natural.

• This will be helpful in treating diseases like corneal scarring (in which the cornea becomes opaque) and keratoconus (in which the cornea becomes thin).

• Many times the cornea of army soldiers gets damaged due to injury, in such a situation the light of those soldiers can be brought back with 3D printed cornea.

What is Cornea?

• The cornea is the transparent part of the eye that covers the front of the eye.

• It covers the pupil (the centre of the eye), iris (the colored part of the eye), and anterior chamber (the fluid-filled inside of the eye). 

• The main function of the cornea is to refract or bend light.

• The cornea is responsible for focusing most of the light that enters the eye.

What is 3D Printing?

• 3D printing uses computer aided design (CAD) to create three-dimensional objects through the layering method.

• The model to be printed with the help of software is first developed by the computer, which then instructs the 3D printer.

William Ruto declared winner of Kenya presidential election

Tags: Person in news International News

In Kenya, Deputy President William Ruto has been declared the winner of Kenya's presidential election on 16 August.

Important facts

• He defeated his rival Raila Odinga by a very small margin, securing 50.5 percent of the vote.

• The worst drought in 40 years has ravaged the northern part of the country, leaving 4.1 million people dependent on food aid, while the country's debt levels have risen.

• Ruto was the Vice President of Kenya for the last 9 years.

• Significantly, President Uhuru Kenyatta remained in power for a decade.

History of violence

• In 2017, over 100 people were killed after the Supreme Court quashed preliminary results over irregularities in the electoral process.

• Amid fears that allegations of vote rigging had led to bloody conflicts after the presidential elections in 2007 and 2017, the courts were urged to control any disputes.

• The US Embassy in Kenya urged all parties to work together to peacefully resolve concerns about the election.

• Economic issues such as rising food and fuel prices, government debt, unemployment and widespread corruption were central to the election in the country. 

• People here were more worried about fuel prices after the Russia-Ukraine war.

About Kenya

• Capital - Nairobi

• Official Languages - Swahili, English

• Currency - Kenyan Shilling

Global Employment Trends for Youth report - 2022

Tags: International News

The Global Employment Trends for Youth 2022 report has been released by the International Labour Organisation (ILO) as part of the global call to action for a "human-centred recovery from the COVID-19 pandemic".

Key points of the report 

• According to the "Global Employment Trends for Youth 2022" report, rare unemployment among youth aged 15-24 has reached 15.6% worldwide. This is three times the unemployment rate among adults.

• According to the report, the number of unemployed youth population has come down from 75 million in 2021 to 73 million in 2022. However, this number is still 6 million more than the number before the Covid-19 pandemic.

• The unemployment rate in Africa is 12.7%, lower than the global average of 14.9%. This figure highlights that young people have withdrawn from the labour markets.

• Schools were closed in India for 18 months. Of the 240 million school going children, only 8% in rural areas and 23% in urban areas had access to online education. As a result, 92% of children on average have lost a basic ability in language. 82% of children have lost at least one basic ability in maths.

• According to the Centre for Monitoring Indian Economy (CMIE), the labour force participation rate (LPR) in India fell to 38.8% in June 2022.

• The share of people in the age group of 18-21 in newly created EPF accounts has come down from 37.9% in 2018-19 to 24.1% in 2021-22.

About International Labour Organisation 

• It was established in 1919 by the Treaty of Versailles as an affiliated agency of the League of Nations.

• In 1946, it became the first specialised agency affiliated with the United Nations.

• Objective of Establishment: Social justice is essential for global and lasting peace.

• India is a founding member of the ILO and has been a permanent member of the governing body of the ILO since the year 1922.

• The first office of ILO in India was established in 1928.

• Headquarters- Geneva, Switzerland

• Director General – Gilbert Hongbo

Scotland becomes first in the world to provide free period products

Tags: International News

Scotland became the first country in the world from August 15 to ensure universal access to free period products. 

Important facts

• The Scottish Parliament voted unanimously in favour of the Period Products Bill, which made the right to free access to sanitary products in public buildings a legal right in November 2020.

• After the enactment of this law, sanitary napkins will be available free of cost in many public places including community buildings, youth clubs and medical stores.

• Even before this, in the year 2018, Scotland has become the first country to provide free sanitary products in government schools.

What is included in the new law?

• Under the law, local authorities and education providers are legally required to provide period sanitary facilities free of charge to those who need them.

• In addition to the provision of free products, the government has funded an educational website for employers, improved menstrual health resources available to schools, and implemented a successful anti-stigma campaign.

• Product seekers can locate their nearest collection point using the PickupMyPeriod mobile app, which was launched by social enterprise “Hey Girls” with the support of the Scottish Government.

About Scotland 

• Scotland is a country in the United Kingdom.

• Capital - Edinburgh

• Currency - Pound Sterling

• Prime Minister- Nicola Sturgeon

Asia's oldest football tournament Durand Cup begins on 16 August

Tags: Sports News

The 131st season of the Durand Cup football tournament will be held in several cities across West Bengal, Assam and Manipur for the first time from August 16, 2022.

Important facts

• This year the tournament has increased from 16 to 20 teams in which apart from 11 ISL clubs, 5 clubs from I-League and 4 teams from Armed Forces will also take part.

• The third oldest football tournament in the world and the oldest in Asia, the Durand Cup was first held in Dagshai (Himachal Pradesh) in the year 1888.

• Mohun Bagan and East Bengal are the most successful teams in the history of Durand Cup having won it sixteen times.

• In the previous edition of the tournament, Goa won their maiden Durand Cup title by defeating Mohammedan Sporting 1–0.

131st Durand Cup

• The tournament will have a total of 47 games, with Guwahati and Imphal hosting 10-10-game matches of both Group C and Group D.

• All the seven knockout games will be held at three venues in West Bengal.

• The inaugural pool matches will begin from 16 August at the Vivekananda Yuva Bharati Krirangan (VYBK) Stadium in Kolkata.

• The matches will be held on August 17 at the Indira Gandhi Athletic Stadium in Guwahati and on August 18 at the Khuman Lampak Stadium in Imphal.

• The tournament will culminate with the Grand Finale to be held at VYBK on 18 September 2022.

Groups of the tournament

• Group A - FC Goa, Mohammedan Sporting, Bengaluru FC, Jamshedpur FC, Indian Air Force

• Group B - ATK Mohun Bagan, East Bengal, Mumbai City FC, Rajasthan United, Indian Navy

• Group C - Chennaiyin FC, Hyderabad FC, NEROCA, TRAU, Army Red

• Group D - Kerala Blasters, NorthEast United, Odisha FC, Sudeva Delhi FC, Army Green

UK becomes first nation to approve Omicron vaccine

Tags: International News

The UK on 16 August approved a booster dose against COVID-19, which is claimed to be effective against both the original and variant Omicron forms of the coronavirus.

Important facts

• The agency's decision was based on clinical trial data showing that the booster dose triggered "a strong immune response" against both Omicron and the original 2020 coronavirus.

• With this, Britain has become the first country to have approved such a vaccine.

• The vaccine was found to meet the standards of safety, quality and effectiveness.

• The Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency said that half of each dose of the booster vaccine Spike Vax Bivalent Original/Omicron, i.e. 25 micrograms, works against the original form, while the other half targets Omicron.

5 variants of coronavirus are cause of concern

• Omicron - Identified in southern Africa in November 2021

• Delta - emerged in India in late 2020 and spread around the world

• Gamma - Emerged in Brazil in late 2020

• Beta - Emerged in South Africa in early 2020

• Alpha - Emerged in Britain in late 2020

Punjab bans use of 10 insecticides

Tags: State News

The Punjab government on July 13 banned the use of 10 types of insecticides for a few days to save the heritage of Basmati rice.

Important facts

• Before banning these pesticides, the Agricultural Association had requested to ban these agrochemicals for export of Basmati to other countries to save the good yield of Basmati.

• With this restriction, farmers can get the right yield of Basmati and they can earn more profit from it in the coming time.

• This ban has been imposed for 60 days starting from 12 August 2022.

Names of 10 pesticides that have been banned

•  Acephate, Buprofezin, Chloropyriphos, Methamidophos, Propiconazole, Thiamethoxam, Profenofos, Isoprothiolane, Carbendazim, and Tricyclazole

Why were pesticides banned?

• In view of the constraint on the export and consumption of Basmati rice in the state, the government has banned these pesticides.

• Punjab Agricultural University (PAU), Ludhiana has recommended alternative agrochemicals to control pests in Basmati rice in the state. So that farmers can get good yield of Basmati in the coming time.

• Good quality Basmati rice can be produced with the ban of pesticides.

World Organ Donation Day

Tags: Important Days

Every year 13 August is celebrated as World Organ Donation Day across the world with an aim to raise awareness about organ donation.

Important facts

• Apart from this, “National Organ Donation Day” is celebrated on 27 November every year in India.

• This year's theme is  “let’s pledge to donate organs and save lives”.

Importance

• This day is celebrated to dispel the myths of organ donation.

• It wants to encourage people to donate their healthy organs after death as it will save more lives.

• Its aim is to help people realise that many people lose their lives due to unavailability of healthy organs. Thus, voluntarily donating your healthy organs can change the lives of many people.

History of world organ donation

• The first temporarily successful transplant of a human kidney was performed by Jean Hamburger in Paris in 1953.

• A kidney was transplanted from the mother to a 16-year-old child.

• However, the first long-term successful kidney transplant was performed in the US in 1954.

• This successful transplant was performed by Dr. Joseph Murray.

• For this, Dr. Joseph Murray received the "Nobel Prize for Physiology and Medicine" in the year 1990.

Odisha Government Signs Pact With National Institute of Ocean Technology For Protecting Coastline

Tags: National News

The Odisha government has signed an MoU with the National Institute of Ocean Technology (NIOT) to protect its coasts.

Important facts

• As per the MoU, NIOT will provide technical guidance, design and outline of climate resilient coastal security measures to the state government.

• The agreement will benefit the residents of six coastal districts of the state namely Balasore, Bhadrak, Kendrapara, Jagatsinghpur, Puri and Ganjam.

• This MoU will prove to be a milestone in Disaster Risk Reduction (DRR) in the coastal areas of the state.

• The state government is taking all possible measures for disaster mitigation and is focusing on zero casualties.

• The MoU signed for the next 5 years will help in saving the life and property of the people of the coastal areas along with the protection of the beach embankments.

• Odisha has a vast coastline of about 480 km in length and the coastal region is prone to natural calamities.

About National Institute of Ocean Technology (NIOT) 

• The National Institute of Ocean Technology, under the Ministry of Earth Sciences, is India's premier institute specialising in the field of ocean engineering and beach conservation.

• Director - GA Ramdas

• Established - November 1993

• Headquarters - Chennai, Tamil Nadu