Current Affairs Questions

Explanation :

• BRAHMOS is a joint venture between the Defence Research and Development Organisation of India (DRDO) and the NPOM of Russia.
• It is a two-stage (solid propellant engine in the first stage and liquid ramjet in second) air to surface missile.
• It operates on ‘Fire and Forget Principle’, adopting varieties of flights on its way to the target. Its destructive power is enhanced due to large kinetic energy on impact.
• Its cruising altitude could be up to 15 km and terminal altitude is as low as 10 meters.
• It carries a conventional warhead weighing 200 to 300 kgs.
• The missile has flight range of up to 290-km with supersonic speed all through the flight, leading to shorter flight time, consequently ensuring lower dispersion of targets, quicker engagement time and non-interception by any known weapon system in the world.

Explanation :

• The United Nations (UN) is an international organization founded in 1945.
• The forerunner of the United Nations was the League of Nations, an organization conceived in circumstances of the First World War, and established in 1919 under the Treaty of Versailles to promote international cooperation and to achieve peace and security.
• The name United Nations was coined by United States President Franklin D. Roosevelt.
• Headquartered in New York City, the UN also has regional offices in Geneva, Vienna, and Nairobi.
• Its official languages are Arabic, Chinese, English, French, Russian, and Spanish.
• Currently, it is made up of 193 Member States.

Explanation :

• The Great Barrier Reef is the world’s largest coral reef system composed of over 2,900 individual reefs and 900 islands stretching for over 2,300 kilometers over an area of approximately 344,400 square kilometers.
• The reef is located in the Coral Sea, off the coast of Queensland, Australia.
• The Great Barrier Reef can be seen from outer space and is the world’s biggest single structure made by living organisms.
• This reef structure is composed of and built by billions of tiny organisms, known as coral polyps.
• It also holds great scientific interest as the habitat of species such as the dugong (‘sea cow’) and the large green turtle, which are threatened with extinction.
• It was included in the World Heritage Site in 1981.

Explanation :

• Whistleblowers Protection Act, 2014 enables any person (i.e. a whistleblower) to report an act of corruption, willful misuse of power or discretion, or criminal offence by a public servant.
• This includes all public servants, including Ministers, Members of Parliament, the lower judiciary, regulatory authorities, central and state government employees,
• Such disclosures are made to a specified Competent Authority who must conduct a discreet inquiry and conceal the identity of the complainant and public servant.
• The maximum time period for making a complaint is seven years.
• The act is not applicable to the Special Protection Group (SPG) personnel and officers, constituted under the Special Protection Group Act, 1988.
• The Whistleblowers Protection (Amendment) Bill, 2015 was introduced in LokSabha on May 11, 2015 and passed in that House on May 13, 2015. Bill amends the Act to prohibit the disclosure of 10 categories of information to a Competent Authority.

Explanation :

• Siachen Glacier is located in the Karakoram Range system of Kashmir near the India–Pakistan border, extending for 70 km from north-northwest to south-southeast.
• It is the longest glacier in the Karakoram and second-longest in the world's non-polar
• It is the source for the 50-mi-long Nubra River, a tributary of the Shyok, which is part of the Indus River system.

Explanation :

• The Association of Southeast Asian Nation (ASEAN)was preceded by an organisation formed on 31^stJuly 1961 called the Association of Southeast Asia (ASA), a group consisting of Thailand, the Philippines, and the Federation of Malaya.
• ASEAN was established on 8 August 1967 in Bangkok, Thailand, with the signing of the ASEAN Declaration (Bangkok Declaration) by the Founding Fathers of ASEAN, namely Indonesia, Malaysia, Philippines, Singapore and Thailand.
• Brunei Darussalam then joined on 7 January 1984, Vietnam on 28 July 1995, Lao PDR and Myanmar on 23 July 1997, and Cambodia on 30 April 1999, making up what is today the ten Member States of ASEAN.
• Papua New Guinea and Timor Leste are the Observer countries of ASEAN.

Explanation :

• AsiatiWater Buffaloes(Bubalusbubalis) belongs to the mammalian family Bovidae.
• Wild buffaloes are now restricted to scattered populations in India, Nepal, Bhutan, and Myanmar.
• In India it is mostly found in Kaziranga National Park, as per the last count in 430 sq.km.Kaziranga put the number of wild buffaloes at around 1400.
• It has been listed as Endangered in the IUCN Red List.
• It is included in CITES Appendix-III and is legally protected in Bhutan, India, Nepal, and Thailand.
• It is listed under Schedule-1 of the Wild Life (Protection) Act, 1972.

Ecological Importance

• Wild buffaloes are important to the grassland ecosystem as they help in plant rejuvenation, restoring the ecological balance.

Explanation :

• PettaThullal is a ritualistic sacred dance to celebrate the victory of good over evil in the legend of Lord Ayyappa of Sabrimala temple who killed the demon princess Mahishi.
• Also known as Petta Kettu, it is held annually on 27^th Dhanu at Erumely in the district of Kottayam in Kerala. It is performed during the Mandalam - Makaravilakku period (November, December and January) in the presence of thousands of devotees.
• Each devotee paints his body with green, black and kumkum color. The devotees carry fake weapons like mace, arrows, swords etc.
• The PettaThulal starts from Erumeli Kochambalam (small temple) and reaches the Vavur mosque in Erumeli. Here the devotees circumnavigate the mosque and make offerings and receive mala and elasu. Then they move to the famous Erumeli Petta Shri Dharmashasta Temple and end the Petta Thullal.

Explanation :

• Aflatoxin-M1 is a carcinogenic chemical compound of the aflatoxin class, a group of mycotoxins produced by three species of Fungi Aspergillus - Aspergillus flavus, Aspergillus parasiticus, and the rare Aspergillus nomius.
• Aflatoxin M1 is the hydroxylated metabolite of aflatoxin B1 and can be found in milk or milk products obtained from livestock that have ingested contaminated feed.
• Large doses of aflatoxins can lead to acute poisoning (aflatoxicosis) and can be life threatening, usually through damage to the liver

Explanation :

• The Financial Action Task Force (FATF) was established by Group of Seven (G-7) countries in a Summit held in Paris in July, 1989.
• The FATF has developed a series of Recommendations that are recognised as the international standard for combating of money laundering and the financing of terrorism and proliferation of weapons of mass destruction. They form the basis for a co-ordinated response to these threats to the integrity of the financial system and help ensure a level playing field.
• First issued in 1990, the FATF Recommendations were revised in 1996, 2001, 2003 and most recently in 2012 to ensure that they remain up to date and relevant, and they are intended to be of universal application.
• The FATF's decision making body, the FATF Plenary, meets three times per year.

Objectives

• To set standards and promote effective implementation of legal, regulatory and operational measures for combating money laundering, terrorist financing and other related threats to the integrity of the international financial system.

FAFT Lists

• Grey List: Those countries which are considered as safe haven for supporting terror funding and money laundering are included in this list. The inclusion in this list is not as severe as black listed. It serves as a warning given to the country that it might come in Black list in future.
• Black List: Only those countries are included in this list that FATF considers as non-cooperative tax havens for terror funding. These countries are known as Non-Cooperative Countries or Territories (NCCTs). Countries which are supporting terror funding and money laundering activities are placed in the Black list.