Current Affairs Question - 28 January 2020

Explanation :

• The Oslo Accords are a set of agreements between the Government of Israel and the Palestine Liberation Organization (PLO): the Oslo I Accord, signed in Washington, D.C.,in 1993 and the Oslo II Accord, signed in Taba, Egypt, in 1995.
• Oslo I, formally known as the Declaration of Principles (DOP), established a timetable for the Middle East peace process. It planned for an interim Palestinian government in Gaza and Jericho in the West Bank.
• Oslo II, officially called the Israeli-Palestinian Interim Agreement on the West Bank and Gaza, expanded on Oslo I. It included provisions for the complete withdrawal of Israeli troops from six West Bank cities and about 450 towns. Additionally, the pact set a timetable for elections for the Palestinian Legislative Council.
• On May 4, 1994, the first phase of the Oslo Accords was implemented, as Israel and the PLO signed the Cairo Agreement, giving the Palestinians control over Gaza and Jericho.

Details of Oslo Accords:

• Israel to withdraw from Jericho and Gaza, and eventually the West Bank.
• Five years of limited autonomy for Palestinians in those areas.
• Election of Palestinian Legislative Council within nine months.
• Establishment of a Palestinian police force.
• The question of Jerusalem was left undecided.

Explanation :

• A-SAT is essentially a missile that can destroy or jam an enemy country's satellite in space.It can also be used to access critical information about troop movements or incoming missiles.

Types

1. Kinetic A-SATs, like ballistic missiles, physically strike an object in order to destroy it.
2. Non-Kinetic A-SATsuse non-physical means to disable or destroy space objects, which include frequency jamming, blinding lasers or cyber-attacks.

• USA first tested the ASAT technology in 1958 which was followed by USSR in 1964.China joined the club in 2007.India is now the 4^th country to acquire such a specialised and modern capability.
• On March 27, 2019 India conducted Mission Shakti, an anti-satellite missile test, from the Dr. A P J Abdul Kalam Island launch complex.This was a technological mission carried out by DRDO. The satellite used in the mission was one of India’s existing satellites operating in lower orbit.
• India used Kinetic Kill, a space technology in which India has developed capability.
• The range of an ASAT is limited and depends on where it is launched from. Satellites above the range of 20,000 kilometres are out of range. The US and Russia have the capabilities of launching an ASAT from the ship, land and space, while India, presently, has used a land installation.