Daily Current Affairs for State Exams 23 May 2023

दैनिक करंट अफेयर्स 23 मई 2023

 Italy’s Mount Etna volcano erupts; spews ash, smoke

Why in news: Mount Etna, Europe's most active volcano, was erupting on Sunday, spewing ash into Catania, the largest city in eastern Sicily, and forcing flights to be suspended at that city's airport.

A.Italy's National Institute of Geophysics and Volcanology, or INGV, which closely monitors Etna with instrumentation on the slopes, said cloud cover was disrupting scenes of eruptions on a rainy day, often showcasing vivid lava during successive eruptions of volcanoes.

B.The ash had fallen on at least one town on the inhabited slopes of Catania and Mount Etna. Due to the ash falling, flight operations were temporarily suspended.

C.There may be "sudden" changes in Etna's activity in the wake of an increase in volcanic activity. In early 2021, the eruption of the volcano lasted for several weeks. 

D.The youngest and most active of Etna's four summit craters – the southeastern crater – is now the highest part of the volcano, rising 3,357 metres above sea level.

E.Mount Etna, Europe's most active volcano, erupted on May 21, 2023, forcing flights to halt from Catania, the largest city in eastern Sicily, due to lack of visibility.

 (SOURCE – LIVEMINT)

 Axiom Space's Ax-2 Mission has sent GiGi teddy bear to the space station along with the four astronauts

Why in news: Axiom Space partnered with the Build-A-Bear Workshop to inspire children to learn about space and consider engineering, science, technology and mathematics as careers.

A.Gigi joined the crew of the Axiom-2 mission with the launch into space on a SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket in Florida on Sunday.

B.GiGI has been sent into space to continue the tradition of having zero-gravity indicators inside the spacecraft. Teddy Bear is also wearing a spacesuit.

C."With Build-A-Bear's 25-year history of creating special moments, our Gigi wearing the next-generation spacesuit has the amazing opportunity to be part of history as a zero-gravity indicator of the X-2 crew.

D.This is the second private mission of the International Space Station conducted by Axiom Space. In addition to Gigi's teddy bear, four humans have reached the space station. For the first time, two Saudi astronauts joined this mission. Breast cancer researcher Raynah Barnawi is the first Saudi woman to travel in space, and the carrier fighter pilot, Al-Qarani, is the second Saudi Arabian to go into space. The team also includes former NASA astronaut Peggy Whitson and Commerce astronaut John Schaffner.

E.The company made its first private mission to the ISS in April 2022, sending three merchants and former astronaut Michael Lopez-Allegria into orbit for 17 days as part of the X-1. This time the astronauts will stay in the space station for more than 10 days and are likely to return by the end of May.

(SOURCE – NEWS ON AIR)

 FIPIC Summit, 2023

Why in news: The India-Pacific Islands Cooperation Forum (FIPIC) Summit held in Papua New Guinea served as an important platform to promote cooperation in various areas such as trade, investment, climate change and sustainable development. 

A.Established in 2014, the multinational grouping was aimed at promoting cooperation between India and 14 Pacific Island nations, including the Cook Islands, Fiji, Kiribati, Marshall Islands, Micronesia, Nauru, Niue, Samoa, Solomon Islands, Palau, Papua New Guinea, Tonga, Tuvalu and Vanuatu.

B.One of the key highlights of this year's FIPIC Summit was the full participation of leaders from all 14 countries. This was a rare occurrence due to connectivity and other challenges faced by these countries. The convergence of these countries underlined the importance and potential of strengthening ties between India and the Pacific region.

C.The FIPIC Summit provided a unique opportunity for cooperation and dialogue between India and pacific island countries. 

D.It aims to enhance mutual understanding, cooperation and development in various fields. Through discussions on trade, investment, climate change and sustainable development, the leaders worked towards building strong partnerships for a brighter future.

 (SOURCE – INDIAN EXPRESS)

 Operation Dhvast

Why in news: The National Investigation Agency (NIA) has launched 'Operation Dhavast' to end organised crime and terrorism.

A.It aims to end the nexus between terrorist groups, gangsters and drug traffickers who pose a threat to national security.

B.Under this, the NIA The CBI launched the planned operation by conducting raids in coordination with local law enforcement agencies.

C.The NIA has been constituted under the National Investigation Agency Act, 2008. It acts as the central anti-terrorism law enforcement agency in India

D.The National Investigation Agency (established on 31 December 2008; Headquarters: New Delhi; under the Ministry of Home Affairs) is India's primary anti-terrorist investigation task force. The agency is empowered to deal with investigations of terror-related offences in states without special permission from states under a written declaration of the Ministry of Home Affairs.

 (SOURCE –NEWS ON AIR)

 Lumpy skin disease

 Why in news: Recently, the Supreme Court had directed prompt action on reports of rising cases of nodular skin disease (LSD) in livestock in Darjeeling and Kalimpong districts of West Bengal.

A.It is an acute to chronic, highly contagious viral disease that affects cattle.

B.Causative agent: It is caused by nodular skin disease virus (LSDV), which belongs to the genus Capripoxvirus, which is a part of the Poxviridae family (smallpox and monkeypox viruses are also part of the same family). 

C.It is characterized by fever, nodules on the skin, mucous membranes and internal organs, exacerbations, enlarged lymph nodes, edema of the skin and sometimes death.

D.LSDV is not permeable to humans. The disease is of economic importance as it can cause temporary reduction in milk production, temporary or permanent sterility in bulls, damage to skins and sometimes death.

E.There is no direct antiviral treatment. Instead, infected animals receive supportive care, including the use of antibiotics, painkillers, and wound care sprays to treat symptoms. Since there is no treatment, vaccines are used to control disease transmission.

(SOURCE – TIMES OF INDIA)

 India’s third crater in Ramgarh to be converted into geo-tourism destination

Why in news:  The Ramgarh pit in Rajasthan's Baran district, which is believed to have formed around 600 million years ago, is set to undergo a remarkable transformation. The site will soon be converted into a captivating geo-tourist attraction. 

A.This crater, which is the third of its kind in India and the first in the state of Rajasthan, will soon be opened to visitors. The other two craters are Lunar Crater in Maharashtra and Dhala Crater in the state of Madhya Pradesh. 

B.Ramgarh Crater will attract a large number of tourists. The Rajasthan tourism department expects the crater to attract 30,000 to 40,000 visitors per year.

C.The work of giving concrete shape to this scheme has started. The site will be developed at an estimated cost of Rs 57.22 crore. The development project will cover various aspects including aesthetics, infrastructure improvement and decorative additions to the surrounding area.

D.The site of Ramgarh Crater encompasses a harmonious blend of geology, archaeology and history. It has also been designated as a reserve conservation area by the forest department.

E.The pit was discovered in 1869, when it was located about 12 km from Mangrol tehsil of Baran district. The Ramgarh Crater, which has a diameter of 3.5 km, was formed 600 million years ago after the impact of a meteorite from space. This crater is also recognized as the 200th crater in the World Geo-Heritage Register.

F.A Khajuraho style Shiva temple located on the periphery of the crater dates back to the 10th century, known as 'Mini Khajuraho'. This architectural marvel includes two lakes, which serve as natural habitats for a diverse array of migratory birds. It also houses a 950-year-old Devi temple, a cluster of ancient temples and the revered Kelpuri Samadhi site. The area also has a good wildlife presence including cheetal deer and wild boar. The region has immense potential to become a captivating tourist destination.

(SOURCE –The Hindu)

 Machilipatnam Port

 Why in news: Andhra Pradesh Chief Minister will inaugurate the Machilipatnam port construction works at Manginapudi in Krishna district.

A.It is a proposed deep sea port on the coast of the Bay of Bengal. Located at Machilipatnam, the district headquarters of Krishna district of Andhra Pradesh, the port has been developed by the state government under the landlord model at a cost of Rs 5,156 crore.

B.The project is being implemented by Machilipatnam Port Development Corporation Limited (MPDCL), a special purpose unit launched by the state government. 

C.The port is expected to have a capacity of 35 million tonnes in the first phase, with four berths, including three general berths and one for coal. 

D.It will cater to the export of fertilizers, coal, cooking oil, containers, agricultural products, cement, granite, cement clinker, iron ore from Andhra Pradesh and neighbouring Telangana.

E.In this model, the publicly governed port authority acts as a regulatory body and as the landlord while private companies carry out port operations—primarily cargo-handling activities.

F.The port authority maintains ownership of the port, while the infrastructure is leased to private firms that provide and maintain their own superstructure and install their own equipment to handle cargo. In return, the landlord port gets a share of the revenue from the private entity.

(SOURCE – INDIAN EXPRESS)

E-malkhana

Why in news: Visakhapatnam City Police is all set to launch e-Malkhana in all police stations by June this year.

A.E-Malkhana is a scientific storage system implemented by the Visakhapatnam Police Commissionerate to preserve and organize items and evidence recovered from crime scenes.

B.The system uses standardized cardboard boxes labeled with unique numbers and QR codes for easy retrieval and access to case-related information.

C.Benefits: It enhances efficiency, transparency, and the chain of detention for law enforcement officers.

D.Other such measures are Crime and Criminal Tracking Network and Systems (CCTNS), e-courts, e-prisons, National Database on Sexual Offenders (NDSO), Integrated Criminal Justice System (ICJS), etc.

 (SOURCE – ECONOMIC TIMES)

दैनिक करंट अफेयर्स 23 मई 2023, अंग्रेजी में पीडीएफ़ डाउनलोड करें।

दैनिक करंट अफेयर्स 23 मई 2023, हिंदी में पीडीएफ़ डाउनलोड करें।