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Connect to Current -Daily Current Capsules - 24th April 2019

International Affairs

US to end sanctions waivers for all importers of Iranian oil
Relevance IN - Prelims ( facts regarding the waiver and US sanctions) + GS II ( bilateral, regional and global groupings and agreements involving India or affecting India's interest

What's the NEWS

  • The United States is expected to announce that all importers of Iranian oil will have to end their imports shortly or be subject to US sanctions.
  • As per reports, the administration will terminate the sanction waivers that it had granted to some importers of Iranian oil late last year.

Know! more about recent developments

  • While re-imposing sanctions on exports of Iranian oil, the United States had granted waivers to eight economies that had reduced their purchases of the oil including China, India, Japan, South Korea, Taiwan, Turkey, Italy and Greece.
  • Since then, three of the eight nations-Italy, Greece and Taiwan- stopped importing oil from Iran. The other five, however, lobbied for their waivers to be extended.
  • The sanctions waivers are going to expire on May 2 and the trump administration is now planning to tell the five nations, including allies Japan, South Korea and Turkey, that they will no longer renew them.
  • It is, however, not immediately clear if any of the five would be given additional time to wind down their purchases or if they would be subject to US sanctions on May 3 if they do not immediately halt imports of Iranian oil.

What would be the Impact

  • The decision is intended to further ramp up pressure on Iran by strangling the revenue it gets from oil exports.
  • The United States has been pressuring Iran to curtail its nuclear program and stop backing militant proxies across the Middle East.

Know! about the inception of this US -Iran turf

  • The United States had re-imposed sanctions on exports of Iranian oil in November 2018, after Trump unilaterally pulled the US out of the landmark 2015 nuclear accord between Iran and six world powers.
  • However, the nation granted waivers to eight economies that had reduced their purchases of Iranian oil, allowing them to continue buying it without incurring sanctions for six more months. The nations included China, India, Japan, South Korea, Taiwan, Turkey, Italy and Greece.
  • The waivers were granted in part to give those countries more time to find alternate energy sources but also to prevent a shock to global oil markets from the sudden removal of Iranian crude.

Health Awareness

ICMR releases guidelines for Candida Auris infection and treatment
Relevance IN - Prelims ( about Candida Auris)

What's the NEWS

  • Indian Council of Medical Research (ICMR) has recently issued guidelines for Candida Auris, multi-drug resistant yeast, which was reported to cause invasive infections with high mortality.
  • Indian Council of Medical Research (ICMR) is aware of the numerous outbreaks of Candida Auris reported globally and from India.

Know! all about Candida Auris infection

  • Since 2009, the infection has been reported globally from many countries within a short period of time.
  • The whole genome sequence analysis of the isolates collected from different geographical locations showed minimal difference among the isolates suggesting simultaneous emergence of Candida Auris infection at multiple geographical locations, rather than spread from one place to another.
  • The isolation of the fungus from patients' environment, hands of healthcare workers and from skin and mucosa of the hospitalized patients indicate the agent is spreading. Candida Auris forms non-dispersible cell aggregates and persists for a longer time in the environment in addition to its thermotolerant and salt tolerant properties.

Know! the Candida Auris synonyms ( how it can be developed)

  • If the patient is from ICU or high-dependency area
  • Transferred from another hospital after a long stay
  • Multiple interventions & prior antifungal exposure in any patient

Know! the Preventions

  • Patients should be kept in isolated rooms or with other patients with the same infection. Patients with diarrhoea may be at a higher risk to transmit the organism to other patients and self-colonization at multiple sites.
  • Hand-hygiene using WHO recommended all six steps should be followed strictly by all staff and patient attendants before and after contact.

Space Awareness

Mercury has a massive solid inner core: NASA
Relevance IN - Prelims ( about NASA's recent findings + about MESSENGER mission +about BepiColombo Mission

What's the NEWS

  • NASA has revealed about smallest planet in our solar system that says it has a massive solid inner core.
  • In its final trip around Mercury before crash-landing in 2015, NASA's MESSENGER mission zoomed in close to the planet, enabling scientists to make detailed measurements of its gravity, spin and internal structure.

Know! more about the recent findings

  • As per the NASA information, it has long been known that Mercury and the Earth have metallic cores. Like Earth, Mercury's outer core is composed of liquid metal, but there have only been hints that Mercury's innermost core is solid.
  • Using past spacecraft data, scientists found evidence that Mercury has a solid inner core and that it is very nearly the same size as Earth's inner core.
  • Mercury's massive inner core - nearly 85 percent of the volume of the planet - has long been a mystery to scientists.
  • Understanding what is happening inside Mercury may help us predict how Earth's magnetic field will change as the core cools.
  • The science team used data from NASA's MESSENGER mission, which orbited Mercury for more from 2011 to 2015. The spacecraft was the second mission to Mercury.
  • A new mission is on its way to Mercury. BepiColombo is a joint mission by the European Space Agency (ESA) and the Japan Aerospace Exploration Agenc (JAXA) to explore the innermost planet from two unique vantage points. The first close pass by Mercury will be in 2021.

Know! about BepiColombo Mission

  • BepiColombo is Europe's first mission to Mercury. It was set off in 2018 on a journey to the smallest and least explored terrestrial planet in our Solar System.
  • When it arrives at Mercury in late 2025, it will endure temperatures in excess of 350°C and gather data during its 1 year nominal mission, with a possible 1-year extension.
  • The mission comprises two spacecraft: the Mercury Planetary Orbiter (MPO) and the Mercury Magnetospheric Orbiter (MMO).
  • BepiColombo is a joint mission between ESA and the Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency (JAXA), executed under ESA leadership.

Know! all about Mercury

  • Mercury is the closest planet to the Sun and is also the smallest of the eight planets in our solar system.
  • For every 2 orbits of the Sun, which takes around 88 Earth days, Mercury completes three rotations of its axis.
  • It is gravitationally locked and this rotation is unique to the solar system.
  • It is named for the Roman god Mercury, the messenger to the gods - most likely related to the orbiting speed of the planet.
  • MESSENGER (March 18, 2011) became the second mission after Mariner 10's 1975 flyby to reach Mercury.

Miscellaneous Facts

World Book and Copyright Day 2019 observed globally
Relevance IN - Prelims ( about World book and Copyright day 2019)

What's the NEWS

  • The World Book and Copyright Day was observed across the world on April 23, 2019 to highlight the power of books and to promote UNESCO's vision of knowledge societies that are inclusive, pluralistic, equitable, open and participatory for all citizens.

Know! more about the 24th edition 

  • The 24th edition of World Book Day will celebrate literature and reading while laying emphasis on the importance of enhancing and protecting Indigenous languages.
  • The Day pays tribute to books and authors by encouraging everyone to discover the pleasure of reading.

World Book Capital for 2019: Sharjah, United Arab Emirates

  • Every year, the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) along with the international organisations representing publishers, booksellers and libraries, select the World Book Capital for the period of one year with effect from 23 April each year.
  • This year, UNESCO designated Sharjah as the World Book Capital for 2019. With the slogan "Read - you are in Sharjah", the programme focuses on six themes: Inclusivity, Reading, Heritage, Outreach, Publishing and Children.
  • The objective behind designating Sharjah as Book Capital is to foster a culture of reading in the United Arab Emirates and launch new initiatives to meet the challenge of literary creation in the rest of the Arab world.

Know! about the inception of World book and copyright day

  • 23 April is considered as a symbolic date for world literature. In 1616, on this date, Cervantes, William Shakespeare and Inca Garcilaso de la Vega died.
  • The Day also marks the date of birth or death of other prominent authors such as Maurice Druon, Haldor K Laxness, Vladimir Nabokov and Manuel Mejia Vallejo.
  • Considering the importance of this day, the UNESCO proclaimed 23 April as the World Book and Copyright Day in 1995.

 

AYUSH Ministry & CSIR sign MoU for research in areas of traditional systems of medicine

What's the NEWS

  • The Union Ministry of AYUSH (Ayurveda, Yoga and Naturopathy, Unani, Siddha and Homoeopathy) and the Council of Scientific and Industrial Research (CSIR) signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) for cooperation in research and education in areas of traditional systems of medicine and its integration with modern science.

Highlights of the MoU

  • The MoU enables collaboration in pursuit of Data mining and analytics and Artificial Intelligence (AI) to facilitate concepts such as "Traditional knowledge inspired drug discovery and development" and "Food as Medicine".
  • Both the organisations will jointly pursue research and development covering fundamental research; AYUSH specific diagnostic tools; linking microbiome, and gene expression and prakriti.
  • Both will also work on multi-ingredient herbal formulations including their standardisation; exploring modern scientific methods for integration with traditional Indian Systems of Medicine (ISM); linking disease signatures; etc.

Collaboration between Ayush Ministry & CSIR

  • The collaboration will significantly help in the growth of the Indian contributions to AYUSH sector, not only nationally but internationally as well.
  • Previously, CSIR jointly with AYUSH Ministry developed the Traditional Knowledge Digital Library (TKDL), a globally recognised proprietary database on Indian systems of medicine for preventing bio-piracy and misappropriation of traditional knowledge.

 

Prelims Practise Questions

Consider the following questions

1. Bepi Colombo is Europe's first mission to Mars which was set off in 2018 on a journey to the smallest and least explored terrestrial planet in our Solar System.
2. When it arrives at Mars in late 2025, it will endure temperatures in excess of 350°C and gather data during its 1 year nominal mission, with a possible 1-year extension.

Find the correct statement from the option given below

a. 1 only 
b. 2 only
c. None 
d. All

 

Consider the following statements regarding Candida Auris

1. It is a fungal disease which developed resistance to several anti - fungal drugs
2. It is not reported in the India till now
3. Hospital Hygiene is the primary factors in preventing the spread of Candida Auris

Find the correct statement from the option given below

a. 1 and 2
b. 1 and 3
c. 2 and 3
d. All

KEEP Learning KEEP Evolving 

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