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Daily Current Capsules - 18th May 2019

Defence
India Conducts Successful Flight Test of Abhyas Target Drone
ABHYAS - a Highspeed Expendable Aerial Target (HEAT)
Relevance IN - Prelims ( about ABHYAS)


What's the NEWS
  • India's Defense Research and Development Organization (DRDO) had successfully tested the Abhyas High-speed Expendable Aerial Target (HEAT) drone.
  • The pilotless aircraft, designed to serve as a target in live-fire weapons tests, was flight-tested at India's Interim Test Range near Chandipur, Odisha.
  • It a high-speed expendable aerial target (HEAT), which offers a realistic threat scenario for practice of weapon systems.
Know! more about Abhyas
  • Abhyas "is designed on an in-line small gas turbine engine and uses indigenously developed MEMS based navigation system for its navigation and guidance
  • The performance of the system was as per simulations carried out and demonstrated the capability of Abhyas to meet the mission requirement for a cost effective HEAT.
  • Target missiles and drones serve an important role in the development of a range of interceptors, including surface-to-air systems as well as cruise and ballistic missile defense systems.
  • Abhyas is designed to simulate aircraft for endoatmospheric surface-to-air interception tests as well as air-to-air exercises.
  • The Abhyas has been in development since 2012 and has been displayed by DRDO at international defense expositions since at least 2013.
  • That year, the Abhyas was displayed at the International Aerospace and Defense Exhibition ADEX-2013 in Seoul, South Korea.
  • The Abhyas is reported to feature an adjustable simulated radar cross section for live-fire exercises and other drills through the use of a lunberg lens in the nose cone, which improves the target's radar reflectiveness.
Cyber Security
India joins global initiative to combat online extremism
'Christchurch call to action'
Relevance IN - Prelims ( about the 'Christchurch call to action' initiative ) + Mains ( GS III cyber security)
What's the NEWS
  • India joined a major global initiative 'Christchurch call to action' to combat terrorism and extremism online; and make internet a safe and secure place to be.
Know! more about Online Extremism Summit and the initiatives taken
  • The initiative was launched during the "Online Extremism Summit" in Paris jointly by India, France, New Zealand, Canada and several other countries with an aim to prevent the abuse of the internet.
  • A total of 18 countries including the European Union supported the initiative along with social media giants like Twitter, Facebook, Google and Microsoft.
  • Soon after the launch, Facebook announced that it had intensified live streaming rules and will in future ban Facebook Live users who ever shared terrorist or extremist content online.
Know! about the significance of initiative's name
  • The 'Christchurch call to action' initiative has been named after the New Zealand city Christchurch, where over 50 people were killed and over 20 got injured in shootings at two mosques.
  • Australian citizen Brenton Tarrant of late 20s age was charged with the murder for carrying out the attacks. Tarrant livestreamed one of the attacks himself while attacking the Christchurch mosque in a Facebook Live video.
US declined to join initiative
  • The USA has declined to be a part of the initiative as of now. The White House claimed that it supports the Christchurch initiative, however, it is not in a position to join it officially, citing the need for freedom of speech
Know! the Highlights of 'Christchurch call to action' declaration
  • The initiative outlines collective and voluntary commitments from governments and online service providers to address the issue of terrorist and violent extremist content online.
  • It calls for a free, open and secure internet to promote connectivity, enhance social inclusiveness and foster economic growth.
  • As internet is not resistant towards the abuse by terrorists and violent extremists, there is an urgent need of collective efforts to secure the internet from such terror groups.
  • This statement was supported with a special mention of Christchurch terror attacks which were broadcasted online by terrorists.
  • The broadcasting of such content online has severe impact on victims of such incident, on collective security and on people across the world.
  • The Christchurch attack stressed on the urgent call of action by the governments, civil society, online service providers, and social media companies to eliminate terrorist and extremist content online.
Miscellaneous Factoids
Retired SC Justice MB Lokur appointed to Supreme Court of Fiji
Relevance IN - Prelims ( about the appointment of Indian judge in Fiji and about India - Fiji)
What's the NEWS
  • Justice Madan Bhimrao Lokur, who retired as the senior-most judge of the Supreme Court in December 2018, has been appointed to the Supreme Court of Fiji's non-resident panel for the duration of three years.
Know! about the Supreme Court of Fiji
  • The Supreme Court of Fiji consists of the Chief Justice, who is also the President of the Supreme Court, all Justices of Appeal who are also members of the Court of Appeal and others specifically appointed as Supreme Court judges.
  • The court has three sessions in one year and Justice Lokur would be attending the August session from August 15- 30, 2019.
  • Fiji has previously invited judges from other nations including Australia, New Zealand, Sri Lanka, Singapore, South Africa and Malaysia to be a part of its non-resident panel.
Internal Security
Government extends ban on Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam
Relevance IN - Prelims ( about LTTE and about unlawful activities (Prevention) Act, 1967) + Mains ( GS III challenges to internal security)
What's the NEWS
  • In its latest notification, the Union Home Ministry extended the ban imposed on the militant group, the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE) for its strong anti-India posture and the threat it poses to the nation.
  • According to the Indian Government, the LTTE has been covertly working towards the creation of Tamil Eelam, a proposed independent state for Tamils, and has been undertaking fundraising activities for the same.
  • The Indian Government has banned as many as 41 terrorist outfits under the first schedule of the unlawful activities (Prevention) Act, 1967.
  • The LTTE has been declared as a terrorist organisation by over 32 countries, including the European Union.
Know! about Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act
  • Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act aimed at effective prevention of unlawful activities associations in India. Its main objective was to make powers available for dealing with activities directed against the integrity and sovereignty of India.
  • The National Integration Council appointed a Committee on National Integration and Regionalisation to look into, the aspect of putting reasonable restrictions in the interests of the sovereignty and integrity of India.
  • Pursuant to the acceptance of recommendations of the Committee, the Constitution (Sixteenth Amendment) Act, 1963 was enacted to impose, by law, reasonable restrictions in the interests of the sovereignty and integrity of India. In order to implement the provisions of 1963 Act, the Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Bill was introduced in the Parliament.
Space Awareness
Dr K Sivan, Chairman, ISRO inaugurates the Young Scientist Programme (Yuvika-2019)
Relevance IN - Prelims ( about the scheme Yuvika)

What's the NEWS
  • ISRO Chairman Dr K. Sivan inaugurated ISRO's Young Scientist Programme called ‘Yuvika 2019' at Satish Dhawan Space Centre (SDSC) SHAR, Sriharikota in Andhra Pradesh.
  • Know! all about YUVIKA (or ‘YUvaVIgyaniKAryakram') 2019
  • It is a two week (14 days) summer vacation residential training programme, which will be conducted by ISRO from 13 May to 26 May 2019.
  • It was launched by ISRO in tune with the Centre governments vision of "Jai Vigyan, Jai Anusandhan".
  • 3 students from each Indian State (29) and Union Territories (7 UTs) are participating (about 108 students) and will get trained by ISRO Scientists.
  • During programme, participants will also visit Satish Dhawan Space Centre (SDSC), Shriharikota which is spaceport of India.
  • The students are selected based on their performance in the 8th Standard (covering CBSE, ICSE and State syllabus), which includes both academic and extracurricular activities.
  • The Young Scientist Programme will be conducted across 4 centres of ISRO, Department of Space (DOS)- 1. Space Applications Centre (SAC), Ahmedabad 2. North Eastern Space Applications Centre (NESAC), Shillong 3. Vikram Sarabhai Space Centre (VSSC), Thiruvananthapuram 4. U R Rao Satellite Centre (URSC), Bengaluru
Space Awareness
Moon is shrinking and shaking: NASA Study
Relevance IN - Prelims ( about the recent findings related to Moon and Mercury) + Mains ( GS III awareness in the filed of space)
What's the NEWS
  • In a recent study published by NASA it has been revealed that moon is shrinking from millions of years and still counting.
  • NASA study said that moon is shrinking as its interior cools, getting more than about 150 feet skinnier over the last several hundred million years.
  • NASA claims that as per first evidence these faults of shrinking is still active and producing moonquakes today as the Moon continues to gradually cool. NASA study finds that some of these quakes can be fairly strong, around five on the Richter scale.
Know! the major Findings
  • Nasa's Lunar Reconnaissance Orbiter (LRO) sent 3D images of moon surface that revealed its surface is shrinking.
  • NASA found that a number of the quakes recorded in the Apollo data happened very close to the faults seen in the LRO images.
  • Apollo missions dropped the instruments and seismic data was taken from that only.
  • After using the algorithm method, NASA team found that eight of the 28 shallow quakes were within 30 kilometers (18.6 miles) of faults visible in lunar images.
Know! the role of Apollo missions
  • During the Apollo 11, 12, 14, 15, and 16 missions astronauts placed various tools and devices on the lunar surface.
  • Only one, Apollo 11 seismometer worked for three weeks, but remaining four seismometers recorded 28 shallow moonquakes. Scientists believed that this type of faults may be related to the faults from 1969 to 1977. Scientists found these quakes ranged from almost 2 to around 5 on the Richter scale.
Mercury also shrinking
  • NASA study explained that Mercury shrank much more than the Moon.
  • NASA has found that planet Mercury also has various thrust faults, it ranges up to 600 miles (1,000 kilometers) long and over a mile (3 kilometers) high, that are significantly larger relative to its size than those on the Moon.
  • When planets heat up they expand their size and when they cool size of planet gets shrink. Mercury's large faults reveal that is was likely hot enough to be completely molten after its formation.
  • NASA is still studying to understand the Moon's origin and to compare it with Mercury whether the same happened to the Moon or not.
  • NASA also said that it is quite possible an ocean of magma is slowly heating deep interior of moon.
Know! about Lunar Reconnaissance Orbiter (LRO)
  • Lunar Reconnaissance Orbiter (LRO) takes 3D images of moon and it entered lunar orbit on June 23, 2009. Its exploration mission began on September 15, 2009.
  • For planning NASA's future human and robotic missions to the Moon LRO's data keeps much importance for all.
  • Its detailed mapping program is identifying safe landing sites, locating potential resources on the Moon, characterizing the radiation environment, and demonstrating new technologies.
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