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Daily Current Capsules - 23rd May 2019

National Affairs
UNESCO includes Kailash Mansarovar in tentative list of world heritage sites
Relevance IN - Prelims ( about UNESCO world heritage sites programme)

What's the NEWS
  • If Kailash Mansarovar officially becomes the part of UNESCO world heritage sites permanently then Uttarakhand will benefited the most as communities living along the pilgrimage route will be incorporated in the plan to develop sustainable tourism for the site
  • At present, UNESCO's list includes as many as 845 cultural Heritage sites across the world, out of which 29 are from India.
Know! more about the inclusion of Kailash Mansarovar in the temporary list
  • The United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO), specialized agency of the United Nations (UN) has included Kailash Mansarovar in its tentative list of world heritage sites
  • This year in April, the Archaeological Survey of India (ASI) along with Ministry of Environment and Forests sent a proposal to UNESCO to list Kailash Mansoravar into its world Heritage sites.
  • In the proposal, Kailash Mansarovar was categorized under both as a natural as well as a cultural heritage.
Know! more about Kailash Mansarovar
  • Kailash Mansarovar, popularly known as Mount Kailash, is the highest peak in Kailash range located in Lake Mansarovar in the remote south-western portion of the Tibet Autonomous Region of China and adjacent districts in the far-western region of Nepal.
  • The Kailash Mansorovar is expanded across an area of 6,836 sq km within India, the area is flanked in the east by Nepal and bordered by China on the north. The Indian site is part of the larger landscape of 31,000 sq km.
  • Both China and Nepal have proposed the landscape as a world heritage site to UNESCO.
  • The Indian portion of the landscape in the State of Uttarakhand comprises four major watersheds viz. the Panar-Saryu, the Saryu-Ramganga, the Gori-Kali and the Dhauli-Kali.
  • At present, UNESCO's list includes as many as 845 cultural Heritage sites across the world, out of which 29 are from India.
Know! more about UNESCO and India
  • The United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) World Heritage Sites are important places of cultural or natural heritage as described in the UNESCO World Heritage Convention, established in 1972.
  • There are 37 World Heritage Sites located in India. These include 29 cultural sites, seven natural sites and one mixed site. India has the sixth largest number of sites in the world

Space Awareness
NASA researchers found evidence of water on Ultima Thule Surface
Relevance IN - Prelims ( about the research and about Ultima Thule) + Mains ( GS II awareness in the field of space)

What's the NEWS
  • NASA has recently discovered evidences of water, ice and organic molecules on Ultima Thule's surface. NASA has published the first profile of Ultima Thule revealing details about the complex space object.
  • On Ultima Thule researchers are investigating on features like bright spots and patches, craters and pits, hills and troughs on it. NASA's New Horizons spacecraft discovered Kuiper Belt object 2014 MU69, nicknamed Ultima Thule early this year.
Know! about Ultima Thule
  • Ultima Thule is 4 billion miles from Earth and has captured scientists' curiosity since they discovered it had a snowman-like appearance.
  • NASA's New Horizons spacecraft flew past the icy object nicknamed Ultima Thule in Kuiper belt.
  • Ultima Thule is deep within the so-called Kuiper Belt, or Twilight Zone, well beyond the orbit of Neptune.
  • It is a contact binary, with two distinctly differently shaped lobes. It consists of a large, strangely flat lobe nicknamed "Ultima" connected to a smaller, somewhat rounder lobe dubbed "Thule" at a juncture.
  • The lobes likely once orbited each other until some process brought them together in what scientists have shown to be a "gentle" merger.
  • The alignment of the axes of Ultima and Thule indicates that before the merger the two lobes must have become tidally locked, meaning that the same sides always faced each other as they orbited around the same point.
Know! about New Horizons
  • The New Horizons spacecraft is now 4.1 billion miles (6.6 billion kilometers) from Earth, operating normally and speeding deeper into the Kuiper Belt at nearly 33,000 miles (53,000 kilometers) per hour.
  • New Horizons launched on January 19, 2006 and conducted a six-month-long reconnaissance flyby study of Pluto and its moons in summer 2015.
  • The goal of the mission is to understand the formation of the Plutonian system, the Kuiper belt, and the transformation of the early Solar System.
  • The spacecraft collected data on the atmospheres, surfaces, interiors, and environments of Pluto and its moons. It is also studying other objects in the Kuiper belt.
Miscellaneous Factoids
Ongole cattle breed
Relevance IN - Prelims ( about ongole and different cattle breeds)
What's the NEWS
  • Vice President Venkaiah Naidu highlighted that Brazil has imported these cattle breeds and produced hybrid Ongoles to earn huge revenue through export.
Know! about Ongole cattle
  • Vice President of India, M. Venkaiah Naidu has called for protecting Ongole cattle breed .Vice President Venkaiah Naidu released a compendium on Ongole breed of cattle at Vijayawada recently. He also stressed that cattle wealth was national wealth.
Know! more about Indian cattle breeds
  • India has 37 pure cattle breeds. Five of these - Sahiwal, Gir, Red Sindhi, Tharparkar and Rathi - are known for their milking prowess.
  • A few others, such as Kankrej, Ongole and Hariana, belong to dual breeds that have both milch and draught qualities; ie, they are good plough animals. The rest are pure draught breeds.
Know about Ongole cattle
  • Ongole cattle is an indigenous cattle breed that originates from Prakasam District in the state of Andhra Pradesh.
  • The breed derives its name from the place the breed originates from, Ongole.
  • The Ongole breed of cattle, Bos Indicus, has a great demand as it is said to possess resistance to both foot and mouth disease and mad cow disease.
  • These cattle are commonly used in bull fights in Mexico and some parts of East Africa due to their strength and aggressiveness. They also participate in traditional bull fights in Andhra Pradesh and Tamil Nadu.
  • The Ongole is one of the heaviest breeds. They weigh approximately half a ton, are 1.7 meters in height and have a body length of 1.6 meters and girth measuring 2 meters.
The World Bee Day
Relevance IN - Prelims ( about world bee day and importance and conservation of bees )
What's the NEWS
  • It is celebrated every year on May 20 as it marks the birthday anniversary of beekeeping pioneer Anton JanÅ¡a.
  • The theme for World Bee Day 2019 was "Save the Bees".
Know! more about World Bee Day
  • The celebration of World Bee Day on 20May was designated by United Nations General Assembly (UNGA) by unanimously passing a resolution proposed by Slovenia in December 2017.
  • The resolution called for adoption of specific conservation measures and highlighted importance of preservation of bees
Know! the Objective of celebrating Bee day
  • To raise awareness about importance of bees and pollinators, threats faced by them, their contribution to sustainable development and to acknowledge their role in ecosystem.
Know! the importance of bees
  • Bees and other Pollinators like bats, butteries, and hummingbirds allow many plants (including food crops) to reproduce.
  • About 33% of world's food production depends on bees thus they are vital for preservation of biodiversity, ecological balance in nature and helpful in reducing pollution.
Bilateral Relations
Indo-Myanmar coordinated patrol (IMCOR)
Relevance IN - Prelims ( about IMCOR)

What's the NEWS
  • The 2019 Indo-Myanmar coordinated patrol (IMCOR) is taking place from 20 May to 28May 2019. This is the 8th edition of coordinated patrol (CORPAT) between India and Myanmar.
Know! more about IMCOR
  • The coordinated patrol (CORPAT) initiative between the Indian Navy and Myanmar Navy seeks to address issues of terrorism, human trafficking, poaching, illegal shipping, drug trafficking and other illegal activities harmful to interest of both nations.
  • The CORPAT series was first started in Mar 2013. Since then it has fostered improved professional interaction and enhanced mutual understanding between the two navies for maritime interoperability.
  • The patrolling effort by participants will be augmented by Maritime Patrol Aircraft (MPA) from both the navies.
  • The ships deployed would patrol along International Maritime Boundary Line (IMBL) between the two countries thus, covering a distance of about 725 Kms over a period of four days.
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