Current Affairs 8th April 2019

Current Affairs 8th April 2019

Current Affairs from PIB, The Hindu and India Express.

Current Affairs 8th April 2019

Platinum Jubilee Commemoration of Battle of Kangla Tongbi

The Platinum Jubilee of the Battle of Kangla Tongbi War was commemorated on 07 Apr 2019 by Army Ordnance Corps at Kangla Tongbi War Memorial near Imphal honouring the valiant brave hearts of Ordnance Personnel of 221 Advance Ordnance Depot who made their supreme sacrifice in the line of duty during the battle of World War-II on the night of 6/ 7 April 1944

About the Battle of Kangla Tongi:

• The Battle of Kangla Tongbi, considered one of the fiercest battles of World War II, was fought by Ordnance personnel of 221 Advance Ordnance Depot (AOD) on the night of 6/7 April 1944.
•  The position of 221 AOD was not at all sound from a tactical point of view.  It was exposed to the enemy from all sides and had to rely on its own combatant manpower for its defense.
•  On 06 Apr 1944, orders were received to evacuate 4,000 tons of ammunition, armaments and other warlike stores.

India's 1st Indigenously Built Dhanush Howitzer Inducted In Army

• India’s first indigenously designed and developed Dhanush artillery gun was inducted in the Indian Army during a ceremony held at Ordnance Factory in Jabalpur, MP. The Army had placed an order for more than 110 of these guns with the Ordnance Factory.
• Dhanush 155mm/45 caliber towed gun system can be deployed in all types of terrains. The Dhanush gun system is based on the designs of the Bofors howitzer which was inducted in the Army in the 1980s and would be the third type of artillery gun to be inducted into the force after the K-9 Vajra and the M-777 ultra-light howitzers.

Yellow weather warning for Himachal

The India Meteorological Department (IMD) has issued a yellow weather warning for rain and hailstorm in Himachal Pradesh.

The IMD issues color-coded warnings to alert the public ahead of severe or hazardous weather conditions that can cause disruption or damage.

IMD uses four color codes to indicate various categories of alerts. These color codes are a) green, b) yellow, c) amber and d) red. These color codes signify the levels of caution to be taken

• Green indicates “no warning” and therefore no actions to be taken. No advisory is issued in such cases.
• Yellow indicates “be updated” i.e. keeping a watch on the weather situation as it may deteriorate. Yellow is the least dangerous of the weather warnings.
• Amber indicates “be prepared”. It implies there is an increased likelihood of extremely bad weather. IMD advises people to be alerted. Further, government agencies should be prepared to manage situations arising out of severe weather conditions.
• Red indicates “Take action”. Red warning demands necessary actions to be taken by different agencies

Nobel Winner Biologist Sydney Brenner is Dead

Biologist Sydney Brenner who helped decipher the genetic code and jointly won the 2002 Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine, passed away at the age of 92.

He had jointly won the Nobel Prize for "discoveries concerning genetic regulation of organ development and programmed cell death"

Candida Auris

• Auris is a mysterious and dangerous fungal infection that is among a growing number of germs that have evolved defenses against common medicines.
• It is a fungus that, when it gets into the bloodstream, can cause dangerous infections that can be life-threatening.
• It preys on people with weakened immune systems, and it is quietly spreading across the globe.
• Scientists first identified it in 2009 in a patient in Japan.

What makes it so dangerous?

• It causes serious infections: It can cause bloodstream infections and even death, particularly in hospital and nursing home patients with serious medical problems.
• It’s often resistant to medicines: Its infections have been resistant to all types of antifungal medicines.
• It’s becoming more common: Although auris was just discovered in 2009, it has spread quickly and caused infections in more than a dozen countries.
• It’s difficult to identify: It can be misidentified as other types of fungi unless specialized laboratory technology is used. This misidentification might lead to a patient getting the wrong treatment.
• It can spread in hospitals and nursing homes: It has caused outbreaks in healthcare facilities and can spread through contact with affected patients and contaminated surfaces or equipment.

What made it so strong?

• For decades, public health experts have warned that the overuse of antibiotics was reducing the effectiveness of drugs that have lengthened life spans by curing bacterial infections once commonly fatal.
• But lately, there has been an explosion of resistant fungi as well, adding a new and frightening dimension to a phenomenon that is undermining a pillar of modern medicine.
• Simply put, fungi, just like bacteria, are evolving defences to survive medicines.
• Antibiotics and antifungals are both essential to combat infections in people, but antibiotics are also used widely to prevent disease in farm animals, and antifungals are also applied to prevent agricultural plants from rotting.
• Scientists cite evidence that rampant use of fungicides on crops is contributing to the surge in drug-resistant fungi infecting humans.

First Motorcycle Expedition to Karakoram Pass Flagged Off

• The much-awaited Himalayan Heights Expedition was flagged off today by General Officer Commanding 3 Infantry Division, Maj Gen Sanjiv Rai, SM, VSM at 10 AM from Karu Military Station.

• 14 days, 11 bikes and 1 dream expedition, the Himalayan Heights winter bike expedition from Leh to KK Pass will cover over 1,000 km and is likely to qualify for inclusion in the record books.

• The Team is ready to brave all odds in the unforgiving terrain and the extreme climate of the region, to complete a motorcycle expedition to Karakoram Pass.

MAINS SPECIAL
Editorial The Hindu: If Gandhi were alive today

Practice Question based on the editorial:

Do you believe that today Gandhi Ji has become more relevant than ever before?

https://www.thehindu.com/opinion/op-ed/if-gandhi-were-alive-today/article26763354.ece

Practice Question for Prelims:

In which country 25 years back in 1994 more than 8,00,000 people of minority Tutsi were killed by Hutu forces?
a)Sudan                  b)Tunisia                   c)Rawanda                           d)Zambia

Answer: C