{"id":12142,"date":"2021-07-20T00:00:00","date_gmt":"2021-07-20T00:00:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.nextias.com\/current_affairs\/uncategorized\/20-07-2021\/facts-in-news-23\/"},"modified":"2025-07-12T13:26:30","modified_gmt":"2025-07-12T07:56:30","slug":"facts-in-news-23","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.nextias.com\/ca\/current-affairs\/20-07-2021\/facts-in-news-23","title":{"rendered":"Facts in News"},"content":{"rendered":"
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Facts in News<\/u><\/strong><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/h2>\n<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n

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Financial Action Task Force<\/span><\/span><\/span><\/h3>\n<\/td>\n

Recently, an evaluation by the global organisation <\/span><\/span><\/span>Financial Action Task Force <\/strong><\/span><\/span><\/span>(FATF) to analyse the <\/span><\/span><\/span>effectiveness of India\u2019s anti-money laundering<\/strong><\/span><\/span><\/span> and <\/span><\/span><\/span>countering terrorist financing regime<\/strong><\/span><\/span><\/span> has been postponed for the second time.<\/span><\/span><\/span><\/p>\n
    \n
  • FATF is an<\/span><\/span><\/span> inter-governmental decision-making body<\/strong><\/span><\/span><\/span>, established in <\/span><\/span><\/span>1989<\/strong><\/span><\/span><\/span> during the<\/span><\/span><\/span> G7 Summit<\/strong><\/span><\/span><\/span> to develop policies against money laundering.<\/span><\/span><\/span><\/li>\n
  • Functions<\/strong><\/span><\/span><\/span>\n
      \n
    • Bring national legislative and regulatory reforms in money laundering and efforts to stop funding for weapons of mass destruction.<\/span><\/span><\/span><\/li>\n
    • Review money laundering and terrorist financing techniques and continuously strengthen its standards to address new risks, such as the regulation of virtual assets, which have spread as cryptocurrencies gain popularity.\u00a0\u00a0<\/span><\/span><\/span><\/li>\n
    • Monitor countries to ensure they implement the FATF Standards fully and effectively and hold countries to account that do not comply with the standards.<\/span><\/span><\/span><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/li>\n
    • FATF Lists<\/strong><\/span><\/span><\/span>\n
        \n
      • Black List:<\/strong><\/span><\/span><\/span> Countries known as <\/span><\/span><\/span>Non-Cooperative Countries or Territories <\/strong><\/span><\/span><\/span>(NCCTs) are put on the blacklist.<\/span><\/span><\/span>\n
          \n
        • These countries support terror funding and money laundering activities.<\/span><\/span><\/span><\/li>\n
        • The FATF revises the blacklist regularly, adding or deleting entries.<\/span><\/span><\/span><\/li>\n
        • Enlisted nations:<\/strong><\/span><\/span><\/span> North Korea and Iran.<\/span><\/span><\/span><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/li>\n
        • Grey List:<\/strong><\/span><\/span><\/span> Countries that are considered a safe haven for supporting terror funding and money laundering are put in the FATF grey list.<\/span><\/span><\/span>\n
            \n
          • This inclusion serves as a warning to the country that it may enter the blacklist.<\/span><\/span><\/span><\/li>\n
          • Enlisted nations:<\/strong><\/span><\/span><\/span> As of June 2021, there are <\/span><\/span><\/span>22 countries<\/strong><\/span><\/span><\/span> enlisted including <\/span><\/span><\/span>Pakistan<\/strong><\/span><\/span><\/span>.<\/span><\/span><\/span><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/li>\n
          • India became an Observer at FATF in 2006<\/strong><\/span><\/span><\/span>. Since then, it has been working towards full-fledged membership. On <\/span><\/span><\/span>25<\/strong><\/span><\/span><\/span>th<\/sup><\/strong><\/span><\/span><\/span> June 2010<\/strong><\/span><\/span><\/span>, India was taken in as the <\/span><\/span><\/span>34<\/strong><\/span><\/span><\/span>th<\/sup><\/strong><\/span><\/span><\/span> member country<\/strong><\/span><\/span><\/span>.<\/span><\/span><\/span><\/li>\n
          • Secretariat:<\/strong><\/span><\/span><\/span> Paris.<\/span><\/span><\/span><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
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NEA Scout<\/span><\/span><\/span><\/h3>\n<\/td>\n

Recently, the <\/span><\/span><\/span>National Aeronautics and Space Administration\u2019s<\/strong><\/span><\/span><\/span> (NASA) new spacecraft <\/span><\/span><\/span>Near-Earth Asteroid <\/strong><\/span><\/span><\/span>(NEA) <\/span><\/span><\/span>Scout<\/strong><\/span><\/span><\/span> has completed all required tests.<\/span><\/span><\/span><\/p>\n
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  • NEA Scout is a <\/span><\/span><\/span>small spacecraft<\/strong><\/span><\/span><\/span>, about the size of a big shoebox and has been safely tucked inside the <\/span><\/span><\/span>Space Launch System<\/strong><\/span><\/span><\/span> (SLS) <\/span><\/span><\/span>rocket<\/strong><\/span><\/span><\/span>.<\/span><\/span><\/span><\/li>\n
  • It is <\/span><\/span><\/span>one of several payloads<\/strong><\/span><\/span><\/span> that will hitch a ride on <\/span><\/span><\/span>Artemis I<\/strong><\/span><\/span><\/span>, expected to be launched in November 2021.<\/span><\/span><\/span><\/li>\n
  • Its main mission is to <\/span><\/span><\/span>fly by and collect data from a NEA<\/strong><\/span><\/span><\/span>, which despite its size, <\/span><\/span><\/span>could pose a threat<\/strong><\/span><\/span><\/span> to Earth.<\/span><\/span><\/span>\n
      \n
    • Understanding NEAs\u2019 properties could help develop strategies for reducing the potential damage caused in the event of an impact.<\/span><\/span><\/span><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/li>\n
    • It will also be <\/span><\/span><\/span>USA\u2019s first interplanetary mission<\/strong><\/span><\/span><\/span> using a <\/span><\/span><\/span>special solar sail propulsion<\/strong><\/span><\/span><\/span>, which uses <\/span><\/span><\/span>sunlight to propel vehicles <\/strong><\/span><\/span><\/span>through space.<\/span><\/span><\/span>\n
        \n
      • It <\/span><\/span><\/span>uses solar photons<\/strong><\/span><\/span><\/span> (sunlight) which are reflected off giant, mirror-like sails made of lightweight, reflective material.<\/span><\/span><\/span><\/li>\n
      • The continuous<\/span><\/span><\/span> photonic pressure provides enough thrust<\/strong><\/span><\/span><\/span> to perform maneuvers.<\/span><\/span><\/span>\n
          \n
        • NEA Scout will use <\/span><\/span><\/span>stainless steel alloy booms<\/strong><\/span><\/span><\/span> and deploy an <\/span><\/span><\/span>aluminum-coated sail<\/strong><\/span><\/span><\/span> measuring 925 square feet.<\/span><\/span><\/span><\/li>\n
        • Energetic particles of sunlight bounce off the solar sail to give it a <\/span><\/span><\/span>gentle, yet constant push<\/strong><\/span><\/span><\/span>, which can accelerate the spacecraft to very high speeds over time.<\/span><\/span><\/span><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/li>\n
        • Since the <\/span><\/span><\/span>Sun supplies<\/strong><\/span><\/span><\/span> the necessary <\/span><\/span><\/span>propulsive energy<\/strong><\/span><\/span><\/span>, solar sails <\/span><\/span><\/span>do not require onboard propellant<\/strong><\/span><\/span><\/span>, thus reducing payload mass.<\/span><\/span><\/span><\/li>\n
        • So, this type of propulsion is <\/span><\/span><\/span>especially useful for<\/strong><\/span><\/span><\/span> small, lightweight spacecraft<\/strong><\/span><\/span><\/span> that cannot carry large amounts of conventional rocket propellant.<\/span><\/span><\/span><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/li>\n
        • The spacecraft will take about<\/span><\/span><\/span> two years to cruise to the asteroid<\/strong><\/span><\/span><\/span> and will be about <\/span><\/span><\/span>93 million miles away from Earth<\/strong><\/span><\/span><\/span> during the asteroid encounter.<\/span><\/span><\/span><\/li>\n
        • NEA Scout is equipped with <\/span><\/span><\/span>special cameras<\/strong><\/span><\/span><\/span> and can process the image before sending them to the <\/span><\/span><\/span>earth-based Deep Space Network <\/strong><\/span><\/span><\/span>via its medium-gain antenna.<\/span><\/span><\/span><\/li>\n
        • The images will provide<\/span><\/span><\/span> critical information on the asteroid\u2019s physical properties<\/strong><\/span><\/span><\/span> such as orbit, shape, volume, rotation, the dust and debris field surrounding it, plus its surface properties.<\/span><\/span><\/span><\/li>\n
        • Scientists will <\/span><\/span><\/span>use this data to determine what is required<\/strong><\/span><\/span><\/span> to reduce risk, increase effectiveness, and improve the design and operations of robotic and human space exploration.<\/span><\/span><\/span><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n

          (Image Courtesy: <\/span><\/span><\/span>NASA<\/u><\/span><\/span><\/span>)<\/span><\/span><\/span><\/p>\n<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n

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National Logistics Excellence Awards<\/span><\/span><\/span><\/h3>\n<\/td>\n

Recently, the Government has announced the launch of National Logistics Excellence Awards<\/span><\/span><\/span><\/p>\n
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  • The <\/span><\/span><\/span>framework<\/strong><\/span><\/span><\/span> of awards has been <\/span><\/span><\/span>finalised in consultation with the logistics associations <\/strong><\/span><\/span><\/span>and forum user industry partners.<\/span><\/span><\/span><\/li>\n
  • The awards are in <\/span><\/span><\/span>two categories:<\/strong><\/span><\/span><\/span>\n
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    • Logistics infrastructure\/service providers<\/strong><\/span><\/span><\/span>\n
        \n
      • Through these awards, the government aims to turn the <\/span><\/span><\/span>spotlight on logistics service providers<\/strong><\/span><\/span><\/span> who have attained operational excellence, adopted digitisation and technology, improved customer service and pursued sustainable practices, among other achievements.<\/span><\/span><\/span><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/li>\n
      • User Industries<\/strong><\/span><\/span><\/span>\n
          \n
        • For <\/span><\/span><\/span>user industries<\/strong><\/span><\/span><\/span>, the awards will showcase efforts towards supply chain transformation, supplier ecosystem development, skill development, automation, and other similar endeavours.<\/span><\/span><\/span><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/li>\n
        • The awards will also be an <\/span><\/span><\/span>opportunity to laud the extraordinary measures organisations have taken to address the deficiencies<\/strong><\/span><\/span><\/span> exposed by the Covid-19 pandemic.<\/span><\/span><\/span><\/li>\n
        • Need<\/strong><\/span><\/span><\/span>\n
            \n
          • While the Indian logistics sector has been growing at a <\/span><\/span><\/span>CAGR of 10.5 per cent<\/strong><\/span><\/span><\/span>, reaching approximately USD 215 billion in value in 2020, there are <\/span><\/span><\/span>systemic, interconnected problems<\/strong><\/span><\/span><\/span> that must be addressed to enhance its efficiency.<\/span><\/span><\/span><\/li>\n
          • Closing India\u2019s competitiveness gap<\/strong><\/span><\/span><\/span> vis-\u00e0-vis the global average of 8 per cent, would make the Indian logistics sector <\/span><\/span><\/span>advanced, organised and efficient<\/strong><\/span><\/span><\/span>, on par with global peers with the ambition of being amongst the top 25 countries in the <\/span><\/span><\/span>global Logistics Performance Index<\/strong><\/span><\/span><\/span> (LPI).<\/span><\/span><\/span><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/li>\n
          • Organisations will be invited to submit entries via the <\/span><\/span><\/span>Ministry of Commerce and Industry<\/strong><\/span><\/span><\/span> website and the <\/span><\/span><\/span>National Jury panel<\/strong><\/span><\/span><\/span>, which will decide the winners on <\/span><\/span><\/span>31<\/strong><\/span><\/span><\/span>st<\/sup><\/strong><\/span><\/span><\/span> October 2021<\/strong><\/span><\/span><\/span>.<\/span><\/span><\/span><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
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Monkey B virus<\/span><\/span><\/span><\/h3>\n<\/td>\n

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  • A Beijing-based veterinary surgeon was infected with the Monkey B virus after he dissected two dead monkeys in early March this year.<\/span><\/span><\/span><\/li>\n
  • It was confirmed as China\u2019s first human infection case with Monkey B virus (BV).<\/span><\/span><\/span><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n

    Monkey B virus<\/u><\/strong><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/p>\n

    About:<\/strong><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/p>\n

      \n
    • It is a very rare viral infection and is one of the groups of herpes viruses.<\/span><\/span><\/span><\/li>\n
    • It is traditionally found in an ancient variety of monkeys like macaques, chimpanzees and capuchin.<\/span><\/span><\/span><\/li>\n
    • B virus is also commonly referred to as herpes B, monkey B virus, herpesvirus simiae, and herpesvirus B.<\/span><\/span><\/span><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n

      Earlier cases:<\/strong><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/p>\n

        \n
      • Since 1932, only around 60-80 cases of Monkey B virus have been reported in the world.<\/span><\/span><\/span><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n

        Transmission:<\/strong><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/p>\n

          \n
        • Infections due to the B virus in humans are rare and occur as a result of exposure to either macaques or their secretions or tissues.<\/span><\/span><\/span><\/li>\n
        • The incubation period for infection in humans after an identified exposure is reported to range from 2 days to 5 weeks.<\/span><\/span><\/span><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n

          Symptoms:<\/strong><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/p>\n

            \n
          • Initial symptoms of the virus include \u2014 fever, chills, muscle aches, fatigue, and rash-itchy wounds, among others.\u00a0<\/span><\/span><\/span><\/li>\n
          • In the later stage, the virus can lead to the loss of muscle coordination and neurological damage.<\/span><\/span><\/span><\/li>\n
          • In humans, it tends to attack the central nervous system and cause inflammation to the brain, leading to a loss of consciousness.<\/span><\/span><\/span><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n

            Treatment:<\/strong><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/p>\n

              \n
            • There are currently no vaccines that can protect you against B virus infection.<\/span><\/span><\/span><\/li>\n
            • Only precautions could be taken to stay away from macaques, chimpanzees and capuchin.<\/span><\/span><\/span><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
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DRIP Scheme<\/span><\/span><\/span><\/h3>\n<\/td>\n

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  • The Dam Rehabilitation and Improvement Project (DRIP) is a <\/span><\/span><\/span>State sector scheme.<\/strong><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/li>\n
  • It was formulated to\u00a0 bridge the funding gap and provide urgent finance to States for repair and maintenance of Dams.<\/span><\/span><\/span><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n

    Key Points<\/u><\/strong><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/p>\n

      \n
    • Launched by: <\/strong><\/span><\/span><\/span>Central Water Commission (CWC) with assistance from World Bank in 2012.<\/span><\/span><\/span>\n
        \n
      • Under the scheme, financial Assistance is being provided by the World Bank (WB), and Asian Infrastructure Investment Bank (AIIB).<\/span><\/span><\/span><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/li>\n
      • Objective:<\/strong><\/span><\/span><\/span>To improve the safety and operational performance of selected existing dams and associated appurtenances in a sustainable manner.<\/span><\/span><\/span>\n
          \n
        • To strengthen the dam safety institutional setup of participating States \/ Implementing Agencies.<\/span><\/span><\/span><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/li>\n
        • Implementation Agencies: <\/strong><\/span><\/span><\/span>Water Resources Departments and State Electricity Boards in the participating States and Central Water Commission at Central Level.\u00a0<\/span><\/span><\/span><\/li>\n
        • Need:<\/strong><\/span><\/span><\/span> Indian dams and reservoirs play an important role in the economic and agricultural growth of our country by storing approximately 300 billion cubic meter of water annually.<\/span><\/span><\/span>\n
            \n
          • These dams present a major responsibility in terms of asset management and safety.<\/span><\/span><\/span><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/li>\n
          • Phases: <\/strong><\/span><\/span><\/span>On October 29, 2020, CCEA has cleared the Phase II and Phase III of the scheme.<\/span><\/span><\/span>\n
              \n
            • The duration of the scheme is of 10 years, to be implemented in two Phases i.e. Phase-II and Phase-III, each of six years duration with an overlap of two years.<\/span><\/span><\/span><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n

              Initiatives<\/u><\/strong><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/p>\n

                \n
              • DHARMA is a<\/span><\/span><\/span> web-based asset management software<\/strong><\/span><\/span><\/span> to support the effective collection and management of asset and health data for all large dams in India.<\/span><\/span><\/span><\/li>\n
              • SHAISYS is an <\/span><\/span><\/span>interactive program<\/strong><\/span><\/span><\/span> to estimate Seismic Hazard at a point in the South Indian region.<\/span><\/span><\/span><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<\/tbody>\n<\/table>\n<\/div>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

                Facts in News Financial Action Task Force Recently, an evaluation by the global organisation Financial Action Task Force (FATF) to analyse the effectiveness of India\u2019s anti-money laundering and countering terrorist financing regime has been postponed for the second time. FATF is an inter-governmental decision-making body, established in 1989 during the G7 Summit to develop policies […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":12143,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[21],"tags":[76],"class_list":["post-12142","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-current-affairs","tag-gs"],"acf":[],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"https:\/\/wp-images.nextias.com\/cdn-cgi\/image\/format=auto\/ca\/uploads\/2023\/07\/3110710current-affairs.jpg","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.nextias.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/12142","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.nextias.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.nextias.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.nextias.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.nextias.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=12142"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.nextias.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/12142\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.nextias.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/12143"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.nextias.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=12142"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.nextias.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=12142"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.nextias.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=12142"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}