Current Affairs News Analysis for UPSC | 30th Nov 2020

• “Cnemaspis is one of several groups of gecko that we now know are very diverse and widespread over much of peninsular India.

FEATURES

• The new species was sighted in a dry evergreen forest among the rocks beneath a small stream at a height of less than 200 metres above sea level.
• It is measured less than 2.9 cm (snout to vent length).
• The dorsal colour of the head, body and tail of the reptile is grey-pink with six pairs of dark brown patches.

FEMORAL SPORES

• The most interesting find was that the males of the species lacked femoral pores.

• Lacking femoral pores doesn’t mean that a male gecko is not adequately supplied with chemical means of communication.
• It may also be possible that geckos are able to release pheromones to attract or communicate with possible mates.
• Cnemaspis also have good vision, so visual signalling may play a part in mate attraction in these geckos.

• The cost per kilometre of ₹120.77 crore for laying the corridor is “reasonable”.- Kerala Govt.
• Public-private partnership component of the joint venture between the Indian Railways and Kerala would be “improved”.-Centre
• The “equity cash contribution” of Railways had been brought down from ₹7,720 crore to ₹2,150 crore.

MEASURES ADOPTED TO REDUCE THE COST

• Alignment through vacant land or least populated villages
• 10 stations at the rate of 1.87 in 100 km
• Stone ballast for 475 km of track
• Modern technology for designing embankments on soft soil
• Pre-cast construction for viaducts and bridges.

• A meet named – “common security threats”.NSA , Sri Lankan Defence and Maldives Foreign Minister Mariya Didi met at a trilateral meeting in Colombo.
• Mauritius and Seychelles were represented virtually at the senior officials’ level.

REVIVED AFTER SIX YEARS

• It sought to promote meaningful cooperation in the Indian Ocean Region.
• It with focus on common issues pertaining to maritime security.

BROAD COOPERATION

• Members agreed to broad-base cooperation by expanding the scope to improve intelligence sharing.

• Also, money laundering, cyber security and effect of climate change on maritime environment, according to the statement.

HUALONG ONE REACTOR

• The reactor, can generate 10 billion kilowatt-hours of electricity each year.
• This will and carbon emissions by 8.16 million tons -China National Nuclear Corporation (CNNC).

SIGNIFICANCE

• This marks China breaking the monopoly of foreign nuclear power technology.
• Nuclear plants supplied less than five percent of China’s annual electricity needs in 2019.

• Reducing its dependence on Western allies in critical high-tech sectors such as power generation is a key goal in Beijing’s “Made in China 2025” plan.

DIABETES : HIDDEN EPIDEMIC

SOURCES : THE HINDU

RESEARCH TITLE

• Lifetime risk of diabetes in metropolitan cities in India

KEY OBSERVATIONS

• Around 77 million adults have diabetes and this is expected to almost double to 134 million by 2045.

• Also out-of-pocket expenditure on diabetes treatment by patients will cause economic burden.
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VARIOUS FACTORS

• Urbanisation, decreasing diet quality and decreased levels of physical activity — are all contributing to this hidden epidemic.

• Remaining lifetime risk of developing diabetes declined with age.
• Around 38% of women and 28% of men would develop diabetes.
• Obesity had a substantial impact on these projections.
• The risk was highest among obese metropolitan Indians — 86% among 20-year-old women and 87% among men.

• It will be first downstream dam on the lower reaches of the Brahmaputra river, or Yarlung Zangbo as it is known in Tibet.

• Chinese media said the state-owned hydropower company POWERCHINA had last month signed “a strategic cooperation agreement” with the Tibet Autonomous Region.
• The company will “implement hydropower exploitation in the downstream of the Yarlung Zangbo River” as part of the new Five-Year Plan (2021-2025).

OTHER PROJECTS

• China in 2015 operationalised its first hydropower project at Zangmu in Tibet.(MAP THEM)

• The report said this will be the first time the downstream sections of the river will be tapped.
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POTENTIAL SPOT

• No official statement yet has been made by China on location of this project yet.

• The river falls spectacularly over a 2,000 metre-drop and turns sharply to flow across the border into Arunachal Pradesh.
• This 50-km section alone offered the potential of developing 70 million kWh “which equals more than Three Gorges power stations”.