Daily Current Affairs : 9-Mar-2020
Major Topic Covered :
OPEN DATA PORTAL BY ISB
CARE FOR SWACHTA SEVIKA AND SANITARY PADS DISPOSAL
AVIAN INFLUENZA (BIRD FLU)
RED PANDA
SAUDI ARABIA POLITICS
CORD BLOOD BANKING
OPEN DATA PORTAL BY ISB
Why in news?
The Indian School of Business (ISB) has developed a one-stop open data portal, focusing on information related to agriculture.
Highlights :
Aimed at collating government data, scattered across multiple sources for consumption of policymakers, researchers, students and journalists, the Indian School of Business (ISB) has developed a one-stop open data portal, focusing on information related to agriculture.
In the age where the credibility of information is being questioned and scrutinised, often with good reason, a platform with credible data can be a game changer.
India Data Portal (IDP) incubated at ISB’s Bharti Institute of Public Policy is a platform that has data from multiple disciplines, subjects and areas.
In the first phase, the focus is on agriculture data, and in later phases the portal will diversify to include datasets on financial inclusion, rural development etc
Source : Hindu
CARE FOR SWACHTA SEVIKA AND SANITARY PADS DISPOSAL
Why in news?
The Centre would make it mandatory for sanitary pad manufacturers to provide bio-degradable bags for the disposal of each pad from January 2021.
Highlights :
While the production and usage of sanitary napkins and diapers has greatly increased in the country, they are still being discarded in a way which is harmful to waste pickers.
People should address the waste pickers as Swachhta Sevika from this International Women’s Day as they were doing a great service to the nation, suggested Minister of Environment.
These women have four vital qualities of consistency, compassion, courage and capacity for decision-making.
Source : Hindu
AVIAN INFLUENZA (BIRD FLU)
Why in news?
Rapid task force staff culled as many as 1,700 poultry and pet birds within a one-km radius of bird flu-infected areas of Vengeri in Kozhikode Corporation and the western parts of Kodiyathur grama panchayat in Kerala on Sunday.
Highlights :
Avian influenza (AI) is a highly contagious viral disease affecting several species of food-producing birds (chickens, turkeys, quails, guinea fowl, etc.), as well as pet birds and wild birds. It occasionally impact mammals including humans through contact with avian influenza.
Influenza A viruses are classified into subtypes based on two surface proteins, Hemagglutinin (HA) and Neuraminidase (NA). For example, a virus that has an HA 7 protein and NA 9 protein is designated as subtype H7N9.
Avian influenza virus subtypes include A(H5N1), A(H7N9), and A(H9N2).
HPAI A(H5N1) virus occurs mainly in birds and is highly contagious among them.
HPAI Asian H5N1 is especially deadly for poultry.
Source : HINDU AND GOOGLE
RED PANDA
Why in news?
The iconic and endangered Red Panda (ailurus fulgens) has fewer hunters because the younger generations of people across its Himalayan habitat are losing interest in animal products, a new study by wildlife trade monitoring network TRAFFIC has found.
Highlights :
IUCN Status – Endangered
The animal has been hunted for meat and fur, besides illegal capture for the pet trade.
An estimated 14,500 animals are left in the wild across Nepal, Bhutan, India, China and Myanmar.
About 5,000-6,000 red pandas are estimated to be present in four Indian states – Arunachal Pradesh, Meghalaya, Sikkim and West Bengal. This is the second-largest population after China (6,000-7,000).
Nepal accounts for 580 animals, while Bhutan and Mynamar have no estimate of the animal’s population.
Source : Hindu
SAUDI ARABIA POLITICS
Why in news? Saudi royal guards on Friday detained the trio in a move that signals Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman’s tightening grip on power.
Highlights :
The detentions also raised speculation about the health of the 84-year-old King and whether Prince Mohammed’s succession to the throne was imminent.
The purge was carried out “after an accumulation of negative behaviour by the two princes.”
Prince Ahmed bin Abdulaziz al-Saud, a brother of King Salman, and the monarch’s nephew Prince Mohammed bin Nayef were detained after they were accused of plotting a palace coup aimed at unseating the Crown Prince, heir to the Saudi throne, sources said.
Source : Hindu
CORD BLOOD BANKING
Why in news?
Poona Citizen Doctor Forum (PCDF), a body that aims to rebuild trust among citizens and doctors, and promote ethical rational medical practice, has come forward to bust the aggressively promoted concept of cord blood banking.
Highlights :
Stem cell banking has been aggressively marketed even as its use is still in experimental stages. But these companies charge enormous fees from parents to preserve cells.
What is cord blood?
Cord blood is the blood from the baby that is left in the umbilical cord and placenta after birth. It contains special cellscalled hematopoietic stem cells that can be used to treat some types of diseases.
What are hematopoietic stem cells?
Most cells can make copies only of themselves. For example, a skin cell only can make another skin cell. Hematopoietic stem cells, however, can mature into different types of blood cells in the body. Hematopoietic stem cells also are found in blood and bone marrow in adults and children.
What is Cord Blood Banking?
Cord blood banking involves taking the umbilical cord blood, which is a rich source of stem cells, and preserving it for future use. Private companies who have forayed into this field offer packages anywhere between ₹50,000 and ₹1 lakh to store and preserve the cells in right conditions.
Source : Hindu