Current Affairs 22nd May 2018

Current Affairs 22nd May 2018 - Important Points

• India ranked 6th wealthiest country by- The AfrAsia Bank Global Wealth Migration Review
• Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro re-elected on - 20th May 2018
• 26th BASIC Ministerial Meeting of Environment Ministers held in - Durban
• Nipah Virus (NiV) Infection sensed in - Kerala
• Which satellite China launched  to explore dark side of Moon ? - Queqiao satellite
• Government earns Rs.1,400 crore in - e-Visa Scheme
• International Day for Biological Diversity celebrated on - 22nd May 2018

Current Affairs 22nd May 2018 - Details

India ranked 6th wealthiest country by- The AfrAsia Bank Global Wealth Migration Review

The AfrAsia Bank Global Wealth Migration Review positioned India as the sixth wealthiest nation in the world with an entire wealth of $8,230 billion, while the USA was positioned as the wealthiest with an entire wealth of $62,584 billion.
The evaluation placed China with an entire wealth of $24,803 billion in the 2nd place and Japan with $19,522 billion at the 3rd position.
Total wealth

• Total wealth denotes the private wealth detained by all the individuals living in each nation.
• It contains all their assets consisting property, cash, equities and trade interests without any liabilities.
• The figures, however, do not contain government funds.
• Here, the mega nations have a noteworthy benefit due to higher populations.
• As per to the report, the features that will ease in wealth creation in India are large number of businesspersons, a good educational system, healthy outlook for IT, business procedures outsourcing, estate and healthcare which will outcome in a 200% rise in 10 years wealth growth estimate.
• Wealth Forecast As per to the report, China is supposed to witness an increase in entire wealth to $69,449 billion by 2027, while the wealth of the United States is believed to increase to approximate $75,101 billion during the same time.
• Australia is also believed to witness an important rise in its entire wealth, which will assist it overtake Canada and advantage a lot of ground on Germany and the United Kingdom.
• India, on the flip side, is suppoded to overtake Germany and the United Kingdom to become the fourth largest wealth market around the world by 2027.
• Worldwide, the total wealth is supposed to increase by 50% over the coming decade, reaching $321 trillion by 2027. The fastest growing wealth markets are supposed to be Sri Lanka, India, Vietnam, China and Mauritius.

Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro re-elected on - 20th May 2018

Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro secured another 6 years of term on May 20th, 2018 in an election that has been known as a sham by the opposition and other nations including the USA.
As per to the electoral authorities, Maduro secured 68% of the votes cast, while his contiguous contender Henri Falcon won 21% of the votes and Javier Bertucci won 11% of the votes.
The vote came amongst opposition calls for a boycott. As per to the election commission, the concluding turnout was predictable to be 48%. When Maduro had 1st won office in 2013, there was an 80% voter turnout.
A win despite massive opposition!

• Maduro managed to hold a victory from the largely controversial elections, in spite there being a massive wave of dissent against him among the public.
• The president’s victory was closed with the maximum empty polling stations around the nation. However, the voting booths in government strangleholds remained open even hours after their programmed closing time.
• While Maduro’s administration tried to get people to come to vote, the opposition was largely out of the race, as participating in the elections meant issuing authentication to the fraud elections.
• Madura had 1st called for the snap elections in January 2018 and the movement was opposed by the opposition given that it came at a time when many of his main rivals were jailed and exiled.
• The Venezuelan Diaspora organised anti-government rallies in dozens of cities worldwide on May 20 th .
• The disaster in the Latin American nation stems from wide-scale corruption and severe misconduct.
• Oil sales are 50 percent of Venezuela’s gross domestic product and 95 per cent of its export income, however, in spite the biggest oil reserves in the world, the country has been hardly making any money.

Nipah Virus (NiV) Infection sensed in - Kerala

Kerala was on high alert as rarest and deadly Nipah Virus- NiV infection which was sensed for the 1st
time in the state. Its remains were found in blood and body fluid samples of 2 infected persons who died
of viral fever in Kerala’s coastal Kozhikode area. It was assured by laboratory results from National
Institute of Virology, Pune.
More about Nipah Virus (NiV) Infection

• Nipah virus infection is zoonotic disease that reasons severe disease in both animals and humans. Fruit bats of the Pteropodidae Family, are natural host of the virus.
• It was 1st identified during outbreak of disease in Kampung Sungai Nipah, Malaysia in 1998.
• Transmission of the virus blowout fast and is mostly fatal. Infected bats shelter virus in their excretion and secretion. The virus is communicated via direct contact with infected bats, pigs.
• However, Human to Human transmission from another NiV-infected person is also reported.
• Symptoms of NiV infection can include acute respiratory syndrome, breathing trouble, brain
  inflammation, fever, headache, drowsiness and delirium. Patient can also suffer enter coma within 48 hours.
• The mortality rate of patients infected with it is 70 per cent. It is enable of causing diseases in domestic animals too.
• Treatment include no vaccine for disease either for humans or animals. The main treatment for those infected is concentrated supportive care and supportive medicines. In disease infected areas, fruits strewn on the ground should not be eaten.

26th BASIC Ministerial Meeting of Environment Ministers held in - Durban

The 26th BASIC Ministerial Meeting of Environment Ministers was organised in Durban, South Africa. The grouping is a bloc of 4 nations including Brazil, South Africa, India and China. It was witnessed by from BASIC nations and Michal Kurtyka of Poland, next president of Conference of Parties under UNs Framework Convention on Climate Change. India was represented by Union Environment Minister Harsh Vardhan.
Key Results

• BASIC nations decided to safeguard integrity of historic 2015 Paris Agreement, including values of
  common but differentiated tasks and equity.
• They organised that world is at critical stage in fighting against climate change and answer of developed countries to handle the inadequate issue.
• They repeated that developed countries should take lead in justification and providing means of
  implementation to developing nations.
• They should similarly give importance to determination of developing nations by providing them reinforced and continued, predictable and adequate finance, technology and capacity full support.
• Union Environment Minister Harsh Vardhan recapped his appeal for combined efforts to form societal movement in fighting against climate alteration through Green Good gasses.
  More about BASIC
  BASIC nations are bloc of 4 large newly industrialized countries and are dedicated to act combinedly at Copenhagen climate summit, including conceivable joint walk-out if their common least position was not fulfilled by the developed countries during climate debates.

Which satellite China launched  to explore dark side of Moon ? - Queqiao satellite

China released relay satellite known as Queqiao to start communication link between earth and its
planned Chang’e-4 lunar probe that will discover the dark side of moon. It was released as part of
Chinese Lunar Exploration Program onboard of Long March-4C rocket from Xichang launch centre.
Queqiao (Magpie Bridge)

• Queqiao that mean bridge of magpies, satellite will work as communications relay for future Chang’e-4 rover that will discover in South Pole-Aitken Basin in moon’s far side.
• It will be located in Earth-moon Lagrange point L2, which is a gravitationally steady point situated 64,000 kms beyond moon far side.
• It will be world’s 1st communication satellite operating in this position. It will benefit China to realise its goal of being 1st nation to send probe to soft-land on and rove far side of the moon.
  Need for relay Satellite
• Moon is tidally protected to Earth, meaning it always shows same side to Earth.
• Consequently, communicate connection is essential to join with spacecraft on far side, which will then have to send their signals through moon’s rock-strewn majority.
  Chang’e program
• Chinese Lunar Exploration Program also known as Chang’e program after Chinese moon goddess
  Chang’e, is ongoing series of robotic Moon missions by considered by China National Space
  Administration.
• The program includes lunar orbiters, landers, travellers and sample return spacecraft, launched using Long March rockets.
• The Chang’e 3 mission is in process to put lander and traveller on moons near side. China is also scheduling to laugh Chang’e 5 T1, that will be a mission to send sample-return container around moon and back to Earth to validate technology required to survive fiery atmospheric entry.

Government earns Rs.1,400 crore in - e-Visa Scheme

As per to Ministry of Home Affairs, Government has received Rupees 1,400 crores as revenue from
highly successful e-Visa scheme since its initiation in 2014. 19 lakh tourists utilised e-Visa scheme in
2017 and charges are divided into 4 slabs of zero, $25, $50 and $75, which were fixed on mutuality and
depending on nationality.
More about e-Visa scheme

• e-Visa scheme delivers pre-authorization of visa to immigrants prior to travel to India. The system is
  implemented by immigrant’s division of Ministry of Home Affairs to upgrade efficiency and transparency of numerous services being delivered to overseas nationals.
• The provision is now available for inhabitants of 163 nations for entry into India via 25 international airports and 5 sea-ports.
• Under the plan, an applicant, while give in to online application, obtains an e-mail authorising him/her to travel to India after sanction.
• The tourist can travel with printout of this authorisation for thirty days.
• It also covers business and medical classes.

International Day for Biological Diversity celebrated on - 22nd May 2018

While there is a rising gratitude that biological diversity is a worldwide asset of tremendous value to current and future generations, the number of species is being knowingly decreased by certain human actions.
The “Convention on Biological Diversity” is the international legal instrument for "the conservation of biological diversity. The supportable usage of its mechanisms and the fair and equitable sharing of the welfares arising out of the use of genetic resources" that has been approved by 196 countries.
Given the principle of public education and awareness for the implementation of the Convention, the General Assembly announced 22 May, as the International Day for Biological Diversity by its resolution on 20 th December 2000.
Theme  for 2018: Celebrating 25 Years of Action for Biodiversity

• 2018 marks the 25th anniversary of the entrance into force of the Convention on Biological Diversity.
• Since inflowing into force, the Convention has been applied through the vision and leadership exhibited by nations, NGO’s and inter-governmental organizations, Indian residents, local communities and the scientific community.
• The results are considerable. The progress of scientific guidance for the conservation and sustainable usage of biodiversity for biomes worldwide, the Nagoya Protocol on Access to Genetic Resources and the Fair-minded and Reasonable Sharing of Aids Arising from their Application and the creation and execution of national biodiversity policies and action plans.
• Afterward adopting theStrategic Plan for Biodiversity 2011-2020, Parties have done noteworthy headway in the accomplishment of a number of itsAichi Biodiversity Targets.
• The Strategic Plan is including a shared vision, a mission, planned goals and 20 determined yet achievable goals, the Aichi Targets.
• The scheme works as an elastic framework for the formation of national and regional goals and it encourages the coherent and effective employment of the aims of the Convention on Biological Diversity.