Essential Facts (Prelims) – April 17 , 2019


Hydrocarbon lakes on Titan

Category: Sc & tech

  • Titan boasts lakes, rivers and seas of hydrocarbons: compounds of hydrogen and carbon like those that are the main components of petroleum and natural gas.
  • Using data obtained by NASA’s Cassini spacecraft before that mission ended in 2017 with a deliberate plunge into Saturn, the scientists found that some of frigid Titan’s lakes of liquid hydrocarbons are surprisingly deep while others may be shallow and seasonal.
  • The scientists suspect the lakes formed when surrounding bedrock chemically dissolved and collapsed.

Form 16

Category: Economy

  • The Central Board of Direct Taxes (CBDT) has notified changes in Form 16 seeking disclosure of more details, especially about exempt allowances.
  • Form 16 is the certificate issued by employers for tax deducted at source (TDS) for salaried employees.

WTO Ministerial Meet

Category: International

  • Amid a global trade war, India will hold an informal ministerial meeting of the World Trade Organization (WTO) for a second time in just over a year.
  • Citing soaring commercial tensions and tariffs, WTO this month trimmed its global trade growth projection for 2019 to the lowest level in three years.
  • According to WTO, World merchandise trade growth will ease to 2.6 per cent this year and 3 per cent next year, after recording a 3 per cent rise in 2018.
  • Separately, the International Monetary Fund (IMF), too, lowered its 2019 trade growth forecast last week by a sharp 60 basis points to 3.4 per cent, as against the actual rise of 3.8 per cent in 2018, citing the impact of the US-China trade war.

AUSINDEX-19

Category: Defence & security

  • The Australian and Indian Navy have concluded a bilateral maritime exercise code-named AUSINDEX. on 14 Apr 19.
  • It was the third edition of the exercise.
  • For the first time, American and New Zealand military personnel witnessed the exercises during AUSINDEX-19.

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