INTERNATIONAL RELATIONS
Credential Presentation
Context
- Envoys of three Nations Present Credentials to President of India.
- Ambassadors of Venezuela and Panama as well as the High Commissioner of Papua New Guinea presented credentials to the President of India, Shri Ram Nath Kovind, at a ceremony held at Rashtrapati Bhavan.
- The envoys who presented their credentials were: –
- Ms Coromoto Godoy Calderon, Ambassador of Venezuela
- Mr Paulias Korni, High Commissioner of Papua New Guinea
- Mr Muhamad Talha Hajee Hajee, Ambassador of Panama
What is the Letter of Credence
- A letter of credence is a formal diplomatic letter that appoints a diplomat as ambassador to another sovereign state.
- Commonly known as diplomatic credentials, the letter is addressed from one head of state to another, asking him to give credence to whatever the ambassador may say on his country’s behalf.
- The letter is presented personally by the ambassador to the receiving head of state in a formal ceremony, marking the beginning of the ambassadorship.
ENVIRONMENT
Ongole cattle breed
Context
- The Vice President of India expressed his concerns about the neglect of the indigenous Ongole cattle breed and called for protecting and promoting the animal, which has become popular all over the world.
About Ongole cattle breed
- Ongole cattle are an indigenous cattle breed that originates from Prakasam District in the state of Andhra Pradesh in India.
- The breed derives its name from the place the breed originates from, Ongole.
- The Ongole breed of cattle, Bos Indicus, has a great demand as it is said to possess resistance to both foot and mouth disease and mad cow disease.
- These cattle are commonly used in bull fights in Mexico and some parts of East Africa due to their strength and aggressiveness.
- They also participate in traditional bull fights in Andhra Pradesh and Tamil Nadu.
- Cattle breeders use the fighting ability of the bulls to choose the right stock for breeding in terms of purity and strength.
‘Not all animals migrate by choice’ Campaign
Context
- ‘Not all animals migrate by choice’ campaign launched to raise awareness on illegal wildlife trade.
What is ‘Not all animals migrate by choice’ campaign?
- The International Day of Biological Diversity is celebrated on May 22.
- UN Environment India and Wildlife Crime Control Bureau (WCCB) of India launched an awareness campaign ‘Not all animals migrate by choice’ to be displayed at major airports across the country.
Highlights
- Tiger, Pangolin, Star Tortoise and Tokay Gecko featured in the campaign.
- In India, illegal trade in wildlife has seen a sharp rise in recent years.
- Actor Dia Mirza inaugurated the campaign. She is UN Environment’s Goodwill Ambassador for India.
International Day for Biological Diversity
About
- The International Day for Biological Diversity (or World Biodiversity Day) is a United Nations–sanctioned international day for the promotion of biodiversity issues.
- It is celebrated on May 22.
- The International Day for Biological Diversity falls within the scope of the UN Post-2015 Development Agenda’s Sustainable Development Goals.
- Theme for World Biodiversity Day 2019
- Our Biodiversity, Our Food, Our Health
SCIENCE AND TECHNOLOGY
Redefined units of measurement
Context
- The new SI is being implemented worldwide from 20th May 2019 i.e. the World Metrology Day.
- The World Metrology Day (WMD) is celebrated annually on this very day as the Metre Convention was signed by representatives of seventeen nations on May 20, 1875.
- The Convention set the framework for global collaboration in the science of measurement and in its industrial, commercial and societal applications.
New measurements units
- The metric system of measurements, also known as the International System of Units (SI) has been in practice since 1889.
- The decision to redefine the four base units was taken by representatives of 60 countries at the general conference on Weight and Measures (CGPM) at an open session of the international Bureau of Weights and Measures (BIPM) in Vrsailles, France.
- There are seven base units of SI – second, meter, kilogram, ampere, kelvin, mole and candela. Some have long been based on physical constants.
- India has adopted a global resolution to redefine four of the seven base units — kilogramme, kelvin, mole and ampere.
Impact on base unit definitions
- The previous (as of 2018) and new 2019 definitions are –
Second
- Previous definition– The second is the duration of 9192631770 periods of the radiation corresponding to the transition between the two hyperfine levels of the ground state of the caesium-133 atom.
- 2019 definition– The second, symbol s, is the SI unit of time.
It is defined by taking the fixed numerical value of the caesium frequency ΔνCs, the unperturbed ground-state hyperfine transition frequency of the caesium-133 atom, to be 9192631770 when expressed in the unit Hz, which is equal to s−1.
Metre
- Previous definition- The metre is the length of the path travelled by light in vacuum during a time interval of 1/299792458 of a second.
- 2019 definition– The metre, symbol m, is the SI unit of length.
It is defined by taking the fixed numerical value of the speed of light in vacuum c to be 299792458 when expressed in the unit m⋅s−1, where the second is defined in terms of the caesium frequency ΔνCs.
Kilogram
- Previous definition- The kilogram is the unit of mass; it is equal to the mass of the international prototype of the kilogram.
- 2019 definition- The kilogram, symbol kg, is the SI unit of mass.
It is defined by taking the fixed numerical value of the Planck constant h to be 6.62607015×10−34 when expressed in the unit J⋅s, which is equal to kg⋅m2⋅s−1, where the metre and the second are defined in terms of c and ΔνCs.
- A consequence of this change is that the new definition of the kilogram is dependent on the definitions of the second and the metre.
Ampere
- Previous definition- The ampere is that constant current which, if maintained in two straight parallel conductors of infinite length, of negligible circular cross-section, and placed 1 m apart in vacuum, would produce between these conductors a force equal to 2×10−7 newton per metre of length.
- 2019 definition- The ampere, symbol A, is the SI unit of electric current.
It is defined by taking the fixed numerical value of the elementary charge e to be 1.602176634×10−19 when expressed in the unit C, which is equal to A⋅s, where the second is defined in terms of ΔνCs.
