9 PM Current Affairs Brief – February 22, 2019

Neptune has a new moon Scientists have recently theorised the origin of Hippocamp- one among Neptune’s moons. Originally designated as S/2004 N 1 and Neptune XIV, this moon was found in images taken by NASA’s Hubble Space Telescope in 2004–05 and 2009. It was then confirmed in further images captured in 2016. The Hubble Space… Continue reading Neptune has a new moon

More powers for Assam Rifles in Northeast The Centre has empowered the Assam rifles to arrest anyone and search a place without warrant in the border districts of Assam, Arunachal Pradesh, Manipur, Nagaland and Mizoram. The Assam Rifles is one of the Central Armed Police Forces (CAPF) in India. It conducts counter-insurgency operations in the… Continue reading More powers for Assam Rifles in Northeast

Deadlier version of BrahMos to be tested in three years The BrahMos Aerospace has been working on a smaller and more lethal version of BrahMos- the BrahMos NG. The BrahMos is a supersonic cruise missile. A cruise missile is an unmanned self-propelled (till the time of impact) guided vehicle that sustains flight through aerodynamic lift… Continue reading Deadlier version of BrahMos to be tested in three years

WHO prescribes ‘aerobics 150’ to stay fit The World Health Organisation (WHO) has prescribed 150 minutes of weekly physical activity. The WHO is a specialized agency of the United Nations that is concerned with international public health The WHO has stated that physical inactivity is identified as the fourth leading risk factor for global mortality.… Continue reading WHO prescribes ‘aerobics 150’ to stay fit

Lakhs of forest dwellers face eviction The Supreme Court has ordered eviction of more than 10 lakh Scheduled Tribe and other forest-dwellers (OTFDs) households from forestlands across 21 states. This comes after their claim as forest dwellers have been rejected under the Forest Rights Act of 2006. The Scheduled Tribes and Other Traditional Forest Dwellers… Continue reading Lakhs of forest dwellers face eviction

UN Security Council condemns Pulwama attack The UN Security Council (UNSC) condemned the terror attack perpetrated by Pakistan-based terror group Jaish-e-Mohammed (JeM), in a show of solidarity and support to India. France is also expected to move a proposal, along with the United States and the United Kingdom, to declare Masood Azhar a terrorist subject… Continue reading UN Security Council condemns Pulwama attack

After Pulwama, India to put Track II initiative with Pakistan on hold The Indian government has put on hold the Track 2 initiative with Pakistan which was meant to promote people-to-people contact between the two countries. The decision comes in the wake of the terror attack in Pulwama, which was claimed by Pak-based terror group… Continue reading After Pulwama, India to put Track II initiative with Pakistan on hold

India and Saudi agree to set up comprehensive security dialogue In the backdrop of Saudi Arabia’s Crown prince visit to India, both countries have advanced the security relationship that was started in 2016 by instituting a comprehensive security dialogue to oversee common security issues. The dialogue will largely focus on (a) intelligence sharing (b) identifying… Continue reading India and Saudi agree to set up comprehensive security dialogue