PRELIMS CURRENT

AFFAIRS
17TH OCTOBER 2018
 Overview

✤ WADA

✤ Development Impact Bonds

✤ African and Asian Lions

✤ Zika
MENTORSHIP
PROGRAMME
Polity and International
Relations
WADA
✤ Not-for-profit, est. in 1999 as an international
independent agency composed and funded equally by
the sport movement and governments of the world

✤ Activities include scientific research, education,

development of anti-doping capacities, and monitoring
of World Anti-Doping Code

✤ The provisions of the Code are enforced by

UNESCO International Convention against Doping
in Sport

✤ Located at Qubec, Canada

OPEC
✤ Intergovernmental organisation of 15 nations founded
in 1960 in Baghdad by Iran, Iraq, Kuwait, Saudi
Arabia and Venezuela

✤ HQ at Vienna Austria

✤ They account for an estimated 44% of global oil

production and 81.5% of world’s proven oil reserves

✤ Algiers Accord : agreement among OPEC members

and Russia to compress supply
ECONOMY
Development Impact Bonds
✤ It is an instrument to bring together for-profit capital with charity

✤ Risk investor provides funding capital upfront to NGOs

(implementing partners)

✤ If the intervention succeeds in achieving its results, based on

predefined targets, the outcome funders will pay the risk investor
based on the performance

✤ It not only brings in new private sector capital but also increases
transparency and accountability in how the aid money is used

✤ In UK’s social impact bonds, the government is the outcome

payer but in DIB its philanthropic or bilateral aid organisations
like USAID
ENVIRONMENT
African and Asian Lions
✤ African and Asiatic lions have been geographically
isolated from each other for about 200,000 years

✤ African lions have a magnificent mane and are larger

than Asian ones

✤ Asian lions have a thicker coat, a longer tail tassel and

an abdominal skin fold that is absent in African lions

✤ SC in 2013 ordered that some of Asian lions in Gir

Forest to be moved from there to Kuno wildlife
sanctuary in MP
HEALTH
Zika
✤ Viral infection, spread by Aedes aegypti mosquito that
spreads dengue and chikungunya

✤ Infected people can transmit Zika sexually

✤ First identified in 1947 in monkeys in Uganda

✤ First outbreak happened in 2007in the Island of Yap in

Pacific

✤ Can lead to microcephaly in foetus, Guillain-Barre

Syndrome (neurological disorder that can lead to
paralysis and death)
Biomarker

✤ Broad subcategory of medical signs which can be

measured accurately and reproducibly

✤ It is a substance that is measured in biological system

as an indicator of exposure, effect, susceptibility of
clinical disease
Internal Security
Sashastra Seema Bal

✤ Motto : Service, Security and Brotherhood

✤ It was conceived in 1962, in the aftermath of Chinese

conflict, and was created in March 1963
QUICK BITES
Indian Crude Basket

✤ Average of Oman & Dubai for sour grades and Brent

for sweet grade in 71.03 : 28.97