6th February 2024 (10 Topics)
SHORT NEWS
International Relations (GS-II)
Quad Summit
Leaders of the Australia-India-Japan-U.S. Quad will meet for a summit in India after the U.S. elections in November 2024.
What is Quad?
- Known as the 'Quadrilateral Security Dialogue' (QSD), the Quad comprises four nations, namely -- United States of America (USA), India, Australia and Japan.
- It is an informal group that hold semi-regular meetings, joint military drills, and discussions about regional, economic and development assistance.
- The framework was established in 2007, but it took on a new level of importance in 2019 with a discussion among foreign ministers amid China’s increasing influence.
International Relations (GS-II)
Phased replacement of Indian Troops in Maldives
India and the Maldives have agreed to send back the first group of Indian troops deployed in the island before March 10.
About
- India has 87 troops (along with Dornier 228 maritime patrol aircraft and two HAL Dhruv helicopters) in the island nation to provide humanitarian aid and medical evacuation.
- Currently, Indian military personnel are in the Maldives primarily to operate two helicopters and an aircraft that have carried out hundreds of medical evacuations and humanitarian missions.
- Maldives is an independent island country in the north-central Indian Ocean.
- It consists of a chain of about 1,200 small coral islands and sandbanks (some 200 of which are inhabited), grouped in clusters, or atolls.
- It is strategically located at the crossroads of several important trade routes that run through the Indian Ocean.
Economy (GS-III)
White Paper
The government is all set to present a white paper on the state of the economy in Parliament soon.
What is white paper?
- A white paper is an informational document issued by the government agency that discusses issues and other details related to the progress of the economy.
- It is an authoritative guide.
- The term, “white paper”, came about after the government color-coded reports to indicate who could access them, with the color white referring to public access.
- The white paper will provide details of the progress of the economy before 2014 when the present government came to power, and after.
Environment (GS-III)
Snow Leopard Population Assessment in India (SPAI)
India’s first-ever snow leopard estimated a population of 718 in Ladakh, Jammu and Kashmir, Himachal Pradesh, Uttarakhand, Sikkim and Arunachal Pradesh.
About Snow Leopard
- Snow leopards (Panthera uncia) are considered medium-sized cats, standing about 24 inches at the shoulder and weighing around 30-55kg.
- Habitat:Snow leopards can be found throughout high mountain ranges, including the Himalayas and the southern Siberian Mountains in Russia.
- They can also be found in the Tibetan Plateau and across a range that stretches from China to the mountains of Central Asia.
- In India, their geographical range encompasses a large part of the western Himalayas including the states of Jammu and Kashmir, Himachal Pradesh, Uttarakhand and Sikkim and Arunachal Pradesh in the eastern Himalayas.
Protection Status:
- The snow leopard is listed as Vulnerable on the IUCN-World Conservation Union’s Red List of Threatened Species.
- In addition, it is also listed in Appendix I of the Convention on International Trade of Endangered Species (CITES).
- Making trading of animal body parts (i.e., fur, bones and meat) illegal in signatory countries.
- It is listed in Schedule I of the Indian Wildlife (Protection) Act 1972.
- It is also listed in the Convention on Migratory Species (CMS), affording the highest conservation status to the species, both globally and in India.
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