Daily Current Affairs: 18th September 2019: Hindu+PIB
The following compilation has been made keeping in mind the need of the UPSC IAS exam. Each and every topic which has been included in this compilation is taken from very authentic and relevant source including The Hindu, The Indian Express, Business Standard, Press Information Bureau, etc.
As per the evolving pattern of the UPSC IAS prelims and mains exam each and every topic has been handpicked keeping in mind the syllabus of the exam.
ASTRA
Context: Air-to-Air missile, ASTRA, has been successfully flight tested on 16 September 2019 off the coast of Odisha from Su-30 MKI as a part of User trials.
Key point about missile
- It is an all weather beyond-visual-range air-to-air missile which is developed by the Defence Research and Development Organisation, India.
- It is also the first air-to-air missile which is developed by India.
- Astra is designed in a way that enables it to engage targets at varying range and altitudes allowing for engagement of both short-range targets at a distance of 20 km and long-range targets up to a distance of 80 km.
- Astra has been integrated with IAF’s Sukhoi Su-30MKI and is further planned to be integrated with Dassault Mirage 2000 and Mikoyan MiG-29 in the future.
Two new plant species discovered
Context: A team of researchers have reported the discovery of two new plant species from the shola forests of the Western Ghats.
About the species reclamaciones banco sabadell tarjetas
- The two species so discovered belong to the family Asclepiadaceae or milkweed family. The general characteristics of the family includes the latex in plant parts and pappus seeds.
- Tylophora balakrishnanii, is a straggling vine, which has been discovered from the Thollayiram shola in Wayanad, which is a biodiversity hotspot in the Nilgiri biosphere reserve. It species has been named after V. Balakrishnan, member-secretary, Kerala State Biodiversity Board, and former director of the MSSRF, Wayanad, in recognition of his contributions to biodiversity.
- The flowers of the plant are reddish pink in color and the species is similar to the coastal plant Tylophora flexuosa. However, it is different in terms of its floral parts arrangement and morphology.
- Tylophora neglecta has been discovered from the shola forest on the Thooval Mala hill under the Achencoil forest division in Kollam.
- The flowers of the new species are white with a violet tinge with leaves being thick and bristly in nature.