PIB and AIR News 16-18th April, 2019

Questions:
1. Where is Nandhaur Wildlife Sanctuary located?
2. What is TESS mission of NASA?
3. What is Hydraulic Fracturing technique?
4. What is "ARIIA" related to?
5. Where can you find "Nilgiri Tahr" in India? What is it current IUCN status?

Today's News:
1. 2nd Marshal Arjan Singh Memorial International Hockey Tournament 2019 Kicks off at Chandigarh

• It is being organised by Air Force Sports Control Board at Astro Turf Hockey Ground
• The conduct of this Hockey Tournament is a befitting tribute to the legend and way to express our gratitude towards his contribution to the nation.

2. HOME EXPO INDIA 2019 BEGINS (Min. of Textiles)

• The 8th edition of HOME EXPO INDIA 2019 opened at India Expo Centre and Mart, Greater Noida
• The three-day exhibition has been organized by the Export Promotion Council for Handicrafts (EPCH)
• Home Expo India covers sectors with maximum thrust and growth potential in home décor, furnishing, furniture, flooring, and textiles.
• EPCH is the nodal export promotion body for handicrafts in India and plays an important role with the main objective of boosting trade in handicrafts and also projects India’s image in the global market as a reliable supplier.

3. Exercise SEA VIGIL (Min. of Defence)
The maiden national level Coastal Defence Exercise SEA VIGIL was conducted by Indian Navy from 22-23 Jan 19.

4. World Heritage Day being observed today- 18th April

• The day is celebrated every year to promote the cultural heritage across the world. The theme of this year is Rural Landscapes.
• It is also a day of international solidarity in favor of strengthening and safeguarding heritage world-wide. World heritage day also aims to seek recognition for the people involved in preserving the sites, especially scientists, archaeologists, geographers and engineers.
• There are 37 World Heritage Sites located in India including Western Ghats, Sundarbans National Park, Taj Mahal, City of Ahmadabad, Nalanda University, Mahabodhi Temple in Bihar and Khajuraho in Madhya Pradesh. These include 29 cultural sites, seven natural sites and one mixed site. India has the sixth largest number of sites in the world. 
• International Council on Monuments and Sites, ICOMOS in 1982, suggested that 18th April be celebrated as the International Day for Monuments and Sites and UNESCO approved the proposal the next year during its 22nd General Conference. 
• In the ICOMOS “Principles concerning rural landscapes as heritage”, adopted by the ICOMOS General Assembly in 2017, rural landscapes are defined as “terrestrial and aquatic areas co-produced by human-nature interaction used for the production of food and other renewable natural resources, via agriculture, animal husbandry and pastoralism, fishing and aquaculture, forestry, wild food gathering, hunting, and extraction of other resources, such as salt. 
• Rural landscapes are multifunctional resources. 
• At the same time, all rural areas have cultural meanings attributed to them by people and communities: all rural areas are landscapes.”
• Rural landscapes encompass an increasing accumulation of tangible and intangible heritage which is in constant adaptation to environmental, cultural, social, political and economic conditions. They are the most common type of continuing cultural landscape.

5. Kakapow! Rare world's fattest parrot has record breeding season

• The world's fattest parrot, the critically endangered kakapo, has enjoyed a record breaking breeding season. New Zealand scientists said that climate change is possibly aiding the species' unique mating spree
• The kakapo is an "unusual" parrot as the females control the breeding process and only mate every two to four years when New Zealand's native rimu trees are full of fruit.
• The rimu trees have produced a bumper crop this year.
•  The surviving kakapo -- whose name means "night parrot" in Maori -- are kept on four predator-free islands off the New Zealand coast.
• New Zealand's kakapo recovery programme is so tightly monitored that although they remain in the wild, each one has a radio transmitter attached to its body and there are monitoring systems embedded in their nests. It is claimed that kakapo is probably one of the most intensively managed species in the world.

6. NASA astronaut to set record for longest spaceflight by a woman

• NASA astronaut Christina Koch is going to have her mission on the International Space Station (ISS) extended to 328 days. This would set a record for the longest single spaceflight by a woman.
• The extended missions will help scientists gather additional data about the effects of long-duration human spaceflight beyond those of the normal six-month station expedition. Such research is essential to support future deep space exploration missions to the Moon and Mars.

7. The Department of Investment and Public Asset Management (DIPAM) issued guidelines for monetisation of non-core assets of CPSEs.

• Non-core assets are assets that are either not essential or simply no longer used in a company’s business operations. Non-core assets are often sold when a company needs to raise cash. Some businesses sell their non-core assets in order to pay down their debt.
• A non-core asset can be any kind of asset, including an entire subsidiary or a holding in another company. But often non-core assets are things such as real estate, commodities, natural resources, currencies or securities. A non-core asset might also be factory or property that is no longer being used.
• Whether an asset is considered non-core is entirely relative to the company. An asset that is non-core for one company might be core for another.

8. Assam rifles and the issue of dual control

• Assam Rifles which is also referred to as the Sentinels of North East is the oldest paramilitary force of India.
• The administrative control of Assam Rifles lies with the Home Ministry, while the operational control is with the Defence Ministry.
• A petition in Delhi HC argues since the objective and functions of Assam Rifles were that of military and paramilitary force, its categorisation as a police force was arbitrary, unreasonable and in violation of the rights of its personnel. The petition seeks a grant of pay, allowances, pension (including arrears) and ex-servicemen facilities to Assam Rifles personnel at par with the Indian Army.

9. April 17 is World Haemophilia Day

• Haemophilia is a medical condition, mostly inherited, in which the ability of blood to clot is severely reduced, so that even a minor injury can cause severe bleeding.
• Because of the genetics involved in the way the sex of a child is determined, men are more vulnerable to haemophilia than women.
• Haemophilia is caused by a defect in the X chromosome. If a girl is born with one defective X chromosome, her other X chromosome can compensate for it. In such a case, she is a carrier of haemophilia but will not suffer from the condition herself. Only if both her X chromosomes are defective will she suffer from haemophilia herself. On the other hand, if a boy is born with a defective X chromosome, he does not have the second X chromosome to compensate for it, and will suffer from haemophilia. That is the reason haemophilia is more common among men.
• It is a rare disorder worldwide
• There’s no cure for haemophilia, but treatment usually allows a person with the condition to enjoy a good quality of life. Genetically engineered clotting factor medicines are used to prevent and treat prolonged bleeding.