NETWIRE & MORE (CURRENT AFFAIRS 14 FEB 2021 )

 NETWIRE

Activist Rona Wilson, who has been imprisoned since June 2018 in connection with the Bhima Koregaon violence case, filed a petition in the Bombay High Court seeking a stay on proceedings against him.

About:

• His petition referred to a report brought out by Arsenal Consulting, a digital forensics consulting company based in Massachusetts, which was hired by Mr. Wilson’s defence team.
  
  
• The Arsenal Consulting report states that for 22 months, Mr. Wilson’s computer was controlled by an attacker whose goal was to deliver incriminating documents onto his computer, which formed the basis of the case against him.
  
  

What is NetWire?

• NetWire, which first surfaced in 2012, is a well-known malware. It is also one of the most active ones around.
  
  
• It is a remote access trojan, or RAT, which gives control of the infected system to an attacker.
  
  
• Such malware can log keystrokes and compromise passwords.
  
  
• Malware essentially do two things.
  • One is data exfiltration, which means stealing data. Most anti-virus software are equipped to prevent this.
    
    
  • The other involves infiltrating a system, and this has proven to be far more challenging for anti-virus software.
    
    
  
  
  
• NetWire is described as an off-the-shelf malware, while something like Pegasus, which used a bug in WhatsApp to infiltrate users’ phones in 2019, is custom-made and sold to nations.

VEMBANAD LAKE

Authorities have initiated preliminary steps to demolish the illegally constructed villas of Kapico Kerala Resorts Private Limited on Nediyathuruthu island in Vembanad Lake.

About:

• Vembanad (Vembanad Kayal or Vembanad Kol) is the longest lake in India and the largest lake in the state of Kerala.
  
  
• With an area of 2033 square kilometres, it is the second largest Ramsar site in India only after the Sundarbans in West Bengal.
  
  
• Spanning several districts in Kerala, it is known as Vembanadu Lake in Kottayam, Punnamada Lake in Alappuzha and Kochi Lake in Kochi.
  
  
• Several groups of small islands including Vypin, Mulavukad, Vallarpadam, Willingdon Island are located in the Kochi Lake portion. Kochi Port is built around the Willingdon Island and the Vallarpadam island.
  
  
• The Nehru Trophy Boat Race is conducted in a portion of the lake.
  
  
• The Government of India has identified the Vembanad wetland under the National Wetlands Conservation Programme.

MARIO DRAGHI

Former European Central Bank chief Mario Draghi known as “Super Mario” was formally sworn in as Italy’s new Prime Minister, against the backdrop of the deadly coronavirus pandemic and a crippling recession.

About:

• Mario Draghi (born 1947) is an Italian economist, central banker and politician, who is serving as Prime Minister of Italy since 13 February 2021.
  
  
• He previously served as President of the European Central Bank from 2011 until 2019.
  
  
• He presided over the institution throughout the Eurozone crisis, and became famous throughout Europe for saying that he would be prepared to do "whatever it takes" to prevent the Euro from failing.
  
  
• Draghi was also the Chair of the Financial Stability Board from 2009 to 2011 and Governor of the Bank of Italy from 2005 to 2011.
  

DETAILED GENOME MAP OF MALARIA VECTOR

Scientists have unveiled the detailed genome of the malaria mosquito vector, revealing thousands of new genes vital for the development of genetic control strategies of disease transmission.

About:

• In order to engineer advanced forms of defence against malaria transmission, including targeted CRISPR and gene drive–based strategies, scientists require intricate knowledge of the genomes of vector mosquitoes.
  
  
• CRISPR technology is a gene-editing tool which allows researchers to easily alter DNA sequences and modify gene function.
• 
  
• They produced a new reference genome for the Asian malaria vector mosquito Anopheles stephensi.
  
  
• With the newly upgraded Anopheles stephensi genome, the team unearthed more than 3,000 genes that previously evaded scrutiny and which offer fresh gene-drive targets, play key roles in blood feeding and the metabolism of ingested blood meal, reproduction and immunity against microbial parasites.
  
  
• This reference genome should help malaria biologists in India, particularly in view of the national goal of malaria elimination in India by 2030

SEXUAL HARASSMENT AT THE WORKPLACE

The Union Minister of Skill Development and Entrepreneurship launched the “Skill training on Gender Sensitisation and Prevention of Sexual Harassment (POSH) at the workplace”.

About:

• This was launched in partnership with Management and Entrepreneurship and Professional Skill Council (MEPSC) as the Implementation Agency for the project.
  
  
• The six-month project will be implemented in 15 districts across 3 states of Rajasthan, Haryana and Punjab to train 1800 trainees and 240 training professionals.

MAHATMA GANDHI NATIONAL FELLOWSHIP (MGNF)

The Union Minister of Skill Development rolled out the Mahatma Gandhi National Fellowship (MGNF).

About:

• The fellows under MGNF will acquire academic expertise and technical competency in understanding the overall skill ecosystem along with being attached to District Skill Committees (DSCs).
  
  
• It will help them manage the skill development planning at district level through the mechanism of formulating District Skill Development Plans (DSDPs).
  
  
• With the successful launch of MGNF in the first pilot (MGNF) which had 69 fellows working across 69 districts, the Ministry is now expanding MGNF to all remaining districts in the country.
  
  
• For retaining the standard of academic excellence and reputation in MGNF, the Ministry is seeking academic partnership with only the IIMs and have roped in nine IIMs for the national roll out of MGNF.

SANKALP (SKILLS ACQUISITION AND KNOWLEDGE AWARENESS FOR LIVELIHOOD PROMOTION)

The Union Minister of Skill Development and Entrepreneurship chaired a function ‘Transforming skilling through strategic partnerships under SANKALP’.

About:

• SANKALP (Skills Acquisition and Knowledge Awareness for Livelihood Promotion) is a World Bank loan assisted programme to strengthen the district skill administration and the District Skill Committees (DSCs).
  
  
• The two-year academic programme comes with an in-built component of on-ground practical experience with the district administration.
  
  
• To further bolster the trainer ecosystem, the SANKALP programme will also support in Training of Trainer (ToT) system in Public Private Partnership (PPP) mode that a collaborative approach between industry and the technical and vocational education and training (TVET) ecosystem.
  
  
• MSDE has instituted the "Awards for Excellence in District Skill Development Planning (DSDP Awards)" under SANKALP in 2018.

MUSHAIRA

Union Ministry of Minority Affairs will organise “Mushaira” on the theme of “Ek Bharat, Shreshtha Bharat” in New Delhi on 20th February 2021 where renowned poets of the country will present their couplet.

About:

• Mushaira is a poetic symposium. It is an event (called mehfil, mushairi) where poets gather to recite their work so that they may enjoy, criticise, and ultimately appreciate what was recited.
  
  
• it is a part of the culture of Pakistan, North India and the Deccan esp. among the Hyderabadi Muslims.
  
  
• Urdu Mushaira reach its final, decisive form in 18th century and was popularised by Bahadur Shah Zafar, the last Mughal Emperor of India.
  

RASHTRIYA SANSKRITI MAHOTSAV

11th edition of ‘Rashtriya Sanskriti Mahotsav’ to be inaugurated on 14th February, 2021 at Cooch Behar Palace at Cooch Behar in West Bengal.

About:

• Rashtriya Sanskriti Mahotsav is the flagship festival of this Ministry of culture.
  
  
• It is organized since 2015 with the active participation of Seven Zonal Culture Centres has been playing a pivotal role to take the vibrant culture of India out to the masses instead of confining to auditoria and galleries.
  
  
• It has been instrumental in showcasing, folk and tribal art, dance, music, cuisines & culture of one state in other states.
  
  
• Ten editions of RSM have been held till date since November, 2015 in various states and cities such as Delhi, Varanasi, Bengaluru, Tawang, Gujarat, Karnataka, Tehri and Madhya Pradesh.
  
  
• The eleventh edition of Rashtriya Sanskriti Mahotsav is being held between 14th to 28th February, 2021 in West Bengal at Cooch Behar (14th to 16th February, 2021), Darjeeling (22nd to 24th February, 2021) and Murshidabad (27th to 28th February, 2021).
  

BL Lacertae

Indian Astronomers have reported one of the strongest flares from a feeding supermassive black hole or blazar called BL Lacertae.

About:

• Blazars or feeding supermassive black holes in the heart of distant galaxies receive a lot of attention from the astronomical community because of their complicated emission mechanism.
  
  
• They emit jets of charged particles traveling nearly at the speed of light and are one of the most luminous and energetic objects in the Universe.
  
  
• BL Lacertae blazar is 10 million light-years away and is among the 50 most prominent blazars that can be observed with the help of a relatively small telescope.
  
  
• It was among the 3 to 4 blazars that was predicted to be experiencing flares by the Whole Earth Blazar Telescope (WEBT), an international consortium of astronomers.

THOLPAVAKOOTHU

For the first time, Tholpavakkoothu, the famous shadow leather puppets will tell stories of the epic Ramayana with the help of robots.

About:

• Tholpavakoothu is a form of shadow puppetry that is practiced in Kerala, India.
  
  
• It is performed using leather puppets as a ritual dedicated to Bhadrakali and is performed in Devi temples in specially built theatres called koothumadams.
  
  
• This art form is especially popular in the Palakkad, Thrissur and Malappuram districts of Kerala.
  
  
• It is believed to have originated in the ninth century AD and uses Kamba Ramayana as its basic text.
  
  
• The puppets used in Tholpavakoothu used to be made out of deerskin but are now typically made from goatskin.
  
  
• The puppets are painted in vegetable dyes, as these dyes last long.
  
  INTER-CASTE MARRIAGES
  Educated youngsters are showing the way forward to reduce caste and community tensions in India by tying the knot in inter-marriages, the Supreme Court said in a recent judgment.
  

  About:

  • Educated younger boys and girls are choosing their life partners, which, in turn, is a departure from the earlier norms of society where caste and community play a major role.
    
    
  • Possibly, this is the way forward where caste and community tensions will reduce by such inter-marriages
    
    
  • Justice Kaul quoted B.R. Ambedkar’s Annihilation of Caste, in which the Father of the Constitution said, “I am convinced that the real remedy is intermarriage. Fusion of blood can alone create the feeling of being kith and kin and will vanish the separatist feeling created by caste.
    
    
  • Consent of the family or community or clan is not necessary once the two adult individuals agree to enter into a wedlock and that their consent has to be piously given primacy.

  EXCESSIVE ALCOHOL CAUSES IRREVERSIBLE CHANGES TO DNA

  A study by the National Institute of Mental Health and Neuro Sciences (NIMHANS) in Bengaluru has debunked the assumption that damage to health from excessive consumption of alcohol can be reversed if one stops drinking.

  

  About:

  • Excessive alcohol consumption can cause irreversible changes to the DNA and these can persist even when alcohol is no longer consumed, revealed a study conducted by a team of researchers at NIMHANS.
    
    
  • The study has been published online in the American Journal of Medical Genetics.
    
    
  • The study tracked patients at NIMHANS’ Centre for Addiction Medicine outpatient clinic from March 2015 to April 2016.
    
    
  • Although we inherit genes from our parents, their expression is regulated in a unique manner in each person, and may be influenced by their lifestyle. Exposure to alcohol affects the pattern of gene expression, and may explain some of the systemic complications.
    
    
  • Researchers analysed the DNA chemistry of individuals who had been drinking on an average of 10 drinks/day.

  ARBITRATION AND CONCILIATION (AMENDMENT) BILL 2021

  Lok Sabha today gave its nod to Arbitration and Conciliation (Amendment) Bill 2021.

  

  About:

  • The Arbitration and Conciliation (Amendment) Bill, 2021 was introduced in Lok Sabha on February 4, 2021.
    
    
  • It seeks to amend the Arbitration and Conciliation Act, 1996. The Act contains provisions to deal with domestic and international arbitration and defines the law for conducting conciliation proceedings. 
    
    
  • The Bill replaces an Ordinance with same provisions promulgated on November 4, 2020.
    
    
  • Automatic stay on awards: The Bill specifies that a stay on the arbitral award can be provided (even during the pendency of the setting aside of the application) if the court is satisfied that:
    • the relevant arbitration agreement or contract, or
      
      
    • the making of the award, was induced, or effected by fraud or corruption.
      
      
    • This change will be effective from October 23, 2015.
      
      
    
    
    
  • Qualifications of arbitrators: The Bill removes the Schedule for arbitrators and states that the qualifications, experience, and norms for accreditation of arbitrations will be specified under the regulations.