Current Affairs for BANK, IBPS Exams - 04 February 2021

::NATIONAL::

Aero India 2021 started in Bengaluru

The 13th edition of India’s premier aerospace and defence exhibition, Aero India 2021 kickstarted in Bengaluru on Wednesday amidst the COVID-19 pandemic with buzz around “AatmaNirbhar Bharat Abhiyaan” and “Make in India” push. With a combination of both physical and virtual exhibition, this edition of the biennial international event at Air Force Station Yelahanka will be the world’s first hybrid aerospace show.
Defence Minister Rajnath Singh inaugurated the Aero India 2021 at IAF Station Yelahanka. Taking to Twitter, Singh wrote, “I believe Aero India 2021 will boost investment, expand manufacturing ecosystem, support enterprises, appreciate and enhance the technology levels and propel the economic growth for the country.”
As many as 601 exhibitors — 523 Indian and 78 foreign — and 14 countries are participating in the three-day event where companies will be showcasing their capabilities, latest technologies, solutions, products and services at the show. During the event, Defence Research and Development Organisation (DRDO) will also exhibit its latest defence technologies and demonstrate many systems.

Indo-US military exercise 'war exercise' to be held from 8 to 21 February in Rajasthan

The 16th edition of Indo-US joint military exercise ''Yudh Abhyas'' will be held in Rajasthan between February 8 and 21, a defence spokesperson said on Wednesday.
The exercise near the India-Pakistan border aims at enhancing cooperation and interoperability between the two armies and will focus on counter-terrorism operations under the United Nations mandate, the spokesperson said.
The drill comes days after the air forces of India and France held a five-day joint exercise in Rajasthan in January.
Defence Spokesperson Lt Col Amitabh Sharma said, "As part of military-to-military exchange programmes, US Army troops will be arriving in India on February 5 for the 16th edition of Exercise ''Yudh Abhyas'' with Indian Army troops.”
He said the 11th Battalion of Jammu and Kashmir Rifles, part of the South Western Command will represent Indian Army in the exercise while the US Army delegation will be represented by the troops of 2nd battalion, 3rd Infantry Regiment of 1-2 Stryker Brigade Combat Team along with respective brigade headquarters.
"Exercise with US Army is significant in terms of security challenges faced by both the nations in the backdrop of global terrorism. The joint military exercise will enhance the level of defence cooperation between both armies which will also foster the bilateral relations between both nations and reiterate India''s key role as a key partner in the Indo-Pacific region,” he said in a release.

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::International::

Myanmar military announces new State Administrative Council

The regime in Myanmar headed by the army has announced a new State Administrative Council. The council headed by the Army Chief General Min Aung Hlaing has eleven members out of which 8 are from the military.
Earlier, addressing the meeting of the Union government on Tuesday, General Min Aung Hlaing said that ‘election matters and COVID 19 prevention and containment’ will be prioritised'. It reiterated that it will expose the voting frauds. In a statement released on the official channel, the military government announced that the Union Election Commission will be reconstituted for implementing the duties and functions.
Meanwhile, the United Nations Security Council held closed consultations to arrive at a consensus statement on Myanmar developments. According to the UN press briefing, the Special Envoy of the Secretary-General Christine Schraner Burgener urged the council members to send a clear signal in support of democracy in Myanmar.

::Economy::

GMR Group signs MoU with Airbus

GMR Group, signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with Airbus, to explore collaboration opportunities across aviation services, technologies and innovation.
The MoU was signed at Aero India 2021, Bangalore. GMR Group and Airbus will team up to explore potential synergies in several strategic areas of aviation services including maintenance, components, training, digital and airport services.As part of the MoU, GMR Group and Airbus will collaborate to explore a broad scope of aviation services like maintenance, components, training, digital and airport services both for commercial and military aircraft to benefit the entire aerospace ecosystem in the country.
Mr. SGK Kishore, Executive Director - South & Chief Innovation Officer, GMR Airports, said, “As one of the leading operators of airports globally, we at GMR are very pleased to partner with Airbus to bring the best possible experience and services to the airlines and passengers who are our shared customers, leveraging our complementary strengths and market presence. Under this partnership, GMR and Airbus teams will work together and innovate across areas such as airport operations and air cargo supply chain among others to realize our shared goals.”
“Airbus and the GMR Group are committed to high standards of operational efficiency and innovation. Through this partnership we will align in our mission to provide world class aviation services in the region,” said Mr. Rémi Maillard, President and Managing Director, Airbus India & South Asia. “We will work together towards developing solutions that will shape the future of aviation services in the region.”

Initial survey revealed lithium reserves in Mandya district of Karnataka

In a major development, India has discovered its maiden lithium reserves discovery in the igneous rocks located in the Marlagalla-Allapatna region of Karnataka's Mandya district.
Though the discovery is very small in size in the present and stands at only 1,600 tonnes of lithium, it marks an initial success for the nation's attempts to domestically mine the metal in India, given the nation presently meets all its lithium demand and needs by means of imports.
The discovery has been made in the preliminary survey of Atomic Minerals Directorate for Exploration and Research (AMD), which is an arm of Centre's Department of Atomic Energy (DAE). The exploratory work is meanwhile also on to possibly extract lithium from the brine pools of Rajasthan and Gujarat and the mica belts of Odisha and Chhattisgarh.

::Science and tech::

Scientists decode how coronavirus mutates, escapes antibodies

Scientists have identified a pattern of mutations in the novel coronavirus which enable it to evade the immune system's antibodies, findings that shed light on how the virus may possibly escape existing vaccines and therapeutics.
According to the researchers, including those from the University of Pittsburgh in the US, the coronavirus undergoes selective deletions in parts of its genetic sequence that encode for the shape of its spike protein.
The spike protein is the part of the coronavirus which enables it to infect host cells, and is also the segment of the virus against which the body produces neutralising antibodies.
The study, published in the journal Science, assessed nearly 1,50,000 gene sequences of the spike protein collected from many parts of the world, and found that in variants possessing the deletion mutations, formerly neutralising antibodies cannot grab hold of the virus.
According to the study, the scientists first came across these neutralisation-resistant mutations in a sample from an immunocompromised patient, who was infected with coronavirus for 74 days before ultimately dying from Covid-19.
The researchers believe this long time of "cat and mouse" play between the immune system and the coronavirus in such patients gives "ample opportunity" to initiate a "co-evolutionary dance".
They said this competition results in "worrisome mutations" in the viral genome that are resulting in variants of the coronavirus such as the ones first reported in the UK and South Africa.

::SPORTS::

Man City restore lead at top with routine win at Burnley

Manchester City restored their three-point lead at the top of the Premier League after goals from Gabriel Jesus and Raheem Sterling secured a comfortable 2-0 win at Burnley.
The routine victory at Turf Moor left City on 47 points from 21 games with second-placed Manchester United, who crushed Southampton 9-0 on Tuesday, three points behind having played one more match.
City have won 13 straight matches in all competitions and Pep Guardiola's side will head into Sunday's clash with Liverpool at Anfield in confident mood after another faultless display.