Prelims Focus- 11th October 2023

1.Indian Ocean Rim Association (IORA)

In News: Sri Lanka will chair the Indian Ocean Rim Association at the 23rd meeting of the Council of Ministers in Colombo.

• IORA was established in 1997 as an intergovernmental organization of countries bordering the Indian Ocean, with members from Africa, West Asia, South Asia, Southeast Asia and Oceania. 
• Members: 23 member states and 11 dialogue partners. All sovereign states of the Indian Ocean may become members of the Association.  
  • Australia, Bangladesh, Comoros, French Republic, India, Indonesia, Iran, Kenya, Madagascar, Malaysia, Maldives, Mauritius, Mozambique, Oman, Seychelles, Singapore, Somalia, South Africa, Sri Lanka, Tanzania, Thailand, United Arab Emirates and Yemen are its members. 
• Objective: To strengthen regional cooperation and sustainable development in the Indian Ocean region.  

Structure: The apex body of IORA is the Council of Ministers of Foreign Affairs (COM), which meets annually. The Committee of Senior Officers (CSO) meets twice a year to advance the IORA agenda.

2.CHAKRAVAT-2023

In News: The Indian Navy is conducting the annual Joint Humanitarian  and Disaster Relief (HADR) exercise CHAKRAVAT-2023 in Goa.

• • It is an annual multi-agency  exercise launched in 2015 involving all three Indian armies, paramilitary forces and several other organizations. 
  • Since 2016, the exercise has been held alternately by the Indian Army, Indian Navy (IN) and Indian Air Force (IAF). 
  • The exercise was last conducted by the IAF in Agra. 
  • The Indian Armed Forces have often been  called upon to assist our friends and partners in the Indian Ocean Region (IOR), reinforcing the need and determination to be a “first responder” in the region.
  • About the 2023 edition:

• • The three-day AJHE-23 includes a workshop, a tabletop exercise and a multi-agency capability demonstration. 
  • Several national agencies participated in the exercise. 
  • Logo: This year’s exercise logo features the flags and logos of all participating agencies and countries as a unified entity.

3.APEP Mission

In News: NASA’s APEP mission will send three rockets into the shadow of the upcoming rare annular solar eclipse.

• Background – An annular solar eclipse is expected to occur in the Western Hemisphere on October 14, 2023. 
• An annular solar eclipse occurs when the apparent size of the Moon is slightly smaller than that of the Sun, leaving the outer edge of the latter uncovered , giving the impression of a “ring of fire”. 
• Therefore, the brightness of the Sun decreases to 10 percent of its normal brightness. 
• Purpose of APEP – To study how the sudden decrease in sunlight affects our upper atmosphere. 

Scientific Measurements – Each rocket carries 4 instruments to measure parameters such as ionospheric density, temperature, and changes in electric and magnetic fields.

4.Watermeal:

In News: Researchers are studying watermeal, the tiniest flowering plant, to investigate its potential as a food and oxygen source for astronauts.

Details:

• The European Space Agency conducted a study using their Large Diameter Centrifuge to subject watermeal to hypergravity conditions, replicating gravity levels up to 20 times that of Earth.
• The researchers exposed watermeal samples to hypergravity conditions using LED lighting in special boxes. They will study the plants after two weeks to see how hypergravity affects their growth and development by analyzing their chemical composition.

    About Watermeal:

• Watermeal, which is well-known for being very small and floating on water, is an interesting topic for this study because it is simple and grows quickly. It does not have roots, stems, or leaves, which makes it a perfect choice for researching how changes in gravity affect plant development.
• Watermeal is both scientifically fascinating and useful. It produces a lot of oxygen and contains a high amount of protein. It has been consumed in Thailand for many years.

5.Hangzhou Asian Games:

In News: India made history at the Hangzhou 19th Asian Games by winning a record-breaking 107 medals, consisting of 28 gold, 38 silver, and 41 bronze. The competition was postponed because of the COVID-19 outbreak.

About the Asian Games:

• The Asian Games, which are also referred to as Asiad, are a significant continental multi-sport event that takes place once every four years.
• This grand event brings together athletes from various Asian countries to compete in a wide range of sporting disciplines.
• Initially, the Asian Games were overseen by the Asian Games Federation (AGF) from 1951 to 1978.
• However, following the dissolution of the AGF, the responsibility of organizing the Games was handed over to the Olympic Council of Asia (OCA) in 1982.
• These Games hold great prestige and are officially recognized by the International Olympic Committee (IOC).
• In terms of scale and participation, they are regarded as the second-largest multi-sport event globally, only surpassed by the Olympic Games.

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