Daily Current Affairs for UPSC, IAS, UPPSC/UPPCS, BPSC, MPPSC, RPSC and All State PCS Examinations (08 July 2020)

Daily Current Affairs for UPSC, IAS, UPPSC/UPPCS, BPSC, MPPSC, RPSC and All State PCS Examinations

Uyghurs: Minority Ethnic Group

Why in NEWS ?

A group of Uighurs in exile has submitted evidence to the International Criminal Court(ICC), calling for an investigation into senior Chinese officials, including Xi Jinping, for genocide and crimes against humanity.

About

  • The submission made by lawyers based in London on behalf of two activists groups to use international law against China over allegations of widespread human rights violations in Xinjiang, the far north-western territory of China where Uighur and other minority groups are detained.
  • The lawyers argue that because part of these crimes took place in Cambodia and Tajikistan, signatories to the Rome statute that established the ICC, the court has jurisdiction over these cases even though China is not a member of the court.

Uighur Muslim Community

  • Is a predominantly Turkic-speaking ethnic group.
  • They are primarily confined in China’s north-western region of Xinjiang and is one of the largest Muslim group in that region.

International Criminal Court (ICC)

  • An intergovernmental organisation and international tribunal headquartered in The Hague.
  • Is the court of last resort for prosecution of genocide, war crimes, and crimes against humanity and crime of aggression.
  • Investigates and tries people charged with serious and grave crimes.
  • First permanent international criminal court in the world.
  • Governed by an international statute known as the Rome Statute, entered into force on July 1, 2002.

Himalayan Butterfly is India’s Largest

IN NEWS

A Himalayan butterfly named Golden Birdwing is India’s largest, a record an unknown specimen had held for 88 years

ABOUT

  • With a wingspan of 194 mm, the female of the species is marginally larger than the Southern Birdwing (190 mm) that Brigadier William Harry Evans, a British military officer and lepidopterist, had recorded in 1932. But the male Golden Birdwing (Troides aeacus) is much smaller at 106 mm.
  • Birdwings are butterflies in the swallowtail family that belong to the genera Trogonoptera, Troides, and Ornithoptera. Most recent authorities recognise 36 species, however, this is debated, and some authorities include additional genera. Birdwings are named for their exceptional size, angular wings, and birdlike flight. They are found across tropical Asia, mainland and archipelagic Southeast Asia, and Australasia.
  • Due to their size and brightly coloured males, they are popular among collectors of butterflies,
  • The smallest is the Quaker (Neopithecops zalmora) with a wingspan of 18 mm and forewing length of 8 mm. The largest female Golden Birdwing’s forewing length is 90 mm.

Himalayan Butterfly is India’s Largest

STATUS AND PROTECTION

  • With the exception of Queen Alexandra's birdwing all birdwings are listed in Appendix II of Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora(CITES), thereby limiting (and in the case of O. alexandrae completely banning) international trade.

Prelims Practice Question

Q1. Consider the following statement regarding Uyghur community-

1. The Uyghurs are Turkic-speaking Muslims from the Central Asian region.
2. Their largest population live in China’s autonomous Xinjiang region, in the country’s north-west.
3. The Uyghurs are one of a number of persecuted Muslim minorities in Xinjiang.

Select the correct option-

a. 1 and 3 Only
b. 2 and 3 Only
c. 3 Only
d. 1,2 and 3

Answer: D

Q2. CONSIDER THE FOLLOWING STATEMENT AND CHOOSE THE CORRECT ONE-

A) Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora, also known as the Berlin Convention is a multilateral treaty to protect endangered plants and animals.
B) It was drafted as a result of a resolution adopted in 1963 at a meeting of members of the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN)

1. A only
2. B only
3. A and B
4. All of the above.

Answer- 2

Explanation- Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora, also known as the Washington Convention) is a multilateral treaty to protect endangered plants and animals. It was drafted as a result of a resolution adopted in 1963 at a meeting of members of the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN). CITES entered into force in July 1975. Currently there are 183 Parties (include countries or regional economic integration organizations).

Aim: Ensure that international trade in specimens of wild animals and plants does not threaten their survival.The CITES Secretariat is administered by UNEP (The United Nations Environment Programme) and is located at Geneva, Switzerland.