#UPSC NEWS SHORTS- AUGUST 4

[  ] Project Alaiyathi - A Million Mangroves Initiative is an attempt to improve the fragile ecosystem of Pulicat by planting mangrove saplings

[  ] Pulicat lake- The second-largest brackish water lake in the country, the beautiful Pulicat Lake lies at the border of the states of Andhra Pradesh and Tamil Nadu on the Barricade Island of Sriharikota. Also called Pazhaverkadu, the lake is also known for the Pulicat Bird Sanctuary and attracts a number flamingos.

[  ] The Centre's ambitious Rs 72,000 crore Great Nicobar Project may see 9.64 lakh, trees felled to enable the construction of a trans- shipment port, an international airport, a township, and a 450- MVA gas and solar-based power plant on the Great Nicobar island.

[  ] The Andaman and Nicobar Islands are a cluster of about 836 islands in the eastern Bay of Bengal, the two groups of which are separated Ten Degree Channel. Indira Point on the southern tip of Great Nicobar Island is India's southernmost point, less than 150 km from the northernmost island of the Indonesian archipelago. Great Nicobar is home to two national parks (Campbell Bay and Galathea National Park) a biosphere reserve ( Great Nicobar), and the Shompen and Nicobarese tribal peoples, along with ex-servicemen from Punjab, Maharashtra, and Andhra Pradesh who were settled on the island in the 1970s.

[  ] Niger's military ousted President Bazoum, attributing it to the deteriorating security situation and bad governance, including corruption, inflation, and food insecurity.

[  ] External interests in Niger include France's security and economic partnership, particularly in uranium trade, and the US fight against insurgency with a significant military presence.

[  ] Niger which is rich in Uranium produces seven per cent of global supplies and has been exporting a quarter of it to France.

[  ] The Sahel region is made up of six Francophone countries-Burkina Faso, Chad, Mali, Mauritania, Niger, and Senegal.

[  ] Francophone countries are those that designate French an official language or whose people primarily speak French.

[  ] Tuaregs are a large Berber ethnic group that principally inhabit the Sahara in a vast area stretching from far southwestern Libya to southern Algeria, Niger, Mali, and Burkina Faso.

[  ] France began its military operations in Sahel in January 2013. Titled Operation Serval, it was limited to targeting Islamic extremists linked to al-Qaeda who took control of northern Mali. However, in 2014, the mission was scaled up, renamed Operation Barkhane and was aimed at counter-terrorism.

[  ] The United Nations Multidimensional Integrated Stabilization Mission in Mali (MINUSMA) was established in April 2013- Peacekeeping mission

[  ] The Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS) is a regional political and economic union of fifteen countries located in West Africa- Benin, Burkina Faso, Cabo Verde, Cote d'Ivoire, The Gambia, Ghana, Guinea, Guinea-Bissau, Liberia, Mali, Niger, Nigeria, Senegal, Sierra Leone, and Togo.

[  ] Two frontline Indian naval warships under the Eastern Naval Command, INS Sahyadri and INS Kolkata made port call at Port Moresby as part of ongoing initiatives for enhancing maritime partnership and cooperation with Papua New Guinea. At the same time, two warships from the Western Naval Command are at Oman - INS Visakhapatnam at Muscat and INS Trikand at Duqm.

[  ] Mr. Modi visited Papua New Guinea and attended the 3rd summit of the Forum for India Pacific Islands Cooperation (FIPIC)

[  ] India hosted the second summit (FIPIC) in Jaipur on 21 August 2015. The first summit was held in Suva, Fiji.

[  ] The FIPIC consists of Cook Islands, Fiji, Kiribati, Marshall Islands, Federated States of Micronesia, Nauru, Niue, Samoa, Solomon Islands, Palau, Papua New Guinea, Tonga, Tuvalu and Vanuatu.