”UPSC Prelims Bits For Today” is every day published in the morning between 11:00 AM to 12:00 Noon and contains selective current affairs articles. ”UPSC Prelims Bits For Today” covers various topics from UPSC Prelims Syllabus and is very helpful and time managing for UPSC Aspirants. The framing of this daily current affairs compilation article is easy to read and understandable also.
In the ”UPSC Prelims Bits For Today” article, we focus on UPSC Preliminary exam-oriented current affairs covering various sections from leading National Newspapers, PIB, and other various official sources.
What is Inter Tropical Convergence Zone?
Why in news?
ITCZ could be a major reason for excessive rainfall in PAK along with Climate Change.
What is ITCZ?
- The ITCZ is a zone of convergence at the thermal equator where the trade winds meet. It is a low pressure belt and migrates with the changing position of the thermal equator.
- The thermal equator receives the most intense heat from the Sun. Around 20th June each year the Sun is overhead at 23½º North, the Tropic of Cancer. Around 20th December the Sun is overhead at 23½º South, the Tropic of Capricorn.
- The movement of the thermal equator shifts the belts of planetary winds and pressure systems to the north and to the south annually, as the diagram below shows.
Indian Navy’s Ensign
Why in news?
Prime Minister Narendra Modi will unveil the new naval ensign (flag) for the Indian Navy in Kochi on September 2 on the sidelines of the commissioning of India’s first indigenous aircraft carrier INS Vikrant at Cochin Shipyard Limited.
What will be changed?
- It will replace the present ensign that carries the Saint George’s Cross with the Tricolour in the canton (top left corner of the flag).
- This ensign is essentially a successor to the pre-Independence ensign of the Indian Navy which had the red George’s Cross on a white background with the Union Jack of the United Kingdom on the top left corner.
- The design of the new ensign has not yet been made public.
What is the Saint George’s Cross?
- The red cross on white background is known as the Saint George’s Cross and is named after a Christian Warrior Saint who is believed to have been a crusader during the third crusade.
- This cross also serves as the flag of England which is a constituent of the United Kingdom.
- The flag was adopted by England and the city of London in 1190 to identify English ships entering the Mediterranean.
- The Royal Navy adopted the George’s Cross to fly on their ships in various shapes and forms and the present pattern of the British White Ensign (as it is known) was adopted around 1707.
Mikhail Gorbachev
Why in news?
Figures from across the world are paying tribute to Mikhail Gorbachev who recently died in Moscow at the age of 91.
Who was he?
- Gorbachev was the last leader of the Soviet Union – from which modern Russia emerged – and is best known for opening up the USSR to the world.
- Many Russians blame him and his policies for the collapse of the Soviet Union in 1991 – which Vladimir Putin sees as a historic mistake
- The head of the UN said Gorbachev “changed the course of history”, while US President Joe Biden called him a “rare leader” who imagined a different future for his country
- Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov says he was a statesman who will go down in history but that his romanticism about relations with the West “did not work out”
- Gorbachev will be buried in Moscow’s Novodevichy Cemetery next to his wife Raisa, who died in 1999
