New York Earthquake

A rare earthquake of 4.8 hit the densely populated New York City metropolitan area.

• The tremors that hit near New Jersey, were reportedly felt widely from Washington, DC to New York City to New England.
• The region is unaccustomed to earthquakes.
• There have only been 24 earthquakes of 2.5 magnitude or greater in New Jersey since 1700.
• East Coast – Earthquakes are less common on the eastern than western edges of the US because the East Coast does not lie on a boundary of tectonic plates.
• However, they have occurred in every state east of the Mississippi River.
• Earthquakes in the eastern US are felt across a far broader area because the bedrock is much older and harder, transferring seismic energy more easily.
• The biggest Eastern quakes usually occur along the mid-Atlantic Ridge, which extends through Iceland and the Atlantic Ocean.
• Rocks – The rocks in the western US are younger and contain more faults that absorb earthquake energy.
• Those older rocks have been exposed to more extreme temperatures and pressure, and faults have had more time to heal.
• Seismic Waves – Seismic waves travel across the resulting harder and denser faults much more efficiently, so the effects of a quake are felt across a larger area.
• In the West, faults are newer and absorb more of the seismic wave energy without spreading as far.

Charminar

• Built by – Charminar was built by Sultan Mohammed Quli Qutb Shah in 1591.
• Built for – The actual reason behind building Charminar is still not clear.
• It is said that this square shaped structure with four pillars and intricate carvings was built in honour of his wife, Bhagmati.
• Charminar was built to acknowledge the elimination of the plague which had affected the entire city immensely during that era.
• It is believed that the Sultan had prayed for the end of this plague with which his people were suffering.
• Hence, as the plague ended, he built the Charminar as a tribute to Allah.
• The four pillars are also said to be dedicated to the first four caliphs of Islam.
• Architecture – An Iranian architect Mir Momin Astrawadi, who had settled in Hyderabad, designed Charminar.
• Tazias – The architectural design of Charminar is inspired from the Shia “tazias”.
• These Tazias were built in the memory of Hussain, who was the son in law of Prophet Muhhamed and had lost his life in the battle of Karbala.
• Charminar has been built with granite and lime mortar.
• The manner with which each pillar has been built makes it appear as a lotus leaf.
• The arches around the structure do lead to slightly shorter appearance when in comparison to the minars. 
• Charminar, along with the Qutb Shahi Monuments of Hyderabad: the Golconda Fort, and the Qutb Shahi Tombs, were included in the tentative list of UNESCO World Heritage Site.

Cantonments

Land portions from 10 cantonment boards to be run by local bodies.

• Cantonment – A cantonment is created as well as administered by the Central government.
• Cantonments are designed as places of residence of both civilians and military personnel.
• Cantonments are different from the Military Stations.
• Military Stations are purely meant for the use and accommodation of the armed forces and these are established under an executive order.
• It is the Entry 3 of Union List (Schedule VII) of the Constitution of India.
• Cantonments are notified under the Cantonments Act, 1924 (succeeded by the Cantonments Act, 2006).
• The overall municipal administration of the notified Cantonments is the function of the Cantonment Boards which are democratic bodies.
• The Station Commander of the Cantonment is the ex-officio President of the Board.
• The Board has equal representation of the elected and nominated/ex-officio members to balance the official representation with the democratic composition.
• There are four categories of Cantonments which depend on the size of population residing inside a Cantonment.
• Directorate General Defence Estates (DGDE) is an Inter Services Organisation of the Ministry of Defence which directly controls the Cantonment Administration.
• The executive officer of the cantonment board is appointed by the President of India.
• He/She implements all the resolutions and decisions of the board and its committees and he/she belongs to the central cadre established for the purpose.
• Only six cantonments were established after independence, Jammu in 1954, Badami Bagh in 1954, Morar in 1956, Dehu Road in 1958, Babina in 1959, and Ajmer in 1962.

U.N. Membership Process

UN Security Council refers Palestinian application to become full UN member to committee.

• Open to – UN full membership is open to all peace-loving States that accept the obligations contained in the United Nations Charter and are able to carry out these obligations.
• States are admitted to membership in the United Nations by a decision of the General Assembly upon the recommendation of the Security Council.
• The procedure –
  1. The State submits an application to the Secretary-General and a letter formally stating that it accepts the obligations under the Charter.
  2. The Security Council considers the application.
  3. Any recommendation for admission must receive the affirmative votes of 9 of the 15 members of the Council, provided that none of its five permanent (P5) members have voted against the application.
     • P5 members – China, France, the Russian Federation, the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland and the United States of America.
  4. If the Council recommends admission, the recommendation is presented to the General Assembly for consideration.
  5. A two-thirds majority vote is necessary in the Assembly for admission of a new State.
  6. Membership becomes effective the date the resolution for admission is adopted.
• It should be noted that the normal change of Governments, as through a democratic election, does not raise any issues concerning the credentials of the representative of the State concerned.

Solar Eclipse

• Solar Eclipse – A solar eclipse takes place when the Moon moves in the middle of Earth and the Sun.
• The Moon blocks the light of the Sun, either fully or partially, which casts a huge shadow on some parts of the world.
• A solar eclipse happens on a new moon day.
• There are four different types of solar eclipses, including total solar eclipse, annual solar eclipse, partial solar eclipse, and hybrid solar eclipse.

Lunar Eclipses

• Lunar eclipses occur at the full moon phase.
• When Earth is positioned precisely between the Moon and Sun, Earth’s shadow falls upon the surface of the Moon, dimming it and sometimes turning the lunar surface a striking red over the course of a few hours.