CURRENT AFFAIRS : Palestine asks Modi to mediate : Adviser of Abbas hails India’s engagement in West Asia as ‘smart diplomacy’

WHY INDIA WHAT ABOUT US ? Diplomats indicated a greater role for India in the political process with the decline of the U.S. role in mediation.

CURRENT AFFAIRS : Bhutan, Nepal, Bangladesh to be part of India’s tiger census

WHAT IS HAPPENING ? India’s tiger census, will see coordination with Bhutan, Nepal and Bangladesh in estimating the territorial spread of the animal in the subcontinent.

WHY THIS IS SPECIAL ? This is the first time all countries are uniting in arriving at tiger numbers, particularly in regions with shared borders.

WHAT IS THE MINISTRY INVOLVED ? Union Environment Ministry.

CURRENT AFFAIRS : Agni 1 test-fired off the Odisha coast

THE HAPPENING : India successfully test-fired Agni-1 with a strike range of over 700 km. WHAT IS AGNI 1 ? Its short-range nuclear capable ballistic missile .

WHERE IT WAS TESTED ? Odisha coast, Dr. Abdul Kalam Island, formerly known as Wheeler Island

WHO DID IT AND WHY ? The indigenously developed surface-to-surface missile was launched as a part of a periodic training activity by the Strategic Forces Command (SFC) of the Army to consolidate operational readiness.

CURRENT AFFAIRS : Nasheed seeks Indian military intervention in Maldives

PRESENT SITUATION : 15 days emergency declared in Maldives ( read IAS DAILY 6/2/2018 )

WHO SOUGHT INDIA’S INTERVENTION FOR WHAT ? Exiled former President of the Maldives Mohamed Nasheed on sought India’s military intervention in the country to release dissidents in prison.

WHAT IS UN DOING ? Meanwhile, United Nations Secretary General Antonio Guterres called on the government in Male to lift the state of emergency and guarantee safety for its citizens