News in Short

• Jupiter's Great Red Spot, a gigantic storm about twice as wide as Earth,  may not be shrinking as fast as previously suggested.
• The research found that the Great Red Spot's thickness probably remained constant despite dramatic shrinkage in its area observed over a span of approximately four decades.
• The Great Red Spot on Jupiter is one such patch, an anticyclone that has been observed for decades. To its north, the cyclone is contained by an eastward-moving atmospheric band, and to its south, a westward-moving band.

• The indigenous Tejas Mark II fighter jet will have the capacity to conduct operations such as the one the Indian Air Force undertook in Balakot, according to the agency overseeing its production.
• The plane consists of beyond-visual-range missiles with a greater reach and virtually jam-proof AESA radars in order to be suitable replacements for the Indian Air Force (IAF)’s aging Mirage 2000 fighters.
• The Mark II, fitted with heavier GE 414 engine, will join IAF by 2026.The Tejas MK II is a 4.5 generation aircraft.

• Donald Trump has announced that he is invoking emergency powers which will allow private sector capacity to be used in responding to the coronavirus pandemic.
• With these emergency powers, the Trump administration can pull on the country's installed industrial base to swiftly produce materials needed in a national crisis.
• Bracing for the coming economic bloodbath, the Trump administration is pushing forward a $500 billion economic relief plan which proposes direct cash payments to Americans within two weeks, pending Congress approval.

• A new study suggests that the coronavirus disease (COVID-19) that emerged from China’s Wuhan city is a product of natural evolution.
• The analysis of public genome sequence data from SARS-CoV-2 and related viruses found no evidence that the virus was made in a laboratory or otherwise engineered.
• The scientists analysed the genetic template for spike proteins, armatures on the outside of the virus that it uses to grab and penetrate the outer walls of human and animal cells.

• The Central Board of Secondary Education (CBSE) has announced that as a precautionary measure, it has decided to reschedule the ongoing board examinations for class 10 and class 12 students all across the country and abroad.
• During the aforementioned period, re-examinations that were rescheduled to be held for North-East Delhi candidates will also be further rescheduled.
• The CBSE announcement came following a directive from the HRD ministry saying exams are important but safety and security of students and teachers is equally important.