Daily Current Affairs for Competitive Exams: December 27

​Agni-5 India's Longest Range Nuclear successfully test fired

• India tested its Agni-V intercontinental ballistic missile+ (ICBM) in its final operational configuration from Wheeler Island off Odisha on Monday, paving the way for its eventual induction into the Strategic Forces Command (SFC) after user-trials. 
• Once the Agni-V is inducted, India will join the super exclusive club of countries with ICBMs (missiles with a range of over 5,000-5,500km) alongside the US, Russia, China, France and the UK.

China passes law to levy environment tax to fight pollution

• China’s top legislature has passed Environment Tax to levy environment tax on polluters, especially on heavy industries. It will enter into force on January 1, 2018.
• Under the new law, companies will pay environment taxes ranging from 350 yuan ($60) to 11,200 yuan ($1870) per month for noise. It set rates of 1.4 yuan on water pollutants, 1.2 yuan on stipulated quantities of air pollutants and a range of 5 to 1,000 yuan for each ton of solid waste.
• It allows provincial-level governments to raise rates for air and water pollution by up to 10 times after approval by local legislatures.
• Under it, lower rates can also be applicable if emissions are less than national standards. It only targets enterprises and public institutions that discharge listed pollutants directly into environment.

Scientists build bacteria-powered battery on a paper sheet

• US-based scientists have developed a bacteria-powered battery (bio-battery) on a single sheet of paper, which is capable of powering disposable electronics.
•  The paper-based bacteria-powered battery design is part of a new field of research called papertronics, which is a fusion of paper and electronics.

How it works

• In this battery, researchers had laid ribbon of silver nitrate on a piece of chromatography paper. On top of this, they had placed thin layer of wax to create a cathode (positive electrode).
• On the other side of the paper, reservoir out of a conductive polymer was made which acts an anode (negative electrode) filled with a few drops of the bacteria-containing waste water liquid.

Scientists identify world’s most heat resistant materials

• A team of UK-based researchers have identified Hafnium carbide (HfC) and Tantalum carbide (TaC) as the world’s most heat resistant material. They can withstand record melting point temperatures up to 3958°C (approx 4000°C).
• New Laser-heating techniques were used to find the temperature at which TaC and HfC melted, both separately and in mixed compositions.
• Currently hypersonic aircraft travelling above Mach 5 (5 times speed of sound) speed creates very high temperatures as friction is involved when travelling at such speeds.