Plutus IAS ‘Weekly Current Affairs: Quizzes, 26 to 31 December, 2022

EXPLANATION:

• Murchison Falls or Kabalega Falls, is a waterfall between Lake Kyoga and Lake Albert on the Victoria Nile in Uganda. It is home to iconic African wildlife species, elephants, hippos, Nile crocodiles, etc. It is Uganda’s oldest and largest national park, rich in biodiversity. Hence, statement 1 is correct.
• Kavango–Zambezi Transfrontier Conservation Area (KAZA TFCA) is the second-largest nature and landscape conservation area in the world. It includes a major part of the Upper Zambezi River and Okavango basins. It is the second-largest nature and landscape conservation area in the world. The delta is home to Africa’s Big Five wildlife species: Savanna elephants, Cape buffaloes, rhinos, lions and leopards. There are also giraffes, zebras, antelopes, pangolins, 400 bird species and over 1,000 plant species. Hence, statement 2 is correct.
• Okavango Delta in Botswana is a swampy inland delta formed by the Okavango River in Southern Africa. It is home to iconic African wildlife species. Okavango delta, is the 1000th site to be officially inscribed on the UNESCO World Heritage List. The delta is also the homeland of indigenous people like the San. Hence, statement 3 is incorrect.
• Djibouti National Park is a national park in the Goda Mountains of Djibouti. This park is home to several species of exotic plants, such as Euphorbia, Ficus and Ziziphus. Hence, statement 4 is incorrect.

EXPLANATION:

• The Supreme Court (SC) of India has recently suggested appointment of senior advocates of High courts as ad hoc judges to meet the rising tide of pendency.
  Article 224A of Indian Constitution says “the Chief Justice of a High Court for any State may at any time, with the previous consent of the President, request any person who has held the office of a Judge of that Court or of any other High Court to sit and act as a Judge of the High Court for that State”. Hence, statement 1 is incorrect.
• Article 224A of the Constitution says senior advocates in high court and retired judges joining as ad hoc judges for a limited period of may be two years. Hence, statement 2 is incorrect.

EXPLANATION:

• Recently India-China clashed in Tawang sector of Arunachal Pradesh.This is not the first time we have witnessed such clashes some of these “friction points” in past have been the Galwan valley which claimed the lives of 20 Indian soldier, the build-up of Chinese troops in Depsang, intrusion in intrusions in Demchok , bridges over the Pangong lake, Gogra Hotspring area of Eastern Ladakh.
• Monpa is a major tribe of Arunachal Pradesh in northeastern India. The Monpa are believed to be the only nomadic tribe in Northeast India – they are totally dependent on animals like sheep, cow, yak, goats and horses. Most of the people, which includes the Monpa, Takpa and the Tibetans, are Tibetan Buddhist by religion.
  Hence, option (b) is correct.

EXPLANATION:

• Ryugu is a diamond-shaped space rock and refers to a magical underwater castle in Japanese.Hence, statement 1 is incorrect.
• Samples of Ryugu were carried to Earth in 2020 by the Japanese space agency’s asteroid sample-return mission, Hayabusa 2.
• Ryugu was similar in composition to CI chondrites. They are a group of rare carbonaceous chondrite (CC), a type of stony meteorite and the isotopic signatures show Ryugu-like material from the outer solar system accounts for ~5-6% of Earth’s mass. Hence, statement 3 is incorrect and statement 2 is correct .

EXPLANATION:

• The Quad in 2021 decided to include semiconductors as an area of collaboration, as part of The Quadrilateral Security Dialogue to ensure a competitive market, prevent monopolies, and strengthen the current supply chain against future shocks.eg US owns all Electronic Design Automation (EDA) software licenses used in chip design, US leads the world in chip design with its private sector. Hence statement 1 and statement 3 are incorrect.
• The Chip4 Alliance is a semiconductor industry alliance with US, South Korea, Japan and Taiwan where Taiwan is the global epicenter of semiconductor manufacturing, 60 percent of the world’s chips being manufactured. Hence statement 2 is correct.
  

EXPLANATION:

• The Hong Kong Convention is aimed at ensuring that ships, when being recycled after reaching the end of their operational lives, do not pose any unnecessary risk to human health and safety or to the environment.Regulations in the new Convention cover: the design, construction, operation and preparation of ships so as to facilitate safe and environmentally sound recycling, without compromising the safety and operational efficiency of ships; the operation of ship recycling facilities in a safe and environmentally sound manner; and the establishment of an appropriate enforcement mechanism for ship recycling, incorporating certification and reporting requirements. Hence, statement 1 is correct.
• Geneva Protocol is a treaty prohibiting the use of chemical and biological weapons in international armed conflicts. The Protocol for the Prohibits Use in War of Asphyxiating, Poisonous or other Gasses, and of Bacteriological Methods of Warfare. Hence, statement 2 is incorrect.
• The International Electrotechnical Commission is an international standards organization that prepares and publishes international standards for all electrical, electronic and related technologies – collectively known as "electrotechnology". Hence, statement 3 is correct.
• INMARCO is a quadrennial International Maritime Conference and Exhibition, hosted by the Institute of Marine Engineers (India), to showcase the prowess of Maritime India to the global maritime fraternity. Hence, statement 4 is incorrect.
  

EXPLANATION:

• Sealed cover jurisprudence: It is the controversial practice followed by the Supreme Court (and sometimes lower courts as well) of seeking and accepting information from government agencies in sealed envelopes that can only be pursued by the judges. Hence, statement 1 is incorrect.
• Rule 7 of Order XIII (“Copying”) of the Supreme Court Rules, 2013 (notified in May 2014), says: “Notwithstanding anything contained in this order, no party or person shall be entitled as of right to receive copies of or extracts from any minutes, letter or document of any confidential nature or any paper sent, filed or produced, which the Chief Justice or the Court directs to keep in sealed cover or considers to be of confidential nature or the publication of which is considered to be not in the interest of the public, except under and in accordance with an order specially made by the Chief Justice or by the Court.” .Hence, statement 2 is correct.
  

EXPLANATION:

• According to the report and research by Scientists from Finnish Meteorological Institute in Finland. Some parts of the Arctic are warming at up to seven times the global rate. The warming is more concentrated in the Eurasian part of the Arctic, where the Barents Sea north of Russia and Norway is warming at an alarming rate — seven times faster than the global average. Hence, statement 1 is incorrect.
• Arctic Circle, north of latitude 66° 34′ N, which includes the Arctic Ocean with the North Pole at its center. Eight Arctic States: Canada, Kingdom of Denmark, Finland, Iceland, Norway, Russia, Sweden, and USA form the Arctic Council. Hence, statement 2 is correct.
  

EXPLANATION:

• EAGLE Act of 2022: It is known as The Immigration Bill, HR 3648. Eagle stands for Equal Access to Green cards for Legal Employment (EAGLE) Act, 2022. It focuses on hiring immigrants based on merit, not their birthplace. Hence, statement 1 is incorrect.
• With the EAGLE Act 2022, the per-country cap would be removed, which may expedite the petitions for those applying for employment-based green cards. Hence, statement 2 is incorrect.
  

EXPLANATION:

• The Union Island gecko (Gonatodes daudini) is a tiny, breathtakingly beautiful lizard distinguished by jewel-like markings.
• It is named after a small Caribbean island belonging to St Vincent and the Grenadines, lying roughly halfway between this country and neighboring Grenada. Hence, option(b) is correct.

EXPLANATION:

• Traditional medicine system comprises Ayurveda, Homeopathy, Unani. Hence, statement 1 is incorrect.
• On the occasion of 9th World Ayurveda Congress (WAC) and Arogya Expo, the Prime Minister virtually inaugurated; All India Institute of Ayurveda in Goa, Ghaziabad-based National Institute of Unani Medicine, and Delhi-based National Institute of Homeopathy.
• He mentioned that more than 30 countries have accepted Ayurveda as a traditional medicine system. Hence, statement 2 is incorrect.

EXPLANATION:

• PM Modi participated in a programme commemorating Sri Aurobindo’s 150th birth anniversary, held in Kamban Kalai Sangam, Puducherry, under the aegis of Azadi ka Amrit Mahotsav.The Prime Minister also released a commemorative coin and postal stamp in honor of Sri Aurobindo.
• His famous writing, speeches and famous journals like Bande Matram, Karma Yogin and Dharma.
• Thus, option (c) is correct.