Daily Current Affairs Quiz: 11 May 2021

ANSWER: C

WHY IN NEWS ?

• Recently, India participated in the 3rd Arctic Science Ministerial (ASM) and shared plans for research and long-term cooperation in the Arctic Region.

Arctic Region:

• The Arctic region comprises the Arctic Ocean and parts of countries such as Canada, Denmark (Greenland), Norway, Russia, USA (Alaska), Finland, Sweden and Iceland.

These countries together form the core of the Arctic Council, an intergovernmental forum.

HQ: Tromso,Norway.

Key facts:

Third Arctic Science Ministerial Conference:

Host Countries: It was jointly organised by Iceland and Japan.

• It was the first Ministerial meeting being held in Asia (Tokyo in Japan).

Objective: It provides opportunities to various stakeholders, including academia, indigenous communities, governments and policymakers, to enhance collective understanding of the Arctic region, emphasize and engage in constant monitoring, and strengthen observations.

Theme: ‘Knowledge for a Sustainable Arctic’.

ANSWER: C

WHY IN NEWS ?

There are cases of clearance of forest land, digging and construction activities on at least three animal corridors within the eco-sensitive zone of the Kaziranga National Park and Tiger Reserve.

The Supreme Court of India in its 2019 order had said that “No new construction shall be permitted on private lands which form part of the nine identified animal corridors.”

Key facts:

Kaziranga National Park and Tiger Reserve:

• It is located in the State of Assam and covers 42,996 Hectare (ha).
• It is the single largest undisturbed and representative area in the Brahmaputra Valley floodplain.
• It was declared as a National Park in 1974.
• It has been declared a tiger reserve since 2007.
• It was declared a UNESCO World Heritage Site in 1985.
• It is recognized as an Important Bird Area by BirdLife International.
• It is the home to the world’s most one-horned rhinos.
• Pobitora Wildlife Sanctuary has the highest density of one-horned rhinos in the world and second highest number of Rhinos in Assam after Kaziranga National Park.
• The National Highway 37 passes through the park area.

 ANSWER: C

WHY IN NEWS ?

The Prime Minister paid tribute to Gurudev Rabindranath Tagore on 160th Jayanti on 7th May, 2021.

Key facts:

Birth:He was born in Calcutta on 7th May 1861.

About:

• He was also referred to as ‘Gurudev’, ‘Kabiguru’, and ‘Biswakabi’
• Rabindranath Tagore was a Bengali poet, novelist, and painter, who was highly influential in introducing Indian culture to the west.
• He was an exceptional literary figure and a renowned polymath who singlehandedly reshaped the region’s literature and music.
• He was a good friend of Mahatma Gandhi and is said to have given him the title of Mahatma.
• He had spoken at the World Parliament for Religions in the years 1929 and 1937.

Contributions:

• • He is said to have composed over 2000 songs and his songs and music are called ‘Rabindra Sangeet’ with its own distinct lyrical and fluid style.

• He is responsible for modernising Bengali prose and poetry. His notable works include Gitanjali, Ghare-Baire, Gora, Manasi, Balaka, Sonar Tori, He is also remembered for his song ‘EklaChalo Re’.

• He published his first poems aged 16 under the pen-name ‘Bhanusimha’.
• He not only gave the national anthems for two countries, India and Bangladesh, but also inspired a Ceylonese student of his, to pen and compose the national anthem of Sri Lanka.
• Besides all his literary achievements he was also a philosopher and educationist who in 1921 established the Vishwa-Bharati University, a university that challenged conventional education.

Awards:

• In 1913 he was awarded the Nobel Prize in Literature for his work on Gitanjali.
• He was the first non-European to receive the Nobel Prize.
• In 1915 he was awarded knighthood by the British King George V. In 1919, following the Jallianwalla Bagh massacre he renounced his Knighthood.

Death:

• He died on 7th August 1941 in Calcutta.

WHY IN NEWS?

The Prime Minister of India paid tributes to Maharana Pratap on his jayanti.

Key facts:

• Rana Pratap Singh also known as Maharana Pratap was born on 9th May 1540 in Kumbhalgarh, Rajasthan.
• He was the 13th King of Mewar and was the eldest son of Udai Singh II.
• Maharana Udai Singh II ruled the kingdom of Mewar, with his capital at Chittor.
• Udai Singh II was also a founder of the city of Udaipur (Rajasthan).

Battle of Haldighati:

• The Battle of Haldighati was fought in 1576 between Rana Pratap Singh of Mewar and Raja Man Singh of Amber who was the general of the Mughal emperor Akbar.
• Maharana Pratap fought a brave war, but was defeated by Mughal forces.
• It is said that Maharana Pratap’s loyal horse named Chetak, gave up his life as the Maharana was leaving the battlefield.

Death:

He died on 19th January, 1597. He was succeeded by his son Amar Singh, who submitted in 1614 to Emperor Jahāngīr, son of Akbar.

ANSWER: D

ANSWER: B

WHY IN NEWS ?

Why in News:

A number of Covid-19 patients are developing a serious fungal infection known as Mucormycosis also called black fungus.

Key facts:

• It is a serious but rare fungal infection caused by a group of molds called mucormycetes, which is abundant in the environment.
• It mainly affects people who have health problems or take medicines that lower the body’s ability to fight germs and sickness.
• The types of Mucormycosis are: Rhinocerebral (Sinus and Brain), Pulmonary (Lung), Gastrointestinal, Cutaneous (Skin), and disseminated Mucormycosis.

Transmission:

• It occurs through inhalation, inoculation, or ingestion of spores from the environment.
• Mucormycosis does not spread between people or between people and animals.

Symptoms:

• These include pain and redness around eyes and/or nose, fever, headache, coughing, shortness of breath, bloody vomits, and altered mental status.
• Warning signs can include toothache, loosening of teeth, blurred or double vision with pain.

Prevention:

Avoiding areas with a lot of dust like construction or excavation sites, avoiding direct contact with water-damaged buildings and flood water after hurricanes and natural disasters and avoiding activities that involve close contact to soil.

ANSWER: C

WHY IN NEWS ?

Researchers at the Zoological Survey of India (ZSI), Kolkata have developed tools to differentiate the scales of Indian pangolin (Manis crassicaudata) and Chinese pangolin (Manis pentadactyla).

Key facts:

• Pangolins are scaly anteater mammals of the order Pholidota. They have large, protective keratin scales covering their skin. They are the only known mammals on earth to have this feature.
• Pangolins in India: Out of the eight species of pangolin, the Indian Pangolin and the Chinese Pangolin are found in India.

Indian Pangolin:

• Indian Pangolin is widely distributed in India, except in the arid region, high Himalayas and the North-East. The species also occurs in Bangladesh, Pakistan, Nepal and Sri Lanka.
• IUCN Status: Endangered
• Wildlife Protection Act,1972: under Schedule I.

Chinese Pangolin:

• Distribution of Pangolins happens widely in Vietnam, Thailand, Cambodia and the northeastern part of India.
• IUCN Status: Critically Endangered
• Wildlife Protection Act,1972: Under Schedule I

Threats:

Between 2000 and 2019, an estimate of about 8.9 lakh pangolins was trafficked globally. This mainly involved Asian and African pangolins. This has led to a drastic decline of the species. Traditional East Asian medicines also use the Pangolins scale. So, Pangolins are killed for their scales. All this has led to an estimated illegal trade worth $2.5 billion every year

ANSWER: A

WHY IN NEWS ?

Climate and Clean Air Coalition(CCAC) and the United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP) have released a report titled “Global Methane Assessment: Benefits and Costs of Mitigating Methane Emissions”.

Objective: The report has suggested that the world needs to dramatically cut methane emissions to avoid the worst of climate change.

Key facts:

Increase in Methane Emissions:

• Currently, Human-caused methane emissions are increasing faster at any other time (since record keeping began in the 1980s).
• This was a cause of concern as methane was an extremely powerful greenhouse gas. It was responsible for about 30% of global warming since pre-industrial times.

Source of Methane Emissions:

• More than half of global methane emissions stem from human activities in three sectors: fossil fuels (35%), waste (20%) and agriculture(40%).

Fossil fuel sector: Oil and gas extraction, processing and distribution account for 23%. Coal mining alone accounts for 12% of emissions.

Waste sector: Landfills and wastewater make up about 20% of global anthropogenic emissions.

Agricultural sector: Livestock emissions from manure and fermentation represent roughly 32%. Further, rice cultivation accounts for 8% of global anthropogenic emissions.

Climate and Clean Air Coalition (CCAC):

• Climate and Clean Air Coalition is a voluntary partnership of governments, intergovernmental organizations, businesses, scientific institutions and civil society organizations.

Aim: The coalition aims to protect the climate and improve air quality through actions to reduce short-lived climate pollutants.

• India is a member of the coalition.