Daily Current Affairs Quiz: 24 May 2021

ANSWER: C

WHY IN NEWS ?

• India Meteorological Department has informed that, Cyclone Yaas is likely to intensify into a very severe cyclonic storm, week after cyclone Tauktae had its landfall on the western coast of India. Cyclone Yaas is likely to affect the coastal parts of Odisha and West Bengal.

• What are the Favourable Conditions?

• The Andaman Sea, Bay of Bengal and adjoining areas of east-central is experiencing favourable Atmospheric and oceanic conditions such as conducive environment for convection and sea surface temperatures. This is result into persistent cloudiness over these areas. IMD has informed, the surface temperature of Bay of Bengal has increased and it could thus provide favourable weather system to turn the storm into a cyclone. If the cyclone is formed, it will be named as “Yaas”. This name has been given by Oman.

Why Bay of Bengal experience frequent cyclones?

• Bay of Bengal is warmer than the Arabian Sea. This provides sufficient and continuous heat energy which is required to create and sustain a low-pressure system. Higher sea surface temperatures and humidity is directly related with the chances of formation of cyclone. Apart from that, Bay of Bengal receives higher rainfall and experience constant influx of fresh water from Ganga and Brahmaputra rivers. As a result, surface water keeps on getting refreshed. Thus, it is almost impossible for warm water to mix with cooler water beneath. It is an ideal situation for the formation of depression.

ANSWER: A

WHY IN NEWS ?

• India is all set to host “2022 FIFA under-17 Women’s World Cup” from October 11 to 30, 2022. It will be the second FIFA tournament to be hosted by India.

ANSWER: C

WHY IN NEWS ?

• Recently, US space agency NASA has announced to send its first mobile robot to the Moon in 2023. Mobile robot will search ice and other resources on and below the surface of moon. This mission is an example showing “robotic science mission” and “human exploration” go hand in hand.

About 

• VIPER stands for Volatiles Investigating Polar Exploration Rover. It is a lunar rover which NASA has developed to explore South Pole of the moon. It will be delivered to surface of Moon in November 2023. The rover will explore the lunar resources in permanently shadowed areas of South Pole region of Moon. It will help in mapping water ice distribution and concentration. This mission is based on previous cancelled NASA rover concept called Resource Prospector. The rover will be carried through Griffin lander of Astrobotic under the Commercial Lunar Payload Services (CLPS) initiative of NASA.

ANSWER: B

WHY IN NEWS ?

• World Turtle Day was celebrated on May 23, 2021. It is observed to raise awareness among people about turtle & tortoise and their habitats. Celebration of the day is sponsored by a non-profit organisation “American Tortoise Rescue (ATR)” since 2000. 
• Theme for 2021 is- ‘Turtle Rocks!’

• Aim of World Turtle Day

• World Turtle Day is celebrated every year on May 23 with the aim of bringing attention to turtles and tortoise besides increasing knowledge and respect for them. This day also encourages human action to help the turtles and tortoise survive and thrive.
• The day is considered among most effective of species awareness days which increases search for information on turtles online.

ANSWER: D

WHY IN NEWS ?

• Government of Democratic Republic of Congo has launched an evacuation plan for “eastern city of Goma” after volcano Mount Nyiragongo erupted.

• About Mount Nyiragongo:
• It is one of the world’s most active and dangerous volcanoes. It has an elevation of 3,470 m in Virunga Mountains which are associated with Albertine Rift. Volcano is located inside Virunga National Park, in Democratic Republic of the Congo. Main crater of volcano is about two kilometres wide and is comprises of lava lake. The crater presently has two distinct cooled lava benches within the crater walls – one at about 3,175 m (10,417 ft) and a lower one at about 2,975 m (9,760 ft). Nyiragongo and Nyamuragira are together responsible for 40 percent of historical volcanic eruptions in Africa.

ANSWER: A

WHY IN NEWS ?

• According to National Hurricane Centre, Miami, subtropical storm Ana is drifting northeast across the Atlantic Ocean after causing rain to Bermuda. Thus, first named Atlantic storm will cause no damage to land and will dissipate soon.

• About Atlantic hurricane:

• Atlantic hurricane, also called as tropical storm, is a tropical cyclone forming in Atlantic Ocean. It forms usually in months of June and November. Hurricane is different from cyclone or typhoon based on their location, only.  Hurricane storm occurs in Atlantic Ocean and north-eastern Pacific Ocean, typhoon in north-western Pacific Ocean while cyclone in South Pacific Ocean or Indian Ocean.

ANSWER: A

WHY IN NEWS ?

• Nuclear Scientist and former chairman of Atomic Energy Commission, SriKumar Banerjee passed away at 75 on May 23, 2021 due to heart attack after he recovered from COVID-19.

Who was Srikumar Banerjee?

• He was a veteran nuclear scientist who led nuclear establishment when India and USA signed their nuclear deal and legislated Civil Liability for Nuclear Damage Bill.

Background

• The leading global expert in nuclear processes joined Metallurgy department of Bhabha Atomic Research Centre (BARC) in 1968 after completing B. Tech in metallurgy from IIT, Kharagpur. In 1974, he was awarded his Ph. D for his work at BARC. He was the director of BARC from 2004 to 2010. He had wide knowledge of usage of specialized alloys in nuclear processes.

His contributions in Atomic energy

• Srikumar had headed establishment of atomic energy in India, when political and expert fraternity was in doubt that India will lose its nuclear autonomy if it signed 123 Pact or the US – India Civil Nuclear Agreement, with US. But he was convinced that India would gain.

Awards

• He was conferred “Shanti Swarup Bhatnagar Prize for science and technology” in 1989 and in 2005 he was conferred Padma Shri award.

ANSWER: C

WHY IN NEWS ?

• Recently, the United Arab Emirates announced an offer to host the 28th session of Conference of Parties (COP 28) to the UNFCCC in Abu Dhabi in 2023.

• COP 26 was postponed in 2020 and will take place in Glasgow, UK in November 2021.

About UNFCCC:
The United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC), signed in 1992 at the United Nations Conference on Environment and Development also known as the Earth Summit, the Rio Summit or the Rio Conference.

• India is among the select few countries to have hosted the COP of all three Rio conventions on climate change (UNFCCC), biodiversity (Convention on Biological Diversity) and land (United Nations Convention to Combat Desertification).

• The UNFCCC entered into force on 21st March 1994, and has been ratified by 197 countries.
• It is the parent treaty of the 2015 Paris Agreement. It is also the parent treaty of the 1997 Kyoto Protocol.
• The UNFCCC secretariat (UN Climate Change) is the United Nations entity tasked with supporting the global response to the threat of climate change. It is located in Bonn, Germany.

Objective:
To achieve stabilization of greenhouse gas concentrations in the atmosphere at a level that would prevent dangerous repercussions within a time frame so as to allow ecosystems to adapt naturally and enable sustainable development

ANSWER: B

WHY IN NEWS ?

• Recently the 12th Annual Day of the Competition Commission of India (CCI) was observed on 20th May.

About:

Statutory Body:

• Competition Commission of India is a statutory body responsible for enforcing the objectives of the Competition Act, 2002.
• CCI was established by the Central Government with effect from 14th October 2003, but it became fully functional on 20th May, 2009.

Composition:

• A Chairperson and 6 Members appointed by the Central Government.

Formation of CCI:

• The CCI was established under the provisions of the Competition act 2002:
  • The Competition Act, 2007, was enacted after amending Competition Act, 2002, that led to the establishment of the CCI and the Competition Appellate Tribunal.
  • The government replaced the Competition Appellate Tribunal (COMPAT) with the National Company Law Appellate Tribunal (NCLAT) in 2017.