ANSWER: A

ANSWER: D

ANSWER: C

ANSWER: B

• A meeting to debate Syria’s readmission to Arab League has ended without agreement.

About Arab League

• It is an intergovernmental pan-Arab organisation of Arab states in Middle East and North Africa.
• Formal Name – Al-Jamia ad-Duwal al-Arabiya (Arabic)
• It was established in Cairo (HQ) in 1945, following adoption of Alexandria Protocol in 1944.
• Currently it has 21 Arab countries as members (Syria suspended since 2011).
• Founding members are Egypt, Iraq, Lebanon, Saudi Arabia, Syria, Jordan, and Yemen.
• It was established in response to concerns about post-war colonial divisions of territory and also strong opposition to emergence of a Jewish state on Palestinian territory.
• India was granted an observer status in 2007.

ANSWER: C

• Cash-strapped Sri Lanka is considering exporting 1 lakh endangered monkeys to China.

About Toque Macaque (Macaca sinica):

• It is a reddish-brown-coloured Old World monkey endemic to Sri Lanka, where it is locally known as the ”rilewa” or ”rilawa”.
• They are native and endemic exclusively to Sri Lanka.
• They generally occupy three types of habitat; hence can be divided into three subspecies. These are
  • the Common toque macaque (Macaca sinica sinica), occurring in dry habitat;
  • the Pale-fronted toque macaque (Macaca sinica aurifrons), inhabiting wet areas;
  • the Hill-zone toque macaque (Macaca sinica opisthomelas), found at high elevations;
• The most characteristic feature of this primate is the toque-like swirl of hair on its head top.
• Males are physically larger than females.
• They are fitted with exceptionally long, thin tails. They have the distinction of being the smallest species belonging to the genus Macaca with the longest tails relative to their body size.
• They are highly social animals, living in units of up to 40 individuals.
• IUCN red list categorises it as ‘Endangered’.

ANSWER: B

• Study reveals how ‘EBV’ virus that spreads through saliva can lead to cancer.

About Epstein-Barr virus (EBV):

• It is one of the most common human viruses in the world.
• It spreads through bodily fluids, especially saliva (spit).
• Symptoms: Fatigue, fever, inflamed throat, swollen lymph nodes in the neck, enlarged spleen, swollen liver, rash.
• EBV can cause infectious mononucleosis, also called mono, and other illnesses.
• There is no vaccine to protect against EBV
• Most EBV infections are small and transient, however, in some cases,long-lasting latent infections, i.e., infections by an organism that has for some time been inactive in the body, are associated with a number of cancers as well as several chronic inflammatory disorders.
• The researchers found that the virus induces cleavage of human chromosome 11, and triggers genomic instability, which can activate a leukaemia-causing oncogene and reduce the function of a major tumour suppressor.

ANSWER: D

• In a significant discovery, researchers from the Central University of Odisha (CUO) and the Zoological Survey of India (ZSI) have recently found a rare freshwater fish in the Koraput district.

About Garra Laishrami

• It is a new cyprinid fish species of the Garra genus found in the Kolab River.
• These are characterised by the presence of a gular disc developed from tissues of the gular region that exhibit variation in the size, shape, and arrangement of the snout tubercles.
• It is usually found under rocks, stones and boulders of torrential streams and rivers.
• Geographical distribution: Borneo, southern China and southern Asia through Middle East Asia, Arabian Peninsula and East Africa to West Africa.

About Kolab River(or Sabari river)

• It is one of the main tributaries of Godavari.
• It originates from the western slopes of Eastern Ghats in Odisha state from the Sinkaram hill ranges.
• It forms the common boundary between Chhattisgarh and Odisha states and later enters Andhra Pradesh to merge with River Godavari.

ANSWER: D

• World Hemophilia Day is celebrated every year on April 17^th to honor the birth anniversary of Frank Schnabel, who established the World Federation of Hemophilia.
• The theme for World Hemophilia Day in 2023 is “Access for All: Partnership, Policy, Progress – Engaging Governments to Integrate Inherited Bleeding Disorders into National Policy”.

About Hemophilia

• Hemophilia is an uncommon medical condition where the blood is incapable of clotting correctly because of a shortage of specific clotting factors.
• This leads to prolonged bleeding, which can pose a life-threatening risk in some cases.
• Although there is no known cure for this disorder, available treatments can help control and manage the condition.
• Hemophilia can either be present from birth (congenital) or develop later in life (acquired).

ANSWER: A

• It is a warning system to identify stress (and its level) among farmers at least 3-4 months ahead of its actual occurrence.
• Developed by Central Research Institute for Dryland Agriculture (CRIDA) of Indian Council of Agricultural Research (ICAR).
• It was developed as part of NABARD-funded project on ‘Farmers Distress and Pradhan Mantri Fasal Bima Yojana (PMFBY).
• The 21-question survey built around seven key pillars captures financial, economic, emotional health status of farmers in vulnerable areas.

ANSWER: D

• Finland’s next-generation Olkiluoto 3 nuclear reactor, the largest in Europe, has gone into regular production.

About Olkiluoto 3 nuclear reactor (OL3):

• OL3 is an EPR (European Pressurized Water Reactor) located in Finland.
• It is built by the French-led Areva-Siemens consortium.
• It is the most powerful nuclear reactor in Europe, with a capacity of generating 1,600 megawatts.
• It covers approximately 14% of Finland’s electricity demand.

ANSWER: B

• External Affairs Minister Dr Jaishankar recently inaugurated the Buzi Bridge virtually, which is a part of the 132 km Tica-Buzi-Nova-Sofala Road project.
• The bridge has been constructed by India and is a symbol of the solidarity and friendship between India and Mozambique.

ANSWER: A

• Recently Kagiso Rabada achieved a significant milestone by taking his 100th wicket in the Indian Premier League (IPL).
• He became the fastest bowler to reach this milestone in terms of matches played, completing it in his 64th IPL match.
• He is a right arm fast bowler from South Africa.

ANSWER: A

• Himachal Pradesh has become the “first state” to create a DNA database of unidentified bodies, as per, Assistant Director (DNA), Directorate of Forensics Services, Junga.
• The process was started in April last year and so far the records of 150 DNA samples of unidentified bodies had been stored in the database.
• The database would help in the identification of bodies, giving a big relief to families searching for their loved ones.