Daily Current Affairs Quiz: July 19, 2023

ANSWER: D

ANSWER: C

ANSWER: B

ANSWER: B

• European heatwaves are being caused by an anticyclone named Cerberus.
• Cerberus was a three-headed dog in ancient Greek mythology who guarded the gates to the underworld.
• While heatwaves are not officially named like cyclones and hurricanes, recently monikers have emerged to describe the abnormally high temperatures.

ABOUT ANTICYCLONES

• These are areas of sinking air (diverges at the surface) which result in high pressure.
• In an anticyclone, winds move out from a high-pressure area with wind direction clockwise in northern hemisphere, anti-clockwise in the southern hemisphere.
• High pressure systems have small pressure differences.
• As the air sinks, it warms up, leading to warm and dry weather.
• The track is highly variable and unpredictable. They move very sluggishly and sometimes they become stationary over a particular place.

ANSWER: C

• The Andhra Pradesh government has released approximately 10 million Gambusia fish into the state’s water bodies to combat mosquito-borne diseases like malaria and dengue.
• Gambusia affinis is native to south-eastern United States.
• Fish, also known as mosquitofish, is widely used as a biological agent for controlling mosquito larvae.
• A single full grown fish eats about 100 to 300 mosquito larvae per day.
• Multiple countries, including India have listed Gambusia as invasive species.
• Fish has a high breeding capacity. A single female may produce between 900 and 1,200 offsprings during its lifespan.
• They are known to eat the eggs of competing fishes and frog tadpoles.
• Its high adaptability has allowed the fish to survive on six out of seven continents and has made the International Union for Conservation of Nature declare Gambusia one of the 100 worst invasive alien species in the world.

ANSWER: D

• Recently, a ‘foreign’ cicada that is commonly found in several parts of South India has assumed an Indian identity.
• The insect species that has now been christened Purana cheeveeda (after its Malayalam name Cheeveedu) used to be mistaken for Purana tigrina, a species that was first described in Malaysia in 1850.
• Cicadas are hemipteran insects known for their loud, complex and species-specific acoustic signals or songs.
  • Hemipteran insects, also called true bugs, have mouthparts used for piercing and sucking and have two pairs of wings.
• The generic diversity of cicadas in India and Bangladesh ranks the highest in the world, followed by China.
• Most cicadas are canopy dwellers and are found in natural forests with large trees.
• Two types of cicadas commonly exist: annual cicadas and periodical cicadas.
• They act as indicators of a healthy forest ecosystem.
• Environmental benefits of Cicadas – valuable food source for birds, aerate lawns and improve water filtration into the ground, add nutrients to the soil etc.

ANSWER: B

• According to the Henley Passport Index, Singapore now holds the title of the world’s most powerful passport.
• It grants visa-free access to 192 out of 227 global travel destinations.
• Germany, Italy, and Spain share the second position, with visa-free access to 190 destinations.
• Japan now ranks third, with its passport providing visa-free access to 189 destinations.
• India currently shares the 80th position on the index with Togo and Senegal.
• Indian passport holders now enjoy visa-free access to 57 countries.

ANSWER: D

• An exhibition, a walk and a talk was held in Kolkata to mark the bicentenary year of Nawab Wajid Ali Shah.
• The events will all take place in Metiabruz, where the exiled Wajid Ali Shah spent the last part of his life.
• He was the eleventh and final King of Awadh, reigning from 13 February 1847 to 11 February 1856.
• He is remembered as a poet, playwright, dancer, and patron of the arts who made significant contributions during his rule.

ANSWER: B

• Noted mathematician and scientist Dr. Mangala Narlikar, wife of renowned astrophysicist Dr. Jayant Narlikar, passed away recently.
• Narlikar completed her graduation and post-graduation from Mumbai University.
• She was an associate researcher in the Mathematics School of the Institute of Fundamental Research in Mumbai between 1964 to 1966.
• Between 1967 and 1969, she taught mathematics at Cambridge University in England.
• Author of several books in English and Marathi, Mangala Narlikar was adept at demystifying mathematics to children.

ANSWER: B

• A large number of Gaddi shepherds are stranded in higher reaches of the Bara Bhangal valley that extends over Kangra, Kullu and Lahaul and Spiti districts.
• Bara Bhangal is a remote village that is situated 15 km from Thamsar Pass in Kangra district.
• Flashfloods in the Ravi, bridges constructed over it were destroyed.