Daily Current Affairs Quiz: May 10, 2023

ANSWER: D

ANSWER: C

ANSWER: A

ANSWER: B

• Recently, Saudi Arabia hosted a special meeting of the National Security Advisers (NSAs) of India, the US, and the UAE.
• The meeting focused on regional initiatives on infrastructure.
• A plan to connect Gulf countries via a railway network and connect to India via shipping lanes from “two ports” in the region is highlighted.
  • The idea for the initiative came up during talks held over the past 18 months by the I2U2.

About I2U2

• I2U2 is a new grouping formed by India, Israel, the UAE, and the US, also referred to as the West Asian Quad.
• The I2U2 Quad, works on connecting “South Asia to the Middle East to the United States in ways that advance economic technology and diplomacy”.
• Aim:
  • Expanding economic and political cooperation in the Middle East and Asia.
  • To foster support and cooperation in infrastructure, technology and maritime security.
• I2U2 was initially formed in October 2021 following the Abraham Accords.
  • Abraham Accords normalized relations between Israel and a number of Arab Gulf countries.
• The first virtual summit of I2U2 took place in 2022.
  • The summit focused heavily on the global food and energy crisis resulting from the conflict in Ukraine.

ANSWER: D

• A MiG-21 fighter jet of IAF crashed near Rajasthan’s Suratgarh.

About MiG 21

• The MiG-21s are among the six fighter jets presently flown by
• The Mikoyan-Gurevich MiG-21s are single engine, single-seater multi-role fighter/ground attack aircraft designed by the Mikoyan-Gurevich Design Bureau in the Soviet Union/Russia.
• First inducted by India in 1963.
• Over the period, India has procured over 700 MiG-21 aircraft of different variants– Type-77, Type-96 and BIS.
  • The latest of them are the MiG-21 Bison.
• The aircraft in the past had proved their mettle in wars of 1965, 1971 and 1999 Kargil conflict.
• Accidents- As per available government data, close to 500 MiG-21s have crashed in the last 60 years, killing over 170 pilots with varying causes.
• Phasing out of MiGs
  • In September 2022, the No. 51 squadron based in Srinagar was number plated (meaning retired from service).
  • The three MiG-21 Bison squadrons are planned to be phased out by December 2025 and will be replaced by the indigenous LCA Tejas

ANSWER: A

The Ministry of Housing & Urban Affairs (MoHUA) has signed a MoU with the Japan International Cooperation Agency (JICA) and the Ministry of Railways for the Project-SMART.

About Project-SMART

• It stands for Station Area Development along Mumbai-Ahmedabad High-Speed Rail(SMART).
• It is an initiative towards modernizing railway infrastructure in India, with the potential to transform the areas around the high-speed rail stations into bustling economic centers.
• The MoU was inked for four high-speed stations — Sabarmati, Surat in Gujarat, and Virar and Thane in Maharashtra, out of the 12 stations in the route.
  • Surat, Virar and Thane are green field projects while Sabarmati is a brown field development.
• The project — SMART to enhance accessibility and convenience of commuters and to promote economic activities in the vicinity of Mumbai – Ahmedabad High Speed Railway (MAHSR) stations.
• It would enhance institutional capacity of State Governments, Municipal Corporations and Urban Development Authorities.

ANSWER: A

• Finance Minister chairs the 27th Meeting of Financial Stability and Development Council (FSDC).

About FSDC

• A non-statutory apex council under the Ministry of Finance constituted by the Executive Order in 2010.
• The Raghuram Rajan committee (2008) on financial sector reforms first proposed the creation of FSDC.
• Chairman: Finance Minister
• Members: Minister of State, in charge of Department of Economic Affairs, Heads of all Financial Sector Regulators (RBI, SEBI, PFRDA, IRDAI, IBBI); Secretaries to various departments.
  • FSDC sub-committee is headed by the RBI Governor.
• Functions:
  • To strengthen and institutionalize the mechanism for maintaining financial stability, enhancing inter-regulatory coordination and promoting financial sector development.
  • To monitor macro-prudential supervision of the economy. It assesses the functioning of the large financial conglomerates.

ANSWER: A

• Lithium reserves were discovered on Revant hill in Degana in Rajasthan’s Nagaur district during a survey conducted by the Geological Survey of India (GSI).
• It is believed that these reserves can meet 80% of the country’s demand.
• These reserves contain significantly more lithium than 5.9 million tonnes found in J&K earlier.
• India has discovered first lithium reserves in igneous rocks located in Marlagalla- Allapatna region of Karnataka’s Mandya district.

About Lithium

• Lithium, first of alkalis in periodic table, is a non-ferrous metal.
• It is used to make mobile-laptop, electric vehicle and other chargeable batteries.
• It is extracted from either brines or mined rocks.
• Due to tremendous demand for Lithium around world, it is also called White Gold.
  • According to World Bank, by year 2050, global demand for Lithium metal will increase by 500%.
• Distribution
  • 50% of global lithium resources are located in Bolivia (maximum), Chile, and Argentina, which forms Lithium Triangle in South America.
  • Australia is global leader in lithium production.

ANSWER: A

• The report ‘The Race to Net Zero: Accelerating Climate Action in Asia and the Pacific’ was recently released by UNESCAP.
• According to the report, most countries in the Asia-Pacific region are “insufficiently prepared” to face extreme weather events and natural disasters.

Major findings

• The Asia-Pacific region has experienced a faster rise in temperatures over the past 60 years than the global average.
• Natural and biological hazards in the Asia-Pacific region have contributed an estimated annual economic loss of $780 billion.
• 85% of Asia and the Pacific’s primary energy supply comes from fossil fuels, while 60% of the region’s energy-related CO2 emissions come from

Recommendations

• Control emissions in 3 key sectors- energy, transport, and international trade and investment.
• Building low-carbon industries
• Financing climate action through coherent policies

About Economic and Social Commission for Asia and the Pacific (ESCAP)

• HQ-Bangkok, Thailand
• It was established as Economic Commission for Asia and the Far East (ECAFE) in 1947 in Shanghai. It changed its name to ESCAP in 1976.
• It supports inclusive, resilient and sustainable development in Asia-Pacific region by generating action-oriented knowledge, and by providing technical assistance and capacity-building services.
• 53 member states including India and 9 associate members.
• One of the five regional commissions of UN.

ANSWER: B

• The Delhi Tourism Department has launched its much awaited ‘haunted walks’, for which the Malcha Mahal was chosen as the first destination of the journey.
• The Malcha Mahal or Wilahat Mahal is a Tughlaq-era hunting lodge, built by Feroz Shah Tughlaq in the 14th century.
• It is situated deep inside a forest in Chanakyapuri, Delhi.

Other info

• Feroz Shah Tughlaq was Delhi Sultan from the Tughlaq dynasty and ruled from 1351 to 1388.
• He was also considered the father of the irrigation system in India by the British.

ANSWER: C

• India’s Defence Minister recently inaugurated the nation’s first Indian Air Force Heritage Centre in Chandigarh.
• The centre, spread across 17,000 sqft at the Government Press Building, houses five vintage aircraft, including the first IAF-made patent aircraft, the Air Force ‘Kanpur-1 Vintage Prototype Aircraft’.
• The heritage centre also provides visitors with cockpit exposure and experience with flight simulators.
• The centre will also showcase various rescue operations being undertaken by the IAF all over the country.

ANSWER: A

• New Android malware known as ‘FluHorse’ has been discovered, which targeted users in Eastern Asia with malicious apps that look like legitimate versions.
• It is being deployed using targeted phishing techniques through emails.
• It is designed to extract sensitive information, including user credentials and Two-Factor Authentication (2FA) codes.
• It can remain undetected for long periods of time, making it a persistent and dangerous threat

ANSWER: D

• National e-governance division under CSB, organised recently 36^th Chief Information Security Officers (CISO) Deep-Dive training programme.
• Cyber Surakshit Bharat is an initiative of Ministry of Electronics and Information Technology (MeitY).
• It aims to spread awareness about cyber-crime and build capacities of Chief Information Security Officers (CISOs) and frontline IT officials, across all government departments.

ANSWER: A

• The CSIR-Institute of Himalayan Bioresource Technology (CSIR-IHBT), Palampur, is collaborating with the Space Application Centre (SAC) of the Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO) to study the impact of climate change on pine forests in the state.
• The PhenoMet Station consists of a time-lapse camera and an automated weather station, which will record pictures of the surrounding pine forests every 30 minutes and record various weather parameters such as air temperature, relative humidity, rainfall, active photosynthetic radiations, etc throughout the year.