ANSWER: D

ANSWER: C

ANSWER: B

ANSWER: A

• An expert group set up by the World Meteorological Organisation (WMO) has concluded that cooler and drier climates could have been more conducive to the transmission of Covid-19 virus, but available evidence does not suggest that weather conditions played a prominent role in the propagation of the virus.
• The expert group said that “high-quality” research studies indicated a “generally negative association” between temperature and Covid19 transmission, meaning lower temperatures probably helped transmission of the virus.

About World Metrological Organisation

• The WMO is an intergovernmental organization with a membership of 192 Member States and 6 Member Territories.
  • India is a member of WMO since 1949.
• It originated from the International Meteorological Organization (IMO), which was established after the 1873 Vienna International Meteorological Congress.
• It became a specialised agency of the UN in 1951.
• Parent organization- UN-ECOSOC
• Headquarters-Geneva, Switzerland

ANSWER: A

• PM Modi recently unveiled the bust of Mahatma Gandhi in Hiroshima, Japan.
• The Mahatma Gandhi bust serves as a gift from the GoI to the city of Hiroshima.
• The ceremony took place during the Prime Minister’s visit to the G-7 summit.
• Created by the renowned Padma Bhushan awardee Shri Ram Vanji Sutar, the triumphant statue stands tall at 42 inches, crafted from durable bronze material.
• It has been positioned beside the Motoyasu River, which is situated near the iconic A-Bomb Dome.
  • The A-Bomb Dome is a well-known site that attracts thousands of people daily, including tourists and locals alike.

OTHER INFO

• The US conducted the world’s first nuclear attack on Hiroshima on August 6, 1945, destroying the city and killing some 140,000 people.
• The uranium bomb, nicknamed Little Boy, weighed 9,700 pounds.
• The second implosion-type plutonium bomb, nicknamed Fat Man, weighed 10,800 pounds and was dropped on Nagasaki on August 9, 1945..

ANSWER: B

• India has launched Operation Karuna to aid those affected by Cyclone Mocha in Myanmar.
• Three ships, INS Shivalik, INS Kamorta, and INS Savitri, arrived in Yangon with emergency relief material such as food supplies, tents, essential medicines, water pumps, portable generators, clothes, and hygiene items.

ABOUT CYCLONE MOCHA

• Cyclone Mocha has been classified as an extremely severe cyclonic storm by the IMD and a ‘Super Cyclone’ by the global weather website Zoom Earth.
• The storm emerged in the Bay of Bengal and has been recorded as the strongest all-season cyclone to form in the Arabian Sea and Bay of Bengal since 1982, with a wind speed of 277 kmph.
• The name ‘Mocha‘ has been suggested by Yemen.
• In Myanmar, Rakhine state is the worst-hit while in Bangladesh the cyclone destroyed shelters in the world’s largest refugee camp at Cox’s Bazar which houses a million Rohingya refugees from Myanmar.

ANSWER: A

• The Supreme Court made public the report of the court-appointed expert panel in the Hindenburg-Adani row case.

ABOUT JUSTICE A.M. SAPRE COMMITTEE

• It is a six-member expert committee constituted by the Supreme Court in the Hindenburg-Adani allegations case and headed by former Supreme Court judge, Justice A.M. Sapre.
  • The other 5 members include veteran bankers V. Kamath and O.P. Bhat, Infosys co-founder Nandan Nilekani, retired Justice J.P. Devdhar and advocate Somasekhar Sundaresan.
• The committee gave the Supreme Court a detailed assessment of the situation which could have led to volatility in the securities market due to the Hindenburg-Adani row.
• It found that there was no evidence of a “regulatory failure” on the part of SEBI.
  • But, it acknowledged that there is a need for an effective enforcement policy.

ANSWER: D

• Indian author Ruskin Bond’s book titled “The Golden Years: The Many Joys of Living a Good Long Life” was released on 19th May 2023, Bond’s 89th birthday.
• The book is published by HarperCollins India.
• “The Golden Years” focuses on Bond’s experiences during the 60s, 70s and 80s.
• The book is a collection of essays and reflections on aging.

ANSWER: A

• Uttarakhand govt. recently inaugurated the innovative “Patch Reporting App”.
• Developed by the Public Works Department, this user-friendly application aims to address the persistent issue of potholes on the state’s roads.
• It offers a convenient platform for citizens to register complaints and provide detailed information about encountered potholes.
• Users can capture photographs of the potholes to supplement their reports.

ANSWER: D

• World Day for Cultural Diversity for Dialogue and Development, also known as Diversity Day, is annually celebrated on May 21^st.
• The purpose of the World Day for Cultural Diversity is to celebrate the richness of the world’s cultures and to promote intercultural dialogue.

ANSWER: A

• Himachal Pradesh’s unique Kangra tea has become the second product of the country to get registered with the European Commission (EC) as a protected Geographical Indication (GI), paving the way for its sale in European countries.
• The registration was an important tool to recognise the quality, genuineness, and reputation of the product in the European markets.
• It would boost the sale of Kangra tea and would eventually benefit tea growers in Palampur, Baijnath, Kangra, and Dharamshala in Kangra district, Jogindernagar of Mandi district and Bhattiyat area of Chamba district.
• The Kangra tea — known for its unique taste and fragrance, attributed to its abundant pyrazine contents — was given GI status in the year 2005 by the Registrar of Geographical Indicators, Chennai.