10 PM Current Affairs Quiz: July 8, 2020

Pratas islands also known as the Tungsha or Dongsha Islands, are three atolls (Pratas Atoll, North Vereker Atoll and South Vereker Atoll) in the north of the South China Sea.

Scarborough Shoal is a disputed territory claimed by the Republic of the Philippines, People’s Republic of China and the Republic of China (Taiwan) in South China Sea.

Kuril Islands, also known in Japan as the Northern Territories, are a disputed territory between Japan and Russia. The Kuril Islands is a volcanic archipelago in Russia’s Sakhalin Oblast stretching from northeast from Hokkaido, Japan to Kamchatka, Russia, separating the Sea of Okhotsk from the North Pacific Ocean.

Statement 1 is correct. Multiple Independently-targetable Reentry Vehicles (MIRVs) were developed in the early 1960s to permit a missile to deliver multiple nuclear warheads to different targets. In contrast to a traditional missile, which carries one warhead, MIRVs can carry multiple warheads.

Warheads on MIRVed missiles can be released from the missile at different speeds and in different directions.

Statement 2 is incorrect. Astra is a beyond-visual-range air-to-air missile (BVRAAM) developed by the Defence Research and Development Organisation. It has been reported that India plans to upgrade its Agni ICBMs into MIRV.

Both statements are correct.

The ‘Preventing the Next Pandemic – Zoonotic diseases and how to break the chain of transmission’ Report is a joint effort by the United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP) and the International Livestock Research Institute (ILRI).

Its major observations are:

-COVID-19 is just one example of the rising trend of diseases – from Ebola to MERS to West Nile and Rift Valley fevers – caused by viruses that have jumped from animal hosts into the human population.

-It identifies One Health as the optimal way to prevent and respond to future pandemics.

-The rising trend in zoonotic diseases is driven by the degradation of our natural environment – through land degradation, wildlife exploitation, resource extraction, climate change, and other stresses.

Statement 1 is correct. The Constitution provides for periodic creation of Finance Commission to make recommendations to the president about the distribution of the net proceeds of taxes between the Union and States and also the allocation of the same among the States themselves.

Statement 2 is correct. During the 2015-20 period, 53% of revenue receipts of states has come from own sources and 47% from central transfers. According to budget estimates for 2019-20, aggregating across all states, 52.5% of the states’ total revenue was to be generated on their own, while 47.5% came via central transfers.

Statement 1 is incorrect. The Border Roads Organisation (BRO) is functioning under the administrative control of Ministry of Defence (MoD). The budget for the BRO was earlier being reflected in the Demands for Grants under from Ministry of Road Transport and Highways (MoRTH) until year 2014-15. Through a Gazette Notification in 2015, all matters relating to Border Roads Development Board and Border Roads Organisation have been placed under Ministry of Defence.

Statement 2 is correct. Role of BRO:

–During Peace: Develop and maintain the operational road infrastructure General Staff in the border areas. Contribute to the socio-economic development of the border.

–During War: To develop and maintain roads to keep the Line of Control (LOC) through original sectors and re-deployed sectors. To execute additional tasks as laid down by the Government contributing to the war effort.

The 9-dash line often in news refers to the China’s claim line in the South China Sea that has many disputed island territories. It is also sometimes referred to as the ten-dash line and the eleven-dash line given the vagueness of boundaries in the region.

The contested area in the South China Sea includes the Paracel Islands, the Spratly Islands, the Pratas Islands, the Macclesfield Bank and the Scarborough Shoal.

Statement 1 is correct. The Himalayan butterfly named Golden Birdwing (Troides aeacus) is India’s largest butterfly.

With Golden Birdwing’s wingspan of 194 mm, the female of the species is marginally larger than the Southern Birdwing (190 mm) that Brigadier William Harry Evans, a British military officer had recorded in 1932. But the male Golden Birdwing (Troides aeacus) is much smaller at 106 mm.

Statement 2 is incorrect. Troides aeacus is listed as least concern species under the IUCN Red List. Birdwing butterflies of Troides genus are listed in Appendix II of CITES.

The Countering American Adversaries Through Sanctions Act (CAATSA) is a United States federal law that imposed sanctions on Iran, North Korea, and Russia.

The act further provides secondary sanctions on those who conduct significant transactions with the defense or intelligence sectors of the Government of the Russian Federation. This provision has been in news with regards to potential impact of India’s recent fighter jet, S-400 deals with Russia.

Both statements are correct.

Plague is an infectious disease that affects rodents, certain other animals, and humans. It is caused by the Yersinia pestis bacteria.

In Bubonic plague patients develop sudden onset of fever, headache, chills, and weakness and one or more swollen, tender and painful lymph nodes (called buboes).

Bubonic plague is usually the result of an infected flea bite. The bacteria multiply in the lymph node closest to where the bacteria entered the human body. If the patient is not treated with appropriate antibiotics, the bacteria can spread to other parts of the body. Plague can be successfully treated with antibiotics.

CogX is the world’s leading Artificial Intelligence (AI) festival and CogX Awards celebrate the best-of-the-best in AI and emerging technologies.

AI enabled MyGov Corona Helpdesk bagged two awards under categories (1) “Best Innovation for Covid-19 – Society” and (2) “People’s Choice Covid-19 Overall Winner”, at the recently held CogX 2020, a Global Leadership Summit and Festival of AI & Emerging Technology held annually. The awards were won by Technical Partner of Mygov, JioHaptik Technologies Limited.