10 PM Daily Current Affairs Quiz | June 16 2021

Recently, the NATO Summit was held recently in Brussels. During the summit, countries agreed to step up their collective defence against threats from all directions.

• North Atlantic Treaty Organization(NATO) also called North Atlantic Alliance is an intergovernmental military alliance.
• Formed in: NATO was formed in 1949 with the signing of the Washington Treaty.
• Members: It consists of 30 countries from North America and Europe.

• The most recent member state is North Macedonia, included in NATO in 2020.

• Headquarters: Brussels, Belgium.
• The mandate of NATO: NATO’s purpose is to guarantee the freedom and security of its members through political and military means

Read more: NATO Summit 2021

Recently China has flown 28 fighter jets towards the self-ruled island of Taiwan. Taiwan has called the Chinese action the largest incursion to date.

• China and Taiwan had separated during the China civil war in 1949.
• However, China still considers Taiwan as part of its territory to be taken control of by force if necessary. But Taiwan considers itself a sovereign country.
• The relations between China and Taiwan started improving in the 1980s.
• China had put forward a formula known as “one country, two systems“. Under which Taiwan would be given significant autonomy if it accepted Chinese reunification.

• This system was established in Hong Kong to be used as something of a showcase to entice Taiwanese people back to the mainland.

• However, Taiwan rejected the offer. But it did relax rules on visits to and investment in China.

Read More: Taiwan-China conflict and India’s stand on it

Researchers from the Indian Statistical Institute had carried out extensive studies on rocks of the Yerrapalli Formation in Telangana during the mid 20th Century. During that time, they uncovered several fossils. By studying some of these fossils, the team has now provided information on one of the reptiles(Bharitalasuchus tapani).

Bharitalasuchus Tapani

•  It is a carnivorous reptile that lived 240 million years ago.

• In the Telugu language, Bhari means huge, Tala means head, and Suchus is the name of the Egyptian crocodile-headed deity.

• Named after: The reptile has been named after palaeontologist Tapan Roy Chowdhury. For his contribution to Indian vertebrate palaeontology, and especially his extensive work at Yerrapalli Formation.
• Genus: The reptile belonged to a family of extinct reptiles named Erythrosuchidae.
• Key Features:

• Bharitalasuchus Tapani were robust animals with big heads and large teeth, and these probably predated other smaller reptiles.
• They were approximately the size of an adult male lion and might have been the largest predators in their ecosystems.

Read more: Bharitalasuchus Tapani

• It is released by World Economic Forum (WEF).
• The report is a measure of gender gap on four parameters: economic participation and opportunity, educational attainment, health and survival, and political empowerment

Source: Article

• The correct order from North to South is – Guatemala, El Salvador, Nicaragua

Source: El Salvador

Both statements are correct

Gas hydrates are ice-like crystalline minerals that form when low molecular weight gas (such as methane, ethane, or carbon dioxide) combines with water and freezes into a solid under low temperature and moderate pressure conditions.

• They belong to a class of chemical compounds called clathrates which are ‘encaged’ compounds.
• Most gas hydrates are formed from methane (CH4), which has led to the terms “gas hydrate” and “methane hydrate” often being used interchangeably
• Scientific interest in gas hydrates is driven mainly by its potential future role as an energy resource, and by the role of methane as a strong greenhouse gas and contributor to global climate change.

Source: Article

• New Shephard is a reusable rocket system that has been designed to take astronauts and research payloads past the Karman line – the internationally recognized boundary of space.
• Built by: The rocket system has been built by Blue Origin, space company of Amazon founder Jeff Bezos.
• Named after: The rocket system has been named after astronaut Alan Shephard – the first American to go to space.

Read more: New Shephard rocket system

• Statement 1 is incorrect: Ministry of Earth Sciences shall be the nodal ministry for Deep Ocan Mission.
• Statement 2 is correct: Studies and detailed engineering design for offshore Ocean Thermal Energy Conversion (OTEC) powered desalination plant are envisaged. This component will support the Blue Economy priority area of off-shore energy development.
• Statement 3 is correct: An Integrated Mining System will be also developed for mining Polymetallic Nodules from 6000 m depth in the central Indian Ocean. The exploration studies of minerals will pave way for the commercial exploitation in the near future, as and when commercial exploitation code is evolved by the International Seabed Authority, an UN organization.

Source: Article

Recently, the Delhi High Court granted bail to student activists in a Unlawful Activities Prevention Act (UAPA).

• It is primarily an anti-terror law – aimed at more effective prevention of certain unlawful activities of individuals and associations and for dealing with terrorist activities.
• It was promulgated in 1967 to target secessionist organisations. It is considered to be the predecessor of laws such as the (now repealed) Terrorist and Disruptive Activities (Prevention) Act (TADA) and Prevention of Terrorism Act(POTA).
• The Act assigns absolute power to the central government. It can declare an activity as unlawful, by way of an Official Gazette.
• The act has the death penalty and life imprisonment as the highest punishments.
• Under the act, both Indian and foreign nationals can be charged. It will be applicable to the offenders in the same manner, even if the crime is committed on a foreign land, outside India.

Source: The Indian Express

• Statement 1 is incorrect: UNDEF was created by UN Secretary-General Kofi A. Annan in 2005 as a United Nations General Trust Fund to support democratization efforts around the world.
• Statement 2 is correct: UNDEF subsists entirely on voluntary contributions from Governments; in 2020, it reached almost 210 million dollars in contributions and counts more than 45 countries as donors, including many middle- and low-income States in Africa, Asia and Latin America

Source: Article