Daily Current Affairs MCQ- July 9, 2023 - UPSC MCQ

A recent study shows that Epstein-Barr virus that is primarily spread through saliva can evolve into cancer.

About Epstein-Barr virus (EBV):

• It is one of the most common human viruses in the world.
• It spreads through bodily fluids, especially saliva (spit). 
• Symptoms: Fatigue, fever, inflamed throat, swollen lymph nodes in the neck, enlarged spleen, swollen liver, rash.
• EBV can cause infectious mononucleosis, also called mono, and other illnesses.
• There is no vaccine to protect against EBV infection.

Hence both statements are correct.

The Union Ministry of Health and Family Welfare recently hiked consultation charges and room rents under the Central Government Health Scheme (CGHS).

About Central Government Health Scheme (CGHS):

• It gives healthcare facilities to registered employees and pensioners of the Central Government of India. 
• The enrolled members are provided reimbursement and cashless facilities under this scheme.
• Some of facilities offered under CGHS are: OPD treatment and medication costs, indoor treatment and/or investigations at government or CGHS empanelled hospitals, maternity and child health services and family welfare, medical consultation and dispensing medicines for AYUSH. 
• It covers health care under different systems of medicine, such as Allopathy, Homeopathy, Ayurveda and Unani.
• CGHS beneficiaries can undergo treatment at any empanelled private hospital of their choice.

Hence both statements are correct.

At least 56 civilians have been killed and 595 people, including combatants, have been wounded in Khartoum, the capital of Sudan.

About Sudan:

• It is located in northeastern Africa.
• It is bounded on the north by Egypt, on the east by the Red Sea, Eritrea, and Ethiopia, on the south by South Sudan, on the west by the Central African Republic and Chad, and on the northwest by Libya.
• Capital: Khartoum
• Sudan is mainly composed of vast plains and plateaus that are drained by the Nile River and its tributaries.
• The country is dominated by Muslims, most of whom speak Arabic and identify themselves as “Arabs.
• Arabic is the primary language of much of the population and is the most common medium for the conduct of government, commerce, and urban life throughout the country.

Hence only statement 2 is correct.

The National Highways Authority of India (NHAI) has come up with a set of guidelines to streamline foundation stone laying ceremonies and inauguration functions of national highway projects.

About National Highways Authority of India (NHAI):

• NHAI is India’s premier highway infrastructure creator entrusted with developing, maintaining, and managing National Highways.
• It is a statutory body under the administrative control of the Ministry of Road Transport and Highways.
• It was constituted under National Highways Authority of India Act, 1998 and made operational in February 1995.
• Composition: It consists of a full time Chairman, and not more than five full time Members and four part time Members who are appointed by the Central Government.
• The part time Members are the Secretary (RT&H), Secretary (Expenditure), Secretary (Planning) and DG (RD) & SS.
• NHAI has technical, Finance, Administrative and Vigilance Wings at its Headquarters. 

Hence both statements are correct.

Recently, the G7 countries pledged to quit fossil fuels faster and urged other countries to follow suit, but failed to agree to any new deadlines on ending polluting power sources like coal.

• It is an intergovernmental organisation of leading industrialised nations formed in 1975.
• Member countries: Canada, France, Germany, Italy, Japan, the United Kingdom and the United State.
• It meets annually to discuss issues such as global economic governance, international security, and energy policy.
• The host of the G7 summit, also known as the presidency, rotates annually among member countries.
• It was formerly referred to as the G-8 until Russia was suspended from the group in 2014 after annexing Crimea.
• As of 2022, G7 countries make up 10% of the world’s population, 31% of the global GDP, and 21% of global carbon dioxide emissions.

Hence only statement 1 is correct.

Recently, the Chhattisgarh forest department has carried out a successful translocation of four sub-adult wild buffaloes from Assam to Barnawapara wildlife sanctuary. 

• It is located in the district of Raipur in Chhattisgarh.
• The rivers Balmedhi, Jonk and Mahanadi are the lifeline river which runs along the sanctuary.
• River Balamdehi forms the western boundary and Jonk River forms the northeastern boundary of the Sanctuary.
• Flora: The sanctuary contains major vegetation of Teak, Sal and Mixed forest.
• Fauna: Cheetal, Sambhar, Nilgai and Wild Boar, Sloth Bear, Wild Dog, are commonly seen.
• The Indian Wild Buffalo is the state animal of Chhattisgarh (India) and is a large species of bovine native to the Indian Sub-continent and South East Asia. 
• Habitat:  is mainly found in the alluvial grasslands, marshes, swamps and river valleys.
• Conservation Status
• IUCN: Endangered
• Wild Life (Protection) Act, 1972: Schedule 1 

Hence both statements are not correct

Recently, a new study by five botanists has revealed that the Cycas pectinata plant’s existence in the Himalayan country is threatened by overcollection as an ornamental plant and habitat destruction. 

• It belongs to the family Cycadaceae.
• It is an evergreen, palm-like plant which is the only cycad species found in Bhutan.
• Cycads are one of the most ancient gymnosperms, possibly originating in the late Carboniferous period 300-325 million years ago and reaching the greatest diversity during the Jurassic-Cretaceous period.
• Gymnosperms have open-to-air unfertilised seeds to be directly fertilised by pollination. 
• Conservation status
• IUCN: Vulnerable

Hence only statement 1 is correct.

Recently, an Argentina-based astronomer captured a structure that looked like a wall of plasma on the surface of the sun.

• A solar prominence is a large, bright feature extending outward from the Sun's surface.
• These are anchored to the Sun's surface in the photosphere, and extend outwards into the Sun's hot outer atmosphere, called the corona.
• It forms over timescales of about a day, and stable prominences may persist in the corona for several months, looping hundreds of thousands of miles into space.
• The red-glowing looped material is plasma, a hot gas comprised of electrically charged hydrogen and helium.
• This plasma flows along a tangled and twisted structure of magnetic fields generated by the sun’s internal dynamo.
• An erupting prominence occurs when such a structure becomes unstable and bursts outward, releasing the plasma.

Hence both statements are correct

Russia's Pacific Fleet recently conducted naval defence drills in the Sea of Japan.

About Sea of Japan:

• Sea of Japan (East Sea) is a marginal sea of the western Pacific Ocean.
• It is located in Eastern Asia that is bounded by Japan and Sakhalin Island to the east and by Russia and Korea on the Asian mainland to the west. 
• Its area is 377,600 square miles (978,000 square km).
• The sea itself lies in a deep basin, separated from the East China Sea to the south by the Tsushima and Korea straits and from the Sea of Okhotsk to the north by the La Perouse (or Sōya) and Tatar straits. 
• To the east it is also connected with the Inland Sea of Japan by the Kanmon Strait and to the Pacific by the Tsugaru Strait.
• It influences the climate of Japan because of its relatively warm waters.
• There are no large islands in the Sea of Japan. Except for the South Korean island of Ulleungdo, all the other small islands are situated near the eastern coast of the sea.
• Major Ports:
• Russia: Vladivostok, Sovetskaya Gavan, Nakhodka, Alexandrovsk-Sakhalinsky, and Kholmsk.
• North Korea: Hamhung, Chongjin, and Wonsan.
• Japan: Niigata, Tsuruta and Maizuru.

Hence option d is the correct answer.

The United States Congress recently made an attempt to create a legislative framework for the increasingly popular stablecoins.

About Stablecoins:

• They are cryptocurrencies whose value is pegged, or tied, to that of another currency, commodity, or financial instrument.
• Stablecoins aim to provide an alternative to the high volatility of the most popular cryptocurrencies, including Bitcoin (BTC).
• Unlike cryptocurrencies like Bitcoin, stablecoins’ prices remain steady, in accordance with whichever fiat currency backs them.
• Eg: USDC stablecoin is backed by dollar-denominated assets.
• Benefits:
• They are open, global, and accessible to anyone on the internet.
• They’re fast, cheap and secure to transmit.

Hence both statements are correct.