Daily Current Affairs MCQ- June 30, 2023 - UPSC MCQ

Recently, Senegal signed the Just Energy Transition Partnership (JET-P) deal.

• It is a mechanism for multilateral financing by developed countries to support an energy transition in developing countries.
• It aims to reduce emissions in the energy sector and accelerate the coal phase-out.
• Transition describes the gradual movement towards lower carbon technologies, while ‘Just’ qualifies that this transition will not negatively impact society, jobs and livelihoods.
• It was launched at the COP26 in Glasgow with the support of the United Kingdom (UK), the United States (US), France, Germany, and the European Union (EU).
• Senegal has become the fourth country after South Africa, Indonesia and Vietnam to sign the JET-P deal, with the International Partners Group comprising France, Germany, the European Union, the United Kingdom and Canada.
• India refused to give its consent saying that coal cannot be singled out as a polluting fuel, and energy transition talks need to take place on equal terms.

Hence only statement 1 is correct.

The recently published report of the Indian Institute of Tropical Meteorology said that halogens' contributions to cooling the environment could increase to 18-31 per cent by 2100.

• The term Halogen in Greek means salt-producing because it reacts with many metals to produce salts. 
• They are a group of elements located in Group 17 of the periodic table which includes fluorine (F), chlorine (Cl), bromine (Br), iodine (I), and astatine (At).
• In 1826, Swedish chemist Jons Berzelius coined the term halogen for the entire group of elements. 
• Unlike metals, they exist in all three different states of matter in their standard state.
• For example, fluorine is found naturally as a gas, bromine as a liquid, and the larger iodine is found naturally as a solid.
• Reactivity: Halogens are the most reactive nonmetals on the periodic table and are powerful oxidizing agents.

Hence both statements are correct.

World Asteroid Day is observed on June 30 every year.

About World Asteroid Day:

• It is observed on June 30 every year.
• The day aims to raise awareness about asteroid impact hazards and crisis communication actions in case of a credible asteroid threat to planet Earth.
• The day also aims to educate people about the latest and upcoming asteroid research and technology through numerous events and activities held by organisations across the globe.
• History:
• The United Nations General Assembly (UNGA) passed a resolution in December 2016, designating June 30 as International Asteroid Day. 
• The UNGA adopted the resolution based on the proposal made by the Association of Space Explorers, endorsed by the Committee on the Peaceful Uses of Outer Space (COPUOS).
• The date was chosen to commemorate the anniversary of the Tunguska asteroid’s impact over Siberia on June 30, 1908.

Tunguska Event:

• It is considered the biggest asteroid impact in recorded history when an asteroid exploded a few kilometers above the Tunguska region of central Siberia.
• It flattened more than 80 million trees in seconds, over an area spanning nearly 800 square miles (2,000 square kilometers) — but left no crater. 

Hence both statements are correct.

President of the 77th session of the United Nations General Assembly recently said the first segments of the UN Intergovernmental Negotiations framework (IGN) meetings are now webcast and a dedicated website on Security Council reform has been established.

About Intergovernmental Negotiations Framework (IGN):

• IGN is a group of nation-states working within the UN to further reform the United Nations Security Council (UNSC).
• Composition: The IGN is composed of several different international organizations, namely:
• The African Union;
• The G4 nations (India, along with Brazil, Japan and Germany are pressing for a permanent seat in the reformed UNSC);
• The Uniting for Consensus Group (UfC), also known as the "Coffee Club";
• The L.69 Group of Developing Countries;
• The Arab League; and
• The Caribbean Community (CARICOM).
• Each group represents a different set of positions vis-a-vis reforming the UNSC.
• The group's conversations are considered "informal" in nature due to the lack of single text and thus, UNGA rules of procedure don't apply. 
• But in 2015, a framework document was agreed when it comes to the reform, which can be the basis for future talks.

Hence only statement 1 is correct.

Recently, hundreds of sea lions are found dead or sick on California beaches due to toxic offshore algae blooms.

• It is a marine mammal that belongs to the family Otariidae.
• These are known for their semi-aquatic lifestyle, spending a significant amount of time both on land and in the water.
• Appearance:
• They have a streamlined body with a large head and a long, flexible neck.
• They typically have a brown or tan coat, and adult males develop a thick mane of hair around their necks.
• Habitat:
• They inhabit rocky shorelines, islands, and sandy beaches.
• They can be found in various regions, including the Pacific Ocean, the Atlantic Ocean, and parts of the Indian Ocean.
• Diet: Sea lions are carnivorous and primarily feed on fish, such as herring, anchovies, sardines, and squid.
• Currently, there are six subspecies of sea lions: Australian sea lions, California sea lions, Galapagos sea lions, New Zealand sea lions, South American sea lions, and Steller sea lions.

Hence only statement 2 is correct.

Recently, in Manipur violence incidents nearly 30% of First Information Reports (FIRs) were ‘zero FIRs’, filed suo-motu by the police irrespective of jurisdiction.

• What it is? It refers to an FIR that is registered irrespective of the area where the offence is committed.
• The police in such a case can no longer claim that they have no jurisdiction.
• Such an FIR is then later transferred to the police station that has the actual jurisdiction so that the investigation can begin.
• It was introduced on the recommendation of the Justice Verma Committee formed at the backdrop of the brutal Nirbhaya gang rape in Delhi in 2012.
• This puts a legal obligation on the police to begin an investigation and take quick action without the excuse of the absence of jurisdiction.

What is a first information report (FIR)?

• It is the information given to a police officer in writing as per the provisions of Section 154 of the Code of Criminal Procedure (CrPC).
• From the point of view of an informant, the main purpose of an FIR is to set criminal law into motion.
• While for the police, the main purpose of an FIR is to obtain information about alleged criminal activity and take necessary steps to produce the perpetrator(s) before a court.

Hence both statements are correct.

According to Stockholm International Peace Research Institute’s (SIPRI) annual assessment of the ‘state of armaments, disarmament and international security’, the global inventory of nuclear warheads has increased over the past year. 

About State of Armaments, Disarmament and International Security:

• It is an annual assessment of the Sweden-based think tank Stockholm International Peace Research Institute (SIPRI).
• Highlights:
• As on January 2023, the world has 9,576 nuclear weapons in military stockpiles for potential use.
• That is 86 more than the number in January 2022.
• Of this stockpile, an estimated 3,844 warheads were ‘deployed’ with missiles and aircraft.
• Around 2,000 of these ‘deployed’ weapons — nearly all of which belonged to Russia or the USA—were kept in a state of high operational alert, meaning that they were fitted to missiles or held at airbases hosting nuclear bombers.
• Nine nuclear-armed states — the United States, Russia, the United Kingdom, France, China, India, Pakistan, North Korea and Israel — continue to modernise their nuclear arsenals and deployed several new nuclear-armed or nuclear-capable weapon systems in 2022.
• The estimate of the size of China’s nuclear arsenal increased from 350 warheads in January 2022 to 410 in January 2023.
• India was estimated to have a growing stockpile of about 164 nuclear weapons, up from 160 the previous year. These weapons were assigned to a maturing nuclear triad of aircraft, land-based missiles and nuclear-powered ballistic missile submarines (SSBNs).
• Pakistan possessed approximately 170 nuclear warheads as of January 2023 — up from 165 from the previous year.

Hence only statement 1 is correct.

An expert committee set up by the Central Government recently identified 30 minerals as critical to India, including lithium and vanadium, which are largely used in the manufacturing of batteries.

About Critical Minerals:

• It is a metallic or non-metallic element that has two characteristics.
• It is essential for the functioning of our modern technologies, economies or national security and
• There is a risk that its supply chains could be disrupted.
• The 'criticality' of minerals changes with time as supply and society's needs shift.
• Applications:
• They are used to manufacture advanced technologies, including mobile phones, computers, fibre-optic cables, semiconductors, banknotes, and defence, aerospace and medical applications.
• Many are used in low-emission technologies, such as electric vehicles, wind turbines, solar panels, and rechargeable batteries.
• Some are also crucial for common products, such as stainless steel and electronics.
• Examples: antimony, beryllium, bismuth, cobalt, copper, gallium, germanium, lithium, vanadium etc.
• Top Producers: Chile, Indonesia, Congo, China, Australia and South Africa.

Hence only statement 1 is correct.

Recently, the Egyptian President conferred the country’s highest state honour “Order of the Nile” award to the Prime Minister of India.

• It is Egypt’s highest state honour.
• Instituted in 1915, the ‘Order of the Nile’ is conferred upon Heads of state, Crown Princes, and Vice-Presidents who offer Egypt or humanity invaluable services.
• The ‘Order of the Nile’ is a pure gold collar consisting of three-square gold units comprising Pharaonic symbols.
• The first unit resembles the idea of protecting the state against evils, the second one resembles prosperity and happiness brought by the Nile and the third one refers to wealth and endurance.
• The three units are connected by a circular gold flower decorated with turquoise and ruby.
• Hanging from the collar is a hexagonal pendant decorated with flowers of the Pharaonic style, and turquoise and ruby gems.
• In the middle of the pendant, there is a protruding symbol representing the Nile that brings together the North (represented by the Papyrus) and the South (represented by the Lotus).
• Those who receive the 'Order of the Nile' shall be saluted upon their death.

Hence both statements are correct.

Recently, scientists from the Indian Institute of Astrophysics (IIA) through their latest study have given a clearer picture of how the sun’s magnetic field influences the interplanetary magnetic space.

• According to the Department of Science and Technology, scientists now are one step closer to identifying the source of the Solar Mean Magnetic Field (SMMF).

About Solar Mean Magnetic Field:

• It is the mean value of the line-of-sight (LOS) component of the solar vector magnetic field averaged over the visible hemisphere as well as its relationship with Interplanetary Magnetic Field (IMF).
• The sun contains the corona (the outer shell of the sun’s atmosphere), the photosphere (the visible surface), and the chromosphere (near-transparent layer, just above the photosphere) with the magnetic field generated by electrical currents acting as a magnetic dynamo inside the sun.
• However, so far, the studies on the SMMF have mostly been confined to the magnetic field measurements at the photosphere.
• New Findings:
• Scientists in their quest to understand if and how the SMMF at chromospheric heights is related to the SMMF at photospheric heights have found a very good similarity between the two.
• The value of chromospheric SMMF is lower than the photospheric SMMF, thereby suggesting that the primordial magnetic field inside the sun could be a source of the SMMF.
• They calculated and analysed the SMMF using magnetic field measurements at the chromosphere, in conjunction with that of photospheric measurements.
• These electrical currents are generated by the flow of hot, ionised gases in the sun’s convection zone.

Hence only statement 1 is correct.