QUIZ – 2017: Insights Current Affairs Quiz, 25 April 2018

Solution: a.

In 2015, the Tripura government had lifted AFSPA from the state after 18 years.

• With insurgency-related incidents in the northeast region down by 85% from the levels recorded at the peak of militancy two decades ago, the Centre has withdrawn AFSPA totally from Meghalaya as well as from eight out of 16 police stations in Arunachal Pradesh, with effect from March 31, 2018.
• AFSPA, which gives special powers and immunity to the armed forces deployed in areas declared “disturbed” under the Act, had been in force in Meghalaya and Arunachal Pradesh for almost 27 years.
• Areas of the two states bordering Assam were declared “disturbed” in 1991 to avoid a spillover effect of insurgency by Assam-based outfits like the United Liberation Front of Asom (Ulfa).

Justification for statement 3: Insurgency in Meghalaya (IDSA);

ToI; TH;

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Solution: b.

The “Global Findex” database is the world’s most comprehensive data set on how adults save, borrow, make payments, and manage risk. Launched with funding from the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation, the database has been published (by the World Bank Group) every three years since 2011. The 2017 edition includes updated indicators on access to and use of formal and informal financial services. And it adds new data on the use of financial technology (fintech), including the use of mobile phones and the internet to conduct financial transactions.

https://globalfindex.worldbank.org;

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Solution: c.

Refer explanation to previous question.

Source: Data Point, The Hindu;

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Solution: a.

“As fracking (also known as ‘hydraulic fracturing’) consumes large amounts of water (average 15,000 m3/well) and relatively larger surface area, it is bound to impact irrigation and other local requirements. In the U.S. experience, out of 260 chemical substances, 58 have been identified to pose a risk to human life and environment, eight are carcinogens and 17 are toxic to freshwater organisms. Further, as 25-90% of the fluid is not retrieved and cracks in the shaft are possible, there is a high risk of pollution to nearby underground water. Instances of groundwater pollution have been reported in the U.S. (Pennsylvania) and Canada. Fracking has other impacts such as increased air emissions (including greenhouse gases such as methane) and seismic activity. Environmental impact assessments of the European Union and the U.K. have recognised these risks… Countries like Germany and France and subnational governments like Scotland have already banned fracking.”

Hydraulic fracturing, or fracking, is a technique designed to recover gas and oil from shale rock.

• It is the process of drilling down into the earth before a high-pressure water mixture is directed at the rock to release the gas inside.
• Water, sand and chemicals are injected into the rock at high pressure which allows the gas to flow out to the head of the well.
• The process can be carried out vertically or, more commonly, by drilling horizontally to the rock layer and can create new pathways to release gas or can be used to extend existing channels.
• The term fracking refers to how the rock is fractured apart by the high pressure mixture.

Primary source: TH;

BBC;

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Solution: c.

The Earth BioGenome Project, a Moon Shot for biology, aims to sequence, catalog and characterize the genomes of all of Earth’s eukaryotic biodiversity (that are known to humankind of course) over a period of ten years.

The Earth BioGenome Projectwill create a new foundation for biology, informing a broad range of major issues facing humanity, such as

• the impact of climate change on biodiversity,
• the conservation of endangered species and ecosystems, and
• the preservation and enhancement of ecosystem services.

For the first time in history, it is possible to efficiently sequence the genomes of all known species, and to use genomics to help discover the remaining 80 to 90 percent of species that are currently hidden from science.

3 Goals of the Earth BioGenome Project;

http://www.thehindu.com/opinion/op-ed/for-a-digital-library-of-life/article23650279.ece;

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Solution: c.

Other ‘upstanding citizens’ too can be appointed members of such committees.

2017 IE: The Supreme Court had ordered a slew of safeguards, including “involvement of civil society and sensitisation of investigation officers and magistrates”, to prevent widespread misuse of dowry prohibition provision under Indian Penal Code’s Section 498A.

It said that “in respect of persons ordinarily residing out of India impounding of passports or issuance of Red Corner Notice should not be a routine”.

The court said personal appearance of all family members and particularly outstation ones may not be required for trial. It added a trial court ought to grant them exemption from personal appearance or permit appearance by video conferencing. It made it clear that these directions will not apply in offenses in where there is tangible physical injury or death.

TH 2017;

Improvisation: TH;

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Solution: b.

What is the purpose of an INTERPOL Red Notice?

A Red Notice is a request to locate and provisionally arrest an individual pending extradition. It is issued by the General Secretariat at the request of a member country or an international tribunal based on a valid national arrest warrant. It is not an international arrest warrant.

INTERPOL cannot compel any member country to arrest an individual who is the subject of a Red Notice. Each member country decides for itself what legal value to give a Red Notice within their borders.

INTERPOL: Red Notice;

Types of Notices;

Improvisation: TH: “A Senior advocate, for a petitioner, objected to how the order (related to Family Welfare Committees) bars the issuance of Red Corner Notice..”

Additional Information: About INTERPOL;

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Solution: d.

Extracting unconventional gas is relatively new. Coalbed methane production began in the 1980s; shale gas extraction is even more recent. The main enabling technologies, hydraulic fracturing and horizontal drilling, have opened up new areas for oil and gas development, with particular focus on natural gas reservoirs such as shale, coalbed and tight sands.

• Shale Gas Extraction
• Production of Coalbed Methane: Coalbed methane (CBM) was first extracted from coal mines as a safety measure to reduce the explosion hazard posed by methane gas in the mines. Today the methane is captured and used as a source of energy. Deeper coal formations might require hydraulic fracturing to release the natural gas.
• Tight Sands: Tight sands are gas-bearing, fine-grained sandstones or carbonates with a low permeability. Unless natural fractures are present, almost all tight sand reservoirs require hydraulic fracturing to release gas.

Improvisation: TH;

Source: EPA;

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