QUIZ – 2017: Insights Current Affairs Quiz, 18 November 2019

Solution: b)

In October 2018, the Supreme Court allowed bursting of low-emission crackers relaxing the ‘complete ban’ issued in 2017. Such ‘green’ crackers were researched and developed by scientists at CSIR-NEERI as per the court’s directions.

‘Green’ crackers have a small shell size compared to traditional crackers. They are produced using less harmful raw materials and have additives which reduce emissions by suppressing dust.

Green crackers don’t contain banned chemicals such as lithium, arsenic, barium and lead. They are called Safe Water Releaser (SWAS), Safe Thermite Cracker (STAR) and Safe Minimal Aluminium (SAFAL) crackers.

Green crackers release water vapour and don’t allow the dust particles to rise. They are designed to have 30% less particulate matter pollution.

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                Solution: c)

The International Treaty on Plant Genetic Resources for Food and Agriculture was adopted by the Thirty-First Session of the Conference of the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations on 3 November 2001.

• It is also known as Seed Treaty as it is a comprehensive international agreement for ensuring food security through the conservation, exchange and sustainable use of the world’s Plant Genetic Resources for Food and Agriculture (PGRFA).

The Treaty aims at:

1. recognizing the enormous contribution of farmers to the diversity of crops that feed the world;
2. establishing a global system to provide farmers, plant breeders and scientists with access to plant genetic materials;
3. ensuring that recipients share benefits they derive from the use of these genetic materials with the countries where they have been originated.

Main Provisions:

Multilateral system: The treaty puts 64 of our most important crops – crops that together account for 80 percent of the food we derive from plants – into an easily accessible global pool of genetic resources that is freely available to potential users in the Treaty’s ratifying nations for some uses.

Access and benefit sharing: The Treaty facilitates access to the genetic materials of the 64 crops in the Multilateral System for research, breeding and training for food and agriculture. Those who access the materials must be from the Treaty’s ratifying nations and they must agree to use the materials totally for research, breeding and training for food and agriculture. The Treaty prevents the recipients of genetic resources from claiming intellectual property rights over those resources in the form in which they received them.

Solution: d)

Eurasian economic union:

• It is an international organization for regional economic integration.
• It has international legal personality and is established by the Treaty on the Eurasian Economic Union.
• Composition: Includes Russia, Belarus, Armenia, Kyrgyzstan and Kazakhstan.
• It has free movement of goods, services and labour.
• It has its own bureaucratic structure.

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Solution: b)

The Special 301 Report is prepared annually by the Office of the United States Trade Representative (USTR) that identifies trade barriers to United States companies and products due to the intellectual property laws, such as copyright, patents and trademarks, in other countries.

The annual Special 301 Report includes a list of “Priority Foreign Countries”, that are judged to have inadequate intellectual property laws; these countries may be subject to sanctions. In addition, the report contains a “Priority Watch List” and a “Watch List”, containing countries whose intellectual property regimes are deemed of concern.

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Solution: c)

The oldest known natural pearl in the world has been discovered by Abu Dhabi archaeologists working at a Neolithic site on Marawah Island, just off the coast of Abu Dhabi.

Dubbed the ‘Abu Dhabi Pearl’, it was found in layers that have been radiocarbon dated to 5,800-5,600 BCE, during the Neolithic period.

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