Current Affairs Questions

Explanation :

• Yellow rust or stripe rust (Puccinia striiformistritici) is an important disease of wheat (Triticum aestivum), especially in cool climates.
• Ripe rust of wheat is caused by the basidiomycete fungus Puccinia striiformis in the order Uredinales.
• It is considered to be an obligate parasite.
• The symptoms are symmetrical “stripe” lesions along the leaf, bearing orange-yellow pustules. These are located just underneath the upper leaf layer (epidermis), and are much less compact than brown rust pustules.
• The ideal growth conditions for yellow rust are temperatures of between 8-13°C for spore germination and penetration, and 12-15° C for further development and with free water.

Explanation :

• The Asiatic cheetah (Acinonyx jubatus venaticus) is smaller and paler than the African cheetah (Acinonyx jubatus jubatus). It has more fur everywhere on the body, espeically on the back of the neck and the belly, a smaller head and longer neck, the Asian species usually have red eyes and they have a more cat-like appearance, while on the other hand the African cheetah looks like a panther.
• The Asiatic cheetah is constantly said to be a different animal and sub-species than the African cheetah in genetic composition.
• The Asiatic cheetah is listed as critically endangered species while the African Cheetah is listed as vulnerable by the IUCN.
• In the 2015 update of the IUCN Red List, the Asiatic cheetah is considered regionally extinct in Iraq, Central Asia, Afghanistan, Pakistan and India. At present however, the Asiatic cheetah is believed only to survive in isolated parts of Iran.

Explanation :

• Under the Article 72 of the Constitution, the President of India can grant a pardon or reduce the sentence of a convicted person, particularly in cases involving capital punishment.
• It says that the President shall have the power to grant pardons, reprieves, respites or remissions of punishment or to suspend, remit or commute the sentence of any person convicted of any offence.
• A similar and parallel power vests in the Governors of each state under Article 161.
• However, the pardoning power of the president is not absolute. He is advised by the council of ministers under article 74 even though he is not bound to act on their suggestions.
• The power of the President to grant pardon extends in cases where the punishment or sentence is by a Court Martial but Article 161 does not provide any such power to the Governor.
• The President can grant pardon in all cases where the sentence given is sentence of death but pardoning power of Governor does not extend to death sentence cases.

Explanation :

• The Assam Legislative Council was the unicameral legislature of Assam in India from 1913 to 1935 and then the upper house of the bicameral legislature from 1935 to 1947, when it was disbanded by the India (Provincial Legislatures) Order, 1947.
• After Assam, West Bengal had abolished its Legislative Council in 1969.
• The Punjab Legislative Council (Abolition) Act, 1969 was adopted in 1969. Through this legislation the Punjab Legislative Council was abolished. The law came into effect on 7 January 1970.

Explanation :

• Mineral Accretion Technology, also known as Biorock Technology, is a method that applies safe, low voltage electrical currents through seawater, causing dissolved minerals to crystallize on structures, growing into a white limestone similar to that which naturally makes up coral reefs and tropical white sand beaches.
• Mineral accretion devices utilize a well-known process called electrolysis, which is also used for other applications such as plating metals, removing rust, creating hydrogen batteries, and more.
• The advantages corals gain from mineral accretion are cancelled if they no longer receive current, at which point weeds will overgrow the corals. If the current is maintained, coral reefs can often be restored even in areas where water quality would prevent their recovery by any other method.

Advantage

• This technique has been shown to greatly increase the settlement, healing, growth and survival of corals and to enable resistance in corals, intertidal salt marsh grasses and coral forming marine organisms to stresses such as extreme high temperatures, sedimentation, and eutrophication.

Explanation :

• The Oslo Accords are a set of agreements between the Government of Israel and the Palestine Liberation Organization (PLO): the Oslo I Accord, signed in Washington, D.C.,in 1993 and the Oslo II Accord, signed in Taba, Egypt, in 1995.
• Oslo I, formally known as the Declaration of Principles (DOP), established a timetable for the Middle East peace process. It planned for an interim Palestinian government in Gaza and Jericho in the West Bank.
• Oslo II, officially called the Israeli-Palestinian Interim Agreement on the West Bank and Gaza, expanded on Oslo I. It included provisions for the complete withdrawal of Israeli troops from six West Bank cities and about 450 towns. Additionally, the pact set a timetable for elections for the Palestinian Legislative Council.
• On May 4, 1994, the first phase of the Oslo Accords was implemented, as Israel and the PLO signed the Cairo Agreement, giving the Palestinians control over Gaza and Jericho.

Details of Oslo Accords:

• Israel to withdraw from Jericho and Gaza, and eventually the West Bank.
• Five years of limited autonomy for Palestinians in those areas.
• Election of Palestinian Legislative Council within nine months.
• Establishment of a Palestinian police force.
• The question of Jerusalem was left undecided.

Explanation :

• A-SAT is essentially a missile that can destroy or jam an enemy country's satellite in space.It can also be used to access critical information about troop movements or incoming missiles.

Types

1. Kinetic A-SATs, like ballistic missiles, physically strike an object in order to destroy it.
2. Non-Kinetic A-SATsuse non-physical means to disable or destroy space objects, which include frequency jamming, blinding lasers or cyber-attacks.

• USA first tested the ASAT technology in 1958 which was followed by USSR in 1964.China joined the club in 2007.India is now the 4^th country to acquire such a specialised and modern capability.
• On March 27, 2019 India conducted Mission Shakti, an anti-satellite missile test, from the Dr. A P J Abdul Kalam Island launch complex.This was a technological mission carried out by DRDO. The satellite used in the mission was one of India’s existing satellites operating in lower orbit.
• India used Kinetic Kill, a space technology in which India has developed capability.
• The range of an ASAT is limited and depends on where it is launched from. Satellites above the range of 20,000 kilometres are out of range. The US and Russia have the capabilities of launching an ASAT from the ship, land and space, while India, presently, has used a land installation.

Explanation :

• Shamlat is one of three categories of common land in Punjab villages. ‘Shamlat’ land is owned by the village panchayat.
• The second category, ‘Jumla Mushtraka Malkan’ is land in a common pool made with villager’s personal contributions, and is managed by the panchayat.
• The third category, ‘Gaucharan’, too belongs to the panchayat, and is for cattle grazing. Over time, however, all such lands have come to be known as Shamlat land.
• Shamlat land is mainly used for cultivation, and is allotted for this through an open auction that is conducted by the Rural Development and Panchayat Department every year.
• One-third of Punjab’s Shamlat lands are reserved for Dalits. Around 25,000 to 26,000 families in the state, mostly Dalits, depend on this land for their livelihood.
• Over half of Punjab’s Shamlat land is concentrated in the six districts of Patiala (highest at 15.5%), Gurdaspur, Ludhiana, Kapurthala, Fatehgarh Sahib and Amritsar.

Explanation :

• Hypersonic weapons refer to weapons that travel faster than Mach 5 and have the capability to maneuver during the entire flight.
• Hypersonic weapons incorporate the speed of a ballistic missile with the maneuvering capabilities of a cruise missile.
• These missiles are capable of delivering conventional or nuclear payloads at ultra-high velocities over long ranges.
• Hypersonic missiles are delivered in two ways: (1) they can be fired from the last stages of Intercontinental Ballistic Missiles (ICBM) or Submarine-Launched Ballistic Missiles (SLBM) and skip along the top of the atmosphere using specialized jet engines to accelerate to hypersonic speeds; or (2) they can be launched independently or released from a bomber—similar to cruise missiles—before accelerating to ultra-high speeds.
• Hypersonic vehicles typically consist of a Supersonic Combustion Ramjet, or Scramjet propulsion system to enable such high speeds.

Explanation :

• Hydrochlorofluorocarbons (HCFCs) are a large group of compounds, whose structure is very close to that of Chlorofluorocarbons (CFCs), but including one or more hydrogen atoms.
• These contain carbon, hydrogen, chlorine and fluorine.
• Under normal conditions, HCFCs are gases or liquids which evaporate easily. They are generally fairly stable and unreactive.
• HCFCs do not usually dissolve in water, but do dissolve in organic (carbon-containing) solvents. HCFCs are also part of a group of chemicals known as the volatile organic compounds (VOCs).
• Hydrochlorofluorocarbons (HCFCs) are ozone depleting substances and potent greenhouse gases that are controlled under the Montreal Protocol.
• HCFCs are used in a wide variety of applications, including refrigeration, air conditioning, foam blowing, solvents, aerosols and fire suppression.