UPSC Quiz – 2021 : IASbaba’s Daily Current Affairs Quiz 23rd November 2021

Solution (a)

NASA’s planetary defence test is set to intentionally crash a spacecraft into an asteroid to deflect its path. The Double Asteroid Redirection Test (DART) will attempt to hit the moonlet asteroid Dimorphos, which orbits a larger asteroid called Didymos. 

None of these asteroids pose any threat to Earth and this mission is only intended as a test and technology demonstrator, according to the space agency. 

The mission, which will primarily give a nudge to Dimorphos to deflect its trajectory, will be monitored via Earth-based telescopes and equipment throughout its journey.

The main aim of the Double Asteroid Redirection Test (DART) mission is to test the newly developed technology that would allow a spacecraft to crash into an asteroid and change its course.

Dimorphos orbits a larger asteroid named Didymos (Greek for “twin”) which has a diameter of 780 metres. The asteroid and the moonlet do not pose any threat to Earth and the mission is to test the new technology to be prepared in case an asteroid heads towards Earth in the future.

Article Link:

https://indianexpress.com/article/explained/nasa-dart-mission-asteroid-explained-7617692/

Solution (c)

Indian astronomers have now found stars that are hotter than the Sun.

These stars, eight in all, belong to a rare class called ‘MRPs’ or Main-sequence Radio Pulse emitters. The Pune-based astronomers have discovered the stars by using Giant Metrewave Radio Telescope (GMRT) located near Pune.

The MRPs are stars hotter than the Sun with unusually strong magnetic fields, and much stronger stellar wind. Due to this, they emit bright radio pulses like a lighthouse, the research outfit said. Though the first MRP was discovered in 2000, it was only due to the high sensitivity of the upgraded GMRT (uGMRT) that the number of such stars known have increased multiple times in recent years, with 11 of the 15 discovered using the high-tech telescope

Article Link:

https://www.wionews.com/science/indian-astronomers-discover-stars-hotter-than-sun-430818

Solution (b)

The Competition Commission of India (CCI) has recommended the creation of a National Digital Drugs Databank and strict enforcement of drug quality standards to boost price competition among generic drugs in India. We examine the findings and recommendations of the CCI’s market study in the pharmaceutical sector in India.

What are the key findings of the CCI?

The CCI found that the market for generic drugs is driven by brand competition instead of price competition despite such drugs being functionally and chemically identical. Generic drugs are chemically identical to drugs that once had patent protection.

The study concluded that brand differentiation in terms of a perception of different levels of quality and trade margins offered to incentivise chemists were key drivers of brand competition in India’s markets for generics.

The CCI noted while the share of online pharmacies stood at 2.8 per cent in 2018, the online pharmacy sector’s reach has expanded during the pandemic to 8.8 million households from 3.5 million households prior to the pandemic.

The Competition Commission of India (CCI) is the chief national competition regulator in India. It is a statutory body within the Ministry of Corporate Affairs and is responsible for enforcing the Competition Act, 2002 in order to promote competition and prevent activities that have an appreciable adverse effect on competition in India.

The commission was established on 14 October 2003. It became fully functional in May 2009 

The Commission comprises a Chairperson and not less than 2 and not more than 6 other members appointed by the Central Government.

Article Link:

https://indianexpress.com/article/explained/pharma-sector-cci-market-study-explained-7631961/

Solution (b)

Cairn Oil & Gas has announced that it is partnering US-based Halliburton to start shale exploration in the Lower Barmer Hill formation, Western Rajasthan.

The key difference between shale oil and conventional crude is that the former, also called ‘tight oil’, is found in smaller batches, and deeper than conventional crude deposits. Its extraction requires creation of fractures in oil and gas rich shale to release hydrocarbons through a process called hydraulic fracking.

Currently, there is no large-scale commercial production of shale oil and gas in India. State-owned ONGC had, in 2013, started exploration and, by the end of FY21, assessed shale oil and gas potential in 25 nomination blocks, but has reduced investments over the past few years after only getting limited success in shale exploration efforts.

Russia and the US are among the largest shale oil producers in the world, with a surge in shale oil production in the US having played a key role in turning the country from an importer of crude to a net exporter in 2019. 

Shale oil and gas exploration faces several challenges other than environmental concerns around massive water requirements for fracking and potential for ground water contamination.

While sometimes called “shale oil”, tight oil should not be confused with oil shale (shale rich in kerogen) or shale oil (oil produced from oil shales). Therefore, the International Energy Agency recommends using the term “light tight oil” for oil produced from shales or other very low permeability formations, while the World Energy Resources 2013 report by the World Energy Council uses the terms “tight oil” and “shale-hosted oil”

Article Link:

https://indianexpress.com/article/explained/shale-oil-exploration-potential-explained-7630082/

Solution (a)

The idea of APEC was firstly publicly broached by former Prime Minister of Australia Bob Hawke during a speech in Seoul, Korea, on 31 January 1989. Ten months later, 12 Asia-Pacific economies met in Canberra, Australia, to establish APEC. The founding members were Australia; Brunei Darussalam; Canada; Indonesia; Japan; Korea; Malaysia; New Zealand; the Philippines; Singapore; Thailand; and the United States.

APEC’s 21 member economies account for 38 percent of the world’s population and over 60 percent of its GDP. China, Japan, Russia, and the United States are among the group’s political and economic heavyweights.

APEC 2021 is the most important meeting New Zealand has hosted in a generation. Our theme focuses on three key points: Join, Work, Grow. Together.

Article Link:

https://thediplomat.com/2021/11/new-zealands-apec-moment-is-virtually-here/