UPSC EXAM QUIZ 27.11.2024

Explanation:

• Droughts and rising water needs for irrigation have led farms and cities to rely more on groundwater, leading to a steady decline in underground water supplies.
• Now, based on observations made by NASA and German satellites, an international team of scientists has found that the amount of fresh and fresh water on Earth has declined sharply since May 2014 and this decline has continued since then.

Declining freshwater reserves

Global situation

• Between 2015 and 2023, freshwater stored on land, including lakes, rivers and groundwater, will decrease by 1,200 cubic kilometers.
• Freshwater quality has declined in about half of the countries. More than 400 river basins are seeing a decrease in water flow, including important catchments such as the Congo Basin.
• According to a World Meteorological Organization report, 2023 will be the driest year for rivers in the last three decades, which will further aggravate the freshwater crisis.

Explanation:

• International Criminal Court has issued arrest warrants against Israel Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, his former defense minister and Hamas officials on charges of war crimes and crimes against humanity.

International Criminal Court

• Establishment: ICC is the first international permanent court, which investigates and prosecutes people accused of serious international crimes.
• Treaty of Rome: ICC was established by the Treaty of Rome, which was adopted in 1998 and came into force in 2002.
• Jurisdiction: ICC has jurisdiction over 4 main crimes (such as war crimes, crimes against humanity etc.).

Membership

• 124 countries are members of the Treaty of Rome.
• India, Israel, USA, Russia and China are not members of the Treaty of Rome.
• Palestine became the 123rd member in 2015 and Malaysia became the 124th member in 2019.

Explanation:

• Centenary of 'Bose-Einstein' Statistics celebrated, honouring Satyendra Nath Bose's groundbreaking work on particle indistinguishability.
• His contributions laid the foundation for major advances in quantum mechanics, including the Bose-Einstein condensate, and continue to shape modern physics.

Satyendra Nath Bose

• Born on 1 January 1894 in Calcutta (now Kolkata), Bose was a brilliant student who excelled in mathematics from an early age.
• Inspired by Jagadish Chandra Bose, a pioneer of radio wave research, S.N. Bose ventured into the field of quantum mechanics, which led to his groundbreaking contributions in the field.

Explanation:

• Multitracking projects worth Rs 7,927 crore approved by the Cabinet to increase rail connectivity.
• Three major multitracking projects at a cost of approximately Rs 7,927 crore have been approved for Indian Railways by the Cabinet Committee on Economic Affairs chaired by Prime Minister Narendra Modi.
• The initiative aims to enhance rail connectivity, reduce congestion, and contribute to economic development.
• These projects include Jalgaon-Manmad 4th line (160 km), Bhusaval-Khandwa 3rd and 4th lines (131 km), and Prayagraj (Irdatganj)-Manikpur 3rd line (84 km), with a total length of 639 km.
• These tracks are part of the PM-Gati Shakti National Master Plan, which is designed to integrate multi-modal connectivity and ensure seamless movement of people and goods.
• These projects are spread across seven districts of Maharashtra, Madhya Pradesh, and Uttar Pradesh, which will impact about 1,319 villages and benefit a population of about 38 lakh.
• Notably, improved connectivity will benefit two aspirational districts, Khandwa and Chitrakoot, and will give a boost to the major rail corridor, the Mumbai-Prayagraj-Varanasi route.
• Eco-friendly rail infrastructure will contribute to India's climate goals, reducing carbon dioxide emissions by 271 crore kg per year—equivalent to planting 11 crore trees.

Explanation:

• It has been 107 years since the Balfour Declaration, which was issued on November 2, 1917.
• The Balfour Declaration (named after British Foreign Secretary Arthur James Balfour) was a public document issued by the British government during World War I.
• It supported the establishment of a "homeland for the Jewish people" in Palestine, which was then an Ottoman territory with a small Jewish minority.
• The declaration was issued to ensure the safety of Jews amid growing persecution in Europe.
• This was in contrast to Britain's earlier promise in the McMahon-Hussein Correspondence (1915-1916), in which it promised to support an independent Arab state in exchange for Arab assistance against the Ottoman Empire.
• Britain sought Jewish support for the Allies to influence Jewish communities in the US and Russia, and also saw control of Palestine as vital to safeguard British interests in the Suez Canal and India.