Ans: A
Exp:

Israel and Lebanon entered into a ceasefire, after Israel’s security cabinet approved a US-backed proposal to end the 13-month-long conflict that escalated in September. 

• • The UNSC Resolution 1701 aims at ending hostilities between Hezbollah and Israel, and calls for the creation of a buffer zone as well as a permanent ceasefire. Option (a) is correct.
  • The resolution meant to complete the withdrawal of Israeli forces in 2000 from southern Lebanon along the ‘Blue Line’ and the Israeli-annexed Golan Heights.

• Key Highlights of Resolution:
  • No foreign forces in Lebanon without the Government’s consent
  • No sales or supply of arms and related materials to Lebanon except as authorised by its Government
  • Provision to the UN of all remaining maps of landmines in Lebanon in Israel’s possession

Ans: D

Exp

The Organisation for the Prohibition of Chemical Weapons (OPCW) Hague award acknowledges ICC contributions to chemical safety, compliance with Chemical Weapon Convention (CWC).

• Chemical Weapon Convention (CWC) is the world’s first multilateral disarmament agreement to provide for the elimination of an entire category of weapons of mass destruction within a fixed time frame
• Mandate:  
  • To end the development, production, stockpiling, transfer and use of chemical weapons
  • To prevent their re-emergence
  • To  ensure the elimination of existing stocks of such weapons
  • To make the world safe from the threat of chemical warfare.
• Statement 1 is correct: National Authority Chemical Weapons Convention is a statutory Body established under Chemical Weapons Convention Act, 2000.
• Statement 3 is correct: The 2013 Nobel Prize for Peace was awarded to the Organisation for the Prohibition of Chemical Weapons  for its extensive efforts to eliminate chemical weapons.
• Statement 2 is correct: India signed the Chemical Weapons Convention in January 1993.

Ans: C

Exp:

The State government has decided to table the Karnataka State Rural Development and Panchayat Raj University (KSRDPRU) Bill, 2024, in the Winter session of the State legislature in Belagavi, which will replace the Governor with the Chief Minister as the Chancellor of the university.

• • Statement 1 is correct:  Governor of the state is the ex-officio chancellor of the universities in that state
  • Governor’s powers and functions as the Chancellor are laid out in the statutes that govern the universities under a particular state government.
  • Statement 2 is correct: He acts independently of the Council of Ministers and takes his own decisions on all University matters as Chancellor.
• Constitutional Discretion of Governor of State:
• Constitution makes the following provisions
• • If any question arises as to whether a matter falls within the Governor’s discretion or not, the decision of the Governor is final.
  • Validity of anything done by the Governor cannot be called into question on the ground that he ought or ought not to have acted in his discretion.

• According to the University Grants Commission (UGC) Regulations, 2018, Vice Chancellor of a university, in general, is appointed by Visitor/Chancellor, from a panel of three to five names recommended by the duly constituted Search cum Selection Committee.

Ans: D

Exp:

India has tested a nuclear-capable ballistic missile with a range of around 3,500 km from a nuclear-powered submarine in the Bay of Bengal, in a major boost to its nuclear deterrence and strategic capabilities.

• • The K-4 missile was tested from submarine INS Arighaat off the coast of Visakhapatnam.
  • Statement 1 is correct:  Cruise Missile are self-navigating while Ballistic Missile are guided for brief periods of flight, the rest of its trajectory is driven by gravity
  • Statement 2 is correct:  The target may be mobile for  Cruise Missile unlike the target is decided for Ballistic Missile.
  • Statement 3 is correct: K-4 is a variant of the land-based Agni-III missile 

• Ballistic Missile:

• • • It takes a ballistic trajectory to deliver one or more warheads to a designated target.
    • Suitable for large targets.
    • Example: Agni-V is India’s first Intercontinental Ballistic Missile(ICBM), with a range of around 5000-8000 km.

• Cruise Missile

• • It is a guided missile that remains in the atmosphere and travels at a steady speed for most of its flight path.
  • It is capable of flying at incredibly low altitudes, that makes tracking harder.
  • Example: BrahMos is the fastest supersonic missile of the world
    • BrahMos II, the hypersonic cruise missile, is currently in the developing phase. 

Ans: B

Exp:

India along with the member states of the World Intellectual Property Organization (WIPO) has adopted the Design Law Treaty (DLT)

About the Treaty:

• The Treaty seeks to harmonise procedures and simplify registration processes of industrial designs in different countries. Option (b) is correct.
• Objective: The treaty will facilitate design protection by eliminating red tape and simplifying the application procedures making it easier and affordable to protect and market designs.
• Structure:The Treaty will consist of articles and rules. 
  • Updation: The Assembly of the Contracting Parties will be able to amend the rules, thereby fostering a dynamic framework within which to further develop design law.
• Prepared by: The Department for Trademarks, Industrial Designs and Geographical Indications, Brands and Designs Sector, of the World Intellectual Property Organization (WIPO).