Option (c) is correct

Explanation

• Taliban seek economic support and recognition from India ahead of the Kazan meeting under Moscow format.
• Statement 2 is correct: The Moscow format is one of the several dialogue platforms started to attain reconciliation in Afghanistan.
• Statement 1 is correct:It consisted of six member countries — Russia, Afghanistan, China, Pakistan, Iran and India.
• The Kazan chapter of the Moscow format consultations has additional significance because China became the first major power to appoint a new ambassador, Zhao Xing, to Kabul.

Option (d) is correct

Explanation

• The Philippine coast guard  said it had removed a floating barrier placed by China’s coast guard to prevent Filipino fishing boats from entering a disputed area in the South China Sea.
• The South China Sea is part of the Pacific Ocean partially enclosed by islands, archipelagos, and peninsulas from the open ocean.
• The South China Sea is situated just south of the Chinese mainland and is bordered by the countries of Brunei, China, Indonesia, Malaysia, Philippines, Taiwan and Vietnam.
• The South China Sea is one of the most strategically critical maritime areas (more on this later) and China eyes its control to assert more power over the region.
• It comprises three archipelagos, namely, the Spratly Islands, Paracel Islands, Pratas Islands and Macclesfield’s Bank and Scarborough Shoal.

Option (b) is correct

Explanation

• Recently, the union government has extended support under the scheme for Remission of Duties and Taxes on Exported Products (RoDTEP) till 30 June 2024, earlier the support was notified till 30th September 2023.
• The RoDTEP Scheme was introduced by the government as a duty remission scheme on exports and is being implemented from 1 January 2021
• Statement 1 is Correct: RoDTEP is a WTO-compliant scheme. It replaced the Merchandise Exports from India Scheme (MEIS), in response to the US challenging the Indian export subsidies under the MEIS at the WTO. 
• Statement 2 is not correct: Every exporter of goods in India is eligible to obtain the benefits under the RoDTEP scheme, subject to certain conditions:
  • This scheme is open to both manufacturers and merchant exporters, without any threshold of turnover.
• Statement 3 is Correct: RoDTEP is a fully automated digital credit system that facilitates reimbursements of taxes and duties in transferable electronic scripts and keeps track of the credits in a computerised ledger.

Option (a) is correct

Explanation

• Nepal rejected calls from China to join President Xi Jinping’s Global Security Initiative (GSI).
• The GSI seeks to challenge the Western-led global governance system and de-legitimize the United States’ role in Asia. 
• The GSI consolidates the basic norms of modern China’s foreign policy as codified in the Five Principles of Peaceful Co-existence. 

Option (c) is correct

Explanation

• Nasa’s Psyche spacecraft is set to embark on a groundbreaking mission to explore a metal-rich asteroid, following the completion of fueling and testing procedures.
• The objective of ‘Psyche mission’ is to study metal-rich asteroids to find how Earth formed.
• The Psyche mission will explore the asteroid that orbits the Sun between Mars and Jupiter.            
• In addition to its primary mission, the Psyche spacecraft will also host a pioneering technology demonstration known as NASA’s Deep Space Optical Communications (DSOC) experiment.
• This mission represents a significant step forward in our understanding of the early solar system and the formation of terrestrial planets.