Ans: D

Exp:

Recently, Russia dismissed a joint media investigation that found evidence that a Russian military intelligence unit might be responsible for the mysterious health condition known as ‘Havana syndrome’ that affected US diplomats and spies across the world.

Statement 1 is incorrect: Havana syndrome refers to a set of mental health symptoms. Generally, the word ‘syndrome’ simply means a set of symptoms. It does not mean a unique medical condition but rather a set of symptoms usually experienced together and whose origins may be complex to confirm. 

Studies by scientists in the US and medical examinations of the victims began to suggest that they may have been subjected to high-powered microwaves that either damaged or interfered with the nervous system.

Statement  2 is incorrect: The first known cases of Havana syndrome were reported in Cuba in late 2016 when CIA officers stationed at the U.S. Embassy in Havana reported feeling intense fatigue, nausea and pressure in their heads.

Ans: B

Exp:

Recently, the Curiosity rover of the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) has begun exploring a new region of Mars, i.e., the Gediz Vallis channel.

Statement 1 is incorrect: The Curiosity rover launched by the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) in 2011 has begun exploring a new region of Mars, i.e., the Gediz Vallis channel. Curiosity was launched aboard an Atlas V rocket from Cape Canaveral Air Force Station, Florida, on Nov. 26, 2011, and landed on Aug. 5, 2012, after taking eight months and ten days to reach the Red Planet. 

Statement 2 is correct: According to NASA, Curiosity has four main science goals in support of the agency’s Mars exploration program:

• Determine whether life ever arose on Mars.
• Characterize the climate of Mars.
• Characterize the geology of Mars.
• Prepare for human exploration.

Statement 3 is correct:  NASA’s Curiosity Rover has discovered high amounts of methane in the Martian air, which is usually produced by living things on Earth. The Curiosity rover has found 21 parts per billion of methane, or three times the 2013 finding. The gas seems to rise and fall with the red planet’s seasons. However, the Trace Gas Orbiter, a newer European spacecraft launched in 2016 with more sensitive instruments, did not detect any methane in its first batch of scientific observations last year.

Ans: A

Exp: 

PMLA was a comprehensive penal statute to counter the threat of money laundering, specifically stemming from trade in narcotics. Currently, the offences in the schedule of the Act are highly overbroad and, in several cases, have no relation to either narcotics or organised crime.

Statement 1 is incorrect: In the case of PMLA, an ECIR (Enforcement Case Information Report) is filed. It is similar to the FIR but is regarded as an “internal document” and is not released to the accused. Throughout the procedure, the accused needs to learn the facts of the allegation against him, as the only document which contains the allegation is the ECIR, which is not supplied to the accused persons.

Statement 2 is correct: In General Criminal Law, every accused is innocent until proven guilty. However, in PMLA, this burden has been shifted to the accused; they must prove their innocence.

Statement 3 is incorrect: With the onset of the process of economic liberalisation, FERA, 1973, which was a regulatory law, was repealed and in its place, a new law viz. the Foreign Exchange Management Act, 1999 (FEMA) came into operation w.e.f. 1st June 2000. In tune with the International Anti-Money Laundering regime, the Prevention of Money Laundering Act, 2002 (PMLA) was enacted, and ED was entrusted with its enforcement w.e.f. 1st July 2005.

Statement 4 is incorrect: Section 45 of the Prevention of Money Laundering Act (PMLA) made offences to be cognizable and non-bailable and no person accused of an offence shall be released on bail or on his own bond unless the Public Prosecutor is allowed to oppose the application for such release and where the Public Prosecutor opposes the application, the court is satisfied that there are reasonable grounds for believing that the accused is not likely to commit any offence while on bail.

Ans: A

Exp: 

In Kerala, swell waves inundated the coastal areas across central and southern districts last evening, prompting the district-level disaster management authorities to be alert.

Statement 1 is Correct: Kallakkadal is a colloquial term used by Kerala fishermen to refer to the freaky flooding episodes, and in 2012, UNESCO formally accepted this term for scientific use.

They are flash-flood events without any noticeable advance change in local winds or any other apparent signature in the coastal environment.

Statement 2 is Incorrect:  A study by INCOIS scientists has revealed that specific meteorological conditions in the Southern Indian Ocean support the generation of long-period swells.

Kallakkadal is caused by meteorological conditions in the Southern Ocean, south of 30°S.

Statement 3 is  Incorrect: These swells, once generated, travel northward and reach the Indian coasts in 3-5 days, creating havoc in the coastal areas.

Ans: D

Exp:

On Monday, the Supreme Court refused to give Kerala relief in its case against the Centre over net borrowing limits.

Statement 1 is correct: Article 293 mentions how a State can borrow money from the Consolidated Fund Of India. 

Statement 2 is correct: The executive power of a State extends to borrowing within the territory of India upon the security of the Consolidated Fund of the State within such limits and to the giving of guarantees within such limits, if any, as may be so fixed.”

Statement 3 is correct: Article 293(3) of the Constitution requires states to obtain the Centre’s consent to borrow if the state is indebted to the Centre over a previous loan.

Statement 4 is correct: In practice, the Centre has been exercising this power in accordance with the recommendations of the Finance Commission. Every state is currently indebted to the Centre, and thus, all require the Centre’s consent to borrow.