Answer: (A)

Explanation: Recently the first summit-level meeting of the India-Saudi Arabia Strategic Partnership Council (SPC) was co-chaired by Saudi Arabia’s Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman Al Saud and Prime Minister Narendra Modi. The council will meet twice in one year. India is the fourth country with which Saudi Arabia has formed such a strategic partnership, after the UK, France and China. The Strategic Partnership Council essentially aimed to initiate a high-level council to steer the Indo-Saudi relationship that was established in 2019. Hence, only statement 1 is correct.

Answer: (D)

Explanation:

• Recently the Indian Council of Medical Research-National Institute of Virology (ICMR-NIV) has for the first time found the presence of Clade 9 variant of varicella zoster virus (VZV) in India. Varicella-zoster is a herpes virus that causes chickenpox, a common childhood illness. Hence, statement 1 is incorrect.
• Herpes simplex virus (HSV) is a virus that causes infections that is very contagious. Herpes zoster (HZ), which is commonly known as shingles, is caused by the reactivation of the varicella zoster virus (VZV). The Indian Council of Medical Research-National Institute of Virology scientists have for the first time in the country, found the presence of Clade 9 variant of varicella zoster virus (VZV). The clade 9 is the most common strain in circulation in countries such as Germany, UK and USA. Hence, statement 2 is incorrect.
• Mpox disease symptoms are frequently mistaken for VZV, as their clinical presentations often closely resemble each other. The symptoms of Monkeypox disease and Varicella Zoster Virus (VZV) are different. The most characteristic symptom of Varicella Zoster Virus (VZV) causing chicken box is an itchy, blister-like rash on the skin. Mpox (Monkeypox) symptoms include fever, headache, body aches, swollen lymph nodes and a rash. Hence, statement 3 is incorrect.

Answer: (A)

Explanation: E-Waste (Management) Rules, 2022 aids to digitize the process and provides more visibility to the movement of e-waste in the economy. These rules covers every manufacturer, producer refurbisher, dismantler and recycler involved in manufacture, sale, transfer, purchase, refurbishing, dismantling, recycling and processing of e-waste or electrical and electronic equipment listed in Schedule I. The rule does not cover the following:

• Waste batteries as covered under the Battery Waste Management Rules, 2022.
• Packaging plastics as covered under the Plastic Waste Management Rules, 2016.
• Micro enterprise as defined in the Micro, Small and Medium Enterprises Development Act, 2006.
• Radio-active wastes as covered under the provisions of the Atomic Energy Act, 1962.

Hence, statement 2 is incorrect.

Answer: (C)

Explanation: To genetically alter mosquitos, gene-drive technology has been employed in outdoor but controlled environments in India, Brazil, and Panama. A gene drive is a genetic engineering tool used to modify genes. This method could be used to effectively eradicate pest species such as malaria-causing mosquitoes. Using this strategy, mosquitos will preferentially inherit some genes rather than inheriting according to Mendelian genetics laws. In this case, a protein breaks the mosquito's DNA at a location that does not encode a specific sequence in the genome. This triggers a natural repair mechanism in the cell that contains the DNA, forcing the cell to insert a sequence known as the drive sequence into the damaged section. Hence, both statements are correct.

Answer: (B)

Explanation: The European Commission recently classified six Internet behemoths as gatekeepers under the Digital Markets Act (DMA): Alphabet, Amazon, Apple, ByteDance, Meta, and Microsoft. It is a game-changing European law that aims to prevent giant internet platforms that connect customers with content, goods, and services from abusing their market dominance. Hence, option (b) is correct.