Daily Current Affairs (MCQ) | Date 07.03.22

Q1. Nord Stream 2 is a oil and gas pipeline between

a. Russia and Ukraine
b. Ukraine and Germany
c. Germany and Russia
d. Poland and Germany

Answer : c

Why is the Question ?

Q2. Consider the following statements

1. Russia exports majority of its gas to Central Asian countries
2. Nord stream 2 pipeline connects Russia to Germany

Which of the above statements is/are correct?

a. 1 only
b. 2 only
c. Both 1 and 2
d. Neither 1 nor 2

Answer : b

Why is the Question ?

Impact of Putin’s push
1. Russian President Vladimir Putin revived Russia by leveraging oil and gas production which provide 60% of exports, 25% of government revenue, and have boosted national reserves to $600 billion.
2. It can, and has used gas as an instrument of influence in its “near abroad”. However, for the EU (60% of Russia’s gas exports), and its main customer Germany, Russia has been the most reliable supplier.
3. A new pipeline was built to Germany via Belarus and Poland, and Russia now supplies 35%-40% of the EU’s gas needs. In the early 2000s, the EU noted the stability of Russia’s gas deliveries.

4. However, in 2004, political instability in Ukraine began causing problems for gas flow, and thereafter, work on the direct Russia-Germany link via the undersea giant Nord Stream project was planned.
5. The two Nord Stream pipelines are game-changers as they can meet nearly all of Germany’s import requirements, and are symbols of synergy with Russia. Crucially, however, they deprive Ukraine and East European transit countries of revenues and leave them dependent on Russia for continued supplies.
6. Some have had to get Russian gas via eastward flows from Germany! Hence, their strident opposition to the Nord Stream project from the outset, and with U.S. support they have launched the Three Seas Initiative to develop north-south gas connectivity using liquefied natural gas (LNG) imported via maritime terminals on the Baltic, Adriatic and Black Seas.

Q3. Recently seen in the news, the Three Seas Initiative includes

a. The Baltic, Adriatic, Black Sea
b. The Mediterranean, Adriatic, Black Sea
c. The Caspian, Baltic, Mediterranean Sea
d. The Red, Caspian, Baltic Sea

Answer : a

Why is the Question ?

The Three Seas Initiative, known also as the Baltic, Adriatic, Black Sea Initiative or simply as the Three Seas, is a forum of twelve states, in the European Union, running along a north-south axis from the Baltic Sea to the Adriatic and Black Seas in Central and Eastern Europe

Q4. Which of the following countries is the largest producer of Natural Gas?

a. Russia
b. China
c. USA
d. Ukraine

Answer : c

Why is the Question ?

The U.S. strategy

1. As in the 1950s, the U.S. can now deliver energy — LNG — to buttress its security umbrella. The shale gas revolution has made the U.S. the world’s largest producer of gas; and as production surpassed the peak set in 1973, it has become a major exporter of LNG.
2. The strategy of reducing Russia’s grip on the lucrative EU gas market is thus being pursued ruthlessly for both strategic and commercial reasons. If Nord Stream 2 remains non-functional and Germany has to set up LNG terminals instead.
3. In case “green” activism curbs U.S. shale gas expansion, the geopolitically risk-laden effort to create a long-term Europe-Mideast gas nexus using the enormous gas reserves of Iran (and Qatar) could be revived.
4. German Chancellor Olaf Scholz’s support for Nord Stream 2 has been threatened since his assumption of office last December, which coincided with U.S. intelligence leaks about the imminent invasion of Ukraine.
5. His hand has now been forced and regulatory certification of the pipeline is suspended, and Mr Scholz announced a U-turn away from Ostpolitik to closer coordination with NATO.

Q5. Which of the following countries recently claimed to have launched a spy satellite?

a. Israel
b. Russia

c. China
d. North Korea

Answer : d

Why is the Question ?

North Korea confirms tests on a reconnaissance satellite

1. North Korea performed data transmission and other key tests needed to develop a spy satellite, state media said, in the second such tests in about a week, indicating the country intends to conduct a prohibited long-range rocket launch soon.
2. The moves come as North Korea has been carrying out a spate of ballistic missile launches in what experts call an attempt to add new weapons systems to its arsenal and pressure the U.S. into making concessions amid stalled diplomacy.
3. A spy satellite is among a long wish list of new weapons systems that Korean leader Kim Jong Un has vowed to introduce to cope with what he calls U.S. hostility.

4. To operate a reconnaissance satellite, North Korea must launch a long-range rocket to put it into orbit. But the UN bans such a launch by North Korea because it considers that as a cover for testing its long-range missile technology.