Daily Current Affairs Quiz: October 25, 2024

Notes:
PM Young Achievers Scholarship Award Scheme for Vibrant India (PM-YASASVI) is an initiative by the Ministry of Social Justice and Empowerment aimed at providing financial assistance and educational support to students from Other Backward Classes (OBC), Economically Backward Classes (EBC), and Denotified Tribes (DNT). It merged earlier programs like the Dr. Ambedkar Post-Matric and Pre/Post-Matric Scholarships for EBCs and DNTs starting in 2021-22. The scheme provides scholarships from Class 9 to post-secondary studies. The objective is to empower disadvantaged groups by removing financial barriers, ensuring they complete their education.

Notes:
The Giant Salmon Carp, thought to be extinct, has been spotted three times in the Mekong River in recent years. This fish, also known as the Mekong giant salmon carp, can grow up to 4 feet long and has a distinctive knob on its lower jaw.
It is found in northern Cambodia, Laos, and Thailand and has seen its population decline by over 90% due to overfishing and habitat loss. The fish is critically endangered, according to the IUCN. The Mekong River is the longest in Southeast Asia and supports many large fish species while creating a fertile delta in southern Vietnam.

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The International Monetary Fund (IMF) released a World Economic Outlook (WEO) report in October 2024. It forecasts global growth to remain stable at 3.2% in 2024 and 2025. The WEO is published biannually by the IMF, providing estimates on global GDP growth, inflation, and more for 190 member countries. India’s GDP growth is expected to be 7% in 2024, slowing to 5% in 2025 due to reduced post-pandemic demand. The U.S. economy is projected to grow at 2.8% in 2024 and 2.2% in 2025. China’s growth is forecasted at 4.8% in 2024 and 4.5% in 2025.

Notes:
Urmila Chaudhary from Nepal won the Global Anti-Racism Championship Award 2024, presented by U.S. Secretary of State Antony J. Blinken. The award honors her work in advancing racial equity, justice, and human rights. Urmila was rescued from child servitude at age 17 and co-founded the Freed Kamlari Development Forum, empowering former bonded laborers. She fights for marginalized castes in Nepal and studies law to further her cause. The illegal Kamlari system, which sold girls into servitude, was abolished in 2013 after mass protests, but justice and rehabilitation efforts continue.

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NASA revealed the prototype of six telescopes for the Laser Interferometer Space Antenna (LISA) mission. LISA is a joint mission between National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) and European Space Agency (ESA), set to launch in the mid-2030s. Its goal is to detect gravitational waves using three spacecraft positioned in a triangular formation, 1.6 million miles apart. It will be the first gravitational wave detector in space, exploring black holes, gravity, and the universe’s expansion. The spacecraft will use lasers to measure subtle distance changes between free-floating cubes, detecting ripples in spacetime.