Daily Current Affairs Quiz: April 14-15, 2024

Notes:
The 5th edition of the ‘Dustlik’ joint military exercise between India and Uzbekistan begins on April 15 in Termez, Uzbekistan. Running for 14 days until April 28, it aims to enhance cooperation and future military ties between the two nations. Through training programmes, the exercise fosters mutual understanding and strengthens their relationship by sharing operational methodologies. This collaborative effort will significantly boost defence cooperation and deepen bilateral military engagement.

Notes:
A recent report by Switzerland’s EA Earth Action reveals India as one of the top twelve contributors to 60% of the world’s mismanaged plastic waste. Released on April 12, 2024, the Plastic Overshoot Day report highlights Eritrea as the worst in the Mismanaged Waste Index, with Bermuda at the bottom. India’s per capita plastic waste production is the world’s lowest at 8 kg per year, yet its expected mismanaged waste in 2024 is “very high” at 7.4 million tons.

Notes:
The BepiColombo mission, collaboration between ESA and JAXA, recently made a fleeting visit to Venus, offering surprising insights into atmospheric gas stripping. Launched in 2018, it comprises two spacecraft headed to Mercury, aiming to study its magnetic field, composition, and geology. Scheduled to reach Mercury in 2025, BepiColombo honors Italian mathematician Giuseppe “Bepi” Colombo. It marks the second mission to orbit Mercury, promising unprecedented complexity in its investigations.

Notes:
China National Space Administration (CNSA) declared the Queqiao-2 satellite launch a “complete success”. Queqiao-2, or Magpie Bridge 2, weighs 1,200 kg and features a 4.2-meter parabolic antenna, facilitating communications between Earth and lunar probes until 2030. It will support Chang’e-6, -7, and -8 missions, equipped with science payloads including EUC, GENA, and LOVEX. Two CubeSats, Tiandu-1 and Tiandu-2, with navigation and communication tech, will also orbit the Moon.

Notes:
A study in Leicester led by Dr. Joseph Barker and Prof. Andre Ng used AI to detect ventricular arrhythmia (VA), a deadly cardiac disorder. The AI tool, VA-ResNet-50, accurately identified VA 80% of the time, analyzing 270 adults’ ECGs from 2014 to 2022. Ventricular arrhythmia, if untreated, can cause sudden death. Published in the European Heart Journal – Digital Health, the study highlights AI’s potential in diagnosing critical heart conditions.