Current Affairs Quiz - April, 2024

Notes:
The Indian Navy rescued the Iranian fishing vessel Al Kambar and its 23 Pakistani crew members from armed pirates in the Indian Ocean under Operation Sankalp. INS Sumedha and INS Trishul conducted the operation, lasting over 12 hours, about 90 nautical miles southwest of Socotra. The vessel is undergoing checks for seaworthiness. The Socotra Archipelago, near the Gulf of Aden, is under Yemen’s jurisdiction.

Notes:
Deanna Syme Tewari, former Asian Games athlete and torchbearer at the 1982 Delhi edition, died in Dubai at 85. Representing Mysore State, she secured the long jump gold at the 1957 National Athletics Championship and 1958 National Games. She represented India at the 1962 Asian Games in Jakarta. Deanna also served as the torchbearer for the 1982 Asian Games. Despite her athletic achievements, she eventually retired from the sport.

Notes:
Recently, a destructive tornado hit Mainaguri, Jalpaiguri district, West Bengal, leaving five dead and over a hundred injured within its 10-minute rampage. Tornadoes, though rare, afflict India’s eastern regions like West Bengal, Odisha, and Jharkhand, especially pre-monsoon. A 2016 study by India Meteorological Department noted increased tornado activity in Bengal, with fatalities. Rising occurrences in India are attributed to factors like warming Bay of Bengal and unusual wind patterns.

Notes:
The Manohar International Airport, Mopa, joins 13 others in India adopting the Digi Yatra system, enhancing travel convenience. Launched by Union Civil Aviation Minister Jyotiraditya Scindia, it utilizes facial recognition to streamline passenger verification, reducing wait times and simplifying procedures. Passengers download the DigiYatra app, link it to their Aadhaar number, and create a Digi Yatra ID for ticket purchase. At the airport, scanning the boarding pass initiates facial recognition for seamless entry.

Notes:
Nepal’s Lower House of Parliament endorsed the BIMSTEC Charter, fostering collaboration among member countries (Bangladesh, Bhutan, India, Myanmar, Nepal, Sri Lanka, Thailand). Established in 1997, BIMSTEC aims for regional development. The charter outlines principles, objectives, and cooperation framework, establishing legal basis, structure, functions. It promotes regional integration, covering economic development, trade, investment, technology transfer, connectivity. Endorsement and ratification by member states are crucial for effective implementation.

Notes:
Director General Rakesh Pal of the Indian Coast Guard opened the Indian Coast Guard Aquatic Centre in ICGS Mandapam near Rameshwaram, Tamil Nadu, on April 6, 2024. During his 4-day tour across Tamil Nadu, Andhra Pradesh, and Puducherry, he assessed operational readiness and infrastructure development. Interacting with officers, he emphasized a collective vision for safe seas. Established in 1977 under the Ministry of Defence, the Indian Coast Guard aimed to combat smuggling and protect marine resources, formally inaugurated in 1978 by Prime Minister Morarji Desai.

Notes:
Dr. Neeraj Mittal, Secretary (Telecom), inaugurated an “Experimental Licence module for 100 5G Labs” during a workshop at IIT Madras, streamlining processes for 5G Labs in Indian academic institutions. The initiative aims to simplify licensing requirements, facilitating smoother operations and fostering innovation in the 5G domain. The Department of Telecommunications has awarded ‘100 5G Use Case Labs’ to educational institutions nationwide, encouraging engagement in 5G technologies among students and start-ups.

Notes:
The US National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration forecasts an 83% chance of the Oceanic Niño Index (ONI) shifting to a neutral range by April-June 2024. ONI, a key measure of the El Niño-Southern Oscillation (ENSO), tracks sea surface temperatures in the tropical Pacific. El Niño and La Niña, opposing phases of ENSO, impact global weather, ecosystems, and economies. El Niño brings warmer waters, while La Niña ushers in cooler conditions, occurring irregularly every two to seven years.

Notes:
British national Russ Cook, also known as the “Hardest Geezer,” conquered an epic challenge spanning over 352 days. Trekking 10,000+ miles across 16 countries in Africa, he endured visa hurdles, health scares, and even an armed robbery. Departing from South Africa’s south and reaching Tunisia’s north, he completed the journey, raising charity funds. Cook aims to inspire others with his feat, potentially the first to run Africa’s length, emphasizing the power of sports at a press conference in Bizerte, Tunisia.

Notes:
The ISRO Chandrayaan-3 mission team received the 2024 John L ‘Jack’ Swigert Jr. award for space exploration from the US-based Space Foundation. This prestigious accolade, presented during the Space Symposium, recognizes outstanding contributions to space exploration. India’s Consul General in Houston accepted the award, highlighting the mission’s technical prowess. The Space Foundation lauded India’s leadership in space, emphasizing its recent milestone of landing a spacecraft on the Moon’s South Pole.