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:
The Decision Support System (DSS) for Delhi’s air pollution, developed by IITM Pune, will resume in September with new features. It forecasts Delhi’s air quality and pollution sources, including emissions from Delhi and neighboring districts. It also assesses the impact of emission interventions and biomass burning. Now, it will extend to eight surrounding NCR districts. DSS, operational in winter, halted temporarily due to forecast discrepancies. It collaborates with SAFAR for comprehensive air quality data.

Notes:
The Ministry of Electronics and Information Technology (MeitY) issued an advisory to the AI industry, particularly targeting major platforms like Google. It requires platforms to submit an action report within 15 days. Key points include needing permission for testing AI models, explicit approval for under-tested or unreliable AI, and proper labeling of potential errors. Startup founders criticized this, calling it demotivating.

Notes:
In March 2024, UNESCO’s Executive Board added 18 new sites to the Global Geoparks network, bringing the total number of sites to 213 across 48 countries. The new sites are located in Belgium, the Netherlands, Brazil, China, Croatia, Denmark, Finland, France, Greece, Hungary, Poland, Portugal, and Spain. Global Geoparks are single geographical areas that are managed with a holistic concept of protection, education, and sustainable development.

Notes:
Swell waves inundated coastal areas in central and southern Kerala due to distant storm winds, termed ‘Kallakkadal’. The waves flooded beaches in Thiruvananthapuram, Kollam, Alappuzha, and Thrissur districts, prompting district-level disaster management to alert. ‘Kallakkadal’ causes flash floods without noticeable wind changes. Authorities advise against beach visits and monitor the high-alert coastal areas. Swells, characterized by collective height, period, and direction, vary in size and quality based on local conditions.

Notes:
The 56th National Kho Kho Championship 2023-24 saw Maharashtra dominating both men’s and women’s categories at Delhi’s Karnail Singh Stadium and Indira Gandhi Indoor Stadium. Maharashtra’s men’s team won against Indian Railways in a thrilling final, while the women’s team led by Sampada Maurya triumphed over Airport Authority of India. The championship featured 37 teams in each category, organized by the Kho Kho Federation of India.

Notes:
The International Organization for Migration (IOM) published “A Decade of Documenting Migrant Deaths” marking ten years of its Missing Migrants Project (MMP), initiated in 2014. Key findings reveal over one-third of migrants from conflict zones, with two-thirds of deaths unidentified. Major causes include drowning, accidents, and suffocation. Brain drain exacerbates economic inequalities.

Notes:
An anti-dumping investigation has commenced on imports of ‘insoluble sulphur’ from China and Japan. Insoluble sulphur, an amorphous form of sulfur, doesn’t dissolve in carbon disulfide. Widely utilized as a rubber additive, especially in automobile parts like tires and shoes, it acts as a vulcanization accelerator, enhancing rubber quality and durability through cross-linking. This process, vital in the rubber industry, improves product wearability and overall quality.

Notes:
The caracal, a medium-sized wild cat native to Africa, Middle East, and parts of Asia, including India, faces extinction due to habitat loss, hunting, and illegal trade. In India, it’s called Siya gosh, meaning ‘black ear’. Known for its distinctive long ears and hunting prowess, the caracal primarily preys on small mammals and birds. Despite being listed as Least Concern on the IUCN Red List, conservation efforts are crucial to safeguard its population.

Notes:
Members of a Russian military intelligence unit are suspected of targeting US officials’ brains with directed energy weapons, leading to symptoms known as Havana syndrome. This condition, reported by US embassy officials in Cuba in 2016, involves migraines, fatigue, and cognitive impairment. India witnessed its first case in 2021 when a US intelligence officer traveling with CIA Director William Burns reported symptoms in New Delhi, raising concerns about similar incidents worldwide.