Current Affairs Quiz - April, 2024

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:
The Reserve Bank of India (RBI) plans to establish the Digital India Trust Agency (DIGITA) to counter cybercrime, focusing on legal app approval and curbing illegal loan apps. DIGITA aims to centralize verification of digital lending apps, ensuring compliance with RBI regulations. Unverified apps may face penalties and law enforcement action. Maintaining a public list of approved apps, DIGITA enhances consumer protection and aids in combating financial crimes in the digital lending sector.

Notes:
Bindyarani Devi, Birmingham Commonwealth Games 2022 silver medalist, secured a bronze at the IWF World Cup 2024 in Phuket, Thailand, lifting 196 kg in the women’s 55 kg category. Conversely, Tokyo Olympics silver medalist Mirabai Chanu placed 12th. Despite not medaling, Chanu qualified for the Paris Olympics 2024, becoming India’s sole weightlifter to do so. Kang Hyon Gyong of North Korea clinched gold, while Romania’s Mihaela Cambei took silver.

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:
Venomous Pelagia noctilucas, or purple-striped jellyfish, are blooming along Visakhapatnam’s coast in Andhra Pradesh. Jellyfish blooms occur when populations rapidly increase due to warm ocean temperatures. These blooms detrimentally impact fishing and tourism industries. Natural factors like ocean and wind currents can also contribute to these occurrences.

Notes:
Scientists have proposed a model elucidating Arrokoth’s ice core, a celestial body in the Kuiper Belt, named ‘sky’ in Powhatan language. Discovered in 2014 by Hubble, Arrokoth is the farthest explored object by humans, resembling a snowman. It’s believed to hold ancient gaseous ice. The Kuiper Belt, also known as Edgeworth-Kuiper belt, comprises icy bodies orbiting beyond Neptune, named after astronomer Gerard Kuiper who hypothesized its existence in the 1950s.

Notes:
Peter Pellegrini, backed by Slovakia’s nationalist-left government, wins the presidential election, defeating liberal Ivan Korčok. With 53.85% of the vote, Pellegrini pledges to maintain Slovakia’s peace stance. He becomes the sixth president since independence in 1993, succeeding Zuzana Čaputová. As president, Pellegrini will appoint the prime minister, swear in the government, and influence judicial appointments. His victory signifies a shift towards state interventionism. The new government halts weapon exports to Ukraine.

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:
India gains approval from the Ministry of External Affairs to manage its second overseas port, Sittwe in Myanmar, following Chabahar in Iran. Sittwe, situated at the Kaladan River’s mouth in Rakhine State, Myanmar, is developed under the Kaladan Multi-Modal Transit Transport Project (KMTTP), supported by India’s grant aid. This strategic move is poised to amplify trade prospects for India’s Northeast, fostering enhanced commerce between India and Myanmar.

Notes:
The Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) unveiled its inaugural ‘Vision for Regional Security’ in Riyadh, marking a historic milestone since its establishment in 1981. Comprising Saudi Arabia, Kuwait, the UAE, Qatar, Bahrain, and Oman, the GCC fosters unity among member states through shared political and cultural identities. The council’s presidency rotates annually, reflecting its commitment to collective objectives rooted in Arab and Islamic traditions.