Current Affairs Quiz - April, 2024

Notes:
Renowned economist Utsa Patnaik receives the 2023 Malcolm Adiseshiah Award, an honor granted annually by the Malcolm & Elizabeth Adiseshiah Trust. Selected by a national-level jury, the award acknowledges exceptional contributions to Development Studies. It includes a citation and Rs. 2 lakh cash prize. Malcolm Adiseshiah, the award’s namesake, was an Indian development economist and educator, recognized with the Padma Bhushan in 1976 for his impactful work.

Notes:
NASA confirmed the Dragonfly rotorcraft mission to Saturn’s moon Titan with a $3.35 billion budget, launching in July 2028. It’s a “dual quadcopter” exploring various locations, mainly on the moon’s surface, with a radioisotope power system. Scheduled to arrive in 2034, it will search for prebiotic chemical processes, resembling early Earth conditions. This marks NASA’s first scientific vehicle on another planetary body. Titan, Saturn’s largest moon, boasts an Earth-like liquid cycle and a thick atmosphere.

Notes:
Vice Admiral Dinesh Kumar Tripathi, PVSM, AVSM, NM, presently Vice Chief of the Naval Staff, appointed next Chief of the Naval Staff from April 30, 2024. Born May 15, 1964, commissioned in 1985, specializes in Communication and Electronic Warfare. With 39 years of service, he served as Flag Officer Commanding-in-Chief, Western Naval Command. Admiral R Hari Kumar, PVSM, AVSM, VSM, the current Chief, retires on April 30, 2024.

Notes:
India delivered BrahMos supersonic cruise missiles to the Philippines under a $375 million deal signed in 2022. BrahMos Aerospace, a joint venture of India’s DRDO, signed the contract with the Philippines in January 2022 for the supply of Shore Based Anti-Ship Missile System. India’s arms sales this year totaled Rs 21,000 crore, according to Prime Minister of India.

Notes:
Discovered in Gujarat, a fossil vertebrae confirms ‘Vasuki Indicus’ as the largest snake ever, estimated at 11-15 meters and 1 tonne. Likely an ambush predator in marshy swamps, it lived during a period of high global temperatures. Comparable to Titanoboa, a Colombian snake measuring 43 feet long and weighing over a tonne, Vasuki Indicus sheds light on prehistoric serpents’ immense size and ecological roles.

Notes:
According to a 2024 report from the New Lancet Commission, breast cancer is projected to cause one million deaths a year by 2040, an increase of more than 50% from 2020. The report states that, from 2020 to 2020, 7.8 million women were diagnosed with breast cancer, and 685,000 of those women died from the disease that same year. The report also predicts that global breast cancer diagnoses will exceed three million annually by 2040.

Notes:
Earth Day is celebrated on April 22 to demonstrate support for environmental protection. World Earth Day, April 22, 2024, focuses on “Planet vs Plastics,” highlighting the urgent need to address plastic pollution. EARTHDAY.ORG calls for a 60% reduction in plastic production by 2040 for planetary health. Originating in 1970 from Senator Gaylord Nelson and Harvard student Denis Hayes, Earth Day responds to environmental degradation, catalyzed by the 1969 Santa Barbara oil spill. This year’s event falls on Monday, emphasizing global action against plastic pollution.

Notes:
Israel recently utilized the Rampage missile, an advanced air-to-surface weapon, in an attack on an Iranian military base. Developed by Israel Aerospace Industries and Israeli Military Industries Systems, the Rampage is a long-range, supersonic missile designed for precision strikes against fortified targets. It boasts features like supersonic speed, over 190 miles range, 150 kg explosive payload, GPS/INS guidance, and mid-flight path adjustment, enabling it to operate effectively in any conditions.

Notes:
India, at the 2024 Ocean Decade Conference in Barcelona, proposed a region-specific ocean observation center for deep-sea ecosystem understanding. Led by Earth Sciences Secretary M. Ravichandran, the delegation emphasized better forecasting. The conference, from April 10 to 12, aimed to assess progress toward UN Decade of Ocean Science goals (2021-2030). Spain, with UNESCO, hosted the event under the theme “Delivering the science we need for the ocean we want.”

Notes:
The fourth meeting of the Intergovernmental Negotiating Committee (INC-4) on the UN Plastics Treaty was held from April 23–29, 2024 at the Shaw Center in Ottawa, Canada. The meeting was the second-to-last round of talks to develop an international legally binding instrument on plastic pollution, including in the marine environment. The meeting was preceded by regional consultations on April 21, 2024. The INC-4 meeting brought together diplomats, civil society leaders, business groups, and other stakeholders to reach an agreement on reducing waste.