Current Affairs Quiz - August, 2024

Notes:
Novak Djokovic became the fifth tennis player to achieve a Golden Slam by winning the men’s singles gold medal at the 2024 Paris Olympics, defeating Carlos Alcaraz in straight sets. This victory, added to his Grand Slam titles at the Australian Open, French Open, Wimbledon, and the US Open, places him alongside legends like Rafael Nadal, Serena Williams, Andre Agassi, and Steffi Graf. Djokovic had previously won a bronze medal in the 2008 Beijing Olympics but did not medal in the subsequent Olympics.

Notes:
The fifth ASEAN-India Trade in Goods Agreement (AITIGA) Joint Committee meeting in Jakarta from July 29 to August 1, 2024, aimed to enhance economic cooperation between ASEAN and India by reviewing the 2009 AITIGA. ASEAN is a key trade partner for India, with significant trade volumes and a notable trade deficit. The meeting focused on improving the trade agreement and fostering deeper economic collaboration.

Notes:
Sucralose, a no-calorie artificial sweetener made from table sugar (sucrose), has been found to have no adverse impact on glucose or HbA1c levels and may even improve body mass index (BMI). It’s approximately 600 times sweeter than sugar and exceptionally stable. Most consumed sucralose (85%) passes through the body unchanged while the remaining 15% absorbed sucralose gets excreted quickly in urine without providing any calories.

Notes:
The Maharashtra government has approved Logistics Policy 2024. It aims to establish more than 200 logistics parks, complexes, and terminals, which is expected to generate approximately 5,00,000 new job opportunities. The policy targets developing 10,000+ acres of logistics infrastructure, including 25 district nodes, five regional hubs, and state, national, and international logistics hubs. It incentivizes hi-tech logistics, promoting AI, Blockchain, robotics, automation, IoT, and drones, generating tech-savvy jobs for local youth.

Notes:
The Minister of State for Environment, Forest, and Climate Change recently informed the Lok Sabha on the National Coastal Mission Scheme. The National Coastal Mission Scheme was launched in 2014 as part of the National Action Plan on Climate Change. Its goal is to address climate change impacts on coastal and marine ecosystems, infrastructure, and communities through adaptation and mitigation. The scheme is implemented by State Governments of Coastal States and Union Territory Administrations

Notes:
Indian wrestler Vinesh Phogat, 29, announced her retirement after being disqualified from the Olympics for being 100 grams overweight before her gold medal bout in the 50 kg category. She appealed to the Court of Arbitration for Sports (CAS) to be awarded a joint silver medal, citing severe dehydration from extreme weight-cutting measures. Phogat, a three-time Olympian in different weight classes, became the first international wrestler to defeat reigning champion Yui Susaki and the first Indian female wrestler to reach an Olympic final in 2024. She is a multiple Commonwealth Games gold medalist and has won two World Wrestling Championship bronze medals.

Notes:
The Uttar Pradesh government inaugurated the ‘Kakori Train Action’ Centenary Festival in Lucknow to mark 100 years of the Kakori Train Action and educate youths and students. In August 1925, the Hindustan Republican Association (HRA) conducted the Kakori Train Action, a major train robbery near Lucknow. The train, carrying taxes collected from Indians for the British government, was led by Ram Prasad Bismil and Ashfaqullah Khan. The revolutionaries, including Rajendra Lahiri, stopped the train and looted around ₹8000, which they saw as their right against colonial exploitation.

Notes:
The Uttarakhand government awarded 13 exceptional women with the Rajya Shakti Tilu Rauteli Award in Dehradun for their outstanding achievements. Awardees include para-swimmer Preeti Goswami, taekwondo player Neha Devali, powerlifter Sangeeta Rana, and para-badminton player Mandeep Kaur. Other honorees are Padma Shri Madhuri Barthwal for folk singing, Soniya Arya for promoting Hindi literature, Vinita Devi for bravery, Narmada Rawat for advancing handicrafts, and Sudha Pal for contributions to science. The Rajya Shakti Tilu Rauteli Award, named after Uttarakhand’s heroine Tilu Rauteli, honors women for remarkable work and includes ₹31,000 and a citation.

Notes:
A new spider species, Asceua tertia, was found in the Western Ghats’ Shendurney Wildlife Sanctuary. It is the third species of its genus documented in India, joining Asceua cingulata and Asceua thrippalurensis. Asceua tertia belongs to the Zodariidae family, known for ant-eating spiders. The spider is small, with unique features like laterally compressed bulbs, developed cymbial folds, convoluted copulatory ducts, and dual femoral glands.

Notes:
Climbers from the Himalayan Mountaineering Institute in Darjeeling recently scaled Uhuru Peak, the highest point of Mount Kilimanjaro in Tanzania. Mount Kilimanjaro is Africa’s tallest mountain and the world’s largest free-standing mountain.
It is located in northeastern Tanzania near the Kenya border. Kilimanjaro has three volcanic cones: Kibo (dormant), Mawenzi, and Shira (both extinct). Uhuru Peak is on Kibo and is Africa’s highest free-standing peak. The mountain is famous for its snow-capped summit and has five vegetation zones. It was named a UNESCO World Heritage Site in 1987.