Current Affairs Quiz - January, 2025

Notes:
The Rajasthan government recently dissolved nine districts and three divisions created in 2023. Rajasthan now has 41 districts and seven divisions. The divisions of Pali, Sikar, and Banswara were annulled. Eight districts, including Dudu, Kekri, Shahpura, and others, were abolished due to administrative necessity. Retained districts include Balotra, Beawar, Didwana-Kuchaman, and others. A High-Level Committee report deemed the new districts unviable, and a Cabinet Sub-Committee was formed to review their status.

Notes:
The World Bank launched the Business Ready (B-READY) report, replacing the paused Ease of Doing Business report. The Ease of Doing Business report was suspended in 2020 due to data manipulation and ranking integrity concerns. B-READY serves as a benchmarking tool to evaluate the global business climate and promote inclusive private sector growth. It focuses on ten core topics: Business Entry, Location, Utility Services, Labor, Financial Services, International Trade, Taxation, Dispute Resolution, Market Competition, and Insolvency.

Notes:
Google launched the quantum processor ‘Willow,’ advancing quantum computing to solve practical problems. Willow has 105 physical qubits and operates at near absolute zero temperatures (-273.15°C). It features better error correction and faster performance than other quantum computers. The coherence time of Willow’s qubits is around 100 microseconds, improved by error correction. Willow’s architecture enables lower error rates with more qubits. It outperformed classical computers in testing, completing a Random Circuit Sampling task in minutes.

Notes:
Zimbabwe abolished the death penalty, sparing around 60 prisoners on death row. The country last executed someone in 2005 due to a lack of willing executioners. President Emmerson Mnangagwa, once sentenced to death during the independence war, approved the law after Parliament’s bill. Mnangagwa has consistently opposed capital punishment and commuted death sentences to life in prison through amnesties. Amnesty International praised Zimbabwe’s move as a positive step for abolition in the region. Globally, 113 countries, including 24 in Africa, have abolished the death penalty. In 2023, Amnesty recorded 1,153 executions, with most in Iran and Saudi Arabia.

Notes:
Scrub typhus cases have been reported in several districts including Chennai, Tiruvallur, and Vellore, with 5,000 cases in 2024. The disease is caused by the bacteria Orientia tsutsugamushi and transmitted through infected mites. Symptoms include fever, headache, body ache, and sometimes a rash. Severe cases can lead to respiratory distress, organ failure, and death. Factors like vector abundance, climate, farming, and sanitation impact its spread. The Elisa test is used for detection. Control measures include cold fogging, clearing bushes, and reducing rodent populations.

Notes:
Raksha Mantri Rajnath Singh chaired a meeting to review progress on defense reforms and projects. 2025 has been declared the ‘Year of Reforms’ for the Ministry of Defence (MoD). The goal is to transform the Armed Forces into a technologically advanced, combat-ready force. Key focus areas include improving Jointness & Integration, enhancing cyber and space capabilities, and integrating emerging technologies like AI, robotics, and hypersonics. Acquisition procedures will be simplified, and public-private partnerships will be promoted. The reforms aim to improve defense exports, optimize resources, and ensure veterans’ welfare.

Notes:
World Braille Day is observed on January 4 to highlight the importance of Braille for blind and partially sighted individuals. The United Nations General Assembly declared January 4 as World Braille Day in 2018 to honor Louis Braille, the creator of the Braille system. Braille is a tactile representation of alphabetic and numerical symbols using six dots, including symbols for music, math, and science. According to the World Health Organization, 2.2 billion people globally have vision impairments, with nearly half being preventable or unaddressed cases.

Notes:
Aero India 2025, Asia’s biggest biennial air show, will be held at Yelahanka Air Force Station, Bengaluru, from February 10-14, 2025. The first edition was in 1996, and the 14th edition was held in 2023. The event will showcase India’s aerospace and defence advancements, featuring air displays and exhibitions of military aircraft on February 13-14. It is organized by the Defence Exhibition Organisation, Department of Defence Production, Ministry of Defence. The theme of Aero India 2025 is “The Runway to a Billion Opportunities.”

Notes:
The Anji Khad Bridge, recently completed in Jammu and Kashmir, is India’s first cable-stayed rail bridge. It is part of the Udhampur-Srinagar-Baramulla Rail Link (USBRL) project. The bridge spans 725.5 meters and features a 193-meter-high main pylon. It is designed to withstand severe weather conditions. This bridge improves connectivity between Katra and the Kashmir Valley, boosting tourism and economic growth. Its construction involved advanced techniques and international collaboration, highlighting India’s commitment to modern infrastructure.

Notes:
India and the U.S. agreed to co-produce sonobuoys for the Indian Navy’s Undersea Domain Awareness (UDA). Sonobuoys are electro-mechanical acoustic sensors used to detect submarines and ships underwater. They are dropped by naval helicopters or aircraft, deploy automatically upon hitting water, and use inflatable systems for surface communication. Sensors descend to a specific depth to relay underwater acoustic data. Sonobuoys can be used in active or passive modes for tracking. Deploying multiple sonobuoys in a pattern allows precise location tracking of submarines, enhancing naval capabilities.