Current Affairs Quiz - June, 2024

Notes:
A 32-year-old woman was killed by a tiger in the buffer zone of Maharashtra’s Tadoba Andhari Tiger Reserve (TATR). TATR, the largest and oldest tiger reserve in Maharashtra, covers 625.4 sq. km and includes Tadoba National Park and Andhari Wildlife Sanctuary. It features Southern Tropical Dry Deciduous vegetation and notable wildlife like tigers, leopards, and sloth bears. The reserve has corridor linkages with other tiger reserves and houses diverse flora and fauna.

Notes:
Cambodia plans to commence construction on the Funan Techo canal, a 180-kilometer project funded by China. This canal will link Kep, a coastal province, to the capital Phnom Penh via the Bassac River, diminishing reliance on Vietnamese ports for international shipping. It aims to boost Cambodia’s connectivity and trade autonomy.

Notes:
The 21st Shangri-La Dialogue, Asia-Pacific’s premier defense summit, concluded on 2 June 2024 in Singapore. Held at the Shangri-La Hotel from 31 May to 2 June, it gathered over 100 delegates worldwide. Organized by the International Institute for Strategic Studies (IISS) and the Singapore government, the summit addresses Asia-Pacific security challenges, fostering discussions among defense ministers, officials, and NGOs. The dialogue aims to create a utopian environment for regional security solutions.

Notes:
In FY24, RBI relocated 100 metric tonnes of gold from the U.K. to Indian vaults in Mumbai and Nagpur. India’s gold reserves surged to 822 metric tonnes, with nearly 50% now stored domestically. RBI’s banknotes are secured by assets like gold, Government Securities, and Foreign Currency Assets, as per the RBI Act, 1934. The recent geopolitical tensions emphasized risks of storing gold abroad, exemplified by Western nations’ freezing of Russian assets.

Notes:
Pench Tiger Reserve in Maharashtra recently documented the first photograph of a spot-bellied eagle-owl, Ketupa nipalensis. This large bird of prey inhabits diverse environments like forests and savannas across India, Sri Lanka, and Southeast Asia. Recognizable by its rich brown coloration and striking white-spotted pattern, it’s a nocturnal apex predator feeding on various prey. Classified as Least Concern by IUCN, it comes protection under India’s Wildlife (Protection) Act, 1972.

Notes:
Zupee, India’s leading skill-based Ludo platform, partners with Gurugram Cyber Police for the 11th Cyber Security Summer Internship Program, ‘Cyber Warriors.’ The month-long internship, inaugurated by Commissioner of Police, Gurugram, Vikas Kumar Arora, includes 1,100 interns selected from 15,000 applicants worldwide. Guided by Cyber Security Expert Dr. Rakshit Tandon, candidates receive immersive cyber security training. Some will work directly with Gurugram Cyber Police, tackling real-world challenges to promote cyber safety.

Notes:
The Sundhnukagigar Volcano in southwestern Iceland erupted for the fifth time since December 2023. Iceland, known as the Land of Fire and Ice, sits on the Mid-Atlantic Ridge, where Eurasian and North American plates diverge, making it volcanically active. Hotspots, like the Reunion hotspot, and divergent plate margins, such as the Mid-Atlantic Ridge, contribute to volcanic activity. Volcanoes, vents in the Earth’s crust, release gases like water vapor, carbon dioxide, and sulfur dioxide upon eruption.

Notes:
The Netherlands became India’s third largest export destination in 2023-24, following the U.S. and UAE, despite a 3% dip in India’s overall merchandise shipments. Key exports to the Netherlands included petroleum products ($14.29 billion), electrical goods, chemicals, and pharmaceuticals. Consequently, India’s trade surplus with the Netherlands rose to $17.4 billion, up from $13 billion in 2022-23, according to the Commerce Ministry data .

Notes:
The Tamil Nadu Forest Department has initiated a three-day elephant census at Sathyamangalam Tiger Reserve. Located at the Eastern and Western Ghats junction in Erode District, Tamil Nadu, this reserve is part of the Nilgiri Biosphere Reserve. It is contiguous with Mudumalai, Bandipur, and Biligiri Rangaswamy Temple Tiger Reserves, collectively hosting over 280 tigers, the world’s largest tiger population. Declared a tiger reserve in 2013, it connects the Eastern and Western Ghats, supporting diverse wildlife.

Notes:
In Madhya Pradesh’s Indore constituency, the “None of the Above” (NOTA) option became the runner-up with a record 2,18,674 votes, the highest ever. NOTA allows voters to disapprove of all candidates without choosing any, expressing negative opinions and maintaining secrecy. First used in the 2013 Assembly elections, it was introduced following a 2013 Supreme Court directive in the PUCL vs. Union of India case.