Current Affairs Quiz - November, 2024

Notes:
United Nations Conference on Trade and Development (UNCTAD) released the Review of Maritime Transport 2024 report, highlighting trends in global maritime trade. Global maritime trade grew by 2.4% in 2023, rebounding from a contraction in 2022, but the recovery is still fragile. Key chokepoints like the Suez and Panama Canals experienced significant disruptions. Chokepoints are narrow geographical features that are strategically important for trade. They enhance connectivity, such as the Suez Canal connecting the Mediterranean Sea to the Red Sea. Chokepoints also play a vital role in energy security, like the Strait of Hormuz for global petroleum transport.

Notes:
Chief Minister Sukhvinder Singh Sukhu inaugurated Himachal Pradesh’s first digital library in Bilaspur. The library includes seating for 40 people and essential amenities. It houses around 2,500 books, with offline access to NCERT and CBSE books for classes 1 to 12. The library provides free reading access to the public.

Notes:
Fiji awarded Gurudev Sri Sri Ravi Shankar the “Honourary Officer of the Order of Fiji,” its highest civilian honor, for his global peace and community work. Fiji’s President, Ratu Wiliame M. Katonivere, presented the award, and Sri Sri expressed gratitude on social media. As founder of The Art of Living, Sri Sri has received top civilian awards from five other nations, highlighting his humanitarian influence in over 180 countries. In Fiji, he met with leaders, including the Deputy Prime Minister and UN Coordinator, to discuss youth empowerment and mental health.

Notes:
Researchers at the Institute of Nano Science and Technology have developed a novel security ink using luminescent nanomaterials to combat counterfeiting in currency, certificates, branded goods, and medicines. This ink exhibits different colors under various light wavelengths, enhancing its security features. The synthesis process involves rare earth doping and a co-precipitation method, allowing the ink to remain effective under diverse conditions. This innovation provides a reliable solution for verifying authenticity and preventing counterfeit products.

Notes:
Karnataka celebrates the Bali Padyami festival today, marking the fourth day of Deepavali. The festival honors Asura king Bali Chakravarty, who visits Earth as per a boon from Lord Vishnu. Bali Padyami follows worship of Ganga Matha, Naraka Chaturdashi, and Lakshmi Pooja on the preceding days. Temples are decorated with colorful rangoli, and thousands of lamps are lit at night. Special Abhisheka rituals with milk and auspicious ingredients are performed for the deity. Houses display triangular images of King Bali, made from clay or cow dung and adorned with flowers, symbolizing prosperity and welfare.

Notes:
India’s Ministry of Culture and the International Buddhist Confederation are hosting the first Asian Buddhist Summit on November 5-6, 2024, in New Delhi. The theme is “Role of Buddha Dhamma in Strengthening Asia,” with India’s President as Chief Guest. The summit gathers Sangha leaders, scholars, and practitioners from across Asia to discuss Buddhism’s role in addressing current challenges. Buddhism has deeply influenced Asia’s spiritual and cultural unity. Buddha Dhamma is integral to India’s national identity and plays a role in its foreign policy, strengthening ties across Asia through shared values and diplomacy.

Notes:
Japan will test the world’s first wooden satellite, LignoSat, developed by Kyoto University and Sumitomo Forestry. It will be launched on a SpaceX rocket and sent to the International Space Station. LignoSat, made from Japanese honoki wood, will orbit for six months to test wood’s durability in space. Wood, unlike metal, doesn’t rot or catch fire in space, and it burns up cleanly upon reentry without polluting. Former astronaut Takao Doi envisions this as a step toward using wood for sustainable construction on the Moon and Mars, like planting trees and building timber houses.

Notes:
The Himachal Chief Minister recently launched water sports activities at Gobind Sagar Lake. Gobind Sagar Lake is a manmade reservoir in the Una and Bilaspur districts of Himachal Pradesh. Named after Guru Gobind Singh, it is fed by the Bhakra Dam on the Sutlej River. The Bhakra Dam is one of the highest gravity dams in the world, standing 225.5 m tall. The lake is 90 km long, covers about 170 sq. km, and has a maximum depth of 163.07 m, making it one of the deepest artificial lakes. It supplies irrigation water to Himachal Pradesh, Punjab, Haryana, and Rajasthan, benefiting regional agriculture.

Notes:
Three Yanadi tribe children who went missing in Machilipatnam, Andhra Pradesh, were recently found. Yanadis are a major scheduled tribe in Andhra Pradesh, living in poverty and social exclusion. They are one of India’s most vulnerable tribal groups, mainly residing in Nellore and other plains areas. The Yanadi population in Andhra Pradesh was recorded as 4,62,167 in the 2001 census. They speak Telugu and traditionally work in hunting, gathering, and agriculture. Yanadis possess rich traditional health knowledge, using plants to treat various ailments. Their culture includes forest-linked religious beliefs and the Dhimsa dance, performed during festivals.

Notes:
Archaeologists discovered a 4,000-year-old fortified town called Al-Natah in the Khaybar oasis in northwest Saudi Arabia. This site reveals a transition from nomadic life to organized urban settlement between 2400 and 1500 BCE. Led by French archaeologist Guillaume Charloux, the excavation uncovered a sophisticated Bronze Age town. Al-Natah spans 2.6 hectares, enclosed by a 14.5-kilometer wall, and could house about 500 residents. It served as a hub for agriculture and trade, supporting cooperative life in an arid region. The town had multi-story stone and mudbrick dwellings connected by narrow paths.