Current Affairs Quiz - October, 2024

Notes:
Iran recently launched over 180 ballistic missiles, including the hypersonic Fattah-2, targeting Israel’s air defenses. Fattah-2 is a new version of Iran’s first domestically made hypersonic ballistic missile, Fattah, which means conqueror in Farsi. It features a hypersonic glide vehicle (HGV) warhead that can maneuver and glide at hypersonic speed. The missile uses a liquid-fuel rocket propellant, allowing its engine to adjust thrust force.

Notes:
According to recent reports, a rare brown vine snake has been spotted in Dudhwa National Park in Uttar Pradesh. It emerged as a species never previously documented in the wildlife history of Dudhwa National Park or the entire state of Uttar Pradesh. This is the second remarkable reptile discovery in Dudhwa, following the rediscovery of the rare red coral Khukri snake in 2019.

Notes:
Two wild buffalo calves born in Barnawapara Wildlife Sanctuary in Chhattisgarh raise hopes for the conservation of this endangered species. The sanctuary is located in Raipur district, bordered by the Balmedhi and Jonk rivers, with the Mahanadi also nearby. The Indian Wild Buffalo is the state animal of Chhattisgarh and is a large bovine species native to the Indian Subcontinent and Southeast Asia. They primarily inhabit alluvial grasslands, marshes, swamps, and river valleys.

Notes:
The forest department held its first ‘Cyclothon’ to celebrate World Wildlife Week 2024 at the Kawal Tiger Reserve’s buffer zone. Kawal Tiger Reserve is in north-eastern Telangana, along the Godavari River. It covers an area of 2,015 sq. km in the Sahyadri Mountain Ranges. The government declared it a Tiger Reserve in 2012. The reserve features diverse habitats, including forests, grasslands, rivers, and water bodies. It is part of the Central Indian Tiger Landscape, connecting to Tadoba-Andhari in Maharashtra and Indravati in Chhattisgarh.

Notes:
The Union Health Ministry has increased monthly nutrition support for TB patients under Ni-Kshay Poshan Yojana from Rs 500 to Rs 1,000. Ni-Kshay Poshan Yojana (NPY) was launched in April 2018 under the National Health Mission. It is a direct benefit transfer (DBT) scheme under the National Tuberculosis Elimination Program (NTEP). The scheme aims to provide nutritional support to TB patients. All notified TB patients are eligible beneficiaries of the scheme.

Notes:
The Prime Minister of India recently launched an initiative named ‘Unified Genomic Chip’. It aims to assist farmers in identifying high-quality cattle early and improving dairy farming efficiency in India. The Unified Genomic Chip has two versions: the ‘Gau Chip’ for cattle and the ‘Mahish Chip’ for buffalo. Developed by the Department of Animal Husbandry and Dairying, the chip helps farmers make informed decisions by identifying young, high-quality bulls early. It is designed specifically for Indian cattle breeds, enhancing the quality of livestock and the dairy sector.

Notes:
The Phata Byung Hydro Electric Project (HEP) in Uttarakhand has received fresh approval, pending environmental, forest, and wildlife clearances. It is a run-of-the-river project on the Mandakini River in Rudraprayag. There are concerns about the risk of Glacial Lake Outburst Floods (GLOFs) in the area, with 24 glacial lakes nearby, six of which are critical.
The Mandakini River originates from the Chorabari Glacier near Kedarnath and flows about 81 kilometers before joining the Alaknanda River at Rudraprayag. The Alaknanda eventually converges with the Bhagirathi River at Devaprayag, forming the Ganga and passes by the Madhyamaheshwar temple in Ukhimath.

Notes:
Hurricane Milton has intensified into a Category 5 storm, posing an extreme risk to Florida, USA, particularly the Tampa Bay area. With a central pressure of 897 mb, it ranks as the fifth most intense hurricane in Atlantic history. The National Hurricane Center (NHC) has warned of life-threatening winds and destructive storm surges as Milton approaches the Gulf coast. Evacuations are underway, and residents are urged to take precautions due to potential flooding and hazardous conditions.

Notes:
Uttarakhand will host the 38th Summer National Games from January 28 to February 14, 2025, and the next Winter Games.
The 37th National Games were held in Goa from September 25 to November 9, 2023. This will be the first time Winter Games are held outside Jammu & Kashmir and Ladakh. The National Games, organized by the Indian Olympic Association (IOA) , aim to identify talent for the Summer Olympics. The first National Games were held in 1924 in Lahore, originally called the All-India Olympic Games.

Notes:
The 2024 Nobel Prize in Chemistry was awarded to David Baker, Demis Hassabis, and John M. Jumper for contributions to protein science. David Baker received the prize for computational protein design, creating entirely new proteins since 2003. Demis Hassabis and John Jumper were recognized for developing AlphaFold2, an AI model that predicts 3D protein structures. AlphaFold2 can predict the structure of nearly all 200 million identified proteins. These innovations are used in fields like pharmaceuticals, vaccines, and solving challenges like antibiotic resistance and plastic degradation.