Current Affairs Quiz - October, 2024

Notes:
The 9th ICC Women’s T20 World Cup started in Sharjah, UAE. The tournament runs from October 3rd to 20th, with ten teams participating. India is in Group A with Australia, New Zealand, Pakistan, and Sri Lanka. Group B includes Bangladesh, England, Scotland, South Africa, and West Indies. India, led by Harmanpreet Kaur, seeks its first-ever ICC title in this event.

Notes:
A boat capsized in Lake Kivu, eastern Congo, killing at least 78 people out of 278 passengers. Lake Kivu is one of East Africa’s Great Lakes, between the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) and Rwanda. It is Rwanda’s largest lake and the sixth largest in Africa, situated in the Albertine Rift. The lake covers 1,040 square miles and lies 1,460 meters above sea level. 58% of the lake’s waters are in DRC, with the rest in Rwanda. It has a maximum depth of 475 meters and empties into the Rusizi River flowing into Lake Tanganyika.

Notes:
India hosts the joint naval exercise of Quad nations from October 8 to 18 in Visakhapatnam. The exercise, named Malabar 2024, includes sea and harbor phases focusing on cooperation in the Indo-Pacific region. It features various Indian naval platforms, such as guided missile destroyers, submarines, and fighter aircraft. The Malabar exercise started in 1992 as a US-India drill and evolved into a multilateral event to enhance interoperability and address maritime challenges. Recent Quad meetings emphasized maritime security cooperation and announced joint coast guard operations and a new regional Maritime Initiative for Training (MAITRI).

Notes:
President Droupadi Murmu attended a Global Summit on ‘Spirituality for Clean and Healthy Society’ in Mount Abu, Rajasthan. The summit was organized by Prajapita Brahma Kumaris Ishwariya Vishwa Vidyalaya. President Murmu emphasized that spirituality is about recognizing inner power and promoting purity in thoughts and actions.

Notes:
Indian shooters dominated the ISSF Junior World Shooting Championship in Peru, winning 24 medals: 13 gold, 3 silver, and 8 bronze. Italy secured second place, while Norway came in third. On the final day, Deepak Dalal, Kamaljeet, and Raj Chandra won the men’s 50m pistol team gold medal. The next major event is the ISSF World Cup Final in New Delhi, scheduled for October 13 to 18.

Notes:
Pakistan recently banned the Pashtun Tahafuz Movement (PTM), calling it a national security threat. PTM advocates for the rights of ethnic Pashtuns. Pashtuns, also known as Pathans or Pakhtuns, are an ethnic group in Afghanistan and Pakistan. They mainly live between the Hindu Kush in Afghanistan and the northern Indus River in Pakistan. The Durand Line, drawn in the late 19th century, separated Pashtuns in Pakistan from those in Afghanistan. Pashtuns make up 40-50% of Afghanistan’s population and primarily speak Pashto. They also use Farsi for trade.

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 21st ASEAN-India Summit and the 19th East Asia Summit are being hosted by Lao PDR, the current ASEAN Chair. India is celebrating a decade of its Act East Policy, with ASEAN relations as a key focus. The ASEAN-India Summit will assess the progress of their Comprehensive Strategic Partnership and discuss future cooperation. The East Asia Summit fosters strategic trust and allows leaders to discuss important regional issues. Prime Minister Modi is expected to hold bilateral meetings during the summits.

Notes:
The participatory forest management project in Kerala’s Periyar Tiger Reserve is called “Vidiyal Vanapathukappu Sangam” which translates to “The Dawn Forest Protection Group” and primarily involves former poachers and sandalwood smugglers turned protectors of the reserve. This project actively engages former poachers, providing them with alternative livelihoods like tourist guiding and anti-poaching activities. The project has been credited with significantly reducing poaching in the Periyar Tiger Reserve and safeguarding the area’s sandalwood reserve.

Notes:
Russian and Chinese navy warships are conducting anti-submarine missions in the northwestern Pacific during a joint patrol after the Beibu/Interaction 2024 exercises. The operations involve complex training sessions and combat exercises, including anti-submarine defense and sea rescues. Key Russian vessels involved in the missions include Admiral Panteleyev and Admiral Tributs. China has deployed destroyers such as Xining and Wuxi, along with other ships for these exercises.