Current Affairs Quiz - April, 2024

Notes:
The inaugural Rainbow International Tourism Conference in Kathmandu, Nepal, organized by Mayako Pahichan and Nepal Tourism Board, aimed at promoting LGBTQ-inclusive tourism. Minister Bhagawati Chaudhary and Sunil Babu Pant inaugurated the event, emphasizing inclusivity in tourism. Discussions covered topics like pink tourism, accessibility, and cultural sensitivity. With global LGBTQ travel spending at USD 202 billion, the conference advocated for LGBTQ-friendly tourism to boost economies. Collaboration with stakeholders aimed to foster diversity in tourism initiatives.

Notes:
Balraj Panwar clinched India’s inaugural Paris 2024 rowing quota, securing bronze in men’s single sculls at the Asian and Oceanian Olympic Qualification Regatta in Chungju, Korea. After narrowly missing bronze at the Hangzhou Asian Games, the 25-year-old clocked 7:17.87 in heats and 7:16.29 in semis, entering the finals. With top five securing Paris 2024 quotas, Panwar finished third at 7:01.27. Kazakhstan’s Vladislav Yakovlev won, with Memo from Indonesia taking bronze.

Notes:
NASA’s Voyager 1 probe, launched in 1977, is transmitting vital data after a period of malfunction, the agency announced. The spacecraft’s mission aims to explore the outer Solar System and beyond, conducting flybys of Jupiter and Saturn, discovering new moons and rings. It became the first human-made object to exit the Solar System in 2012, carrying a golden record depicting life on Earth. Voyager 1 is expected to remain operational until at least 2025, currently 13.8 billion miles away from the sun.

Notes:
The Supreme Court halted the construction of four proposed dams within Kalesar Wildlife Sanctuary, situated in the eastern part of Yamunanagar district, Haryana, nestled in the Shivalik foothills of the Himalayas with the Yamuna River to its east. The sanctuary’s diverse topography ranges from plains to hills up to 700 meters elevation, featuring valleys and seasonal rivulets. Its rich flora includes sal, khair, and shisam trees, while fauna includes leopards, deer, hyenas, and various bird species.

Notes:
According to a Food and Agriculture Organisation report from 2023, rice paddies contribute 8% of all human-made methane in the atmosphere. In response, Vietnamese farmers are adopting the alternate wetting and drying technique to mitigate methane emissions while growing rice. This water-saving method involves flooding fields intermittently, reducing water usage in irrigated fields. Additionally, they utilize large drones to efficiently spray organic fertilizer onto knee-high rice seedlings, enhancing agricultural sustainability.

Notes:
In April, 2024, former Commonwealth Games gold medalist Narsingh Pancham Yadav became the Chairman of the Athletes Commission of the Wrestling Federation of India (WFI). His election completed the process mandated by the United World Wrestling (UWW). The international sports body had required WFI, led by Sanjay Singh, to establish the commission to address wrestlers’ grievances as a condition for lifting the federation’s suspension.

Notes:
President Joe Biden has signed a 95 billion military aid package, featuring 61 billion for Ukraine, 26 billion for Israel, and 8 billion for the Indo-Pacific. Notably, the bill includes provisions targeting TikTok, giving parent company ByteDance nine months to sell the app before it’s banned in the US. Months of negotiation, lobbying by Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky, and a split in the House Republican conference preceded the signing, posing challenges for House Speaker Mike Johnson’s leadership due to conservative opposition to increased aid for Ukraine.

Notes:
The United States is providing Army Tactical Missile Systems (ATACMS) to Ukraine to aid in its conflict with Russia, aiming for use within Ukraine’s borders. The decision stems from Russia’s heightened assaults on civilian infrastructure and suspicions of North Korea supplying ballistic missiles to Russia. Developed by Lockheed Martin, the ATACMS is a surface-to-surface artillery weapon with a range of up to 300km, surpassing existing Army capabilities. Previous versions had ranges around 160km.

Notes:
In April 2024, Germany lifted restrictions on the sale of small arms to India as an exception to its previous policy of only allowing sales to NATO countries and other NATO-equivalent countries. This decision reflects the growing military and strategic ties between the two countries. The request from India was for spare parts and accessories for the National Security Guard.

Notes:
Sri Lanka is considering lifting vehicle import restrictions to stimulate economic growth, potentially by late 2024 or early 2025. Enforced in response to economic turmoil in 2022, the move aligns with IMF revenue targets but could strain foreign exchange reserves by $800 million. President Wickremasinghe’s committee recommendations are pivotal. Despite its severe economic downturn, the Sri Lankan rupee is stabilizing, hinting at positive developments in its value.