Current Affairs Quiz - August, 2024

Notes:
The Indian Army has approved the procurement of the Advanced Land Navigation System (ALNS) Mk-II for its Armoured Fighting Vehicles (AFVs). This Ring Laser Gyro-based system offers Inertial, GPS, and Hybrid navigation modes and is designed to be spoof-proof with high encryption. It is compatible with Indian and global navigation systems and Defence Series Maps, ensuring high accuracy. The system will be procured from Bharat Electronics Limited under the Buy Indian-IDDM category.

Notes:
The Assam government is planning a grand Jhumur dance performance with 8,000 tea tribe artists. Jhumur is a traditional dance of Assam’s tea tribes, performed during autumn. It features young girls dancing in fields or under trees, with male members playing instruments like the Madal drum, flute, and Taals. The dance depicts daily life, joys, sorrows, and aspirations, and serves as recreation, ritual worship, courting, and prayer for rain.

Notes:
The Bharatiya Vayuyan Vidheyak 2024 was introduced in the Lok Sabha by the Union Civil Aviation Minister. This bill aims to empower the government to set rules for investigating air accidents and incidents, and regulating aircraft design, manufacture, maintenance, use, and safety. The Aircraft Act of 1934 has been amended many times, creating confusion. This bill seeks to streamline and clarify these regulations.

Notes:
World Lung Cancer Day, observed on August 1st, raises awareness about lung cancer, highlighting its impact and educating the public on risks, symptoms, and treatments. The day advocates for early detection, better treatment options, and more research funding. This year’s theme, “Close the Care Gap: Everyone Deserves Access to Cancer Care,” emphasizes the need for equitable healthcare access for all cancer patients.

Notes:
Archaeologists have discovered a terracotta pipeline during the 10th phase of excavation at Keeladi, a Sangam Era site in Tamil Nadu. This find highlights advanced water management practices from over 2,600 years ago. Keeladi, located near Madurai, has revealed over 20,000 artifacts, suggesting the Sangam Era began around 600 BCE, earlier than previously thought. Additional discoveries include rice husks from 3,200 years ago and evidence of early iron technology.

Notes:
Indian astronomers have discovered 34 new Giant Radio Sources (GRSs) using the Giant Metrewave Radio Telescope (GMRT) near Pune. Operated by the National Centre for Radio Astrophysics (NCRA), GMRT has 30 large parabolic dishes that study radio waves. GRSs are massive cosmic objects with supermassive black holes at their centers. These black holes pull in matter, creating jets of hot plasma and producing large radio emission lobes.

Notes:
India remained the eighth-largest exporter of agricultural products in 2023, despite exports dropping from 55 billion in 2022 to 51 billion. This occurred amid a general decline in agricultural exports among most top ten exporting nations. The WTO Trade Statistics 2023 report shows that only Brazil, the European Union (EU), and Thailand saw growth. Brazil’s exports increased by 6% to 157 billion, the EU’s rose by 5% to 836 billion, and Thailand’s grew by 0.2%.

Notes:
Kerala Police asked people to avoid dark tourism in Wayanad as it could disrupt rescue efforts. Dark tourism, also known as black tourism or grief tourism, involves visiting places associated with death, suffering, or tragedy, such as cemeteries, disaster zones, and battlefields. Defined by John Lennon and Malcolm Foley, it represents inhuman acts for visitors. Notable sites include Auschwitz, Chernobyl, Ground Zero, and Hiroshima. Dark tourism is controversial, with mixed views on its ethics.

Notes:
A four-ringed butterfly, the great four-ring (Ypthima cantliei), was rediscovered in Namdapha National Park after 61 years. Last seen in Assam in 1957, it was photographed during a 2018-19 survey. Identified by its morphology and habitat, this butterfly belongs to the Nymphalidae family, which has 6,000 species. India has 35 Ypthima species, with 23 in the northeast. China, Nepal, Bhutan, and Myanmar also host significant Ypthima diversity.

Notes:
According to new study, the Ol Doinyo Lengai volcano in northern Tanzania has been both erupting and sinking for the past 10 years. Known as the “Mountain of God” to the Maasai people, this unique stratovolcano rises to 9,442 feet and contains alkaline lavas. Recent studies reveal its upper slopes have been sinking since 2013 due to a deflating magma reservoir located 3,300 feet below the surface.