Current Affairs Quiz - February, 2024

Notes:
The National Conference on Promotion of Seaweed Cultivation, chaired by the Union Minister of Fisheries in Koteshwar, Kutch, Gujarat, showcased diverse seaweed cultivation methods (Monoline, tube-net, and rafts). CMFRI, CSMCRI, and NFDB demonstrated these techniques. Seaweeds, macroscopic algae lacking true roots and leaves, thrive in marine and coastal waters. They are classified into four groups based on pigments that absorb specific wavelengths of light. The event aimed at fostering seaweed development and enhancing awareness about its potential in India.

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Scientists recently discovered a new kangaroo lizard species, Agasthyagama edge, in the Western Ghats. Named after the EDGE program, it’s the second in the Agasthyagama genus. Found in Kulamavu, Idukki, it belongs to the Agamidae family. These terrestrial reptiles, lacking a fifth toe for climbing, prefer leaf-covered areas. Averaging 4.3 cm in length, they are fast runners feeding on small insects, and they hide within dry leaves to avoid predators. The species is significant for its distinctiveness and global endangerment.

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The Union Minister for Women and Child Development announced the establishment of One Stop Centres (OSCs) in over 700 districts nationwide, under a Centrally Sponsored Scheme by the Ministry of Women and Child Development. The initiative aims to offer comprehensive support for women facing violence, providing immediate access to medical, legal, psychological, and counseling services. The target group includes all women, including girls under 18, without discrimination. The funding comes from the Nirbhaya Fund, with 100% financial assistance from the Central Government. District Collectors/Magistrates oversee day-to-day implementation.

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The theme for World Wetlands Day 2024 is “Wetlands and Human Wellbeing”. The theme highlights how wetlands and human life are interconnected, and how people gain sustenance, inspiration, and resilience from wetlands. World Wetlands Day is celebrated on February 2nd each year. It’s an international day that promotes the sustainable management and conservation of wetlands.

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The flightless Aldabra rail, scientifically known as Dryolimnas cuvieri aldabranus, was thought extinct 130,000 years ago but reappeared through iterative evolution. Residing on a coral atoll off Africa’s southeast coast, it resembles a chicken with a gray back, red head, and white throat. A subspecies of the white-throated rail, it’s the only flightless bird in the Indian Ocean. The Aldabra rail evolved twice, losing its ability to fly, a phenomenon explored in a 2019 Zoological Journal study on the atoll’s fossil record. Iterative evolution involves the repeated emergence of traits from the same ancestral lineage at different times.

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Cameroon recently adopted the Nagoya Protocol, a global agreement enforcing access and benefit-sharing obligations outlined in the Convention on Biological Diversity. Adopted in 2010 and effective since 2014, the Protocol establishes a legal framework facilitating fair and equitable sharing of benefits from genetic resource utilization. It supports biodiversity-based research, ensuring researchers access resources for biotechnology while indigenous communities receive fair returns, respecting the value of traditional knowledge linked to genetic resources.

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India sent 3.5 tonnes of humanitarian aid to Zambia, a Southern African country, to help with a cholera outbreak. The aid includes medicines, water purification supplies, and chlorine tablets. The emergency funding will also support humanitarian partners UNICEF and the WHO in their efforts to address health, water, hygiene, and sanitation needs.

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Ahmed Awad bin Mubarak became the prime minister of Yemen. He is also the country’s Foreign Minister and was previously the Yemenian Ambassador to the United States.

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The theme for National Black HIV/AIDS Awareness Day in 2024 is “Engage, Educate, Empower: Uniting to End HIV/AIDS in Black Communities”. National Black HIV/AIDS Awareness Day is an opportunity to increase HIV education, increase testing, increase community involvement, increase treatment, promote HIV testing, prevention, and treatment and stop HIV stigma.

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Kyasanur Forest Disease, also known as Monkey Fever, poses a significant health threat in Karnataka, India. This year, 49 confirmed cases and two fatalities prompted the state’s health department to be on high alert. Originating in 1957 from the Kyasanur Forest, the disease is caused by the Kyasanur Forest Disease Virus (KFDV). Uttara Kannada district has seen the majority of cases, indicating a concentrated outbreak zone, leading to intensified efforts by health officials to control the spread.