Current Affairs Quiz - February, 2024

Notes:
Alexander Stubb, of Finland’s centre-right National Coalition Party, narrowly won the presidential election with 51.6% of votes, defeating liberal Green Party member Pekka Haavisto. Stubb, a pro-European leader, declared victory in the run-off with a tough stance towards Russia, emphasizing his commitment to Ukraine. The new head of state will oversee security, foreign policy, and Finland’s NATO stance towards Russia. Stubb expressed the win as “the greatest honor” of his life.

Notes:
The Ministry of Education has created 25 crore APAAR IDs in alignment with the National Education Policy 2020 and National Credit and Qualifications Framework. The initiative, ‘One nation, One Student ID,’ assigns a unique 12-digit ID to each student, streamlining academic records. This system minimizes fraud and duplicates, offering a reliable reference for educational institutions, thus ensuring a unified academic experience for students.

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The Uttar Pradesh government is collaborating with the Indian Institute of Technology Roorkee (IITR) to improve disaster management. The government is set to sign a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with IITR to strengthen disaster preparedness and mitigation efforts.

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The Rajasthan government introduced the Mukhyamantri Vishwakarma Pension Yojana, offering a monthly pension of Rs. 2,000 to eligible workers aged 60 or above. The initiative aims to support laborers and street vendors, ensuring their welfare by helping them meet daily needs independently. This special scheme underscores the government’s commitment to improving the livelihoods of vulnerable sections in Rajasthan.

Notes:
Researchers have uncovered a unique electric polarization mechanism in the mineral MnBi2S4, aka graţianite, a ternary manganese chalcogenide. It exhibits distinctive magnetic structures, such as spin density wave, cycloidal, and helical spin structures. Notably, the latter two induce ferroelectricity. MnBi2S4 is centrosymmetric and undergoes magnetic ordering at low temperatures (27, 23, and 21.5 Kelvins). This discovery could contribute to energy-efficient data storage.

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In February 2024, Greece became the first Orthodox Christian country to legalize same-sex marriage under civil law. The Athens parliament passed the bill with a vote of 176-76, and the bill also allows same-sex couples to legally adopt children.

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OpenAI has introduced Sora, a cutting-edge generative artificial intelligence (GenAI) model capable of transforming text prompts into high-quality videos up to a minute in length. GenAI utilizes machine learning to produce content by learning patterns from training data. Sora maintains visual excellence and follows user prompts, showcasing the potential of AI in creative content generation.

Notes:
India’s women’s badminton team won their first-ever gold medal at the Badminton Asia Team Championships in Shah Alam, Malaysia. The team defeated Thailand 3-2 in the final match, with Anmol Kharb’s victory over Pornpicha Choeikeewong in the third singles game clinching the gold.

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The Maritime Technical Exposition MTEX-24 is a key feature of MILAN 2024 in Visakhapatnam, showcasing India’s strides in naval technology. Inaugurated by Defence Minister Rajnath Singh, MTEX-24 spans three days and emphasizes self-reliance in defence. It highlights advancements in shipbuilding, communication, cybersecurity, and sustainable energy solutions. Key participants include major players, defence start-ups, PSUs, and Naval organizations, fostering collaboration and knowledge exchange. MTEX-24 aims to propel India’s maritime industry towards a secure and prosperous future.

Notes:
India has won three gold medals and one silver medal at the 2024 Asian Indoor Athletics Championships in Tehran, Iran. On the opening day of the championships, the following athletes won gold medals: Tajinderpal Singh Toor: Ace shot putter Jyothi Yarraji: 100m hurdler Harmilan Bains: 1500m