Current Affairs Quiz - February, 2024

Notes:
Dubai has made history by unveiling plans for the world’s first air taxi service at the World Government Summit 2024. The city will pioneer a city-wide electric aerial taxi service using Joby Aviation S4, accommodating four passengers and a pilot. With a 161 km range and 321 km/h top speed, the innovative aircraft offers efficient vertical take-off and landing, reducing space requirements and noise pollution. Set to launch in 2026, this initiative represents Dubai’s commitment to sustainable and accessible urban transportation.

Notes:
India is set to introduce its inaugural Helicopter Emergency Medical Service (HEMS) in Uttarakhand, as announced by Civil Aviation Minister Jyotiraditya Scindia. The HEMS, based at AIIMS in Rishikesh, aims to swiftly airlift accident victims within a 150 km radius for timely critical care. This initiative aligns with the government’s commitment to extend medical outreach and trauma care services, prioritizing timely transportation for patients in hilly terrains to access vital care at AIIMS within the crucial ‘golden hour’ post-accident.

Notes:
A male tiger from the Kanha Tiger Reserve has been relocated to Mukundpur Safari in Satna. Kanha Tiger Reserve, the largest in Madhya Pradesh, spans 940 sq km across Mandla and Balaghat districts. Established on June 1, 1955, and declared a tiger reserve in 1973, it features forested undulations, hills, plateaus, and valleys. The reserve, believed to have inspired Rudyard Kipling’s The Jungle Book, is home to India’s first tiger reserve mascot, “Bhoorsingh the Barasingha.”

Notes:
Union Minister Sarbananda Sonowal highlighted the significant potential of India’s inland waterways as a growth engine, emphasizing PM Narendra Modi’s focus on harnessing this vital resource. Speaking at Kalugaht, Bihar, he inaugurated the Kalughat Inland Waterways Transport terminal on National Waterways-1, emphasizing the cost-effectiveness of water transport. Sonowal credited Prime Minister for amending the Inland Vessel Act, simplifying permit systems and transforming India into a major player in riverways and maritime cargo handling with the increase of National Waterways from 5 to 111.

Notes:
Scientists recently uncovered a Stone Age wall beneath the Baltic Sea in Germany, considered Europe’s oldest human-made megastructure. The 971-meter wide, less than 1 mtr tall wall, believed to be over 10,000 years old, was likely built by hunter-gatherers and may have served as a reindeer hunting lane. The Baltic Sea is a semi-enclosed sea in Northern Europe, a branch of the North Atlantic Ocean, dividing the Scandinavian Peninsula from mainland Europe, with 8,000 kilometers of coastline shared by multiple countries.

Notes:
NASA’s SOFIA airborne observatory, a telescope mounted on a Boeing 747 SP aircraft, recently discovered water molecules on the surfaces of two asteroids, marking the first such detection. Operating for 12 years until its premature end in 2022, SOFIA, jointly operated by NASA and the German space agency, studied infrared light, allowing astronomers to observe the universe from 38,000-45,000 feet, above most of Earth’s infrared-blocking atmosphere. It was the world’s largest airborne astronomical observatory, facilitating unique studies of celestial bodies and transient events globally.

Notes:
The European Union has initiated Mission Aspides to safeguard commercial vessels in the Red Sea from potential attacks by Iran-backed Houthi rebels. This EU naval mission involves deploying warships and airborne early warning systems in the Red Sea, Gulf of Aden, and surrounding waters. Participating countries include France, Germany, Italy, and Belgium. Aspides vessels, operating under strict rules of engagement, are stationed in Larissa, Greece, and are authorized to fire only in response to Houthi attacks. The mission, initially planned for a year, is subject to renewal.

Notes:
Astronomers announced the discovery of J0529-4351, the brightest and fastest-growing quasar to date. This quasar harbors a supermassive black hole 17 billion times the Sun’s mass. Quasars are active galactic nuclei (AGNs), fueled by supermassive black holes at a galaxy’s center. Not all AGNs are quasars, which form in regions of high matter density. Quasars are exceptionally luminous and powerful cosmic phenomena, arising from active galaxies with intense matter consumption, leading to the formation of spiraling accretion disks.

Notes:
Uttarakhand Chief Minister Pushkar Singh Dhami introduced ‘Himalayan Basket’ at his residence, a venture initiated in 2018 by Sumit and Sneha Thapliyal. This initiative involves purchasing agricultural products such as milk, turmeric, and mint, processing them into various products, and supplying them internationally.

Notes:
The World Health Organization (WHO) launched the Global Initiative on Digital Health (GIDH) as part of India’s G20 presidency. The initiative aims to democratize digital health technologies, featuring components such as a country needs tracker and a transformation toolbox. Union Health Minister Mandaviya highlighted its role in creating an institutional framework for digital health, while Bagchi emphasized India’s digital response during the pandemic. WHO Director-General Dr Tedros emphasized GIDH’s support in addressing health system fragmentation and overlap, promoting global digital health standards.