Current Affairs Quiz - January, 2024

Notes:
The city of Nashik in Maharashtra has been selected by the Ministry of Youth Affairs and Sports, Government of India to host the National Youth Festival (NYF) 2024. As per recent announcements, Prime Minister Narendra Modi is scheduled to inaugurate the 5-day youth festival in Nashik on January 12, which will see participation of around 7,500 youths from across India. NYF is held every year to celebrate the birth anniversary of Swami Vivekananda on January 12. The selection of Nashik as the host gained attention as preparations are underway to organize this youth-centric national event focused on cultural programmes and competitions.

Notes:
Australian opener David Warner has retired from one-day international (ODI) and Test cricket to spend more time with his family. He plans to play his 112th and final Test against Pakistan but will not participate in ODIs. However, he has left the door open for a potential return for the 2025 Champions Trophy. Warner has had a successful ODI career, scoring 22 centuries and 6,932 runs at an average of 45.30 in 161 matches. He was a key part of the Australian team that won the ICC Cricket World Cup in India last year. While he is retiring from ODIs, he remains available for T20 cricket and hopes to play in the T20 World Cup in June. Warner has played 111 Tests for Australia, accumulating 8,695 runs at an average of 44.58, with 26 centuries and 36 half-centuries.

Notes:
The primary objectives of the recently launched XPoSat (X-ray Polarimeter Satellite) by ISRO are to investigate the polarization of intense X-Ray sources and study the enigmatic world of black holes. This satellite is India’s first dedicated scientific satellite for conducting research in space-based polarization measurements of X-ray emission from celestial sources. It carries two scientific payloads: POLIX (Polarimeter Instrument in X-rays) for measuring polarimetry parameters in the medium X-ray energy range of 8-30 keV photons and XSPECT (X-ray Spectroscopy and Timing) for providing spectroscopic information in the energy range of 0.8-15 keV. These instruments will help in gaining a deeper understanding of X-ray sources in space, including neutron stars and black holes.

Notes:
China’s President Xi Jinping, in a New Year speech, declared that China’s “reunification” with Taiwan is inevitable. Beijing asserts that Taiwan is its “sacred territory.” While Xi did not mention military threats in his speech, China has not ruled out the use of force to bring Taiwan under its control. Xi emphasized the importance of reunification and called for a common sense of purpose among “compatriots on both sides of the Taiwan Strait.” This underscores China’s territorial claim over Taiwan.

Notes:
IHCL’s Managing Director & CEO Puneet Chhatwal assumed charge as Chairman of FAITH after Nakul Anand stepped down following retirement from ITC Hospitality. Chhatwal aims to make FAITH a strong tourism and hospitality policy advocacy body.

Notes:
Zosurabalpin is a newly identified compound that falls under the category of antibiotics. This discovery is particularly significant in the field of medicine as it shows potential in tackling drug-resistant bacteria, specifically Acinetobacter baumannii. Zosurabalpin’s mode of action is distinct and previously unknown, marking it as an innovative development in antibiotic treatments. It works by inhibiting a key process in the bacteria, leading to its destruction. The effectiveness of zosurabalpin against resistant strains of bacteria, as demonstrated in laboratory tests and animal models, highlights its importance as a breakthrough in addressing the growing challenge of antibiotic resistance.

Notes:
‘Bharat Park,’ a project announced by India’s Commerce and Textiles Minister Piyush Goyal, is intended to facilitate the trade of Indian goods in the United Arab Emirates (UAE). This initiative, involving the establishment of a goods showroom and warehouses in the UAE, aims to create a dedicated platform for showcasing and selling Indian products to other countries. Announced during an event organized by the Synthetic and Rayon Textiles Export Promotion Council (SRTEPC), the creation of Bharat Park is a strategic move to enhance the visibility and accessibility of Indian goods in international markets.

Notes:
The All India Conference of director generals and inspector generals of police in 2024 was held in Jaipur. This annual conference, a significant event in the Indian policing and internal security calendar, brought together top police officials from across the country. The conference focused on various critical issues such as artificial intelligence, cyber security, counter-terrorism, left-wing extremism, narcotics smuggling, and prison reforms. Hosting such a prominent event underscores Jaipur’s status as a key location for national-level conferences and discussions on important security and policing challenges in India.

Notes:
The primary goal of the European Space Agency’s (ESA) Proba-3 mission, which is scheduled to launch aboard India’s Polar Satellite Launch Vehicle (PSLV), is to demonstrate precision formation flying between two satellites for solar observation. This innovative mission aims to create an artificial eclipse by precisely positioning the two small satellites, namely the Coronagraph spacecraft and the solar-disc-shaped Occulter spacecraft, approximately 150 meters apart. This configuration will allow the Occulter to cast its shadow onto the Coronagraph’s telescope, effectively blocking the Sun’s direct light and enabling the observation of the Sun’s faint corona in visible, ultraviolet, and polarised light for extended periods.

Notes:
Researchers at the Indian Institute of Science (IISc.) in Bengaluru have observed a significant shift in the habitat of numerous bird species in the Eaglenest Wildlife Sanctuary, a protected area in the Himalayan foothills of West Kameng District, Arunachal Pradesh. The study attributes this migration to higher elevations to the escalating temperatures in the region. The sanctuary, part of the Eastern Himalayas biodiversity hotspot, boasts over 500 bird species and is renowned as a prime birding site due to its exceptional variety and accessibility of species. With altitudes ranging from 500 meters to 3,250 meters, Eaglenest Wildlife Sanctuary is characterized by a temperate cloud forest intermixed with bamboo patches, broadleaved evergreen forests, conifers, and rhododendrons.