Current Affairs Quiz - January, 2025

Notes:
A new research paper identifies Chronic Pulmonary Aspergillosis (CPA), a life-threatening fungal infection, mostly in tuberculosis survivors in Assam’s tea plantations. Chronic Pulmonary Aspergillosis (CPA) is caused by Aspergillus fumigatus, a fungus that infects individuals with weak immune systems. It commonly affects people with pre-existing lung damage, like from TB, and shares symptoms with TB. Symptoms include coughing up blood, weight loss, fatigue, shortness of breath, and wheezing. Treatment involves antifungal medication and sometimes surgery. Aspergillus fungi are widely found in soil, decaying plants, and grains, but only a few species pose a threat to humans.

Notes:
An elephant was recently camera-trapped in Namdapha Tiger Reserve after 12 years, boosting conservation efforts. The reserve is in Changlang District, Arunachal Pradesh, near Myanmar and adjoining Kamlang Wildlife Sanctuary. It lies between the Dapha Bum ridge of Mishmi Hills and the Patkai Ranges in the North Eastern Himalayas. The Namdapha River flows through the reserve, giving it its name. The vegetation includes Northern Tropical Evergreen, Tropical Moist Deciduous, East Himalayan Moist Temperate, and Moist Alpine Scrub Forests. It is located at the junction of the Indian Subcontinent and Indo-China Biogeographic Regions.

Notes:
Scientists detected supersonic winds of 33,000 km/h on the gas giant exoplanet WASP-127b. WASP-127b is located 520 light-years away in the Milky Way and orbits a sun-like star every four days. It is a hot Jupiter, orbiting just 5% of the Earth-Sun distance, with one side always facing its star. Its atmosphere reaches 2,060°F and contains hydrogen, helium, carbon monoxide, and water. WASP-127b is 30% larger than Jupiter but only 16% of its mass, making it extremely puffy. It has the fastest equatorial jet stream winds recorded on any known planet.

Notes:
The International Criminal Court (ICC) Prosecutor urged the UN Security Council to address worsening atrocities in Sudan’s Darfur region. Darfur, in western Sudan, is home to around 80 tribes and ethnic groups facing ongoing tribal and ethnic conflicts. The crisis intensified in 2003 when rebel groups, Sudan Liberation Army and Justice and Equality Movement, took arms against the Sudanese government. The conflict stemmed from grievances over the unequal distribution of economic resources, causing widespread loss of lives and displacement.

Notes:
At the Africa Energy Summit in Tanzania (Jan 27-28, 2025), 12 African nations launched National Energy Compacts to boost energy access and clean energy solutions. The countries include Chad, Ivory Coast, DR Congo, Liberia, Madagascar, Malawi, Mauritania, Niger, Nigeria, Senegal, Zambia, and Tanzania. The summit was held under “Mission 300,” led by the World Bank and African Development Bank, aiming to provide electricity to 300 million Africans by 2030. The summit marked a key step toward bridging Africa’s energy gap and supporting sustainable growth.

Notes:
SEBI plans to launch a “when-listed” platform for trading shares of companies after their initial public offering (IPO) but before listing on stock exchanges. This aims to reduce grey market activity, which is unregulated and influences IPO listings. Currently, shares are listed T+3 days after an IPO, with allotment on T+1. Between allotment and listing, trading occurs in the grey market, an unofficial, unregulated market where shares are traded based on supply and demand. Investors often check the grey market premium before deciding to invest in an IPO.

Notes:
The Annual Status of Education Report (ASER) 2024 report by Pratham Foundation shows improved literacy and arithmetic in rural areas after the pandemic. The percentage of Class 3 students with basic arithmetic skills increased from 25.9 percent in 2022 to 7 percent in 2024 with more progress in government schools The percentage of Class 5 students reading at Class 2 level increased to 8 percent in 2024 from 38.5 percent in 2022 The National Education Policy 2020 played a key role in strengthening foundational skills in reading and arithmetic Government school enrollment has increased along with better student and teacher attendance Technology access has expanded with 90 percent of teenagers owning smartphones but only 57 percent using them for education Pre-primary enrollment is high in states like Karnataka Gujarat and Kerala

Notes:
SEBI launched a web-based portal called Integrated SEBI Portal for Technical Glitches (iSPOT) for submitting root cause analysis (RCA) reports on technical glitches. It serves as a centralized repository to streamline reporting by stock exchanges and market infrastructure institutions (MIIs). iSPOT aims to improve data quality, track past glitches, and generate system reports for better compliance monitoring.

Notes:
The Cabinet Committee on Economic Affairs (CCEA), chaired by PM Narendra Modi, approved the revision of ethanol procurement prices for Oil Marketing Companies (OMCS) for the Ethanol Supply Year 2024-25 (Nov 1, 2024 – Oct 31, 2025). The Ethanol Blended Petrol (EBP) Programme aims to reduce pollution, conserve foreign exchange, and support the sugar industry in clearing cane price arrears for farmers. The EBP programme, launched in 2003 by the Ministry of Petroleum and Natural Gas, promotes the use of environment-friendly alternative fuels.

Notes:
WHO announced that Guinea has eliminated the gambiense form of human African trypanosomiasis (HAT), or sleeping sickness, as a public health problem. This is the first neglected tropical disease eliminated in Guinea. HAT is caused by tsetse fly bites and can lead to fatal neurological issues if untreated. Guinea’s HAT cases resurfaced in the 1990s, prompting the launch of a national control program in 2002. Key strategies included mass screenings, vector control, and insecticide-impregnated mini-screens from 2012.