Current Affairs Quiz - July, 2024

Notes:
Researchers discovered 230 million metric tons of minerals essential for electric car batteries on the seabed off Minami-Torishima Island, also known as Marcus Island. This isolated Japanese atoll in the northwestern Pacific Ocean, southeast of Tokyo, has a triangular shape formed by a raised coral reef. The island has a flat terrain with a maximum altitude of 9 meters and an oceanic climate, with an average annual temperature of 25.6°C.

Notes:
Researchers at Government College for Women, Thiruvananthapuram, Kerala developed a method to produce activated carbon from coconut husks for supercapacitors. This sustainable, efficient solution leverages the high surface area of activated carbon, making it ideal for high-performance supercapacitors. These devices store and deliver charge through reversible adsorption and desorption of ions, enhancing electrochemical energy storage.

Notes:
Archaeologists discovered the world’s oldest known ostrich nest, dating back 41,000 years in Andhra Pradesh. This find could offer insights into the extinction of megafauna in the Indian subcontinent. Megafauna, animals over 50 kg, include megaherbivores, megacarnivores, and megaomnivores. Anthropogenic pressures since the Late Pleistocene led to significant losses among megafauna like woolly mammoths and sabre-toothed tigers.

Notes:
The Bangladesh Navy signed a significant deal with India’s Garden Reach Shipbuilders and Engineers (GRSE) for an 800-tonne ocean-going tug, part of a $500-million line of credit from India for defence equipment. The contract was finalized in Dhaka, witnessed by GRSE and Bangladesh Navy officials. Indian Navy Chief Admiral Dinesh K Tripathi’s visit to Bangladesh coincided with the deal, emphasizing bilateral defence ties and exploring new naval cooperation opportunities between the two countries.

Notes:
The Union Minister for Coal and Mines launched the NIRMAN Portal, part of Mission Karmayogi. Announced by Coal India Limited (CIL), the portal aims to support UPSC Preliminary exam qualifiers from SC, ST, female, or third gender candidates with an annual family income under Rs 8 lakh. Eligible candidates, permanent residents of CIL’s 39 operational districts, will receive Rs 1 lakh.

Notes:
Indian squash players secured two titles at the 2024 Asian Squash Doubles Championship in Johor, Malaysia. Abhay Singh and Joshna Chinappa won the mixed doubles, defeating Hong Kong’s Tong Tsz Wing and Ming Hong Tang. In the men’s doubles, Singh and Velavan Senthilkumar triumphed over Malaysia’s Ong Sai Hung and Syafiq Kamal. The championship featured 33 teams from seven countries and was held from July 4-7, 2024.

Notes:
Pearl spot farmers in Kerala struggle to achieve fish growth rates, but the Kerala University of Fisheries and Ocean Studies (KUFOS) aims to change this with a genome editing mission. Targeting genetic makeup for faster growth, this project could boost breeding and seed production. Pearl spots, sold at ₹650-₹700 per kg, grow slower than Genetically Improved Farmed Tilapia (GIFT). Kerala produces 2,000 tonnes annually, against a demand of 10,000 tonnes.

Notes:
Chinese geologists discovered two new minerals, Oboniobite and Scandio-fluoro-eckermannite, at the world’s largest rare-earth mine in northern China’s Bayan Obo deposit. Announced by the Chinese Academy of Sciences, these minerals contain valuable elements, niobium and scandium, which are critical for special steels, superconducting materials, aerospace, aluminum-scandium alloys, and solid oxide fuel cells. These findings have significant implications for new materials, energy, IT, aerospace, and national defense industries, benefiting China’s economic and social development.

Notes:
India and Russia agreed to increase bilateral trade to $100 billion by 2030 and use national currencies to bypass Western sanctions during the 22nd Annual Summit. Prime Minister Modi urged an end to civilian deaths in Ukraine. Russia will expedite the discharge of Indian recruits in its military. The joint statement emphasized peaceful resolution of the Ukraine conflict and included MoUs on climate change, polar research, legal arbitration, and pharmaceutical certification.

Notes:
The 2024 summer census by Uttar Pradesh’s Forest Department revealed an increase in the state’s Sarus Crane population to 19,918, up by 396 from the previous year. Conducted with 10,000 citizens, this census highlights a consistent population rise, from 17,329 in 2021 to 19,522 in 2023. The Etawah Forest Division recorded the highest number at 3,289. Notably, the Mau division sighted six cranes for the first time in a decade. Uttar Pradesh, with the largest Sarus Crane population in India, declared it the state bird in 2014. The world’s tallest flying bird nests in wetlands and is protected under Schedule IV of the Wildlife (Protection) Act, 1972.