Current Affairs Quiz - May, 2024

Notes:
The Ministry of Skill Development and Entrepreneurship (MSDE) partnered with Mahindra & Mahindra Ltd for two Pilot Projects under the Drone Didi Yojana. Launched to empower women in agriculture, it aims to train 15,000 women in drone operation for tasks like crop monitoring and seeding. The projects will run at Noida and Hyderabad Centers, training 500 rural women in drone flying, data analysis, and maintenance.

Notes:
On May 7, 2024, the UN General Assembly, comprising 193 members, passed a resolution to designate May 25 as World Football Day annually. The Libyan ambassador to the UN, Taher El-Sonni, introduced the resolution, which gained consensus support and was co-sponsored by over 160 member nations. Highlighting football’s global popularity, the ambassador emphasized its ubiquity across towns, cities, and villages worldwide.

Notes:
State Bank of India (SBI) is the inaugural trading-cum-clearing member of the India International Bullion Exchange (IIBX) at GIFT City, Gandhinagar, Gujarat. IIBX is India’s premier International Bullion Exchange, aimed at facilitating transparent price discovery and promoting bullion trading and investment. Regulated by IFSCA, it offers diversified products and competitive pricing, positioning itself as a gateway for importing bullion into India. Bullion refers to high-purity physical gold and silver, often held by central banks and institutional investors.

Notes:
The project ‘slope stabilization using soil nailing and Hydroseeding method’ is implemented by Tamil Nadu’s state highways department around Nilgiris’ major roads. It employs geotechnical engineering techniques like soil reinforcement through steel tendons, creating composite masses akin to gravity walls. Methods include drilled and grouted, driven, drilling, and jet grouted soil nailing. While driven is fast but lacks corrosion protection, drilling and jet grouted methods offer quicker stabilization and erosion control.

Notes:
The 2024 World Wildlife Crime Report by the UN Office on Drugs and Crime revealed rhinos and cedars as the most trafficked species from 2015-2021. Established in 1997, the UNODC combats drug abuse, trafficking, and crime worldwide. It strengthens international cooperation, promotes crime prevention, and aids criminal justice reform to combat transnational organized crime and corruption.

Notes:
NASA announced FLOAT (Flexible Levitation on a Track), the first lunar railway system, aiming to transform cargo transfer on the Moon. FLOAT, part of NASA’s Moon to Mars initiative, utilizes unpowered magnetic robots on a three-layer flexible film track. These robots levitate above the track, reducing wear from moon dust and offering dependable transportation for sustainable lunar colonies. The system integrates diamagnetic levitation, electromagnetic propulsion, and optional solar panels for power generation.

Notes:
Austrian tennis star Dominic Thiem, 30, announced his retirement at the season’s end due to persistent wrist injuries. Thiem, ranked 117th, claimed 17 career titles, including the 2020 US Open. He reached a career-high ranking of 3 in March 2020. Thiem notably reached the finals of the Australian Open in 2017 and the French Open in 2018 and 2019. He also competed in two ATP finals in London featuring the season’s top eight players.

Notes:
The India-U.S. joint urban counter terrorism exercise, involving the NSG and U.S. SOF, concludes in Kolkata, the seventh edition. Started on April 22, 2024, following the previous edition in Chennai, January 2023. Focuses on building relations and interoperability between forces. Aims at enhancing bilateral cooperation in combating terrorism, including sharing tactics and procedures for urban operations like close quarter battles and hostage rescues.

Notes:
Uttarakhand Renewable Energy Development Agency (UREDA) initiated bio-energy projects in Uttarakhand to utilize pine needles for power generation, covering 16.36% of the state’s forest area. These projects failed due to technology limitations. Chir pine forests produce 15 lakh tonnes of needles annually. Utilizing 40% could fulfill power needs and create employment.

Notes:
TAK-003, developed by Japan’s Takeda, is a live-attenuated dengue vaccine containing weakened strains of all four virus serotypes. It’s WHO prequalified, the second dengue vaccine after CYD-TDV. Recommended for children aged 6-16 in high-burden, high-transmission areas, it aims to combat dengue.