Current Affairs Quiz - May 2025

Notes:
Researchers have recently found that magnetar flares can create heavy elements like gold using a process called rapid neutron-capture or r-process nucleosynthesis. Magnetars are a special type of neutron star with extremely powerful magnetic fields—about a thousand times stronger than normal neutron stars. These stars sometimes release huge flares of energy, and one such giant flare in 2004 helped scientists make this discovery. The flare was observed by NASA’s Compton Gamma Ray Observatory, which recorded strange gamma-ray signals nearly a day later. These delayed signals did not match typical afterglows but showed signs of radioactive decay from neutron-rich elements. This proves that r-process nucleosynthesis, earlier linked mainly to neutron star mergers, can also happen in magnetar flares. This recent evidence changes our understanding of where rare elements like gold in the universe might come from.

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Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath recently met World Bank President Ajay Banga in Lucknow to launch two major projects: Uttar Pradesh Agriculture Growth and Rural Enterprise Ecosystem Strengthening (UP AGREES) and Artificial Intelligence Pragya (AI Pragya). UP AGREES will promote technology-based farming and improve agricultural productivity across 28 districts in Bundelkhand and Purvanchal. AI Pragya will train 10 lakh youth in digital fields like artificial intelligence, machine learning, data analytics, and cybersecurity. The initiative will be supported by departments like Education, Health, Agriculture, and Rural Development. These efforts aim to create jobs, support startups, and help Uttar Pradesh become a $1 trillion economy.

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Russia recently honoured Biju Patnaik by unveiling a memorial plaque at its embassy in New Delhi for his heroic role during the Battle of Stalingrad in World War II. Biju Patnaik, born in Cuttack in 1916, was a brave freedom fighter, expert pilot, and prominent politician. He joined the Royal Indian Air Force in 1936 and flew dangerous missions during World War II. During the Battle of Stalingrad (1942–43), he risked his life flying through German defences to supply arms to the Soviet Red Army. This battle was a turning point in World War II, stopping the German advance. Patnaik also played a vital role in India’s Quit India Movement by secretly flying nationalist leaders.

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The pre-monsoon estimation of tigers and other animals has recently begun in the Pollachi and Tiruppur divisions of Anamalai Tiger Reserve (ATR). It is located in the Anamalai Hills at an altitude of 1400 metres in the Pollachi and Coimbatore districts of Tamil Nadu. It lies on the southern side of the South Western Ghat landscape. It is bordered by Parambikulam Tiger Reserve to the east and Chinnar Wildlife Sanctuary and Eravikulam National Park to the southwest. It is also surrounded by Nenmara, Vazhachal, Malayattur, and Marayur reserved forests of Kerala. UNESCO has identified Kariyan Shola, Grass Hills, and Manjampatti within ATR as a World Heritage Site.

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A recent study in Nature Geoscience found that soil microbes, particularly fungi and bacteria, play a central role in regulating phosphorus availability and cycling over a span of 700,000 years in the Cooloola coastal dune system. These microbes manage the release and transformation of phosphorus in nutrient-poor soils, acting as crucial “gatekeepers” in ecosystem nutrient dynamics. These microbes adapt by replacing phospholipids with non-phosphorus lipids and storing fats to reduce phosphorus demand. They also improve phosphorus use efficiency in their metabolism to survive in low-phosphorus soils. Microbes both compete with plants for phosphorus and help them by recycling it and improving access.

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Recently, the World Health Organization (WHO) released the State of the World’s Nursing (SoWN) 2025 report on International Nurses Day (IND). The global nursing workforce grew from 27.9 million in 2018 to 29.8 million in 2023, but 78% of nurses are in countries covering only 49% of the global population. The global nurse-to-population ratio is 37.1 per 10,000, with Europe having five times more nurses than Africa and the Eastern Mediterranean. High-Income Countries (HICs) have ten times more nurses than Low-Income Countries (LICs). In India, there are only 1.9 nurses per 1,000 people, below the WHO’s recommendation of 3 per 1,000. India has over 3.3 million registered nurses under the Indian Nursing Council (INC), an autonomous body under the Ministry of Health and Family Welfare. India plans to open 157 new nursing colleges by mid-2025, adding 15,700 Bachelor of Science in Nursing (B.Sc. Nursing) seats nationwide.

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The Global Report on Internal Displacement (GRID) 2025 was released by the Internal Displacement Monitoring Centre (IDMC). Internal Displacement (ID) means people are forced to move within their own country due to conflict, violence, or disasters. Internally Displaced People (IDP) are those who flee their homes but do not cross international borders. By the end of 2024, there were 83.4 million IDPs globally, with 73.5 million due to conflict and 9.8 million due to disasters. The United States accounted for 25% of all disaster-related displacements. In India, 1,700 people were displaced due to conflict and 5.4 million due to disasters.

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Dr. Subbanna Ayyappan, a renowned fisheries scientist and Padma Shri awardee, was found dead in the Cauvery River near Srirangapatna, Karnataka, on May 10, 2025. He was known as the architect of India’s Blue Revolution, which boosted fish production through scientific aquaculture. He was 70 years old at the time of his death.

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Recently, the Chhattisgarh High Court has been closely monitoring development works at Madku Dweep due to its cultural and historical value. Madku Dweep is located on the Shivnath River, the longest tributary of the Mahanadi River, in Bilaspur district of Chhattisgarh. The island covers about 24 hectares and is named Madku because its shape resembles a frog. It is also called Kedar Tirth and Harihar Kshetra Kedar Dweep. Archaeologists have found ancient stone tools, coins, and inscriptions dating back to the 3rd century BC.

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Recently, 31 Maoists were killed in one of India’s biggest anti-Naxal operations called Operation Black Forest. It was a 21-day counterinsurgency mission in the Kurraguttalu Hills, spread across 1,200 square kilometres on the Chhattisgarh–Telangana border. The aim was to destroy Naxal bases, remove top Maoist leaders, and regain control of the area. This supports India’s goal to end Left Wing Extremism by March 31, 2026. The forces involved included the Central Reserve Police Force (CRPF), elite Commando Battalion for Resolute Action (CoBRA), Special Task Force (STF), and District Reserve Guard (DRG). The Karregutta Hills, key to this operation, lie between Telangana and Chhattisgarh.