Current Affairs Quiz - November, 2023

Notes:
23 Indian seafarers onboard vessel ‘Advantage Sweet’, which was seized in the Gulf of Oman, have been safely repatriated to India from Iran.
Iran’s Navy seized a Marshall Islands-flagged oil tanker with 24 Indian crew members in the Gulf of Oman on April 28, this year.

Notes:
Carlo Rovells, an Italian theoretical physicist claims that ‘Universe may have resulted out of a Big Bounce’.
In the latest work of Dr. Rovelli, White Holes: Inside the Horizon, he explains the theoretical existence of white holes — the converse of black holes. While blackholes is believed to be the ultimate graveyard of all matter from which nothing, not even light, can escape. White holes on the other hand may create a new universe.

Notes:
DP World is the leading container terminal and supply chain operator of Australia. A significant cybersecurity event has compelled DP World Australia, the operator of ports in multiple states, to halt its operations for several days.
DP World Australia, responsible for overseeing nearly half of the country’s imports and exports, was forced to suspend operations for three days.

Notes:
Olympic and world champion javelin thrower Neeraj Chopra was shortlisted for men’s ‘World Athlete of the Year’ award.
The 25-year-old Indian was one of the five athletes shortlisted for the prestigious honour. The other male athletes in the final list are USA’s Ryan Crouser (shot put), Sweden’s Mondo Duplantis (Pole vault), Kenya’s Kelvin Kiptum (marathon) and USA’s Noah Lyles (100m/200m).

Notes:
Scientists at UC Davis Comprehensive Cancer Center in California have made a significant discovery by identifying a ‘kill switch’ that can initiate the death of cancer cells.
They found that CD95 receptors, also known as Fas, located on cell membranes, when activated, release a signal that triggers self-destruction in the cells, offering potential implications for cancer treatment.

Notes:
Dominica is planning to establish the world’s first sperm whale reserve, which will entail setting aside approximately 800-square-kilometer area off its western coast.
In this designated zone, large ships and commercial fishing activities will be restricted, allowing visitors to swim alongside these gentle marine giants. This initiative aims not only to enhance tourism revenue but also to contribute to carbon sequestration in the deep sea, an often overlooked advantage of whale conservation.

Notes:
Hyderabad is preparing for the Sadar festival, an annual event celebrated by the people every year on the second day following Diwali.
This festival, also known as Dunnapothula Panduga (Festival of the Buffalo Cattle), is a carnival dedicated to buffaloes.

Notes:
Federal Bank collaborated with India’s Top Seeded Shuttler, H.S. Prannoy, who is current world number eight.
He is also recipient of the men’s singles bronze medal in the recent Asian Games. The World championships bronze medallist HS Prannoy progressed to the second round of the Kumamoto Masters Japan 2023 men’s singles badminton event recently.

Notes:
French judicial authorities issued international arrest warrants for Syrian President Bashar Assad, his brother and two Army generals for their alleged involvement in war crimes and crimes against humanity, including a 2013 chemical attack on rebel-held Damascus suburbs.
In addition to Mr. Assad, the arrest warrants were issued for his brother, Maher Assad, the commander of the 4th Armored Division, and two Syrian Army generals, Ghassan Abbas and Bassam al-Hassan.

Notes:
Indian authorities have opted to maintain the use of the American Cummins engine for the entire Zorawar light tank project.
Originally, the project was intended to incorporate a German engine, but it encountered delays due to a lack of German export control clearances known as BAFA clearance. As a result, the decision was made to proceed with the American engine. Zorawar light tank is a cooperative initiative between DRDO and the commercial company Larsen and Toubro.