Current Affairs Quiz - October, 2023

Notes:
The latest census of Gangetic dolphins in the Hastinapur Wildlife Sanctuary in Uttar Pradesh revealed that there are now 50 dolphins in the river Ganga, up from 41 in the last census in 2020
There are approximately 2,500-3,000 Ganges river dolphins left living in the wild. The Gahirmatha Marine Sanctuary and Bhitarkanika saw dolphin count rise to 540 from 342 last year. The Parman River had 35 Gangetic dolphins in 2013 and the number went up to 50 in 2021. The Chilika Lake had 188 Irrawaddy dolphins in 2021, up from 163 in 2020.

Notes:
Andhra Pradesh emerged as the top state in terms of savings by self-help groups (SHGs), according to a report by NABARD.
Andhra Pradesh SHGs have accumulated savings of Rs 18,606 crore, while Telangana SHGs have saved Rs 5,156 crore. Telangana has a higher percentage of SHGs with outstanding loans (97%) compared to Andhra Pradesh (89%).

Notes:
The Nobel Prize in Physics for 2023 has been awarded to Ferenc Krausz, Pierre Agostini, and Anne L’Huillier for their groundbreaking experiments that have led to the creation of attosecond pulses of light.
These pulses have opened new avenues for studying the behavior of electrons within atoms and molecules, revolutionizing the field of electrodynamics in matter.

Notes:
The Indian Air Force (IAF) is set to replace all Russian-origin MiG-21 squadrons with the LCA Mark 1A by 2025.
This was announced by Air Chief Marshal VR Chaudhari ahead of the upcoming Air Force Day celebration. The Indian Air Force celebrated its 91st anniversary on October 8 with the theme-“IAF-airpower beyond boundaries”.

Notes:
iTEK Nucleus is an IT tower that is set to be built in Old City in Hyderabad. The foundation stone for the project was laid recently.
The total budget of this project is Rs 700 crore and is estimated to accommodate at least 50,000 jobs in various IT firms.

Notes:
An Australian woman has become the first documented individual globally to survive an infection typically responsible for the fatal “blackleg” ailment in cattle and sheep.
Blackleg in cattle bears a resemblance to gas gangrene syndrome in humans, leading to the death of all tissue surrounding the infection and significant gas accumulation.

Notes:
According to the latest Trade and Development Report 2023, global economic growth is expected to reach 2.4 percent.
The United Nations Conference on Trade and Development (UNCTAD), which published this annual report, has characterized this growth as stalled speed. A global recession is typically defined as occurring when the growth rate falls to 2.5 percent or lower.

Notes:
The Norwegian Nobel Committee has honored Iranian activist Narges Mohammadi with the 2023 Nobel Peace Prize.
She is being recognized “For her fight against the oppression of women in Iran and her fight to promote human rights and freedom for all”.

Notes:
14 people were killed and 102 others are missing in Sikkim after the South Lhonak Lake burst due to incessant rains, leading to the release of water in downstream areas.
South Lhonak Lake is a glacial lake situated in the state’s northwest at 17,000 feet. The substantial storage capacity of the Teesta-III dam’s reservoir and the failure to activate its spillways may be the reasons for the flood, as per experts.

Notes:
Scientists from Mahidol University in Thailand have been investigating the potential of watermeal, which is the smallest flowering plant on Earth, as a potential source of nutrition and oxygen for astronauts.
This research was conducted at the European Space Agency’s (ESA) ESTEC technical center in the Netherlands, where the tiny aquatic plants were exposed to hypergravity conditions using ESA’s Large Diameter Centrifuge (LDC).