Current Affairs Quiz - October, 2024

Notes:
Rescue teams are searching for 48 missing migrants after their boat overturned near Spain’s Canary Islands. The Canary Islands are an archipelago in the Atlantic Ocean, about 1300 km south of mainland Spain and 115 km west of Morocco. They consist of two Spanish provinces: Las Palmas and Santa Cruz de Tenerife. Formed by volcanic eruptions millions of years ago, the islands have rich volcanic soil. The climate is subtropical with warm temperatures and little seasonal variation. An archipelago refers to a group of islands formed by volcanic activity, tectonic movements, or sediment accumulation.

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A female elephant recently died from electrocution near a tribal colony close to Peechi Wildlife Sanctuary in Kerala’s Thrissur district. Peechi-Vazhani Wildlife Sanctuary, established in 1958, covers 125 sq. km in Thrissur. It is located in the catchment area of Peechi and Vazhani Dams and is part of the Palapilli-Nelliampathy forests. The terrain varies in altitude from 100 to 914 meters, with Ponmudi as the highest peak. The sanctuary has tropical forests, 50+ orchid species, rare medicinal plants, and valuable trees like teak.

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UNESCO has accredited the Keremane Idagunji Mahaganapati Yakshagana Mandali, founded in 1934 by Late Keremane Shivarama Hegde. The objective is to educate future generations and safeguard Yakshagana from decline, ensuring its relevance and vitality. Yakshagana is a traditional theatre form that originated between the 11th and 16th centuries in coastal Karnataka and parts of Kerala. It combines dance, music, dialogues, colorful costumes, and heavy make-up, inspired by the Vaishnava Bhakti movement. The themes include stories of Lord Krishna, Vishnu, and Hindu epics like the Ramayana and Mahabharata. Traditionally, men played all roles, but women are now included in troupes.

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A National Level Multi-Stakeholder Consultative Workshop on Sustainable Oil Palm Cultivation under the NMEO-OP was recently held. The workshop focused on enhancing oil palm cultivation and production of crude palm oil in India. It involved various stakeholders to discuss sustainable practices and strategies for implementing the National Mission on Edible Oils-Oil Palm (NMEO-OP). NMEO-OP was launched by India in August 2021 to boost oil palm cultivation and crude palm oil production. It focuses on the Northeast region and Andaman and Nicobar Islands. The scheme has a financial outlay of Rs 11,040 crore, with Rs 8,844 crore from the central government. It aims to increase oil palm cultivation from 3.5 lakh hectares to 10 lakh hectares by 2025-26 and crude palm oil production to 11.20 lakh tonnes.

Notes:
NATO will set up a new land command in Finland near the Russian border in 2025 to oversee land operations in northern Europe during conflicts. This move follows Finland’s recent NATO membership after Russia’s invasion of Ukraine. The new command will work alongside Finland’s existing land force command in Mikkeli.

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Experts report that 430 of the 450 hectares of Albania’s Little Prespa Lake have become swamps or dried up. It is one of Europe’s oldest and highest tectonic lakes, located at the junction of three geological masses: granite, karstic, and Suva Gora. The area contains rocks from the Paleozoic era to the Neogene era. The lake system includes Great Prespa Lake (shared by Albania, Greece, and Macedonia) and Little Prespa Lake, mostly in Greece. Climate change, rising temperatures, and lack of snowfall and rain have significantly impacted the lake.

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The World Green Economy Forum launched in Dubai, bringing together global leaders to address environmental challenges.
Under Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum’s patronage, the theme was “Empowering Global Action: Unlocking Opportunities and Advancing Progress.” Sessions focused on international cooperation for climate mitigation and integrated approaches to meet sustainable development goals. Strategies for decarbonizing energy-intensive industries were discussed, emphasizing public-private partnerships and philanthropists’ roles in climate solutions. The forum highlighted AI’s importance in sustainability and the future of Sustainable Aviation Fuel (SAF), along with youth’s critical role in environmental progress.

Notes:
Nagaland signed Wales as a Country Partner for the 25th Hornbill Festival. Chief Minister Neiphiu Rio, during his visit to Wales, announced the agreement with the Welsh Government, British Council, and Wales Arts International. The partnership concludes the “Wales in India 2024” celebration and aims to strengthen bilateral ties, enhance people-to-people contact, and create opportunities for youth.

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The 26th Water, Energy, Technology and Environment Exhibition (WETEX) 2024 started at the Dubai World Trade Centre with 29 leading Indian companies participating. Organized by Dubai Electricity and Water Authority (DEWA), the event runs until October 3, showcasing innovations in renewable energy, water treatment, and environmental technologies. Sunjay Sudhir, the Indian Ambassador to the UAE, emphasized the importance of Indian participation in supporting the green economy and Sustainable Development Goals. The UAE-India economic relationship has strengthened since the Comprehensive Economic Partnership Agreement in May 2022, with trade volume reaching 84.5 billion and projections of 100 billion by 2027.

Notes:
The Ministry of Statistics and Programme Implementation released the 7th issue of “EnviStats India 2024: Environment Accounts.” EnviStats covers information on natural resources, environmental degradation, and government efforts for management. It follows the System of Environmental-Economic Accounting (SEEA) framework for compiling environmental accounts. Coverage of mangroves increased by about 8% from 2013 to 2021. There has been a 72% increase in the number and a 16% increase in the area of protected lands from 2000 to 2023. This edition introduces Ocean Accounts for environmental reporting. The report also updates the Soil Nutrient Index using Soil Health Card data for 2023-24.