Current Affairs Quiz - September, 2024

Notes:
Prime Minister Narendra Modi addressed Global Fintech Fest (GFF) 2024 held at the Jio World Convention Centre in Mumbai.
The event is organized jointly by the Payments Council of India, the National Payments Corporation of India (NPCI), and the Fintech Convergence Council (FCC). The GFF is considered one of the world’s largest gatherings of fintech startups, investors, experts, bankers, and regulators from around the globe.

Notes:
India should be given a permanent seat in the United Nations Security Council (UNSC) for its rightful place, according to former Singapore diplomat Kishore Mahbubani. The UNSC is one of the five main organizations of the United Nations, responsible for maintaining global peace and security. All UN member states must follow UNSC decisions. The UNSC identifies threats to peace, urges peaceful dispute resolution, and may impose sanctions or authorize military action. It has 15 members: five permanent (P5) with veto power (UK, China, France, Russia, USA) and ten non-permanent members elected for two-year terms. UNSC headquarters is in New York City.

Notes:
Sharath Kamal has been named the first Indian ambassador of the International Table Tennis Federation (ITTF) Foundation.
The announcement was made during day 11 of the Ultimate Table Tennis (UTT) season five at Jawaharlal Nehru Indoor Stadium. Sharath was elected to the ITTF’s Athlete’s Commission in November 2022. He will promote table tennis for development, especially among children from underprivileged backgrounds. He holds the record for the most medals in Commonwealth Games history for table tennis, including 13 medals with three golds at the 2022 Birmingham Games.

Notes:
The Konyak Union has requested the Nagaland government to fix the boundary line error between Mon district in Nagaland and Charaideo district in Assam on Google Maps. The Konyaks live in Mon district, Nagaland, and parts of Arunachal Pradesh (Tirap and Changlang districts). The term ‘Konyak’ translates to “men with black hair,” and they are divided into two groups: “Thendu” (Tattooed Face) and “Thentho” (White Face). The Konyaks are of Mongoloid origin, with 95% following Christianity. They speak the Konyak language from the Sino-Tibetan family and celebrate festivals like Aolingmonyu, Aonyimo, and Laoun-ongmo. They excel in making firearms, handicrafts, and their society is patriarchal.

Notes:
President Droupadi Murmu celebrated the Supreme Court’s 75-year legacy at the National Conference of the District Judiciary. She unveiled the court’s new flag and insignia and praised its role as a guardian of justice in India.
President Murmu emphasized the court’s commitment to truth and justice, highlighting its motto from the Mahabharata: “Where there is Dharma, there is victory.” The term “Black Coat Syndrome” was discussed, referring to the anxiety people feel when dealing with the legal system, due to complex procedures, delays, and high costs, especially affecting marginalized communities seeking justice.

Notes:
Iran has delivered short-range ballistic missiles, including the Fath-360, to Russia, as reported by The Wall Street Journal. The Fath-360 is a precise and mobile Iranian SRBM designed for tactical strikes on military and infrastructure targets. It weighs 787 kilograms and travels at speeds of Mach 3 to 4. Equipped with a solid-fuel engine, it enables rapid deployment with a range of 120 to 300 kilometers. It carries a 150-kilogram warhead and is difficult to intercept due to its small, maneuverable design. The missile uses an inertial guidance system and satellite navigation for 30-meter accuracy. The Fath-360 is launched from a truck-mounted system capable of deploying multiple missiles.

Notes:
Researchers discovered a new species, Curcuma ungmensis, in Nagaland’s Mokokchung district. It belongs to the Curcuma genus, part of the ginger family (Zingiberaceae). Named after Ungma village, where it was found, Curcuma ungmensis is a rhizomatous herb with underground stems. It can be used as an ornamental ground cover plant in gardens after domestication. The plant flowers from August to October, with blooms lasting only a day. It faces threats from road development, construction, and natural disasters. The Curcuma genus has about 40 species in India, primarily found in the northeast, south, and the Andaman and Nicobar Islands.

Notes:
Arun Goel, a retired IAS officer and former Election Commissioner of India, has been appointed as India’s Ambassador to Croatia by the Ministry of External Affairs. Following his retirement in March 2024, this new role highlights his continued contribution to public service. His extensive experience in governance and administration will help strengthen diplomatic relations between India and Croatia, marking an important step in his distinguished career.

Notes:
The 2nd Asia Pacific Ministerial Conference on Civil Aviation was held at Bharat Mandapam, New Delhi. It was co-hosted by the International Civil Aviation Organization (ICAO) and the Ministry of Civil Aviation, Government of India. The first conference took place in 2018 in Beijing, China. India had offered to host the second conference in 2020, but it was postponed due to the COVID-19 pandemic. This conference came at a time when India’s aviation industry was transforming. As the world’s third-largest domestic aviation market, India aimed to become a hub for MRO services, cargo, and regional aviation.

Notes:
Researchers recently found a Myristica swamp forest in Kumbral, Maharashtra, protected by the local community. Myristica swamps are freshwater habitats dominated by evergreen trees from the Myristicaceae family. These swamps are called living fossils due to their ancient origin of 140 million years. They have large roots protruding from waterlogged soil, which stays flooded all year. Found mainly in the Western Ghats, they also exist in the Andaman, Nicobar Islands, and Meghalaya. These swamps depend on valley shape, heavy rainfall (3000 mm), and water availability. They retain water like a sponge and store more carbon than regular forests. They support diverse species, such as the Myristica Swamp Treefrog in Kerala sanctuaries.