Current Affairs Quiz - September, 2024

Notes:
Oceanographers found a new seamount on the Nazca Ridge, 900 miles off Chile’s coast. Nazca Ridge is a submarine ridge in the southeastern Pacific Ocean near South America. It is around 1,100 kilometers long and varies in width. The ridge starts at the Nazca Plate off Peru and extends southwest towards Easter Island, Chile. It was created by volcanic activity from a hotspot in the Earth’s mantle. The ridge consists of unusually thick basaltic ocean crust.
It is tectonically active, subducting beneath the South American Plate at the Peru-Chile Trench.

Notes:
The Women’s Asian Champions Trophy hockey tournament in 2024 will be held in Rajgir, Bihar, from November 11-20. This event is a milestone for Bihar, as it will take place at the newly-developed Rajgir Hockey Stadium. Top Asian teams, including India, China, Japan, and Korea, will compete in the tournament. The event highlights Bihar’s commitment to promoting hockey and hosting international sports. The inauguration of the stadium and the support from local leaders showcase Bihar’s readiness for global events.

Notes:
Recently, five people fell unconscious and were hospitalized in Visakhapatnam while shifting acetanilide bags between containers. Acetanilide is a synthetic organic compound with the formula C8H9NO, also known as N-phenylacetamide or acetanil. It is a white, odorless solid related to acetic acid and was first used as a fever-reducing drug in 1886.
Acetanilide was used for pain relief, including headaches and cramps, but has been largely replaced by acetaminophen (paracetamol) due to toxic side effects that affect hemoglobin function. It is still used as an intermediate in producing dyes, rubber, and other chemicals.

Notes:
The Union government has decided to establish foot-and-mouth disease-free zones in eight states: Karnataka, Tamil Nadu, Andhra Pradesh, Telangana, Uttarakhand, Punjab, Haryana, Maharashtra, and Gujarat. Foot-and-mouth disease (FMD) is a highly contagious viral illness affecting livestock such as cattle, swine, sheep, and goats, but not horses, dogs, or cats. It impacts livestock production and disrupts trade but poses no human health or food safety risk. FMD is caused by an aphthovirus and has seven strains. Immunity to one strain does not protect against others. The disease spreads through excretions and secretions, with high transmission rates in young animals but low fatality in adults.

Notes:
Nitish Kumar won India’s second gold medal at the 2024 Paris Paralympics in men’s singles Badminton SL3 class. Earlier, Avni Lekhara won India’s first gold medal in the Women’s 10m air rifle standing SH1 event. The 17th Summer Paralympics is taking place in Paris, France, from 28 August to 8 September 2024. Nitish, aged 29 and world No. 1, defeated Daniel Bethell of Great Britain in a close match, winning 21-14, 18-21, 23-21. Nitish lost his leg in a train accident in 2009 and was inspired by Pramod Bhagat to play badminton in the SL3 class.

Notes:
WWF-India launched the “Vulture Count 2024” project from September 7 to October 6, 2024. This initiative aligns with International Vulture Awareness Day. The project aims to count and assess the vulture population in India. It focuses particularly on critically endangered vulture species. The project also seeks to raise public awareness about the importance of vultures in ecosystems.

Notes:
Odisha granted habitat rights to Saora tribals in Gajapati district, making it the state with the most habitat rights for particularly vulnerable tribal groups (PVTGs). The Saora tribe is one of Odisha’s ancient tribes, mentioned in the Ramayana and Mahabharata. They are also known as Savaras, Sabaras, Saura, and Sora. Besides Odisha, Saoras live in Andhra Pradesh, Jharkhand, Madhya Pradesh, and Assam. They speak the Sora language, a Munda language, and use the Sorang Sompeng script. Saoras have Proto Australoid features, a complex religion with many gods, and unique art and tattoo traditions.
Economically, they are divided into plains Saoras (agriculture and wage work) and hill Saoras (shifting and terraced cultivation).

Notes:
Russian troops recently used a Grom-E1 hybrid missile to hit Kharkiv, Ukraine. The Grom-E1 is a modernized weapon based on the Soviet-era Kh-38 missile. It was developed by Russia and first introduced in 2018. The Grom-E1 combines features of both a missile and an aerial bomb. It has a maximum range of 120 km, with a high-explosive warhead and a contact detonator. A variant with a thermobaric design can detonate at high altitudes. The effectiveness depends on the altitude and speed of the launching aircraft. It can be launched from Russian aircraft like the MiG-35, Su-34, Su-35, and Su-57.

Notes:
The three-day Armed Forces Festival began at Surya Khel Parisar in Lucknow Cantonment with much enthusiasm. Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath inaugurated the festival. He praised the Indian Armed Forces as unparalleled globally, recognized even by India’s enemies. He highlighted Uttar Pradesh’s leading role in national defense efforts. The Defense Corridor in Uttar Pradesh provides significant employment opportunities for youth. Over 8,000 people attended the festival, enjoying a display of the latest military equipment. The exhibition showcased tanks, helicopters, artillery guns, and more, highlighting India’s technological advancements. The T-90 tank was a notable exhibit.

Notes:
Yogesh Kathuniya won the silver medal in the men’s discus F56 final at the Paris 2024 Paralympics. The event took place at Stade de France. Kathuniya, 27 years old, achieved his season-best throw of 42.22 meters. Brazil’s Claudiney Batista dos Santos won gold with a Paralympic Record of 46.86 meters. Greece’s Konstantinos Tzounis secured the bronze medal with a throw of 41.32 meters. Slovakia’s Dusan Laczko finished fourth with a throw of 41.20 meters. Serbia’s Nebojsa Duric qualified but did not participate in the final.