Current Affairs Quiz - September, 2024

Notes:
The International Buddhist Confederation and Nava Nalanda Mahavihara hosted a two-day conference in Nalanda, Bihar, on Guru Padmasambhava’s life and legacy. Guru Padmasambhava, also known as Guru Rinpoche, lived in the 8th century in India and is a highly respected figure in Buddhism. He is recognized as a founding father of Tibetan Buddhism and arrived in Tibet in 749 A.D. He spread Buddha’s teachings across the Himalayan regions including India, Nepal, Pakistan, Bhutan, Bangladesh, and Tibet. A Tantrist and Yogācāra sect member, he taught at Nalanda and is associated with a blend of Yogic, Tantric practices, and cultural elements such as art, music, and folklore.

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:
World Coconut Day is observed every year on September 2nd to highlight the importance of coconuts. It aims to raise awareness about various uses of coconuts and promote sustainable farming practices. The theme for World Coconut Day 2024 is “Coconut for a Circular Economy: Building Partnership for Maximum Value.” The day was first celebrated in 2009, initiated by the International Coconut Community (ICC), a UNESCAP intergovernmental body. The ICC includes 21 coconut-producing countries, with India as a founding member. The ICC’s headquarters is located in Jakarta, Indonesia, and it was known as the Asian and Pacific Coconut Community until 2018.

Notes:
Wildlife researcher Chris Ketola shared a video of a tarantula infected by a zombie fungus called Ophiocordyceps unilateralis. This fungus drains its host of nutrients and fills its body with spores for reproduction. The fungus takes control of the host’s mind and motor functions, then eats away at the body. Cordyceps fungi mainly infect invertebrates, especially insects like ants and spiders. Tarantulas are large, hairy spiders belonging to the Theraphosidae family. Over 900 species of tarantulas exist worldwide, except in Antarctica. Tarantulas are nocturnal predators with an average body length of 5 inches and a leg span of up to 11 inches.

Notes:
Air Marshal Tejinder Singh became the Deputy Chief of the Air Staff of the Indian Air Force in New Delhi. After taking his new position, he paid tribute to fallen soldiers at the National War Memorial. Tejinder Singh is an alumnus of the National Defence Academy and joined the IAF fighter stream on June 13, 1987. He is a Category ‘A’ Qualified Flying Instructor with over 4,500 flying hours. He studied at the Defence Service Staff College and National Defence College. He has commanded a Fighter Squadron, a Radar Station, a Fighter Base, and was Air Officer Commanding in Jammu and Kashmir. He received the Vayu Sena Medal in 2007 and the Ati Vishisht Seva Medal in 2022.

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:
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.

Notes:
The Digital Bus initiative has impacted over three lakh beneficiaries across India since its launch in 2017. It is a joint venture between the National Digital India Mission and the NIIT Foundation, aiming to bring technology to remote areas and foster innovation. The initiative seeks to reduce the digital divide, connect people to government programs, enhance learning interest, promote collaborative learning, and develop interpersonal skills. The solar-powered, 5G-enabled buses serve as mobile classrooms with computers, internet access, and preinstalled e-courses. The courses focus on basic digital skills and offer career programs to help beneficiaries find jobs in nearby cities or towns.

Notes:
The Ministry of Electronics and Information Technology (MeitY) launched the Vishvasya-Blockchain Technology Stack to provide Blockchain-as-a-Service (BaaS). It is built on a distributed infrastructure, designed to support different permissioned blockchain applications. MeitY also introduced NBFLite, a lightweight blockchain platform, and Praamaanik, a solution for verifying mobile app origins. The National Blockchain Framework (NBF) aims to enhance digital trust and service delivery through research and application development. NBF offers secure, transparent services using smart contracts and an API gateway. The system is hosted in NIC data centers in Bhubaneswar, Pune, and Hyderabad.

Notes:
The Indian Coast Guard participated in the 20th Heads of Asian Coast Guard Agencies Meeting (HACGAM) in Incheon, South Korea, from 2-6 September 2024. The meeting was hosted by the South Korean Coast Guard. The Indian Coast Guard also held its 12th annual bilateral meeting with the South Korean Coast Guard on 4 September 2024. Discussions focused on maritime law enforcement, safety at sea, marine environment protection, and preventing illicit trafficking of humans, drugs, and weapons. HACGAM was initiated by Japan in 2004 to address piracy issues in Southeast Asian waters, especially in the Straits of Malacca.