Places in News Current Affairs MCQs

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Hyderabad Metropolitan Development Authority (HMDA) will use bioremediation with enzyme solutions and biochar-based Bokashi balls to reduce algal blooms bad smell and poor water quality in Hussainsagar Lake. Hussainsagar Lake is an artificial lake located in Hyderabad Telangana. It is also known as Tank Bund and lies on a tributary of the River Musi.

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Researchers from Poland, United States, and Slovenia created exact equations to explain stalagmite shapes and verified them using samples from Postojna Cave, Slovenia. Postojna Cave lies in western Slovenia and is carved over millions of years by the Pivka River. It is the only karst cave with a railway, making it unique for visitors and scientists. The cave hosts Proteus anguinus, a blind, colorless, snake-like amphibian with lungs and gills, feeding on snails and worms.

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Iran attempted cloud-seeding over the Lake Urmia basin to induce rainfall amid its worst drought in decades. Lake Urmia is located in northwestern Iran, fed by rivers including Zarīneh and Sīmīneh. The lake has lost over 90% of its original water volume due to damming, agricultural diversion, and climate stress. It is designated as a Ramsar Site and UNESCO Biosphere Reserve.

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Scottish historian William Dalrymple urged the Maharashtra government to promote lesser-known heritage sites at Ellora Caves. Ellora is located near a village in Maharashtra. Ellora is among India’s first UNESCO World Heritage Sites. The caves show 700 years of Buddhist, Hindu, Jain, Sufi, and Naga traditions.

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India is increasing its military presence in Lakshadweep with a new naval detachment on Bitra Island becoming fully operational next year. Air Force facilities are also being expanded on Agatti and Minicoy islands. Bitra Island is located in the northern region of Lakshadweep in the Arabian Sea and is the smallest inhabited island of the Union Territory. The island holds strategic importance due to its key position in the Arabian Sea. Bitra will become the third island in Lakshadweep with a defence establishment, joining INS Dweeprakshak in Kavaratti and INS Jatayu in Minicoy.

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An Indian Army mountaineering team from Eastern Command successfully summited Mount Kangto, standing at 7,042 metres, for the first recorded time. Mount Kangto is the highest peak of Arunachal Pradesh and is located in the Kameng Himalayas. The team approached and climbed the peak via the challenging southern route. The achievement marked Mount Kangto as no longer an unconquered peak. The team was “Flagged In” by Lieutenant General (Lt Gen) RC Tiwari, Army Commander of the Eastern Command.

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Fresh lava fountains erupted from Hawaii’s Kilauea volcano, almost a year after its ongoing eruptive phase began. Kilauea is one of the world’s most active volcanoes, located in the southeastern part of Hawaii Island, United States. It is a shield-type volcano, formed due to the Hawaiian hot spot. The summit caldera contains the lava lake Halema‘uma‘u, considered the home of the Hawaiian volcano goddess, Pele.

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Iran’s Hormuz Island recently gained global attention as its coastlines turned blood-red overnight, creating a surreal natural spectacle. Hormuz Island is a hilly island located in the Strait of Hormuz, between the Persian Gulf and Gulf of Oman, about 8 km off the coast of Iran. The island covers an area of 41.9 sq. km and is famous for its unique scenery and colorful soil, earning it the nickname “Rainbow Island”. Its terrain is composed of sedimentary rock and volcanic ash, and due to low precipitation, both the soil and water are salty.

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Scientists recently captured rare footage of sharks living inside the Kavachi volcano near the Solomon Islands, providing new insights into marine survival in extreme volcanic environments. Kavachi Volcano is a shallow submarine volcano located in the South Pacific Ocean, south of the remote Vangunu Island in the Solomon Islands. The volcano is situated on the Pacific Ring of Fire, a region known for high tectonic activity, making Kavachi both geologically and volcanically significant. It is one of the world’s few active and visible undersea volcanoes, regularly erupting and occasionally forming temporary islands.

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Japan plans to conduct test mining of rare-earth-rich mud from the deep seabed near Minamitori Island. Minamitori Island, also called Marcus Island, is an isolated coral atoll in the northwestern Pacific Ocean. It is the easternmost point of Japan and the first place in the country to see sunrise. The island lies about 1,950 kilometres southeast of central Tokyo. It is the summit of a giant seamount on the Marcus–Necker Ridge and lies on the Pacific Plate. The island has a transitional tropical–subtropical oceanic climate with an average temperature of about 25.6°C. Waters around the island contain valuable marine minerals like rare-earth muds and cobalt-rich crusts.