ANSWER: C

• The World Thalassemia Day is observed every year on May 8.
• The Day serves as a crucial platform to emphasize the importance of disease prevention, raise awareness, sensitize stakeholders, promote early detection, and ensure quality care for those affected by thalassemia.
• The theme for 2024 World Thalassemia Day is, “Empowering Lives, Embracing Progress: Equitable and Accessible Thalassaemia Treatment for All.”
• The first World Thalassemia Day was celebrated on May 8, 1994. The day was established in memory of TIF President Panos Englezos’ son, George, who fought the disease.

ABOUT THALASSEMIA:

• Thalassemia is a genetic blood disorder which occurs when the body is unable to produce enough haemoglobin, a protein in red blood cells. The initial symptoms of thalassaemia are fatigue, slow growth, abdominal swelling, dark urine, etc. Thalassemia patients often develop anaemia which is why they need life-saving blood transfusions. The frequency of blood transfusions depends on the type of thalassemia.

ABOUT TIF:

• The Thalassaemia International Federation (TIF) is a non-profit, non-governmental organisation founded in 1986 by a group of patients and parents representing thalassaemia associations in Cyprus, Greece, the UK, the USA and Italy.

ANSWER: B

• World Athletics Day is marked on May 7 annually to promote sports participation around the world.
• The International Association of Athletics Federations (IAAF) founded World Athletics Day as a social responsibility project called ‘Athletics for a Better World’.
• The Theme for World Athletics Day 2024 is – ‘World Mile Challenge’.
• This year’s focus is on running, jogging, or walking a mile to commemorate the 70th anniversary of Roger Bannister’s (the first man to run a sub-four-minute mile) on May 6, 1954.
• Primo Nebiolo, president of the IAAF and an Italian sports administrator, founded World Athletics Day in 1996.

ABOUT IAAF:

• The International Association of Athletics Federations was created on July 17, 1912, in Stockholm, Sweden.
• Headquarters: Monaco

ANSWER: B

• World Asthma Day is an annual event that aims to raise awareness about asthma, globally.
• World Asthma Day is held annually on the first Tuesday in May. This year, it will be observed on May 7.
• The theme for World Asthma Day 2024 is ‘Asthma Education Empowers.’
• It is organised by the Global Initiative for Asthma (GINA), a collaborative organisation founded in 1993 under the World Health Organization (WHO).
• The inaugural World Asthma Day took place in 1998, coinciding with the inaugural World Asthma Meeting in Barcelona, Spain.

ABOUT ASTHMA:

• Asthma is a chronic respiratory condition characterised by inflammation and narrowing of the airways, leading to symptoms such as wheezing, coughing, chest tightness, and shortness of breath.

ANSWER: B

• 5th JGC meeting was held in Leh Ladakh between India and Bhutan discussed bilateral issues for further enhancing cooperation between the two countries.
• In the meeting both nations discussed a bilateral issue such as opening of new Land Customs Stations and notifying new trade routes, development of infrastructure, automation and digitization of transit processes, prevention of smuggling, coordinated cross-border management, pre-arrival exchange of Customs data, bilateral agreement on Customs cooperation and movement of transit cargo under electronic cargo system.
• Bhutan expressed sincere appreciation to the Indian Government for initiating and promoting the cross-border trade and economic activities with Bhutan.
• The India-Bhutan Joint Group of Customs meetings are held annually to discuss issues relating to re-defining and re-engineering of Customs and cross border trade.
• India is Bhutan’s top trade partner.
• India’s trade with Bhutan has more than tripled from $484 million in 2014-15 to $1,615 million in 2022-23, accounting for about 80% of Bhutan’s overall trade.

ANSWER: B

• The Maharashtra Forest Department is all set to translocate eight tigers in which three males and five female tigers from Tadoba Andhari Tiger Reserve (TATR) to Sahyadri Tiger Reserve (STR).
• Sahyadri is the lone tiger reserve in the western region of Maharashtra.
• It is one of only five tiger reserves in the country — Kaval in Telangana, Satkosia in Odisha, Dampa in Mizoram and Kamlang in Arunachal Pradesh, which has zero tigers within the reserve.
• It is spread in Kolhapur, Satara, Sangli and Ratnagiri districts of Maharashtra over 1,165 sq km, the reserve was notified in 2010 by amalgamating the Chandoli National Park and Koyna Wildlife Sanctuary.

ANSWER: D

• Uttarakhand has been grueling with forest fires since past few days.
• The fire that broke out in the forest near Nainital district.
• Since November there have been 930 incidents of forest fires occurred in the state, resulting in more than 1,196 hectares of forest being engulfed in flames.
• The highest number of 491 incidents occurred in Kumaon and 365 incidents in Garhwal, while 74 cases are within wildlife sanctuaries.”

ABOUT FOREST FIRES

• An uncontrolled and non-prescribed combustion or burning of plants in a natural forests, grasslands which consumes natural fuels (dry leaves) and spreads in vast area.
• The forest fire season in India lasts between November to June.
• Factors like temperatures, precipitation, vegetation, and moisture contribute to the scale and frequency of these fires.
• The Forest Survey of India (FSI) website states that nearly 36 per cent of India’s forests are prone to frequent fires.
• Higher forest fire incidents are reported in India during March, April and May, due to the ample availability of dry biomass following the end of winter and the prevailing summer season.

ANSWER: B

• In the 75th year of partnership of UNICEF with India, Kareena Kapoor Khan appointed as the organization’s National Ambassador.
• Kareena Kapoor Khan will support UNICEF India in furthering every child’s right to early childhood development, health, education and gender equality.
• She has been an instrumental support in several UNICEF’s global campaigns on #EveryChildRights.
• UNICEF India also announced the appointment of its first ever Youth Advocates (16 to 24 years), who are peer leaders and champions on issues like climate action, mental health, innovations and Girls in

ABOUT UNICEF

• The United Nations International Children’s Emergency Fund (UNICEF) was established in 1946 to improve the health, nutrition, education, and general welfare of children affected by WWII.
• Its Headquarter in New York , USA
• It became permanent part of United nations in 1953.
• It is guided by the Convention on the Rights of the Child, 1989.
• It was Awarded by the Nobel Prize for Peace in 1965 for “promotion of brotherhood among the nations”.

ANSWER: D

• Boeing’s Starliner spacecraft, to now take off on 17 May.
• It was first crewed space flight postponed just two hours on before launch on 6 May because of a bad valve in the rocket that needs to be replaced.
• It will carry two NASA Astronauts Butch Wilmore and Suni Williams.
• Spacecraft will be launched by an Atlas V rocket from the Kennedy Space Center in Cape Canaveral, Florida, to the International Space Station (ISS).
• Starliner is a partially reusable crew capsule up to 10 times with a six-month turnaround time, officially known as CST-100 (crew space transportation).
• It is a next-generation space capsule that will take people to and from low-Earth orbit.
• It has also a features of wireless internet and tablet technology for crew interfaces.

ANSWER: D

• Researchers of Sweden’s Linköping University have created Goldene, a sheet of gold that is only one atom thick.
• This 2D sheet, named “goldene,” is similar to graphene and marks the first time a metal has been transformed into a 2D sheet.
• According to Hultman’s estimates, these sheets of goldene are roughly 100 nanometres thick (a nanometre is a billionth of a metre), approximately 400 times thinner than the thinnest commercially available gold leaf.
• The development of goldene could revolutionize this industry by significantly reducing the amount of gold required in devices.
• It can also be used in energy-efficient catalysis processes, such as carbon dioxide conversion, hydrogen production, and water purification.

Answer: A

• Disaster management mock drill was conducted at the Tidong hydropower project located in Moorang tehsil of tribal district Kinnaur.
• Preparedness for earthquake, cloudburst, landslides in the tribal district could be dealt with quickly and precious lives saved.
• Due to this, during emergencies, better coordination could be established between the Indo Tibetan Border Police Force, First Corps Civil Defence Kinnaur, quick response teams, health, and police & fire depts.

ABOUT

• The Tidong Hydropower Project is a 150 MW run-of-river hydropower project.
• It is situated on a Tidong Khad , a major tributary of Sutlej River in the Kinnaur District.
• It was acquired by Statkraft company in 2018.