ANSWER: B

ANSWER: D

ANSWER: A

ANSWER: D

• A seismic swarm has hit the Reykjanes peninsula in southwest Iceland with more than 5,500 small earthquakes recently, raising the prospect of a volcanic eruption, the country’s meteorological office (IMO) reported.

• The quakes originated at a depth of up to 5 km and were caused by a long-term accumulation of magma that has been building pressure and is now slowly drifting towards the surface of the earth.
• Located between the Eurasian and the North American tectonic plates, among the largest on the planet, Iceland is a seismic and volcanic hot spot as the two plates move in opposite directions.

ABOUT EARTHQUAKE SWARM

• It is a series of many low magnitude earthquakes without a noticeable main shock.
• These are observed in volcanic environments, hydrothermal systems, and other active geothermal areas.
• It occurs when the piled up seismic energy inside the earth is released in small amounts from certain points.
  • Seismic energy is related to the movement of fluid gases and liquids in the Earth’s crust.
• It may range from days, weeks to even months.
  • For e.g. Earthquake swarm in Palghar district of Maharashtra has occurred over the period from 2018 to 2019, with around 30 low-intensity earthquakes.

ANSWER: C

• Principal scientific adviser to the union government Ajay Kumar Sood chaired the first joint science and technology clusters’ meet at Jodhpur.
• The meeting was organised by the Jodhpur City Knowledge and Innovation Foundation (JCKIF) and hosted by the Indian Institute of Technology (IIT) Jodhpur.
• Seven City Science and Technology Clusters of Bengaluru, Bhubaneswar, Delhi, Hyderabad, Jodhpur, Pune, and Chandigarh participated in the meeting.

ABOUT SCIENCE AND TECHNOLOGY CLUSTERS’

• Launched in 2020, the City S&T Clusters is a flagship initiative of the office of the principal scientific adviser, established on the recommendation of the Prime Minister’s Science, Technology, and Innovation Advisory Council (PM-STIAC).
• This initiative aims to tackle local challenges through S&T interventions by bringing together academia, research and development institutions, industries, startups and local governments.
• Currently, there are seven S&T clusters as listed above, all working together to find solutions to regional issues through collaborative efforts.
• It will create strong linkages between academic institutions, research laboratories, and other stakeholders.

ANSWER: C

• Neglect has taken a heavy toll on the 1,300-year-old Pallava period paintings at Talagirishwara temple at Panamalai in Villupuram district in Tamil Nadu.
  • The panel depicting the dance of Lord Shiva has almost faded away and only the face of goddess Parvathi and a few patches remain now.
• The painting is on the wall behind the Ettupattai lingam.
• It shows Lord Shiva with eight hands dancing, known as Latathilagabhani, being watched by Goddess Parvathi with her crown and well decorated umbrella.
• The colours, face, eyebrows and other features would look stunningly beautiful.
• The paintings are on the wall of a sub-temple on the northern side of the Talagirishwara (Siva) temple, perched on Panamalai, the Tamil name of the word ‘Talagiri’.
• The temple is under the control of the Archaeological Survey of India (ASI).
• The temple was constructed by Pallava king Narasimhavarman II, popularly known as Rajasimha.
• The paintings bear a close resemblance to the paintings in Ajantha and Chithannavasal.
• The paintings were created after covering the stonewalls with paste made of limestone and sand.

ANSWER: D

• With an aim to promote the international community’s interest in global urbanization, every year World Cities Day is celebrated on October 31.
• The day serves as an opportunity to encourage cooperation among nations in addressing the challenges of urbanization.
• This year the international day focuses on the theme of “Financing sustainable urban future for all”.
• The theme centres on how to unlock transformative investment in urban planning and achieve sufficient fiscal decentralization.
• In its resolution 68/239, the United Nations Organisation established World Cities Day on December 27, 2013.
  • Therefore, on October 31, 2014, World Cities Day was celebrated for the first time.

ANSWER: B

• October 30^th marks the death anniversary of India’s first Olympic medallist, Norman Peterson Pritchard.
• He was born in Calcutta (now Kolkata) on January 23, 1875 to parents George Peterson Pritchard and Helen Maynard Pritchard.
• Norman was a British citizen who represented India in the 1900 Olympics.
  • India took part in its first-ever modern Olympic Games during the second edition of the Summer Olympic Games held in Paris in 1900.
• Pritchard is India’s first Olympic medallist where he clinched two medals – silver in 200m hurdles and in 200m dash event.
• However, he is considered a “controversial” Olympian as he is claimed by both Britain and India.

ANSWER: A

• With the inauguration of a hallmarking centre in Idukki, Kerala became the first state in India to have hallmarking centres in all 14 districts.
• The inauguration of these hallmarking centres is a significant step in ensuring the quality and reliability of gold ornaments for consumers.
• The Bureau of Indian Standards made hallmarking compulsory with a view to protect customers, especially those not aware of the market, from being taken for a ride by jewellers.
  • Hallmarking ensures accurate determination and official recording of the proportionate content of precious metal in the jewellery, artefacts or bullion, and coins.

ANSWER: B

• Indian Army and Indian Air Force contingent departed for Kazakhstan to participate in the 7th edition of Joint Military ‘Exercise KAZIND-2023’.
• It will be conducted in Otar, Kazakhstan.
• The exercise began as “Exercise PRABAL DOSTYK” in 2016.
  • After the second edition, it was renamed “Exercise KAZIND” and upgraded to a company-level exercise.
  • The Exercise has been further upgraded as a Bi-service Exercise this year by including the Air Force component.