29th January, 2024 Current Affairs

Sakshi Education

INTERNATIONAL
SADA TANSEEQ, joint military exercise between India and Saudi Arabia commences in Rajasthan

The joint military exercise - SADA TANSEEQ between India and Saudi Arabia commenced in Rajasthan.
The Saudi Arabian contingent comprising 45 personnel is being represented by Royal Saudi Land Forces. The Indian Army contingent also comprising 45 personnel is being represented by a Battalion from the Brigade of the Guards. The exercise will continue till the 10th of next month.
This exercise aims to train troops of both sides for Joint Operations in Semi Desert terrain. The Exercise will enable both sides to share their best practices in the tactics, techniques, and procedures of conducting operations in the sub-conventional domain.
This exercise will act as a platform to achieve shared security objectives, enhance the level of defence cooperation, and foster bilateral relations between the two friendly nations.

Maersk Reveals World’s Largest Ship Fueled by Methanol

In a monumental stride towards sustainability, maritime titan Maersk unveils its latest marvel: the Ane Maersk, a revolutionary container vessel powered by green methanol derived from green hydrogen.
The Ane Maersk represents a bold leap into a greener future, boasting the title of the world’s largest container vessel fueled by green methanol, a derivative of green hydrogen. This innovative propulsion system heralds a new era of eco-friendly maritime transportation.

Also Read: Awards: Weekly Current Affairs Bitbank (January 8 to 14, 2024): Which cities shared the cleanest city title at the Swachh Survekshan Awards 2023?

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ENVIRONMENT
More than 300 vultures were recorded in the recently completed synchronous vulture survey in the Nilgiri Biosphere Reserve (NBR)

It is located in the Nilgiri Mountains of the Western Ghats.
It encompasses parts of Tamil Nadu, Kerala, and Karnataka.
It was the first biosphere reserve in India, established in 1986.
The total area of the reserve is 5,520 sq. km. It is the largest protected forest area in India.
The Mudumalai Wildlife Sanctuary, Wyanaad Wildlife Sanctuary, Bandipur National Park, Nagarhole National Park, Mukurthi National Park, and Silent Valley are the protected areas present within this reserve.
Vegetation: It harbours a wide spectrum of ecosystem types, such as tropical evergreen forests, Montane sholas and grasslands, semi-evergreen forests, moist deciduous forests, dry deciduous forests, and thorn forests.
Climate: The annual rainfall of the reserve ranges from 500 mm to 7000 mm, with temperatures ranging from 0°C during the winter to 41°C during the summer.
Tribal Population: Tribal groups like the Todas, Kotas, Irullas, Kurumbas, Paniyas, Adiyans, EdanadanChettis, Cholanaickens, Allar, Malayan, etc., are native to the reserve.
It is India's first biosphere reserve under UNESCO's Man and the Biosphere Programme

SCIENCE AND TECHNOLOGY
India is all set to begin the export of ground systems for the BrahMos supersonic cruise missiles to the Philippines

It is a supersonic cruise missile that can be launched from land, sea, and air.
It has been developed by Brahmos Aerospace, a joint venture of India and Russia.
It is named after the rivers Brahmaputra (India) and Moskva (Russia).
It is a two-stage missile with a solid propellant booster engine as its first stage, which brings it to supersonic speed and then gets separated. The liquid ramjet, or second stage then takes the missile closer to 3 Mach speed in the cruise phase.
It is one of the fastest cruise missiles currently operationally deployed, with a speed of Mach 2.8, which is nearly three times more than the speed of sound.
It has a launch weight of 2,200-3,000 kg.
The extended-range variant of the missile can strike land and sea targets at a maximum range of 400 to 500 kilometers with supersonic speed all throughout the flight.
It operates on the "Fire and Forgets" principle, adopting varieties of flights on its way to the target.
Its cruising altitude could be up to 15 km, and its terminal altitude is as low as 10 meters.
It carries a conventional warhead weighing 200 to 300 kg.
It is equipped with stealth technology designed to make it less visible to radar and other detection methods.
It has an inertial navigation system (INS) for use against ship targets, and an INS/Global Positioning System for use against land targets.

SPORTS
Rohan Bopannaat 43 as the Oldest World No. 1 in Men’s Doubles

Indian tennis star Rohan Bopanna has etched his name in the history books by becoming the oldest player to claim the No. 1 spot in the men’s doubles rankings at the age of 43.
This remarkable achievement was secured following his quarter-final victory at the 2024 Australian Open, alongside Australia’s Matthew Ebden.
Bopanna’s accomplishment surpasses the previous record held by American tennis player Mike Bryan, who was 41 years and 76 days old when he was ranked World No. 1 in men’s doubles in 2019. After the Australian Open, Bopanna, who will turn 43 years and 330 days old, has redefined the standards of longevity and excellence in the sport.

Published date : 30 Jan 2024 11:59AM