Daily Current Affairs and GK | 29 and 30 December 2024

Topic: Sports

1. Haryana Steelers won the PKL 2024 title after defeating Patna Pirates in the final.

• Haryana won their first-ever title after their debut in the biggest Kabaddi league in the world.
• In the final of the 11th season, Haryana Steelers defeated the Patna Pirates.
• They defeated the Pirates 32-23 in the showdown clash at the Shree Shiv Chhatrapati Sports Complex, Balewadi, Pune.
• Patna Pirates are the most successful team in the history of the tournament.
• Patna Pirates had won the PKL three times previously and all those victories came in consecutive seasons - 3, 4, and 5.

Topic: Indian Economy

2. India recorded highest ever coal production in 2023-24 year.

• The coal production in India in the year 2023-24 was 997.826 Million Tonne (MT) as compared to 893.191 Million Tonne in the year 2022-23.
• India registered a growth of about 11.71 percent in the coal production.
• The domestic raw Coking Coal production will reach to 140 MT in next five years.
• The total domestic raw coking coal production during the financial year 2023-24 is 66.821 million tonnes.
• In the 2023-24, India supplied about 963.11 MT of coal as compared to about 904.61 MT of coal.
• This comprised a coal supply to the Power Sector of 792.958 MT as compared to 755.029 MT.
• Ministry of Coal has launched 'Mission Coking Coal' to enhance domestic coking coal production.

Topic: Art and Culture

3. The "Balkan Blues" of Bosnia has been recognised by UNESCO.

• UNESCO's National Inventory of Intangible Cultural Heritage now includes Sevdalinka.
• Bosnia and Herzegovina's traditional love ballad is called a sevdalinka. It is frequently called the Balkan Blues.
• It is a melancholic urban love song from the 16th century.
• It combines Ottoman music with oral poetry from the South Slavic people.
• A capella or traditional instruments like a lute are frequently used to accompany sevdalinka performances.
• Through performances at family get-togethers, it has been passed down from one generation to the next.
• Through his SevdahLab initiative, Imamovic helped garner support for the song's inclusion on UNESCO's World Heritage list.

Topic: Sports

4. At the World Rapid and Blitz Championship in New York, Koneru Humpy won the second women’s title.

• India's Koneru Humpy defeated Indonesia's Irene Sukander to win her second women's chess championship.
• With 8.5 points after 11 rounds at the end of the competition, Humpy won. 
• The 37-year-old top-ranked Indian is the second player in history to win the title more than once, after Ju Wenjun of China.
• Humpy, Indian Chess Grandmaster, had previously won in Georgia in 2019.
• Volodar Murzin, an 18-year-old from Russia, won in the men's category.
• After Nodirbek Abdusattorov, who won at the age of 17, Murzin's victory makes him the second-youngest FIDE World Rapid Champion.

Topic: Awards and Prizes

5. The ICC Men's T20I Cricketer of the Year award list includes Arshdeep Singh as a nominee.

• He will compete against Sikandar Raza of Zimbabwe, Travis Head of Australia, and Babar Azam of Pakistan for the award.
• Smriti Mandhana, an Indian opener, has received a nomination for ICC Women's ODI Cricketer of the Year.
• The other cricket players competing for the prize are Annabel Sutherland (Australia), Laura Wolvaardt (South Africa), and Chamari Athapaththu (Sri Lanka).
• One of the main contributors to India's T20 World Cup triumph in Barbados was left-arm bowler Arshdeep.
• With 36 wickets in 18 games at the end of the year, he took the most wickets in T20Is.
• His total was only surpassed by Bhuvneshwar Kumar's 37 wickets in 2022, making it the second-highest by an Indian pacer in T20Is in a calendar year.
• In 12 innings, Smriti, a left-handed opener, scored 743 runs at a average of 61.91 and a strike rate of 96.99.
• In late January 2025, the ICC Awards 2024 winners will be announced.`

Topic: Sports

6. Kaamya Karthikeyan became the world’s youngest female to scale the highest peaks on each of the seven continents.

• 17-year-old Kaamya Karthikeyan is from Mumbai’s Navy Children School.
• She has climbed Mt. Kilimanjaro in Africa, Mt. Elbrus in Europe, Mt. Kosciuszko in Australia, Mt. Aconcagua in South America, Mt. Denali in North America, Mt. Everest in Asia, and the current climb in Antarctica.
• On December 24, she and her father, Commander S. Karthikeyan, completed the Seven Summits Challenge by reaching the peak of Mount Vincent in Antarctica.
• When Kaamya Karthikeyan climbed Mount Everest, she was sixteen years old.
• In 2021, she was bestowed with India's highest national award for young achievers, the Pradhan Mantri Rashtriya Bal Shakti Puraskar.

(Source: News on AIR)

Topic: Personality in News

7. Former US President Jimmy Carter died at the age of 100 on 29 December 2024.

• Carter was awarded the 2002 Nobel Peace Prize for his humanitarian work. He had melanoma, a type of cancer.
• On March 22, 2019, he became the longest-living chief executive in US history.
• Jimmy Carter, the Georgia peanut farmer, became president in January 1977.
• Carter, a Democrat, defeated incumbent Republican President Gerald Ford in the 1976 election. He served as the 39th president of US.
• Palestine: Peace Not Apartheid was his best-selling 2007 book. His book “Faith: A Journey for All,” was published in 2018.

(Source: DD News)

Topic: National News

8. AICTE and NQM launched India’s first UG minor programme in quantum technologies.

• All India Council for Technical Education (AICTE) and the National Quantum Mission (NQM) jointly launched India’s first undergraduate minor programme in quantum technologies.
• The main aim of the initiative is to build a skilled workforce for the rapidly growing field of quantum computing and related technologies.
• Students pursuing undergraduate degrees in engineering and technology can opt for a minor in quantum technologies.
• This minor programme will cover subjects such as quantum mechanics, quantum computing, quantum algorithms, and quantum cryptography.
• To design and implement the course curriculum, the AICTE has partnered with premier institutes like the Indian Institutes of Technology (IITs), the Indian Institutes of Information Technology (IIITs), and the National Institutes of Technology (NITs).
• Both theoretical and practical components have been included in this minor programme.
• The National Quantum Mission was also launched to make India a global leader in quantum science and technologies.

Topic: Sports

9. Lakshya Sen won bronze medal at the King Cup International Badminton Open 2024.

• India’s Lakshya Sen clinched a bronze medal at the first King Cup International Badminton Open 2024.
• Lakshya defeated Lanier 21-17, 21-11 in their bronze medal match.
• Lakshya was the sole Indian representative at the tournament.
• The tournament is the brainchild of two-time Olympic champion Lin Dan of China.
• Kunlavut Vitidsarn of Thailand and Anders Antonsen of Denmark are the highest-ranked players in the competition.

Topic: State News/ Madhya Pradesh

10. 14 tigers will be translocated to Rajasthan, Odisha, and Chhattisgarh by the Madhya Pradesh government under the animal exchange program.

• According to the state forest department, four tigers will be relocated to Rajasthan, two to Odisha, and eight to Chhattisgarh.
• These tigers will be relocated from Bandhavgarh, Panna, Kanha, and Pench tiger reserves in Madhya Pradesh.
• The tigers and tigresses will be relocated under the supervision of an authorised veterinarian.
• Recently, two Bengal tigers (one male and one female) from Bandhavgarh Tiger Reserve (BTR) were provided to Gujarat under the exchange of animal’s program.
• Two Asiatic (Gir) lions—one male and one female—were received by Madhya Pradesh from Sakkarbaug Zoological Park in Gujarat’s Junagadh.
• According to the National Tiger Conservation Authority (NTCA), Madhya Pradesh has retained its tag of 'Tiger State' for the past few years as home to more than 785 tigers out of the 3,800 tigers across the country.
• Madhya Pradesh is famous for six tiger reserves: Kanha, Bandhavgarh, Panna, Pench, Sanjay Dubri, and Satpura.
• Recently, two more tiger reserves—Ratapani Wildlife Sanctuary in Bhopal and Madhav National Park in Shivpuri district—have been approved by the Centre.

Topic: International News

11. South Korea's parliament impeached acting President Han.

• On December 27, South Korea's National Assembly voted to impeach acting President Han Duk-soo.
• The decision came less than two weeks after he took over from President Yoon Suk-yeol.
• Yoon Suk-yeol was impeached for his failure to impose martial law.
• On December 14, South Korean Prime Minister Han Duk-soo had taken the role of acting president following the impeachment of President Yoon Suk-yeol.
• The motion to impeach Mr Han was passed unanimously by a vote of 192-0, marking the first time an acting president has been impeached by parliament.
• Mr. Han was suspended from his duties as soon as the impeachment resolution was delivered to him.
• Deputy Prime Minister and Finance Minister Choi Sang-mok has assumed his role, serving as both the acting president and the acting prime minister.

Topic: Defence

12. 18th edition of Joint Military Exercise Surya Kiran will take place in Saljhandi, Nepal.

• The Indian Army contingent comprising 334 personnel will participate in the 18th edition of Battalion Level Joint Military Exercise Surya Kiran.
• The exercise will be conducted from 31st December 2024 to 13th January 2025.
• The exercise aims to enhance interoperability in jungle warfare, counter-terrorism operations in the mountains, and Humanitarian Assistance and Disaster Relief.
• The focus will be on enhancing operational preparedness, aviation aspects, medical training, and environment conservation.
• The exercise shows the strong bonds of friendship, trust, and common cultural linkages between India and Nepal.

(Source: News on AIR)

Topic: State News/ Gujarat

13. Gujarat government launched 'SWAR' platform to overcome language barriers.

• Gujarat Chief Minister Bhupendra Patel launched the SWAR (Speech and Written Analysis Resource) platform.
• This platform was launched on the occasion of the Good Governance Day on December 25.
• The SWAR platform has been developed by the Chief Minister's Office (CMO) in collaboration with the Ministry of Electronics and Information Technology's Bhashini Team (National Language Translation Mission.
• This platform will help to overcome language barriers. It uses an indigenous artificial intelligence system, Bhashini.
• The Speech-to-Text feature has also been integrated into the Gujarat CMO website. Now, Citizens can dictate their messages instead of typing.
• This technological advancement will help the state government improve grievance redressal and feedback mechanisms.
• The SWAR platform will support the Chief Minister's Office by incorporating advanced artificial intelligence and machine learning capabilities.
• With the help of this platform, citizens unfamiliar with English keyboards can easily submit their applications or grievances by voice.