Daily Current Affairs MCQs : 3 February 2024 - Bank Exams MCQ

The US government recently shut down China-backed hacking group “Volt Typhoon,” active since at least 2021. Specializing in espionage and targeting critical infrastructure, Volt Typhoon utilized stealth, living-off-the-land techniques, and preinstalled utilities. The group compromised small office/home office devices, maintaining persistence with stolen credentials. Known for routing traffic through hacked network equipment, such as home routers, Volt Typhoon made detection challenging.

Sports Development and Youth Welfare Minister Udhayanidhi Stalin announced the ‘Kalaignar Sports Kit’ initiative, distributing sports equipment in 12,000 village panchayats to commemorate M. Karunanidhi’s birth centenary. The scheme begins on February 7 in Tiruchi, Tamil Nadu and aims to support young athletes. Udhayanidhi emphasized the government’s commitment to promoting sports, paralleling the provision of books for education. He praised Khelo India 2023 for identifying and nurturing over 5,400 talented athletes across various disciplines, enhancing India’s international competitiveness.

Aryna Sabalenka of Belarus won the 2024 Australian Open women’s singles title. Sabalenka defeated China’s Zheng Qinwen 6–3, 6–2 to win her second consecutive Grand Slam title. Sabalenka is the first woman to win back-to-back Australian Open titles since Victoria Azarenka in 2012 and 2013.

A ringed juvenile black-crowned night heron, found dead at a local pond in Imphal, was banded in China’s Beijing. The black-crowned night heron, Nycticorax nycticorax, is a medium-sized heron with a stocky build, weighing 727-1014 grams and measuring 58-66 cm in length. Recognizable by its black crown, gray body, and red eyes, it’s a migratory species inhabiting wetlands. Opportunistic feeders, they mainly consume fish. The species is classified as “Least Concern” on the IUCN Red List.

Members of a Hindutva group recently breached the Archaeological Survey of India (ASI)-protected Martand Sun Temple, a historic Hindu temple near Anantnag in the Kashmir Valley. Built in the 8th century by King Lalitaditya Muktapida, it blends Kashmiri, Gupta, Chinese, Gandhara, Roman, and Greek architectural styles. Spanning 32,000 sq. ft., the stone temple features an 86-column courtyard, a 60-ft vimana with intricate carvings, and 84 smaller shrines. Sultan Sikandar Shah Miri is believed to have demolished it in the 14th century.

Former US secretary of state Hillary Clinton announced a Global Climate Resilience Fund of 50 million dollars for women to fight climate change.
She announced the fund while addressing salt pan workers near Kuda village in Gujarat’s Surendranagar district. The fund will empower women and communities to fight climate change and help provide new livelihood resources and education.

The Paris Club is an informal group of creditor nations that functions as a platform for official creditors that resolves payment issues faced by debtor countries. All of its 22 member states belong to the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD).
The Paris Club has recently decided to offer financial support to the International Monetary Fund (IMF) for Sri Lanka’s debt.

The US and Brazil, two of the world’s largest biofuels markets, are joining an India-led initiative of International Biofuels Alliance.
The Alliance will aim to boost demand for the lower-emissions energy source. India has also earmarked 350 billion rupees (USD 4.3 billion) in its union budget to promote energy security.

The ‘zero-draft’ of the pandemic treaty was launched recently by the World Health Organization’s Intergovernmental Negotiating Body (INB).
The international treaty is expected to be presented at the World Health Assembly in 2024. The aim of the pandemic treaty is to strengthen national and international-level preparedness against future pandemics.

UNESCO is set to announce Visva-Bharati University as a heritage university and it is set to become the world’s first living heritage university.
It was founded by Rabindranath Tagore in 1921, as a center for culture, promoting the arts, language, humanities, music, and culture studies. Rabindranath Tagore’s philosophy of open-air education is followed at the university.