Daily Current Affairs MCQs : 27 April 2024 - Humanities/Arts MCQ

Famous Yakshagana singer Subrahmanya Dhareshwar passed away at the age of 67. He was famous as 'Bhagavad Shrestha' for his wonderful voice. Subrahmanya Dhareshwar had served in the field of Yakshagana for 46 years. Yakshagana is a traditional folk dance form famous in the coastal districts of Karnataka. This folk dance is similar to the Theyyam art form of the neighbouring state of Kerala.

SJVN Limited has commissioned India’s first multipurpose (heat and power) green hydrogen pilot project at the 1,500 MW Nathpa Jhakri Hydro Power Station at Jhakri, Himachal Pradesh. The project will also generate electricity using green hydrogen and a 25 kW fuel cell.    

The Indian Historical Records Commission (IHRC), operating under the Union Ministry of Culture, has adopted a new logo and motto. It is an apex advisory body on archival matters. It was established in the year 1919.

Axis Bank has recently reappointed Amitabh Chaudhry as the MD and CEO of the bank. The Axis Bank board has appointed Chaudhry for a term of three years with effect from January 1, 2025. This will be his second extension of three years. Chaudhary joined the bank as MD and CEO in 2019. Prior to this, he was the MD and CEO of HDFC Life.

Pradip Kumar Das, Chairman and Managing Director, Indian Renewable Energy Development Agency Limited (IREDA) participated in the 26th edition of the World Energy Congress held in Rotterdam, Netherlands. He also said that India ranks fourth globally in renewable energy installed capacity.      

President Joe Biden has signed a $95 billion military aid package, featuring $61 billion for Ukraine, $26 billion for Israel, and $8 billion for the Indo-Pacific. Notably, the bill includes provisions targeting TikTok, giving parent company ByteDance nine months to sell the app before it’s banned in the US. Months of negotiation, lobbying by Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky, and a split in the House Republican conference preceded the signing, posing challenges for House Speaker Mike Johnson’s leadership due to conservative opposition to increased aid for Ukraine.

Indian National Security Advisor (NSA) Ajit Doval convened with his Russian counterpart, Russian Security Council Secretary Nikolai Patrushev, in St. Petersburg, Russia, on April 24, 2024. They addressed key bilateral issues, focusing on counterterrorism, cyber security, and defense cooperation. Doval attended the 12th International Meeting of High Ranking Officials Responsible for Security Matters, hosted by Russia from April 22-25, 2024, gathering senior officials from 106 countries to discuss global security challenges, underscored by Russian President Vladimir Putin’s emphasis on combatting international terrorism

World Intellectual Property Day, observed annually on April 26, is organized by WIPO to highlight the significance of Intellectual Property (IP) in fostering innovation and creativity. The theme for 2024 is ‘IP and the SDGs: Building our common future with innovation and creativity’. WIPO traces its origins to the Paris Convention of 1883, which established IP protection for inventions, trademarks, and industrial designs. WIPO became a specialized agency of the UN in 1974.

The New York Times (NYT) has taken legal action against OpenAI and Microsoft, accusing them of unauthorized usage of its copyrighted content for AI model training, notably ChatGPT. This legal dispute highlights the broader debate on intellectual property rights in the generative AI era.

Uttar Pradesh has emerged as the top recipient among states, securing ₹22,857.9 crore (14% of the total release) out of the ₹1,67,518.6-crore special assistance (loan) allocated by the Centre under the Scheme for Special Assistance to States for capital expenditure/investment in the last four years.