Current Affairs Quiz - August, 2022

Notes:
Researchers have found new evidence about the life of one of the biggest predatory animals of all time, the Megalodon. Sharks.
Researchers used fossil evidence to create a 3D model of the megalodon. As per the study, the length of the species was around 50ft (16 metres) from nose to tail, which is two to three times the size of today’s great white shark.

Notes:
Artemis III mission is the crewed Moon landing mission of the US Space agency NASA. Under the mission, NASA has planned to send the first woman and person of colour to the Moon. It is scheduled for launch in 2025.
NASA has recently announced 13 potential landing sites for the missions, which are in proximity to the lunar South Pole. Each site is scientifically significant as the lunar South Pole is unexplored by humans and it has some regions rich in resources.

Notes:
After the US House Speaker Nancy Pelosi made a visit to Taiwan, the US has stated that formal trade talks will soon begin with Taiwan.
As per the US press release, the first round of bilateral talks would start in early September. The topics of discussion will include trade facilitation, digital trade, and anti-corruption standards.

Notes:
The External Affairs Ministry of India announced that the 17th Pravasi Bhartiya Divas 2023 will be held at Indore in January next year.
Pravasi Bharatiya Divas is celebrated every year on 9th January to mark the contribution of the overseas Indian community in the development of India. It also commemorates the return of Mahatma Gandhi from South Africa to India on the same day in the year 1915.

Notes:
Rajasthan accounted for the highest share in the total cost of projects sanctioned by banks and financial institutions in 2021-22.
As per an article published in RBI bulletin, Rajasthan has retained the top place for two consecutive years. It was followed by Uttar Pradesh and Gujarat. The share of the top five states viz., Rajasthan, Uttar Pradesh, Gujarat, Maharashtra and Tamil Nadu increased to more than 50 per cent during the last two years.

Notes:
The Union Minister of Agriculture and Farmers Welfare, Narendra Singh Tomar inaugurated the National Seed Congress in 2022 in Gwalior.
The State Academy of Agricultural and Allied Sciences (SAAS) was launched. The efforts of NAAS at the national level and SAAS at the regional level will further accelerate the activities of agriculture, horticulture, animal husbandry science and promotion of related research and education.

Notes:
Indian General Insurance Company, HDFC ERGO has launched the country’s first one-stop-solution portal for Electric Vehicles (EV) named ‘All Things EV’.
It aims to cater to the needs of existing and potential Electric Vehicles (EV) users. The platform helps the existing users with information on nearby charging stations, locations of charging stations, route for intercity commute and rich content around the maintenance of their EVs.

Notes:
Bangladesh-born Fahmida Azim working for the Insider online magazine of United States has been selected for the 2022 Pulitzer prize.
She is among the four journalists of Insider, selected for their work on the Chinese oppression of the Uyghurs.  She has been selected under the category of Illustrated Reporting and Commentary, for her illustrations in the work ‘I escaped a Chinese internment Camp’.

Notes:
Saudi Arabia is set to organise the second edition of the Global AI Summit in September this year, under the theme ‘Artificial Intelligence for the Good of Humanity’.
The upcoming event will be participated by experts from government agencies and major technology companies around the world. It will discuss a number of topics, with the aim of finding solutions to the current challenges and maximizing the use of the AI technologies.

Notes:
A team of researchers has found a new species of long-fingered bats in India and Sri Lanka, named as ‘Miniopterus phillipsi’.
This is similar to a thick-thumbed bat species found in Meghalaya. The bat was named after W W A Philips in recognition of his contributions to studies on the mammals of Sri Lanka and South Asia. The specimens for this species were collected from Idulgashinna cave in Sri Lanka.