Current Affairs Quiz - August, 2023

Notes:
Taiwan staged its first-ever military drill at Taoyuan International Airport, halting commercial traffic as soldiers practised defending the facility against a simulated attack by Beijing.
The exercise is part of Taiwan’s week-long massive wargames, the annual “Han Kuang” (Han Glory) drills. This is the first such drill held at Taiwan’s biggest airport near the capital since it opened in 1979.

Notes:
The Jan Vishwas (Amendment of Provisions) Bill, 2023 was passed recently by the Lok Sabha. It aims to boost ease of doing business and living in India.
It aims to redefine regulations in the country by decriminalizing minor offenses under 42 Acts, thereby reducing compliance. The Union Ministry of Commerce and Industry presented the proposed legislation in Parliament in December of the previous year.

Notes:
Recently, Prime Minister Narendra Modi, inaugurated Rajkot International Airport and various development initiatives amounting to over Rs 860 crores in Rajkot, Gujarat.
The projects encompass Sauni Yojana Link 3 Package 8 and 9, upgrading of Dwarka Rural Water Supply and Sanitation (RWSS), preservation, renovation, and progress of Uparkot Fort Phase I & II, among others.

Notes:
China successfully launched its first communications satellite, Lingxi-03, featuring an ultra-thin flexible solar wing to test technologies for a massive 13,000-satellite broadband mega constellation in low-Earth orbit.
It aims to compete with SpaceX’s Starlink. The satellite was launched atop a Long March 2D rocket from the Taiyuan Satellite Launch Centre in central China.

Notes:
The National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) of the USA and the U.S. Military have collaborated for a project named Demonstration Rocket for Agile Cislunar Operations (DRACO). The project aims to launch a nuclear-powered satellite to Earth’s orbit in late 2025 or early 2026.
The spacecraft for the project is developed by Lockheed Martin. The project involves an in-space test of Nuclear Thermal Propulsion (NPT) technology, marking a significant technical advancement.

Notes:
The LEI (Legal Entity Identifier) is a unique 20-character code that serves as a global identifier for legal entities involved in financial transactions. It aims to create a reference data system for uniquely identifying entities across jurisdictions.
The capital market regulator – Securities and Exchange Board of India (SEBI) has mandated that all non-individual Foreign Portfolio Investors (FPIs) must provide their Legal Entity Identifier (LEI) details in the common application form used for registration, KYC, and account opening.

Notes:
The Ministry of Commerce and Industry has set up a working group to decriminalise laws to further promote ease of doing business.
The group comprised representatives from industry associations, business chambers, legal professionals, and officials of seven ministries. It would also have representatives of the National Housing Bank, NABARD and CPCB.

Notes:
Singapore has hanged a 45-year-old woman who was caught with 31 grams of heroin. This is the first time the city-state has executed a woman in nearly 20 years.
Saridewi Binte Djamani was hanged after being convicted of trafficking “not less than 30.72 grams” of the drug in 2018.

Notes:
Union Home Minister Amit Shah unveiled a book titled ‘Memories Never Die,’ tribute to former President Dr. APJ Abdul Kalam.
The Minister  unveiled the book during his two-day visit to the Ramanathapuram district of Tamil Nadu. The book was co-authored by Dr. APJM Nasima Maraikayar and scientist Dr. Y. S. Rajan.

Notes:
During the G20 EMPOWER summit in Gandhinagar, India introduced TechEquity, a digital inclusion platform aimed at reducing the gender digital gap.
It is one of the key outcomes of India’s G20 presidency and it will be free for women to use. It will have courses on digital and financial literacy, tech skill development and core skill enhancement. The platform – to be funded by India for the next three years – will be maintained by Federation of Indian Chambers of Commerce & Industry (Ficci).