Current Affairs Quiz - August, 2023

Notes:
The Lok Sabha has recently passed the Forest (Conservation) Amendment Bill 2023. It aims to expand the scope of the Forest (Conservation) Act, 1980.
The Bill acknowledges India’s international commitments and the national target set by the country for achieving Net Zero Emission by 2070.

Notes:
The International Exhibition-cum-Convention Centre (IECC) – ‘Bharat Mandapam’ was inaugurated recently by Prime Minister Modi.  The IECC project is a national initiative aimed at modernizing and upgrading the obsolete facilities at Pragati Maidan, New Delhi.
Anubhava Mantapa was an academy of saints and philosophers of the ‘Lingayath’s’ faith in the 12th century. It was founded by Basava, also called Basaveshwara. This is the inspiration behind the name ‘Bharat Mandapam’

Notes:
Researchers from the Wadia Institute of Himalayan Geology have conducted a recent study, indicating the potential formation of three glacial lakes near Parkachik Glacier in Ladakh due to rapid ice melting.
The increasing glacial melt is concerning as it raises the risk of glacial lake outbursts and may also cause water scarcity, given that glaciers serve as the main water source for the region.

Notes:
India and Papua New Guinea have signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) to collaborate on the sharing of INDIA STACK.
It was signed between the Ministry of Information and Communication Technology (MICT) of the Papua New Guinea and the Ministry of Electronics and Information Technology (MeitY) of India.

Notes:
NASA’ s Hubble Space Telescope has detected a series of energetic eruptions at a nearby red dwarf star, known as AU Microscopii.
The dwarf star is situated approximately 32 light years away from the Sun. AU Microscopii is approximately 23 million years old.

Notes:
A wildfire originating in Washington state, USA, crossed into British Columbia, Canada, prompting evacuation orders.
The fire, initially called ‘Lone Pine Creek’ on the American side, was later renamed ‘Eagle Bluff’ and posed a significant threat, with around 885 hectares (2,200 acres) estimated to be affected on the Canadian side and approximately 2,000 hectares on the U.S. side.

Notes:
Brazil’s Operation Shield is a police operation that targeted criminal gangs in slums areas in Rio de Janeiro.
At least 45 people have lost their lives in a recent series of lethal security force operations conducted in Brazil.

Notes:
The Supreme Court said that the President of India retains power to scrap Article 370, after Constituent Assembly dissolved in 1957.
Clause (3) of Article 370 gave the President power to notify the Article inoperative or modify it. But a provision had made it necessary that such a move would have to be recommended by the Jammu and Kashmir Constituent Assembly.

Notes:
The Ministry of Steel has invited applications from Indian nationals belonging to the Industry and Research and Academia for the National Metallurgist Awards (NMA) 2023. Interested individuals may submit their applications through the online web portal.
The awards will be presented in four categories — Lifetime Achievement Award, National Metallurgist Award, Young Metallurgist Award and Environment and Metal Science Award for Research and Development in the Iron and Steel Sector.

Notes:
The Centre gave another one-year extension to Union Home Secretary Ajay Kumar Bhalla till August 22, 2024, according to a notification issued by the Department of Personnel and Training (DoPT).
The officer was to retire from service in November 2020 after his fixed two-year tenure had ended but his term was extended in 2020 through an order till 2021. He was then given two subsequent one-year extensions till August 22 this year.