Current Affairs Quiz - August, 2023

Notes:
Union Home Minister is set to inaugurate a distinctive program called ‘Mera Gaon Meri Dharohar’ as a significant component of Azadi ka Amrit Mahotsav.
This initiative falls under the National Mission on Cultural Mapping and is spearheaded by the Ministry of Culture.  The main objective of the project is to culturally map India’s 6.5 lakh villages, spanning 29 states and 7 union territories, on a comprehensive virtual platform.

Notes:
Maharashtra-based Aditya Samant became India’s 83rd Grandmaster after earning his third GM norm at the Master Tournament (MTO) in the Biel International Chess Festival.
He had earned his first norm to become a grandmaster at the Abu Dhabi Masters last year in August. His second norm was achieved in December last year at the 3rd El Llobregat Open.

Notes:
Recently, International Institute for Strategic Studies (IISS), a London-based think tank, in collaboration with India’s Bharat Shakti defense platform, organized the UK-India Defence and Military Technology Cooperation workshop in London.
The workshop aimed to explore joint initiatives in defense research and industrial production, focusing on various themes such as the changing strategic context of UK-India defense relations, perspectives on India’s Atmanirbhar program, and the UK’s defense technology partnerships.

Notes:
Delisting means removing the securities of a listed company from a stock exchange. Once delisted, the securities of that company can no longer be traded on the stock exchange.
The Securities and Exchange Board of India (SEBI) is currently reassessing the delisting regulations applied to listed companies, aiming to curb share manipulation in companies that choose to delist from the stock exchanges.

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:
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:
The United States has announced USD 345 million in military aid for Taiwan. This is Biden administration’s first major package drawing on America’s own stockpiles to help Taiwan counter China.
The package would include defense, education and training for the Taiwanese. Washington will send man-portable air defense systems, or MANPADS, intelligence and surveillance capabilities, firearms and missiles, according to two U.S. officials who spoke on the condition of anonymity to discuss sensitive matters.

Notes:
The Central African Republic, a land locked country in African continent, has conducted a voting in a referendum for a new constitution. This comes after the country witnessing multiple coups.
In 2020, Mr. Touadera secured a second term as President of the country until 2025. If the referendum is passed, it would allow the existing President for a third term.

Notes:
Pakistan and China ink six agreements to help undertake the second phase of the USD 60 billion China-Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC) projects under a new model.
Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif and Chinese Vice Premier He Lifeng witnessed the signing ceremony to mark 10 years of the CPEC. The CPEC, which connects Gwadar Port in Pakistan’s Balochistan with China’s Xinjiang province, is opposed by India as it is being laid through Pakistan-occupied Kashmir.

Notes:
The Iberian wolf (Canis lupus signatus) is native to Spain and Portugal’s Iberian Peninsula. The wolf was declared extinct in the Andalusia region in 2020, as reported by the regional government.
No evidence of wolf presence was found in Andalusia during the same year.