Current Affairs Quiz - August, 2023

Notes:
A no-confidence motion is a step typically taken by an Opposition party to compel the current government to demonstrate its majority in the House.
Recently, Lok Sabha Speaker Om Birla accepted a motion of no-confidence against the government, which was initiated by Congress Deputy Leader in Lok Sabha, Gaurav Gogoi, after fulfilling the requisite headcount of 50 MPs as mandated by the rules.

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:
China has granted Pakistan a two-year rollover on a USD 2.4-billion loan for a period of two years.
This move is expected to provide relief to Pakistan, which is facing a severe Balance of Payments crisis. Its current reserves barely cover two months’ worth of import bills.

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:
Taiwanese firm Foxconn Technology Group, a key supplier to Apple Inc., signed a letter of Intent with the Tamil Nadu government to invest ₹1,600 crore to establish a manufacturing facility in Kancheepuram district.
The letter of intent was signed in the presence of Chief Minister M.K. Stalin and Foxconn Chairman Young Liu. The facility will potentially employ 6,000 people.

Notes:
Formula One racing driver Max Verstappen secured his eighth win in a row, one short of the all-time record, at the Belgian Grand Prix.
Verstappen won the race with Red Bull’s Sergio Perez clinching second position and Ferrari’s Charles Leclerc at third place.

Notes:
The Indian women’s hockey team defeated the hosts Spain 3-0 and win the 100th Anniversary Spanish Hockey Federation – International Tournament.
Vandana Katariya (22nd minute), Monika (48th) and Udita (58th) were the goal scorers as India remained unbeaten in the tournament.

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.

Notes:
The country’s per capita income is likely to grow by close to 70 per cent to USD 4,000 by fiscal 2030 from USD 2,450 in fiscal 2023.
This will help the country to become a middle-income economy with USD 6-trillion GDP. Per capita income/GDP has risen from USD 460 in fiscal 2001 to USD 1,413 in fiscal 2011 and to USD 2,150 in fiscal 2021. The biggest growth driver will be external trade, followed by household consumption.

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.