Current Affairs Quiz - August, 2023

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:
In Rome, Italy, archaeologists have recently discovered the remains of Nero’s Theatre which is an ancient imperial theatre mentioned in historical texts.
The theatre was previously undiscovered and not has been located beneath the garden of a forthcoming Four Seasons hotel, positioned just a short distance from the Vatican.

Notes:
India’s tiger population increased to 3,682 in 2022, up from 2,967 in 2018, according to an estimate released recently.
This is an upward revision from April this year, when a minimum of 3,167 animals were estimated by the Wildlife Institute of India (WII).

Notes:
Digital payments across the country registered a growth of 13.24 per cent in a year through March 2023, as per RBI’s index that measures the adoption of online transactions.
RBI’s Digital Payments Index (RBI-DPI) stood at 395.57 at end-March 2023 compared to 377.46 in September 2022 and 349.30 in March 2022. The index is a base to capture the extent of digitisation of payments across the country.

Notes:
As the G20 chair, India is working with Japan and other G7 countries on the one side, and Russia-China on the other side to formulate the G20 leaders’ declaration in Delhi.
Japan holds the current chairmanship of the G7 grouping, which has been the most vocal over Russia’s invasion of Ukraine.

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).

Notes:
The International Space Station has entered its final phase of operation, with international agreements running until 2028-2030.
With a view to replace orbital complex as part of a public-private partnership, NASA has launched various programs. Voyager Space and Airbus announced the creation of a joint venture to build and operate the Starlab station. The joint venture will have a European JV entity to serve the European Space Agency and the space agencies of its member states.

Notes:
Ocean Shield-2023 exercises are live-fire naval exercises carried out in the Baltic Sea by Russia.
Drill involves over 30 military vessels and boats, 20 support vessels, 30 naval aviation and Aerospace Forces of Russia aircraft, and about 6,000 troops.

Notes:
As per a recent survey, women do seven hours of housework per day and men under three hours in India.
The Tamil Nadu government launched camps to facilitate the registration of applicants for the Kalaignar Magalir Urimai Thogai Thittam, or women’s basic income scheme. The scheme will provide Rs. 1,000 per month to women in eligible households.

Notes:
The Finance Ministry has imposed anti-dumping duty on certain optical fibre imports from China, South Korea and Indonesia, based on the recommendations of the Directorate General of Trade Remedies (DGTR).
It aims to give relief to the domestic optical fibre industry reeling under the adverse impact of low-price and low-quality imports.