Current Affairs Quiz - August, 2023

Notes:
Capital Market Regulator SEBI plans to set up a Research Analyst Administration and Supervisory Body (RAASB) to administer and supervise research analysts.
This is along the lines of the Investment Adviser Administration and Supervisory Body set up for administration and supervision of investment advisers.

Notes:
The African Union suspended Niger from all its institutions and activities “until the effective restoration of constitutional order” following last month’s coup.
The Executive Council of the 55-nation bloc made the decision after the soldiers overthrew Niger’s democratically elected president almost four weeks ago and placed themselves in power. President Mohamed Bazoum and his family have been kept under house arrest in the capital, Niamey.

Notes:
The first Foreign Office Consultations (FOC) between India and Samoa was held in Apia (capital city of Samoa) recently.
Both sides discussed their wide range of bilateral relations including their development partnership covering areas such as health, ICT, education, SME and capacity building. Samoa will host the next CHOGM (Commonwealth Heads of Government Meeting) on 21 October 2024.

Notes:
National Judicial Data Grid (NJDG) is a database of orders, judgments and case details of 18,735 District & Subordinate Courts and High Courts created as an online platform under the eCourts Project.
It provides data relating to judicial proceedings/decisions of all computerized district and subordinate courts of the country.

Notes:
Prime Minister Narendra Modi suggested the creation of a BRICS space consortium, hours before India’s Chandrayaan-3 spacecraft landed near the moon’s south pole.
Brazil’s President called for the BRICS nations to create a common currency for trade and investment between each other.

Notes:
The revenue expenditure, or spending on social welfare schemes, by the top 11 Indian states, is expected to touch a decadal high of Rs. 4 lakh crores, according to a report by CRISIL.
The top 11 states analysed for this study were Maharashtra, Gujarat, Karnataka, Tamil Nadu, Uttar Pradesh, Telangana, Rajasthan, West Bengal, Madhya Pradesh, Andhra Pradesh, and Kerala.

Notes:
Nearly 70 million more people lived in extreme poverty in developing Asian countries last year due to the COVID-19 pandemic and rising living costs.
More than 155 million people suffered from extreme poverty in developing Asia in 2022, 67.8 million more than if the pandemic had not occurred, the Asian Development Bank (ADB) said in a report.

Notes:
The US Department of Justice (DOJ) has said it is suing Elon Musk’s SpaceX, alleging the rocket firm discriminates against refugees and asylum seekers in its hiring practices.
The DoJ alleged that SpaceX routinely discouraged asylees and refugees from applying and refused to hire or consider non-US citizens, because of their citizenship status from September 2018 to May 2022.

Notes:
The President of Greece, Katerina Sakellaropoulou conferred Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi with The Grand Cross of the Order of Honour. The Order of Honour was established in 1975.
The Honour is conferred by the President of Greece to Prime Ministers and eminent personalities who by reason of their distinguished position, have contributed to enhancing the stature of Greece.

Notes:
The Embassy of India in Bahrain launched a mobile application, EoIBh-Connect, designed to facilitate online appointment booking for a spectrum of consular and visa services, accessible through both the Indian Embassy at Manama, Bahrain.
The app has swiftly broadened its capabilities, now enabling users to conveniently schedule appointments with IVS Global.