Current Affairs Quiz - August, 2023

Notes:
Admiral R Hari Kumar, Chief of the Naval Staff and Commandant of Philippine Coast Guard signed the Standard Operating Procedure (SOP) for exchange of White Shipping Information.
The signing of the SOP between Philippine Coast Guard and Indian Navy would facilitate operationalization of information exchange on merchant shipping traffic, which will contribute to enhanced maritime safety and security in the region.

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:
Japan began releasing wastewater from the crippled Fukushima nuclear plant into the Pacific Ocean as tanks containing the radioactive water neared capacity.
In 2011, an earthquake and tsunami hit the Fukushima area and triggered reactor meltdowns at the plant. To stop the meltdown, plant workers flooded the reactors with water. Even now, when the plant is offline, the reactors need to be cooled.

Notes:
As per the ‘State of India’s Birds’ report, 178 species of wild birds were identified as needing immediate priority for conservation.
Of the 338 bird species studied in India for changes in numbers over the last 30 years, 60 per cent have experienced a decline. 40 percent (142) of the 359 species evaluated for change over the last seven years have declined.

Notes:
The Prime Minister Narendra Modi addressed the B20 Summit India 2023 in New Delhi. B20 Summit India brings policymakers, business leaders and experts from across the world to deliberate and discuss the B20 India Communique.
The B20 India Communique includes 54 recommendations and 172 policy actions for submission to G20.

Notes:
Zimbabwe’s President Emmerson Mnangagwa has been recently elected for second and final five-year term.
The South African country of 16 million population, has a history of election irregularities, and such tactics helped Robert Mugabe, a liberation leader turned autocrat, maintain power for nearly four decades.

Notes:
Indian Oil Corporation, L&T and ReNew have set up a joint venture for pursuing green hydrogen projects.
The JV company GH4India, has been formed for the purpose of development of green hydrogen and its derivatives, including green ammonia and methanol, besides production assets and associated renewable assets through any model of ownership and operatorship.

Notes:
India’s Parul Chaudhary finished 11th in the women’s 3000m steeplechase final at the World Athletics Championships in Budapest, Hungary.
She set a new National Record and also went past the entry standard for Paris Olympics. Parul clocked 9:15.31s and broke the record set during Rio Olympics in 2016 while also finishing under 9:23.00s, the qualification mark for Paris Olympics.

Notes:
Maharashtra Chief Minister Eknath Shinde said 1.5 crore people in the state have benefitted from the ‘shasan aplya dari’ (government at your doorstep) drive and CM’s Relief Fund.
The state has so far distributed 22,000 tractors and 22,50 rotavators (rotary tillers) to farmers. Around 4 lakh people have received Rs 1,351 crore under various schemes.

Notes:
A five-member Indian team achieved a historic first by finishing third in the Tent Pegging World Cup held in South Africa. Tent Pegging is a cavalry sport wherein the rider is supposed to pick a wooden block, placed on the ground, with a spear.
India had finished at the sixth and the seventh spots in the last two editions of the Tent Pegging World Cup.