Current Affairs Quiz - February, 2023

Notes:
UNESCO is set to announce Visva-Bharati University as a heritage university and it is set to become the world’s first living heritage university.
It was founded by Rabindranath Tagore in 1921, as a center for culture, promoting the arts, language, humanities, music, and culture studies. Rabindranath Tagore’s philosophy of open-air education is followed at the university.

Notes:
The government has set up a special committee to examine the need for a separate competition law for digital companies.
Chaired by Corporate Affairs Secretary Manoj Govil, the committee will review whether existing antitrust laws in the country are equipped to deal with the challenges that have emerged from the digital economy, and submit to the government a draft Digital Competition Act within three months.

Notes:
Kerala Police have recently arrested 113 people who were accused in various criminal cases, under ‘Operation Aag’.
The raids are being held to arrest those who were placed under the Kerala Anti-Social Activities (Prevention) Act. Other initiatives of the state police include ‘Pink patrol’ which is specifically for women’s safety, ‘Prasanthi’ for senior citizens among others.

Notes:
The Ministry of Agriculture and Farmers Welfare signed an MoU with Digital Green under a public-private partnership framework to build a ‘National-level digital extension platform’.
The platform will host a digital library of multi-format multi-lingual content and upskill extension workers for agriculture, horticulture, fisheries, livestock and rural livelihood missions through certified online courses.

Notes:
‘Forever chemicals’ is a term used to describe a group of synthetic chemicals called per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS) that are highly persistent in the environment and resist degradation.
They are called ‘forever’ chemicals because they do not break down naturally and can persist for decades or even centuries. A new study led by Oxford University found high levels of forever chemicals in the ice around Norway’s Svalbard.

Notes:
The Christ the Redeemer statue is a landmark statue located in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil. Made of soapstone and reinforced concrete, this statue is an important symbol of Christianity and a renowned tourist destination.
The statue is recognized as one of the most iconic and celebrated works of art and engineering in history. A Photographer recently captured the exact moment when lightning struck Christ the Redeemer statue.

Notes:
World Radio Day is observed on February 13 to raise global awareness about the importance of radio as a medium of mass communication.
UNESCO declared this day to commemorate the establishment of the United Nations Radio in 1946. The theme for the year 2023 is ‘Radio and Peace’. It highlights the radio’s role as an independent medium of peacemaking. The subthemes for this day are ‘Support for Independent Radio’ and ‘Radio in Conflict Prevention and Peace-building’.

Notes:
Snapdragon Satellite, which was launched recently, is the world’s first ‘satellite-based, two-way capable messaging solution’.
The solution works for smart-phones developed by Qualcomm in partnership with Iridium Inc. The technology was initially introduced at the Consumer Electronics Show (CES) 2023. On a Snapdragon Satellite, emergency messaging will be activated on the next-gen smart-phones.

Notes:
The 3rd ASEAN Digital Ministers (ADGMIN) meeting with India was held on a virtual platform. India and Philippines co-chaired the meeting and adopted India-ASEAN Digital Work Plan 2023.
In 2022, ASEAN India Friendship Year was celebrated, commemorating 30th anniversary of establishment of dialogue relations with ASEAN. It was held under the theme ‘Synergy Towards a Sustainable Digital Future’.

Notes:
President of India Droupadi Murmu appointed governors in 12 states and a Union Territory while accepting the resignation of two Governors namely Maharashtra’s Bhagat Singh Koshyari and Ladakh’s Radha Krishnan Mathur.
Jharkhand Governor Ramesh Bais is now Governor of Maharashtra and Arunachal Pradesh governor Brigadier B D Mishra (retired) has been appointed as Lieutenant Governor of Ladakh.