Current Affairs Quiz - January, 2023

Notes:
The Gaan Ngai festival of the Zeliangrong community is celebrated in Manipur. It is celebrated every year after harvesting.
During the festival, the Zeliarong community shows their gratitude by offering their harvest to the almighty. It is a custom to produce new fire by rubbing dry wood and split bamboo pieces and distribute them to other households. The Zeliarong community in Manipur comprises Rongmei, Liangmei, and Zeme tribes.

Notes:
Karnataka received clearance from the Centre for two Detailed Project Reports (DPRs) on the Kalasa-Banduri Nala on the Mahadayi River.
Goa objected to this decision and has planned to represent its concern to the Centre. The Kalasa Banduri Nala project aims to divert water from Mahadayi to satisfy the drinking water needs of 4 districts of Karnataka. The river originates in Belagavi district of Karnataka and flows into the Arabian Sea in Goa.

Notes:
The founder of cryptocurrency company FTX, Sam Bankman-Fried faces eight criminal counts, including wire fraud and money laundering conspiracy, among others
He recently pleaded not guilty Manhattan federal court, to charges of defrauding investors related to the collapse of the crypto exchange. He is accused of redirecting the deposits of FTX customers without their consent to his Alameda Research hedge fund.

Notes:
Narendra Modi will hold bilateral talks with the Presidents of Guyana and Suriname on the sidelines of the two-day Pravasi Bharatiya Divas convention in Indore.
Guyana President Irfaan Ali and Surinam President Chandrikapersad Santokhi will be the chief guest and special guest of honour at this year’s conclave.

Notes:
A team of Indian Institute of Science Education and Research (IISER), Pune has designed a unique molecular sponge-like material, which can swiftly clean polluted water by soaking up sinister contaminants.
The macro/microporous ionic organic framework can remove the pollutants that are direct threat to humanity and living organisms.

Notes:
The first phase of the caste-based census kicked off in Bihar, in which the number of all households in the state will be counted.
The Bihar cabinet on June 2, 2022 decided to conduct the caste-based census in the state. The  decadal census conducted by the Union Government counts religious groups and Scheduled Castes (SCs) and Scheduled Tribes (STs).

Notes:
Christmas is celebrated on December 25, according to the Gregorian calendar, in most of the Western world.
Orthodox Christians follow the Julian calendar and mark the festival on January 7. Russian President Vladmir Putin called for a temporary 36-hour ceasefire in Ukraine to allow Orthodox followers to attend Christmas services. Orthodox Christians are estimated to be between 200 and 300 million people globally.

Notes:
Goa organised the Purple Fest, the first Inclusive festival for persons with disabilities. It celebrated the lives and achievements of PwDs and served as a platform to increase awareness towards the inclusion of such persons in the society.
Purple Fest was organized at Panjim, by the Directorate of Social Welfare, Office of the State Commissioner for PwDs (Goa), Goa Tourism Development Corporation, Information & Publicity Department (Goa) and Entertainment Society of Goa.

Notes:
Tamil Nadu Chief Minister M.K. Stalin launched ‘Global Tamil Angels platform’ of Start-upTN, an investment platform for Tamil diaspora.
The platform lets investors from the global Tamil diaspora to make investments in the State’s start-ups. It was launched at the “Global Startup Investors Summit,” jointly organised by the Tamil Nadu Startup and Innovation Mission and FeTNA International Tamil Entrepreneur Network. A multi-crore American Tamil Fund (ATF) by investors from the Tamil Diaspora in the US was also announced.

Notes:
The child mortality or under-five mortality rate refers to the probability a newborn would die before reaching exactly 5 years of age. It is expressed per 1,000 live births.
As per the ‘Levels & trends in child mortality 2022’ released by UN Inter-agency Group for Child Mortality Estimation (UN IGME), an estimated 5 million children died before their fifth birthday and another 2.1 million children and youth aged between 5–24 years lost their lives in 2021.