Current Affairs Quiz - July, 2023

Notes:
Denmark, Ireland and Switzerland have been named the top three among 64 economies in the 2023 Global Competitiveness Index.
India has been placed at the 40th position in the same index. The 2023 IMD World Competitiveness Ranking was published by the World Competitiveness Center for the 35th consecutive year.

Notes:
The US is set to introduce in-country renewable H-1B visas. During his speech to the Indian diaspora in Washington DC, Prime Minister Narendra Modi made an announcement regarding ‘In-country’ renewable H-1B visas.
It removes the need for individuals to travel abroad to renew their work visas.

Notes:
A report titled “Compliance Status of Coal-Based Power Plants” was released recently by the Delhi-based non-profit Centre for Science and Environment (CSE).
The report reveals that as of April 2023, a mere 5 percent of the India’s coal-based thermal power generation capacities had implemented the Flue Gas Desulfurization (FGD) mechanism.

Notes:
Infosys has announced a long-term collaboration with Danske Bank. The projected agreement worth USD 454 million for a 5-year term has the possibility to renew for an extra year up to three times.
As part of this agreement, Infosys will also buy Danske Bank’s IT centre in India, which employs over 1,400 people. Danske Bank, headquartered in Denmark, provides banking services to individuals and businesses, as well as large corporations and institutions.

Notes:
Union Minister Parshottam Rupala launches NOC Approvals for New Drugs & Inoculation System (NANDI) portal.
With this portal, DAHD will facilitate the regulatory approval process with transparency to assess and examine veterinary product proposals will be more streamlined through integration with the SUGAM portal of Central Drugs Standard Control Organization.

Notes:
India ended their Special Olympics World Games campaign with 202 medals, including 76 gold medals.
The Indian athletes bagged six medals from the track events (2 gold, 3 silver, 1 bronze) on the concluding day. The Special Olympics- World Games, closing ceremony was held at the Brandenburg Gate, in Berlin.

Notes:
A team of scientists in Japan’s University of Tokyo have developed the ‘Jizai Arms’, named after a Japanese term that denotes autonomy and personal freedom. The arm can be attached to human’s body to create a man machine relationship.
It is said that the technology takes inspiration from a quasi-horror traditional Japanese story named “The Arm”.

Notes:
The Ministry of Environment, Forests, and Climate Change has released draft regulations for a ‘Green Credit’ system, offering incentives to individuals, farmer-producer organizations (FPOs), industries, rural and urban local bodies, and other stakeholders for their environmentally beneficial actions.
In the notification, the ministry has invited feedback and suggestions for a period of 60 days.

Notes:
In a recent study, researchers have identified a genetic variation associated with the progressive deterioration of multiple sclerosis (MS), marking an important milestone towards the development of a potential new medication.
MS is a chronic disorder wherein the body’s immune system mistakenly attacks itself, resulting in various symptoms including visual impairment, mobility issues, and balance problems.

Notes:
The Greater Chennai Police has introduced the country’s first ‘Police Drone Unit’ in order to conduct aerial surveillance in the capital city of Tamil Nadu.
The unit consists of nine drones across three categories, operated by 20 trained police personnel.