Current Affairs Quiz - July, 2023

Notes:
The Indian Institute of Technology – Kharagpur, is working on the development of a secure signaling system for the Indian Railways, utilizing blockchain technology.
This tamper-proof system will incorporate advanced safety features and serve as a complement to the existing Data Logger, commonly known as the ‘Black Box,’ used in rolling stock.

Notes:
Recently, the International Buddhist Confederation (IBC) has commemorated Ashadha Purnima as the Dharma Chakra Pravartana Divas at the National Museum in Janpath, New Delhi. The Ashadha Purnima falls every year on the full moon day of the month of Ashadha as per the Indian lunar calendar.
This event holds great significance as it is the annual flagship celebration of the IBC and is considered the second most sacred day for Buddhists, following the Buddha Purnima.

Notes:
Researchers in the United Kingdom have developed a novel tool called the Data Carbon Ladder, which enables companies to assess the carbon emissions generated by their digital data, particularly for those seeking to offset their carbon footprint.
This tool assists businesses in quantifying the amount of carbon dioxide produced by their digital data.

Notes:
The International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) has given its approval to Japan’s proposal of releasing treated radioactive water from the decommissioned Fukushima nuclear reactor into the ocean.
The water at the Fukushima Daiichi Nuclear Power Plant, contaminated from fuel rod contact, has been distilled and is currently stored in tanks holding approximately 1.3 million tonnes of radioactive water.

Notes:
The Peoples Republic of China has recently updated its anti-espionage law, which redefines espionage. Activities like cyber-attacks against government or sensitive information systems are redefined as acts of espionage. The law became effective from 1^st July 2023.
The National Counter intelligence and Security Centre (NCSC) of the US government has raised apprehensions regarding China’s recently modified law.

Notes:
Bird divorce is a phenomenon where certain birds opt to separate from their current partners and find new mates for future breeding seasons, even if their original partners are still alive.
A group of scientists from China and Germany have discovered two significant elements that play a role in divorce across various bird species: male promiscuity and long-distance migrations.

Notes:
The U.N. Security Council will hold a first-ever meeting on the threats of Artificial Intelligence (AI) on July 18.
The meeting organized by the United Kingdom, will see global leaders discussing the potential threats of artificial intelligence (AI) to international peace and security. This meeting has been presented as a centrepiece of the UK’s presidency of the council.

Notes:
NLC India Limited, a navratna company under the Ministry of Coal, has bagged the GeM award in the category “Timely Payments (CPSEs)” for the year 2023.
The award has been conferred to NLC India Limited for its outstanding contribution in improving the reliability of e-market practices of GeM. The company has registered a growth of Rs 984.93 crore in GEM procurements during the year FY 2022-23.

Notes:
The seventh edition of the SALVEX exercise, which is a collaborative Salvage and Explosive Ordnance Disposal (EOD) drill between the Indian Navy and the US Navy took place recently in Kochi from June 26th to July 6th, 2023.
Since 2005, the Indian Navy (IN) and the US Navy (USN) have been engaging in joint Salvage and EOD exercises. This edition of the exercise witnessed the active involvement of both naval forces, with the participation of INS Nireekshak, USNS Salvor, as well as Specialist Diving and EOD teams.

Notes:
Mukhra (K), a model village in the Adilabad district of Telangana, has achieved the distinction of being the first habitation in the state to have 100% insurance coverage.
It has received National-level Gram Urja Swaraj Vishesh award this year, accompanied by a cash incentive of 50 lakh rupees. The village was recognized with Swacch Sujal Shakti Samman this year, Deen Dayal Upadhyay Panchayat Shashaktikaran Purashkar last year, and the Biodiversity award and Swacch Sarvekshan Award for the year 2020.