Current Affairs Quiz - July, 2023

Notes:
The International Monetary Fund (IMF) and Pakistan have reached a staff-level agreement on a USD 3 billion ‘stand-by arrangement’.
The agreement, pending approval by the IMF board in mid-July, provides temporary relief to Pakistan as it grapples with a severe balance of payments crisis and declining foreign exchange reserves.

Notes:
INS Kirpan is the indigenously built Khukri class missile corvette, which will be handed over to Vietnam People’s Navy. The vessel commenced its final journey from Visakhapatnam, which on arrival at Vietnam shall be handed over to Vietnam People’s Navy.
This is the first time India has presented such a vessel to a friendly foreign country, aligning with India’s vision of global unity and regional security.

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 Central Pollution Control Board (CPCB) has released draft guidelines titled ‘Guidelines for Promoting Community Boiler for Cluster of Small-Scale Industries’.
These guidelines aim to encourage the use of community boilers in clusters of small-scale industries.

Notes:
Australian scientists have diagnosed chronic traumatic encephalopathy (CTE) in a professional female athlete, marking the world’s first such diagnosis.
CTE is a progressive condition that has the potential to lead to mental illness and dementia. However, its diagnosis can only be confirmed after the individual’s death.

Notes:
According to the World Investment Report 2023 by the United Nations Conference on Trade and Development (UNCTAD), the total amount of foreign direct investment (FDI) in developing Asian countries stayed at USD 662 billion in 2022.
This shows no significant change compared to the previous year. This figure, although representing approximately half of the worldwide inflows, remained constant.

Notes:
The term “Ghost gun” describes a firearm that is usually built by an individual using components that can be acquired without undergoing a background check or registration process.
The city officials of Philadelphia have declared their initiation of a legal action against two ghost gun manufacturers, specifically JSD Supply and Polymer 80.

Notes:
NATO Secretary-General Jens Stoltenberg will head the NATO for another year, after his contract was extended again.
Mr Stoltenberg’s time as secretary general was due to end in October while his term had already been extended three times. Norwegian-born Mr Stoltenberg was an economist and former Prime Minister and the announcement comes a week before the next NATO summit in Vilnius, Lithuania.

Notes:
A Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) was signed for the establishment of an Indian Institute of Technology (IIT) Madras campus in Zanzibar, Tanzania.
This is the first IIT campus ever to be established outside of India. Zanzibar is a Tanzanian archipelago off the coast of East Africa.

Notes:
The Reserve Bank of India (RBI’s) inter-departmental group is currently working on a roadmap towards the internationalization of the rupee.
This comes in light of the economic sanctions imposed by the US on Russia.