Current Affairs Quiz - November, 2023

Notes:
Union Finance Minister launches phase IV of ‘Operation Sesha’ to curb the illegal trade of Timber, including Red Sanders.
She launched this during the inaugural session of the first ever Global Conference on Cooperation in Enforcement Matters (GCCEM) in New Delhi. Delegates representing over 40 Custom Organisations participated in the event.

Notes:
India and Switzerland launched the Indo-Swiss Innovation Platform. The platform’s launch included an Indo-Swiss Antimicrobial Resistance (AMR) Innovation Dialogue in Bengaluru. The platform began with a pilot project on antimicrobial resistance.
The platform’s launch was intended to deepen bilateral collaboration on innovation and make it more strategic. About 50 experts from Switzerland and India came together to discuss innovative ideas.

Notes:
The Chief Minister of Jharkhand, Hemant Soren, inaugurated the longest bridge in the state over the Mayurakshi river in Dumka.
The bridge, which cost Rs 198 crore to build, is 2.34 km long and 16 meters wide. It will reduce the distance between various districts and improve connectivity. The river has its source on Trikut Hills in Jharkhand. It flows through Jharkhand and flows into the Hooghly River through two districts of West Bengal.

Notes:
The COP-28 Presidency launched ‘Net-Zero Transition Charter: Accountability Mobilisation for the Private Sector’, it recognises the important role the private sector must play in combating climate change.
COP28 Presidency has called for a collaborative approach to reduce emissions by 43 percent in the next seven years. COP28 will be held in Dubai between November 30 and December 12.

Notes:
A new study has found that the body plan of starfish is much more complex and distributed than previously thought, challenging the understanding of their evolution.
Using genetic and molecular tools, the research created a 3D atlas of gene expression in starfish, revealing that the “head” of a starfish is scattered across its body, raising questions about the evolution of these creatures.

Notes:
The report, titled ‘Hunger Hotspots’ for the period between November 2023 and April 2024, was published recently.
The new report by the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO) and the World Food Programme (WFP) indicates that acute food insecurity is expected to deteriorate in 18 hunger hotspots until April 2024. These hotspots encompass 22 countries or territories, including two regional clusters.

Notes:
Astronomers used NASA’s retired Kepler space telescope data to find an intriguing seven-planet system, Kepler-385, where all planets are bigger than Earth but smaller than Neptune.
Such planets are uncommon in the universe, and Kepler-385 is one of the few systems known to have more than six confirmed planets or planet candidates.

Notes:
Bangladesh Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina’s daughter, Saima Wazed, was nominated as the next Regional Director for the World Health Organization’s South-East Asia region.
Saima Wazed defeats Shambu Acharya, a public health veteran from Nepal, in a vote held during the 76th session of the WHO Regional Committee for South-East Asia Region.

Notes:
Moroccan archaeologists recently unearthed a Roman-era site in Rabat, Morocco that dates back to the second century. The site includes a port district, a bath, and a cemetery. The site’s proximity to water made it a key trading hub for the import of Italian marble and export of African ivory.
The archaeologists also discovered a statue of a woman, possibly a deity or empress, draped in cloth. Morocco was conquered by the Romans, but they left little or no evidence of their reign. The Arabs and Islam had a significant impact on the region.

Notes:
Intel announced collaboration with eight Indian electronics manufacturing services (EMS) companies and original design manufacturers (ODMs), sharing key technological and operational insights for their laptop manufacturing projects in India.
As part of the new collaboration, Intel has shared its expertise in the production of complete entry-level laptops in India.