Current Affairs Quiz - November, 2023

Notes:
Professor Saleemul Huq, a prominent advocate for climate justice and the director of the International Centre for Climate Change and Development (ICCCAD) in Dhaka, passed away at the age of 71.
He was an esteemed expert in the fields of climate change, environment, and development. Professor Huq dedicated his work to establishing connections between climate change mitigation, adaptation, and sustainable development, with a focus on developing countries, especially the least developed nations (LDCs).

Notes:
A recent study suggests that Venus, frequently described as Earth’s sister planet, may have undergone tectonic activity approximately 4.5 billion to 3.5 billion years ago.
It is proposed that plate tectonics could have played a crucial role in the formation of Venus’s carbon dioxide- and nitrogen-rich atmosphere.

Notes:
A research endeavor led by Japanese scientists and a team from the Japan Aerospace Space Agency (JAXA), has achieved the successful cultivation of mouse embryos aboard the International Space Station (ISS).
This significant experiment represents a pivotal stride in exploring the potential for human reproduction in the space environment.

Notes:
The United Nations General Assembly proclaimed ‘International Day of Care and Support’ to be observed on 29 October.
This international day seeks to foreground care and support as a cornerstone of sustainable development and accelerator for equality. This year is the first time, the days is observed.

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:
Tamil Nadu Chief Minister MK Stalin launched ‘Meendum Manjappai’ scheme to reduce the use of plastic bags, replacing them with cloth bags in 2021.
Recently, the Tamil Nadu state environment department has opened a ‘Meendum Manjappai’ kiosk worth 25 lakh at Besant Nagar beach, Chennai, to create awareness on plastic pollution and to enforce the ban on single-use plastic. It has a cloth bag vending slot and a plastic bottle-crushing machine.

Notes:
Bipolar disorder, formerly called manic depression, is a mental health condition that causes extreme mood swings.
Researchers at the University of Cambridge in the United Kingdom have achieved significant advancements in enhancing the diagnosis of bipolar disorder. They have created a straightforward blood test that, when used in conjunction with an online psychiatric assessment, provides a more precise means of diagnosing this mental health condition.

Notes:
India and Italy sign Mobility and Migration Partnership Agreement to facilitate movement of workers, students.
With a population of around 1,80,000, the Indian diaspora in Italy is the third-largest in Europe, following the UK and the Netherlands.

Notes:
The Finance Ministry released ₹10,000 crore in urgent assistance for the Mahatma Gandhi National Rural Employment Guarantee Scheme (MGNREGS).
The funds were released to meet unexpected increased expenditure under the rural job guarantee scheme. The funds will be available until the first batch of supplementary demands for grants is approved by parliament at its next session. The unusual move came after 95% of the FY24 budgetary outlay of ₹60,000 crore for the MGNREGS was exhausted well before the commencement of the winter session of parliament.

Notes:
Jharkhand, which has a significant percentage of labourers who move out of the state for work, will enter into an agreement with nine states for the welfare of these migrant workers.
According to the data available with the state migrant control room, there are over 15 lakh registered migrant workers from Jharkhand in other states. However, the number of unregistered migrant workers is close to 50 lakh.