Current Affairs Quiz - November, 2023

Notes:
The Inland Waterways Authority of India (IWAI) and Amazon have entered into a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) to facilitate the movement of cargo and transportation of customer shipments and products through inland waterways, specifically utilizing the Ganga River (National Waterway 1). This collaborative effort aims to leverage the efficiency and sustainability of water transport to enhance logistics, reduce environmental impacts, and foster economic growth.

Notes:
To assess and verify their approach to pollution response, the Indian Coast Guard collaborated with various government and private entities and inaugurated the 9th edition of the multi-agency National Level Pollution Response Exercise (NATPOLREX) in Vadinar, Gujarat.
The practical sea-based segment and evaluation of real-world capabilities were organised off the coast of Vadinar.

Notes:
Madhya Pradesh High Court has said that ‘the right to speedy justice is a Fundamental Right’ while rejecting a plea against the executive order of the Chief Justice asking district courts to dispose of 25 of their oldest cases every quarter.
If a court fails to dispose of 25 of its oldest cases in a quarter, the remainder will be added to their target in the next quarter, as per the order.  There was a prolonged strike by lawyers across Madhya Pradesh against the order.

Notes:
Goa’s Santa Cruz village panchayat has expressed surprise over preparations under way for undertaking cultivation in Bondvol lake’s catchment area.
Recently, the panchayat discovered that the water of the lake has been drained by unknown persons. Some forums has alleged that lake water was drained by tampering with a valve that was operated by the water resources department (WRD).

Notes:
A salmonella outbreak linked to cantaloupes and pre-cut fruit products has caused at least two fatalities and severe illness in dozens of individuals, in the United States.
The outbreak has expanded to 32 states and Canada, with new cases emerging in 17 additional states. Consuming food contaminated with salmonella can lead to food poisoning within 12 to 72 hours, resulting in symptoms including diarrhoea, fever, and abdominal cramps.

Notes:
Tennis player Ramkumar Ramanathan, a member of the Indian Davis Cup team, clinches Grand Double Title.
Tamil Nadu star Ramkumar, ranked 642 on the ATP ranking list, recorded a 6-0, 6-4 victory against the 874th ranked National Champion Vishwakarma, in the all-Indian men’s singles finals of the MSLTA $25000 Men’s ITF Tennis Championship 2023.

Notes:
Prime Minister Narendra Modi is set to pay a two-day visit to Dubai this week to attend World Climate Action Summit, which is part of the 28th meeting of the United Nations ‘Conference of the Parties’ on climate, known as COP28.
The global summit on climate change would focus on reducing emissions and supporting developing countries in dealing with extreme weather events.

Notes:
Generative AI is poised to have a more profound impact on certain white-collar jobs than blue-collar ones in the next ten years, showed new workplace research from learning company Pearson.
Blue collar roles, especially those requiring more creative, manual, and collaborative tasks, are likely to face less disruptions from the accelerated adoption of Gen AI aimed at driving productivity. The third edition of the Pearson Skills Outlook series: ‘Gen AI-proof jobs’ analyses the impact of Gen AI on more than 5,000 jobs in five countries – India, Australia, Brazil, the US, and the UK.

Notes:
Butterfly migration from the Eastern Ghats and plains towards the Western Ghats, an annual phenomenon coinciding with the onset of the Northeast monsoon, was below par this year. Before the onset of the Northeast monsoon, butterflies from the subfamily Danainae, such as Blue Tiger, Dark Blue Tiger, Double-branded Crow, and Common Crow (Tigers and Crows) fly towards the west.
Observers noticed local movement of Common Albatross (Appias albina), a butterfly species from the family Pieridae, in large numbers from hills of Anaikatti and the Nilgiris towards Sirumugai forest range and Sathyamangalam Tiger Reserve during the second week of November.

Notes:
IndiGo has launched an AI chatbot, 6Eskai, powered by the GPT-4 technology with an aim to address travellers’ queries in 10 different languages and to offer a platform for booking tickets across the entire network.
Developed in-house by IndiGo’s digital team, in close collaboration with Microsoft, the AI chatbot is capable of booking tickets, applying discounts, booking addons, performing web check-ins, helping in seat selection, planning trips, answering FAQs, and connecting customers with an agent. Moreover, the bot is also capable of understanding verbal instructions using speech-to-text models.