Current Affairs Quiz - September, 2023

Notes:
Indian men’s 4x400m relay team consisting of Muhammed Anas Yahiya, Amoj Jacob, Muhammed Ajmal Variyathodi and Rajesh Ramesh broke the Asian record.
The team qualified for the final round of the World Championships, for the first time. The earlier Asian record of 2:59.51 was in the name of Japanese team. The earlier national record was 3:00.25 set in 2021.

Notes:
An Se-young defeated Carolina Marin to become the Republic of Korea’s first women’s singles world champion.
The world number one played in her 11th final from 12 tournaments this year. Kunlavut Vitidsarn made history by becoming Thailand’s first men’s singles world champion after a final against Naraoka Kodai. He is now the sixth man to win both junior and senior world singles titles.

Notes:
Recently, Shinon Meeras, a centre showcasing the history of Dard-Shina tribes, was opened to the public at the Gurez Valley in Kashmir.
Dard is a strong community of around 38000 people living in the valley, which speaks the rapidly fading Shina language. The first such cultural centre has been curated and developed by the Indian Army and the Lieutenant-Governor’s administration.

Notes:
PhonePe has entered into stock broking business with the launch of a new mobile application called ‘Share(dot)Market’, under its subsidiary PhonePe Wealth Broking.
It provides market intelligence and quantitative research-based WealthBaskets, a scalable technology platform. It will be available as a mobile app and a dedicated web platform, enabling retail investors to buy stocks, engage in intra-day trades, buy curated WealthBaskets and mutual funds.

Notes:
The Union government appointed Jaya Verma Sinha Chairperson of the Railway Board, becomes the first woman to head the Board.
Jaya Verma Sinha succeeded Anil Kumar Lahoti as chairman and chief executive officer of the Railway Board. Sinha is a seasoned member of the Indian Railway Management Services (IRMS).

Notes:
National Council of Educational Research and Training (NCERT) has been granted the deemed-to-be-university status by the Ministry of Higher Education, Union Minister of Education Dharmendra Pradhan.
It was announced on the 63rd Foundation Day of the apex decision-making body for school education. He suggested setting up Augmented Reality, Virtual Reality and Artificial Intelligence labs in all seven regional centres of NCERT.

Notes:
Adopt a Heritage 2.0 Scheme is a government initiative aimed at enhancing amenities at historical monuments in India through corporate involvement and their CSR funds. This program is a revamped version of the 2017 scheme and operates under the Ancient Monuments and Archaeological Sites and Remains Act (AMASR Act) of 1958. Interested stakeholders can adopt specific monuments or amenities through the dedicated web portal, providing comprehensive information and financial requirements. To promote heritage awareness, an Indian Heritage App will be launched, showing monuments with details, photos, amenities, geotagged locations, and a citizen feedback mechanism. This initiative is collaboration between the Ministry of Tourism, Ministry of Culture, and the Archaeological Survey of India.

Notes:
The coastal waters of Kerala are facing a significant ecological threat from the invasive Caribbean false mussel, as revealed by a report from the Intergovernmental Platform on Biodiversity and Ecosystem Services (IPBES).
This invasive species, originally from South and Central America, has rapidly spread throughout Kerala’s coastal waters, displacing native clams and oysters crucial for the state’s fisheries.

Notes:
Divya Deshmukh recently clinched the women’s rapid title at the Tata Steel Chess India tournament.
The 17-year-old chess player from Nagpur earned the title of woman grandmaster in the year 2021 at the age of 15. She won the Asian Women’s Chess Championships title this year. She is currently ranked 7th in the list of the nation’s women’s players.

Notes:
During the annual ASEAN-India summit in Jakarta, Prime Minister Narendra Modi announced India’s decision to establish an embassy in Timor-Leste.
Timor-Leste, having joined ASEAN as an Observer in 2022 before becoming a full member, has gained importance in regional diplomacy. The move to open an embassy in Timor-Leste signifies India’s strategic engagement in Southeast Asia, strengthening ties in line with its ‘Act East’ policy.