Tnpsc Current Affairs in English – 12th July 2023
1. Jens Stoltenberg has been elected as the head of which grouping for third time in a row?
[A] ASEAN
[B] BIMSTEC
[C] NATO
[D] G-7
Answer: [C] NATO
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.
2. Which country is organising the UNSC’s first ever meeting on threats of Artificial Intelligence?
[A] India
[B] Australia
[C] UK
[D] Germany
Answer: [C] UK
The U.N. Security Council will hold a first-ever meeting on the threats of Artificial Intelligence (AI) on July 18. The meeting organized by the United Kingdom, will see global leaders discussing the potential threats of artificial intelligence (AI) to international peace and security. This meeting has been presented as a centrepiece of the UK’s presidency of the council.
3. What is the expansion of DPDP Bill, which was cleared by the Cabinet recently?
[A] Digital Personal Data Protection Bill
[B] Dual Personal Data Protection Bill
[C] Direct Personal Data Protection Bill
[D] Diplomatic Personal Data Protection Bill
Answer: [A] Digital Personal Data Protection Bill
The Union Cabinet cleared the Digital Personal Data Protection (DPDP) Bill. The clearance paves the way for the Bill to be introduced in Parliament in the upcoming Monsoon Session. The data protection legislation specifies norms on management of personal data of Indian residents and requires explicit consent from people whose data is collected and used.
4. Zanzibar, where the first IIT Global Campus is to be set up, is located in which country?
[A] Egypt
[B] Tanzania
[C] Kenya
[D] South Africa
Answer: [B] Tanzania
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.
5. Which city is the host of the ‘Meeting of Space Economy Leaders under India’s G20 presidency’?
[A] Bengaluru
[B] Chennai
[C] Pune
[D] Mysuru
Answer: [A] Bengaluru
Under India’s presidency of the Group of Twenty (G20), the 4th edition of the Space Economy Leaders Meeting (SELM) is scheduled to be held in Bengaluru. The theme for this event, ‘Towards a New Space ERA (Economy, Responsibility. Alliance)”, is chosen in line with India’s G20 Summit’s theme of “One Earth, One Space and One Future”.
6. Lallianzuala Chhangte and Manisha Kalyan, who were in the news recently, play which sports?
[A] Cricket
[B] Football
[C] Badminton
[D] Squash
Answer: [B] Football
India and Mumbai City FC footballer Lallianzuala Chhangte was named as the All-India Football Federation (AIFF) Men’s Footballer of the Year for 2022-23. Manisha Kalyan was named as the AIFF Women’s Footballer of the Year for 2022-23. She recently became the first Indian to play in UEFA Women’s Champions League.
7. Which country has knocked out Zimbabwe out of Cricket World Cup?
[A] UAE
[B] Scotland
[C] Nepal
[D] Indonesia
Answer: [B] Scotland
Zimbabwe was knocked out of the Cricket World Cup to be held in India this year. Scotland recorded a 31-run win over Zimbabwe and then in their next match, got beaten by Netherlands by 4 wickets. Sri Lanka are unbeaten so far in the World Cup Qualifier tournament taking place in Zimbabwe.
8. Which state/UT has launched a basic income scheme for women named ‘Kalaignar Magalir Urimai Thogai’?
[A] West Bengal
[B] Tamil Nadu
[C] Karnataka
[D] Odisha
Answer: [B] Tamil Nadu
Tamil Nadu has issued Guidelines for ‘Kalaignar Magalir Urimai Thogai’ scheme. As per the guidelines, women with an annual family income of less than 2.5 lakh; family land holding not exceeding 5 acres (wetland) and 10 acres (dryland); and annual household electricity consumption below 3,600 units would be eligible to avail themselves of a monthly aid of Rs 1,000 in Tamil Nadu.
9. Naegleria fowleri, which was seen in the news, affects which part of the body?
[A] Lungs
[B] Brain
[C] Liver
[D] Intestine
Answer: [B] Brain
A teenager in Kerala recently died after he contracted a rare brain-eating amoeba called Naegleria fowleri while swimming in a stream near his house. Naegleria fowleri is a rare but extremely dangerous organism that can cause a fatal brain infection called primary amoebic meningoencephalitis (PAM).
10. Which institution constituted a working group on implementing RBI’S recommendations on “working of the Asset Reconstruction Companies (ARCS)”?
[A] IRDAI
[B] IBA
[C] SBI
[D] SEI
Answer: [B] IBA
The Indian Banks’ Association (IBA) has recentlyconstituted a five-member working group for implementing the recommendations of the Reserve Bank of India’s on “working of the Asset Reconstruction Companies (ARCS)”. The Group has been constituted at the aegis of the Reserve Bank of India. The Group comprises Ajit Kumar, MD and CEO, Secondary Loan Market Association (SLMA); Hari Hara Mishra, CEO, Association of ARCS in India; Mythili Balasubramanian, Executive Director, Edelweiss ARC; and senior officials from State Bank of India (Dharmendra Pali) and ICICI Bank (Anupama Ranade).
11. Where was the 7th edition of Japan-India Maritime Exercise 2023 (JIMEX 23) held?
[A] Kochi
[B] Mumbai
[C] Visakhapatnam
[D] Chennai
Answer: [C] Visakhapatnam
The 7th edition of the bilateral Japan-India Maritime Exercise 2023 (JIMEX 23) hosted by the Indian Navy, is was conducted at and off Visakhapatnam from 5th to 10th July 2023. The exercise was conducted in two phases – a Harbour Phase at Visakhapatnam comprising professional, sports and social interactions and the war phase in which the two navies jointly horned their warfighting skills at sea.
12. The United Kingdom, Canada, Sweden and Ukraine have jointly launched a case against which country, at the International Court of Justice?
[A] Russia
[B] USA
[C] Iran
[D] India
Answer: [C] Iran
The United Kingdom, Canada, Sweden and Ukraine have jointly launched a case against Iran at the United Nations’ International Court of Justice over the downing of a Ukrainian passenger jet in the year 2020, resulting in death of all 176 passengers and crew The four countries want the International Court of Justice to rule that Iran illegally shot down the Ukraine International Airlines plane and to order the country to pay compensation to the families of the victims.
13. Which company has won the GeM “Timely Payments (CPSES)” award for the year 2023?
[A] NTPC Ltd
[B] IOCL
[C] NLC Ltd
[D] ONGC
Answer: [A] NLC Ltd
NLC India Limited, a navratna company under the Ministry of Coal, has bagged the GeM award in the category “Timely Payments (CPSES)” for the year 2023. The award has been conferred to NLC India Limited for its outstanding contribution in improving the reliability of e- market practices of GeM. The company has registered a growth of Rs 984.93 crore in GEM procurements during the year FY 2022-23.
14. Where was the 7th edition of SALVEX between the Indian Navy and the US Navy held recently?
[A] Visakhapatnam
[B] Kochi
[C] Andaman and Nicobar
[D] Lakshadweep
Answer: [B] Kochi
The seventh edition of the SALVEX exercise, which is a collaborative Salvage and Explosive Ordnance Disposal (EOD) drill between the Indian Navy and the US Navy took place recently in Kochi from June 26th to July 6th, 2023. Since 2005, the Indian Navy (IN) and the US Navy (USN) have been engaging in joint Salvage and EOD exercises. This edition of the exercise witnessed the active involvement of both naval forces, with the participation of INS Nireekshak, USNS Salvor, as well as Specialist Diving and EOD teams.
15. Which Department has launched the 3rd edition of National e Governance Service Delivery Assessment (NeSDA)?
[A] Department of Financial Services
[B] Department of Administrative Reforms and Grievance Redressal
[C] Department of Expenditure
[D] Department of Revenue
Answer: [B] Department of Administrative Reforms and Grievance Redressal
The Department of Administrative Reforms and Grievance Redressal (DARPG) has developed the National e Governance Service Delivery Assessment (NeSDA) with an objective of measuring the effectiveness of the existing e Governance service delivery mechanism, from the citizen’s perspective. The secretary of DARPG, has released the 3rd edition of National e Governance Service Delivery Assessment.
16. When is the World Kiswahili Language Day celebrated every year by the UN?
[A] July 1
[B] July 5
[C] July 7
[D] July 15
Answer: [C] July 7
Every year, 7th July is celebrated by the United Nations as the World Kiswahili Language Day. A resolution in this regard was adopted in 2017 in order to inform and raise awareness of their history, culture and use. Kiswahili is the first African language to the recognized in such a manner by the UN. The Theme of 2023 is “Unleashing Kiswahili’s potential in the digital era”.
17. In which Nuclear Power Plant in India, the core catcher has been installed recently?
[A] Kudankulam Nuclear Power
[B] Kalpakkam Nuclear Power
[C] Tarapore Nuclear Power
[D] Narora Nuclear Power
Answer: [A] Kudankulam Nuclear Power
In the Kudankulam Nuclear Power Plant, the core catcher which is an integral component of the safety system for handling severe accidents has been installed recently. The system is installed beneath Power Unit No. 5 and weighs over 156 metric tons. The Kudankulam Nuclear Power Plant is located in Tamil Nadu and is based on the Russian WWER-1000 reactor design.
18. Which Indian leads the IAF marching contingent at the Bastille Day parade in Paris?
[A] Sindhu Reddy
[B] Bhawana Kanth
[C] Mohana Singh Jitarwal
[D] Avani Chaturvedi
Answer: [A] Sindhu Reddy
Squadron Leader Sindhu Reddy will lead the marching contingent of the IAF at the Bastille Day parade in Paris. She had led the marching contingent of the Indian Air Force during the Republic Day parade this year. She is a Mi-17 pilot, Sindhu Reddy has also flown light choppers.
19. Which institution has been working on ‘Internationalisation of rupee’?
[A] NITI Aayog
[B] RBI
[C] SEBI
[D] NPCI
Answer: [B] RBI
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.
20. Karuvattu Mana Vasudevan Namboothiri, who was seen in the news, is associated with which profession?
[A] Sports person
[B] Politician
[C] Artist
[D] Business person
Answer: [C] Artist
Renowned artist Karuvattu Mana Vasudevan Namboothiri popularly known as artist Namboothiri passed away. Namboothiri illustrated characters of top Malayalam writers such as Thakazhi Sivasankara Pillai, Kesavadev, M T Vasudevan Nair, Uroob, S K Pottekkatt and VKN. He was also a painter, sculptor and art director.