12th & 13th February 2023 Daily Current Affairs in English
1. Visva Bharati University, which was seen in the news recently, is located in which state?
[A] Uttar Pradesh
[B] Bihar
[C] West Bengal
[D] Odisha
Answer : [C] West Bengal
UNESCO is set to announce Visva-Bharati University as a heritage university and it is set to become the world’s first living heritage university. It was founded by Rabindranath Tagore in 1921, as a center for culture, promoting the arts, language, humanities, music, and culture studies. Rabindranath Tagore’s philosophy of Open-air education is followed at the university.
2. Which institution launched the ‘Zero-Draft’ of the Pandemic Treaty?
[A] World Bank
[B] World Health Organisation
[C] World Economic Forum
[D] International Monetary Fund
Answer : [B] World Health Organisation
The ‘zero-draft’ of the pandemic treaty was launched recently by the World Health Organization’s Intergovernmental Negotiating Body (INB). The international treaty is expected to be presented at the World Health Assembly in 2024. The aim of the pandemic treaty is to strengthen national and international-level preparedness against future pandemics.
3. Which country leads the International Biofuels Alliance?
[A] India
[B] France
[C] USA
[D] Indonesia
Answer : [A] India
The US and Brazil, two of the world’s largest biofuels markets, are joining an India-led initiative of International Biofuels Alliance. The Alliance will aim to boost demand for the lower-emissions energy source. India has also earmarked 350 billion rupees (USD 4.3 billion) in its union budget to promote energy security.
4. ‘Paris Club’ an informal group of creditor nations, are the members of which organization?
[A] OPEC
[B] OECD
[C] G-20
[D] G-7
Answer : [B] OECD
The Paris Club is an informal group of creditor nations that functions as a platform for official creditors that resolves payment issues faced by debtor countries. All of its 22 member states belong to the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD). The Paris Club has recently decided to offer financial support to the International Monetary Fund (IMF) for Sri Lanka’s debt.
5. Which famous personality launched the ‘Global Climate Resilience Fund – USD 50mn fund for women’?
[A] Melinda Gates
[B] Hillary Clinton
[C] Jeff Bezos
[D] Elon Musk
Answer : [B] Hillary Clinton
Former US secretary of state Hillary Clinton announced a Global Climate Resilience Fund of 50 million dollars for women to fight climate change. She announced the fund while addressing salt pan workers near Kuda village in Gujarat’s Surendranagar district. The fund will empower women and communities to fight climate change and help provide new livelihood resources and education.
6. Which neighbouring country of India is set to receive electricity from power plant in Jharkhand?
[A] Sri Lanka
[B] Bangladesh
[C] Nepal
[D] Myanmar
Answer : [B] Bangladesh
Bangladesh will start receiving electricity from the Godda power plant in Jharkhand from the first week of March. 750 megawatt power will come from the first unit of Adani power plant in Godda in March. Another 750 megawatt of power will come from the second unit of the Godda power plant in April. The Bangladesh Power Development Board (BPDB) signed an agreement with Adani group for importing electricity.
7. As per a UNSC report, which country stole more cryptocurrency assets to support its ballistic missile and weapons of mass destruction programmes?
[A] North Korea
[B] USA
[C] Australia
[D] China
Answer : [A] North Korea
North Korea stole more cryptocurrency assets in 2022 than in any other year, as per a recent report by United Nations. As per the report, most of the money stolen was used to support its ballistic missile and weapons of mass destruction programmes. North Korea-linked hackers stole virtual assets worth USD 630 million while its cyber currency heist stood at USD 1 billion.
8. Who is the chairperson of the special committee to examine the need for a separate competition law for digital companies?
[A] Manoj Govil
[B] Ashwini Vaishnaw
[C] Nirmala Sitharaman
[D] Ramesh Chand
Answer : [A] Manoj Govil
The government has set up a special committee to examine the need for a separate competition law for digital companies. Chaired by Corporate Affairs Secretary Manoj Govil, the committee will review whether existing antitrust laws in the country are equipped to deal with the challenges that have emerged from the digital economy, and submit to the government a draft Digital Competition Act Within three months.
9. Which institution has released operational guidelines on green bonds?
[A] RBI
[B] SEBI
[C] NITI Aayog
[D] IRDAI
Answer : [B] SEBI
Capital market regulator SEBI has launched operational guidelines on green bonds asking issuers to make additional disclosures along with its annual report and financial results. The disclosures are pertaining to environmental sustainability objectives of such debt securities in the offer document. In addition, issuers of green bonds will have to disclose brief details of decision-making process followed for determining the eligibility of projects.
10. Aaron Finch, who announces retirement from International Cricket, is form which country?
[A] England
[B] South Africa
[C] Australia
[D] West Bengal
Answer : [C] Australia
Australian men’s T20 captain Aaron Finch announced his retirement from international cricket. The 36-year-old led Australia to its maiden T20 World Cup victory in 2021. Aaron Finch has captained the team in 76 of the 103 T20 internationals he has played since debuting against England in 2011. He retired as Australia’s one-day skipper last September.
11. ‘Yaya Tso’ is a bio-diversity site located in which state/UT?
[A] Arunachal Pradesh
[B] Ladakh
[C] Assam
[D] Sikkim
Answer : [B] Ladakh
Yaya Tso has been recently proposed as Ladakh’s first biodiversity heritage site (BHS) under the Biological Diversity Act.. It is also known as birds’ paradise for its beautiful lake located at an altitude of 4,820 metres. Yaya Tso is a nesting habitat for bar-headed goose, black-necked crane and brahminy duck and it also has the distinction of being one of the highest breeding sites of the black-necked crane in India.
12. ‘Operation Aag’ is associated with which state Police?
[A] Tamil Nadu
[B] Kerala
[C] Andhra Pradesh
[D] Karnataka
Answer : [B] Kerala
Kerala Police have recently arrested 113 people who were accused in various criminal cases, under ‘Operation Aag’. The raids are being held to arrest those who were placed under the Kerala Anti-Social Activities (Prevention) Act. Other initiatives of the state police include ‘Pink patrol’ which is specifically for women’s safety, ‘Prasanthi’ for senior citizens among others.
13. Which institution released the report titled ‘LiFE lessons from India’?
[A] World Bank
[B] International Energy Agency
[C] NITI Aayog
[D] UNICEF
Answer : [B] International Energy Agency
A report titled ‘LiFE lessons from India’ was recently released by the International Energy Agency (IEA). As per the report, the ‘Lifestyle for Environment’ or LiFE initiative of India for the adoption of energy-efficient behaviour can save the world USD 440 billion in 2030. As per the report, the saving would be equivalent to around 5% of all fuel spending across the global economy in that year.
14. Everglades wetland restoration project is associated with which country?
[A] Australia
[B] USA
[C] France
[D] Russia
Answer : [B] USA
The Everglades is a wetland ecosystem in the southern part of the US state of Florida. It spans across the southern half of a large drainage basin in the tropical region. This wetland ecosystem experiences fluctuating weather changes, habitat loss and environmental degradation. A 35-year plan with an outlay of 10 billion USD is being implemented to restore this wetland. This is the world’s largest and most expensive ecological restoration project.
15. ‘Yuva Sangam’ initiative aims to connect the youth of which region to the rest of India?
[A] Border region
[B] North East region
[C] Coastal region
[D] Hilly region
Answer : [B] North East region
The Yuva Sangam is an initiative which was launched to build close ties between the youth of the North East Region and rest of India under the spirit of Ek Bharat Shreshtha Bharat. The Yuva Sangam registration portal was launched in New Delhi recently. Under the initiative over 20 thousand youth will travel across the country and gain opportunity of cross-cultural learning.
16. What is the theme of the ‘World Pulses Day’ 2023?
[A] Pulses for a Sustainable Future
[B] Pulses for Malnutrition
[C] Pulses for a Healthier Future
[D] Pulses for a Scalable Future
Answer : [A] Pulses for a Sustainable Future
‘World Pulses Day’ is observed o February 10 to raise global awareness about the importance of pulses as a stable global food source that delivers nutritional and environmental security across the world. The theme for World Pulses Day 2023 is ‘Pulses for a Sustainable Future’.
17. As per a recent government data, half of India’s migrant population works in countries of which bloc?
[A] ASEAN
[B] OPEC
[C] GCC
[D] SAARC
Answer : [C] GCC
The Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) is a union of six Arab states namely Bahrain, Kuwait, Oman, Qatar, Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates. The Indian Government revealed that around half of India’s migrant population works in the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) countries. Most of the migrants are semi-skilled or unskilled workers, while 20-23% are white-collar professionals such as doctors, engineers, architects, chartered accountants, and bankers.
18. ADB has approved 130 million USD for Subtropical Horticulture, Irrigation, and Value Addition Project in which state?
[A] Karnataka
[B] Odisha
[C] West Bengal
[D] Himachal Pradesh
Answer : [D] Himachal Pradesh
The Asian Development Bank (ADB) has approved a loan of 130 million USD for the implementation of the Himachal Pradesh Subtropical Horticulture, Irrigation, and Value Addition Project. The purpose of this project is to assist at least 15,000 farm households to make them resilient to climate change through improved irrigation and water management.
19. Scientists found ‘Oldowan toolkit’, the oldest known stone tools in which country?
[A] Australia
[B] Greece
[C] Turkey
[D] Kenya
Answer : [D] Kenya
Scientists have discovered the oldest known stone tools in Kenya, dating back 2.9 million years, known as Oldowan toolkit. This toolkit included hammer-stones, cores and flakes. It is a critical invention for early human ancestors that expanded across Africa and China. The discovery provides a glimpse of importance of stone technology in adapting to different environments.
20. PK Rosy, who was honoured in the Google Doodle, was the first actress in which language?
[A] Tamil
[B] Malayalam
[C] Kannada
[D] Telugu
Answer : [B] Malayalam
PK Rosy, was the first actress in Malayalam Cinema. She is famed for defying gender and social norms by acting in a film. On her 120th birth anniversary, she was honored with a Google Doodle. PK Rosy belonged to a Dalit subcaste and learnt the traditional Kakkarissi Nattakam. Her debut film was Vigathakumaran (The Lost Child, 1928).