Daily Current Affairs Quiz: August 22, 2023

India has secured Second Rank at the 16th International Olympiad 2023 on Astronomy and Astrophysics (IOAA) in Poland With Four Gold and One Silver Medal.
The United Kingdom clinched the lead with five Golds.
A total of 236 students from 50 nations participated in the Olympiad.

Poland Currency: Euro
Poland Capital: Warsaw
Poland President: Andrzej Sebastian Duda

The AUV named ‘Neerakshi’ is a collaboration of Kolkata-based warship maker Garden Reach Shipbuilders and Engineers (GRSE) Ltd and MSME entity AEPL.
An autonomous underwater vehicle (AUV) designed to detect mines and a first of its kind in the country was launched.
Named “Neerakshi” meaning “Eyes in the Water” is the first of its kind in the country and is expected to undergo user trials by the Indian Navy, Coast Guard, and Army before a commercial launch.

The International Day of Remembrance and Tribute to the Victims of Terrorism was established by the United Nations General Assembly in 2017.
It designated 21 August as the International Day of Remembrance and Tribute to the Victims of Terrorism to honour the victims and survivors of terrorism.

While more countries are affected by terrorism today, the number of victims has largely been concentrated in a small number of Member States.
In 2017 alone, nearly three-quarters of all deaths caused by terrorism were in just five countries: Afghanistan, Iraq, Nigeria, Somalia and Syria.
Victims of terrorism continue to struggle to have their voices heard, have their needs supported and their rights upheld.

India has been blessed with quite a few rising talents in chess and the one currently making headlines globally is 18-year-old Rameshbabu Praggnanandhaa.
The Indian prodigy on 21st August stunned world number three Fabiano Caruana in the tiebreaks to reach the final of the ongoing FIDE World Cup in Baku, Azerbaijan, where he will meet world number one Magnus Carlsen.
Praggnanandhaa closed the semifinal with a 3.5-2.5 win, also officially sealing a place in the Candidates 2024 tournament, which will be held in Canada.
He is also the third youngest player after legendary Bobby Fischer and Carlsen to qualify for the Candidates tournament.

Praggnanandhaa also became the first Indian to reach the finals of the Chess World Cup in over two decades. Viswanathan Anand, one of the most popular names in the Indian chess community, won the first two World Cups back in 2000 and 2002.

The Border Roads Organisation (BRO) has embarked on a groundbreaking project to construct the ‘Likaru-Mig La-Fukche’ road in Ladakh.
Goal: To establish the world’s highest motorable road, spanning an altitude of approximately 19,400 feet, surpassing the previous record held by Umling La Pass.
The 64-km-long road will provide connectivity to the military’s farthest outposts in the sensitive sector Fukche.
Reportedly, an all-woman unit of the BRO began the construction of the Likaru-Mig La Fukche road.

The Border Roads Organisation (BRO) is a statutory body under the ownership of the Ministry of Defence, Government of India.
BRO develops and maintains road networks in India’s border areas and friendly neighbouring countries.
This includes infrastructure operations in 19 states and three union territories (including Andaman and Nicobar Islands) and neighbouring countries such as Afghanistan, Bhutan, Myanmar, Tajikistan and Sri Lanka.

Indian Navy’s fifth Kalvari class submarine, INS Vagir has completed its longest deployment ever by covering a remarkable distance of nearly 7,000 km to reach Australia.
This deployment, which begins in June 2023, is a significant achievement for the Indian Navy. Since deployment, INS Vagir has been operational without interruption, except for one port call in Sri Lanka.
INS Vagir will participate in various exercises with Royal Australian Navy (RAN) units on the West Coast of Australia.

Chief Minister M.K. Stalin through video conferencing laid the foundation stone for a new desalination plant to come up at Perur on East Coast Road near here at a cost of ₹4,276.44 crore with a capacity to treat 400 million litres of seawater per day.
Once set up, the plant will be the biggest of its kind in Southeast Asia, according to an official release.

The project, to be executed by the Chennai Metropolitan Water Supply and Sewerage Board (CMWSSB) with funding support from the Japan International Cooperation Agency (JICA), will be completed by December 2026.
The plant will cater to 22.67 lakh people in areas falling under the Tambaram Corporation, Greater Chennai Corporation and 20 village panchayats near the city.

Tamil Nadu Capital: Chennai
Tamil Nadu Governor: RN Ravi

Canara Bank launched the UPI Interoperable Digital Rupee mobile application as a part of the Reserve Bank of India’s Central Bank Digital Currency (CBDC) pilot project.

It is the first bank in both the public and commercial sectors to offer this feature via its CBDC mobile app called the Canara Digital Rupee app, according to a company.
The Canara Digital Rupee app is part of the Reserve Bank of India’s Central Bank Digital Currency (CBDC) pilot project.
The CBDC is a digital version of the Indian rupee that is issued by the RBI.
Canara Bank is an Indian public sector bank based in Bangalore. Established in 1906 at Mangalore by Ammembal Subba Rao Pai, the bank was nationalized in 1969.
Outside India, the bank has offices in London, Dubai and New York.
Canara Bank HQ: Bengaluru

In Manipur, the 32nd Manipur Language Day was observed on 20th August 2023 by different organisations marking the inclusion of the Manipur language in the Eighth Schedule of the Constitution of India on 20th August 1992.

The Union Minister of State for External Affairs and Education Dr. Rajkumar Ranjan conveyed wishes to the people of Manipur and saluted those persons who had taken responsibility and worked hard to include the Manipuri Language in the Eighth Schedule of the Constitution of India.

IndusInd Bank launched a first-of-its-kind multi-branded credit card – ‘IndusInd Bank Avios Visa Infinite Credit Card’ for all customers, in partnership with British Airways Executive Club and Qatar Airways Privilege Club.
This credit card aims to offer best-in-class rewards and benefits to customers, across travel, wellness and lifestyle experiences, the lender said.

IndusInd Bank Limited is an Indian financial services headquartered in Mumbai.
IndusInd Bank was inaugurated in April 1994 by then Union Finance Minister Manmohan Singh.
IndusInd Bank MD: Sumant Kathpalia

Union Minister Dr Jitendra Singh launched a new ‘Lotus flower variety named ‘Namoh 108’ developed by CSIR-NBRI in Lucknow.
This lotus has an extraordinary 108 petals and holds religious and symbolic significance.
The unveiling of ‘NAMOH 108’ is seen as a special gift to commemorate Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s dedicated ten years in office.
The Lotus Mission was also launched on the occasion and this project, like other priority schemes, aims to achieve specific goals.
The unique ‘Namoh 108’ lotus variety blooms from March to December, rich in nutrients. In particular, its whole genome sequencing has been completed to better understand its characteristics.

The Indira Gandhi Memorial Tulip Garden in Srinagar has entered the World Book of Records (London) as Asia’s largest such park.
The garden is adorned with 1.5 million tulip bulbs from an ensemble of 68 distinct varieties, Union Minister Hardeep Singh Puri wrote on X, formerly Twitter.
A lakh visitors have visited the picturesque garden, the Union Minister said.
The tulip garden is located between the Dal Lake and the Zabarwan hills in Srinagar and is spread over 30 hectares.
Besides a scenic display of tulips, the garden, formerly known as Siraj Bagh, has other spring flowers such as hyacinths, daffodils, muscari and cyclamens.

Maui is the second largest Hawaiian island, located in the US.
In the recent natural disaster in the US, numerous wildfires are sweeping across Hawaii, notably Maui Island, resulting in 55 deaths, significant displacement, and destruction of structures and businesses.
The fires, ongoing for over 48 hours, are still not fully contained, with Lahaina, a coastal town on Maui, reported to have been extensively destroyed.

The Himachal Pradesh government on 18th August 2023 declared the whole state a ‘natural calamity affected area’ after incessant rains caused large-scale damage.
In an official notification, the state government said, the decision was taken as Himachal Pradesh witnessed unprecedented loss of human lives and huge destruction, damage and loss to public and private property during the ongoing monsoon season.

Chief Minister Sukhvinder Singh Sukhkhu emphasized that the state government is actively engaged in relief, rescue, and rehabilitation efforts, providing all possible assistance to the affected individuals.

Himachal Pradesh Capital: Shimla
Himachal Pradesh Governor: Shiv Pratap Shukla

Southern California was cleaning up after record rainfall triggered landslides and flooding, shuttering schools, roads and businesses in an “unprecedented” tropical storm.
Up to 11 inches (28 centimetres) of rain were recorded in some areas as the tail end of what was once Hurricane Hilary belted through the region.
In Oak Glen, a small mountainside community between Los Angeles and Palm Springs, a large mudslide spread across the streets.