Current Affairs Quiz - September, 2023

Notes:
In a new study published in the journal Nature Scientific Reports, researchers have successfully extracted ancient DNA from a 2,900-year-old clay brick, uncovering a wealth of information about the plant life cultivated during that era.
The brick analyzed in this study was found in the palace of the Neo-Assyrian king Ashurnasirpal II, located in the ancient city of Kalhu, in modern day Iraq.

Notes:
Terry Gou, who founded Apple supplier Foxconn, has announced that he will run as an independent candidate in Taiwan’s presidential election.
The country’s Presidential elections are scheduled to take place in September this year. Foxconn, formally known as Hon Hai Precision Industry Co., is a major supplier to Apple and has many factories in China that manufacture iPhones.

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The 19th African Ministerial Conference on the Environment (AMCEN) was held in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia.
Environment ministers of the African continent have agreed to institute national and regional strategies to minimise environmental impacts in the extraction and processing of critical mineral resources.

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Australia is set to hold a landmark national referendum in October to recognize the country’s Indigenous people in its constitution.
More than 17 million registered voters across the country will vote on October 14, to decide whether to amend the Constitution, in order to establish a new advisory body for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people. The historic referendum called “Voice to Parliament”, if approved, would recognize Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people in the country’s constitution.

Notes:
President Droupadi Murmu released the commemorative coin on Late NT Rama Rao on his centenary year at Rashtrapati Bhavan Cultural Centre.
NT Rama Rao, who founded the Telegu Desam Party (TDP), also served as the chief minister of Andhra Pradesh for three terms. He initiated many public welfare programs.

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In a meeting chaired by Chief Minister Siddaramaiah, Karnataka Cabinet approved the formation of fact-checking units to tackle ‘fake news syndicates’.
The government would introduce legislation against the propagation of fake news and propose punishment for the spread of fake news.

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Union Minister of Civil Aviation Jyotiraditya M Scindia inaugurated Utkela Airport and a direct flight between Utkela and Bhubaneshwar.
Utkela airport is owned by the Government of Odisha. It has been developed as a regional airport under the UDAN scheme of the Ministry of Civil Aviation, Government of India at a cost of Rs. 31.07 Crores.

Notes:
NASA’s OSIRIS-REx spacecraft will come back through Earth’s atmosphere after a year-long journey to Bennu, a potentially hazardous asteroid with a 1 in 2700 chance of smashing cataclysmically into Earth.
The goal of the mission is to see whether life on Earth came from outer space. OSIRIS-REx is now returning from its mission with a 2-ounce sample of Bennu’s surface that could contain extraterrestrial precursors to life on our planet.

Notes:
Bhubaneswar and Guwahati will host India’s opening two home matches in the FIFA World Cup 2026 and AFC Asian Cup 2027 Preliminary Joint Qualification Round 2, the All India Football Federation announced.
India have been drawn in Group A of the Asian qualifiers, alongside Qatar, Kuwait, and the winners of the Preliminary Joint Qualification Round 1 fixture between Afghanistan and Mongolia.

Notes:
Vijayawada Railway Station achieved the prestigious ‘Green Railway Station’ certification, receiving the highest Platinum rating from the Indian Green Building Council (IGBC), a division of the Confederation of Indian Industry (CII) founded in 2001. IGBC serves as India’s foremost certification body, offering services such as green building rating programs, certification, and training. They host the annual Green Building Congress and actively participate in global discussions on environmental issues. The station’s rating considers six key environmental categories: sustainable facilities, health and sanitation, energy and water efficiency, smart and green initiatives, and innovation. IGBC’s headquarters are located in Hyderabad.