Current Affairs: February 2023 | Current Affairs & General Knowledge - CLAT PDF Download

India ranked 42 in 55 countries om the International IP Index

• India has ranked 42nd among 55 leading global economies on the International IP Index released by the U.S. Chambers of Commerce. The United States ranks first in the 2023 index, followed by the UK and France According to the report, India’s size and economic influence is growing on the world stage. India is poised to become a leader for emerging markets seeking to transform their economies through IP-driven innovation.

World Bank announces $2.5 billion in additional Ukraine aid on war anniversary 

• The World Bank announced $2.5 billion in additional grant financing from the U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID ) to support Ukraine’s budget and maintain essential services. 
• The latest financing under the World Bank’s Public Expenditures for Administrative Capacity Endurance in Ukraine(PEACE) project lifts the total to $20.6 billion and will support salaries in core government functions and sectors such as healthcare and education while allowing Kyiv to pay pensions and support internally displaced people.

Earthquake Of 5.5 Magnitude Hits Central Turkiye, 37th Tremor In 66 Hours 

• This is the 37th felt earthquake in Central Turkey in the last 66 hours, European - Mediterranean Seismological Centre said. According to news agency Reuters, the quake occurred at a depth of 10km. Saturday’s quake comes just weeks after the border areas of the country were devastated by by a larger earthquake that killed more than 50,000 people and destroyed thousands of homes.

Cyclone Gabrielle hits New Zealand, Declares State Of Emergency As Massive Storm Causes Floods, Landslides 

• New Zealand declared a national state of emergency on Tuesday. The decision comes after cyclone Gabrielle caused widespread flooding, landslides, and huge ocean swells, as reported by the news agency Reuters. This has happened only for the third time in its history. The cyclone has forced people to evacuate and some people are left stranded on rooftops.

Rishi Sunak Promises To Do 'Whatever It Takes' To Defend UK From 'Spy' Balloons

• According to the BBC, Prime Minister of the UK, Rishi Sunak said that his government will do "whatever it takes" to keep the country safe from spy balloons. He added that a "quick reaction alert force" of RAF T yphoon jets was on stand-by 24/7 to "police our airspace" The issue of the ‘spy’ balloon seems to have become a matter of international concern with now the United Kingdom putting the military on alert to review the security after the US shot down a series of flying objects recently.

Operation Dost, - India’s massive humanitarian aid for Turkey-Syria earthquake 

• The Turkey-Syria earthquake led to the collapse of over 11,000 buildings and structures across both countries, while the rescue operations to help those who are stuck in the rubble are difficult due to the onslaught of the biting cold and sub-zero temperatures in several areas.
• In an effort to help those hit by the earthquake, the Indian government is extending a hand of friendship to both countries in the form of massive humanitarian aid, with multiple jets flying off to the countries carrying relief material.  

India, France, UAE Establish Trilateral Cooperation Initiative 

• The foreign ministers of the three nations have formally announced a trilateral initiative which will focus on solar and nuclear energy, as well as the fight against climate change and the protection of biodiversity, particularly in the Indian Ocean region.
• Ricky Kej Wins Third Grammy, Music composer Ricky Kej, based out of Bengaluru, has won his third Grammy Award for the album 'Divine Tides'. Music composer Ricky Kej, based out of Bengaluru, has won his third Grammy Award for the album 'Divine Tides'.

Youth 20 India Summit Hosted by Maharaja Sayajirao University, Gujarat 

• The Youth 20 India Summit will be held at the Maharaja Sayajirao University Vadodara in Gujarat which was attended by more than 600 delegates from 62 countries. The international conference of The Youth 20 India Summit was inaugurated by Bhupendra Patel, Chief Minister of Gujarat. The Youth 20 India organized by the Ministry of Youth Affairs and Sports, Government of India to mark the celebration of India’s G20 Presidency, the focus would be on ‘Climate Change and Disaster Risk Reduction: Making sustainability a Way of Life’.  

PM Narendra Modi Inaugurated Barisu Kannada Dim Dimava Festival 

• Prime Minister Narendra Modi inaugurated the ‘Barisu Kannada Dim Dimava cultural festival at Talkatora Stadium in Delhi on 25th February 2023. Prime Minister Modi addressed the gathering on the occasion. ‘Barisu Kannada Dim Dimava’ cultural festival is being organized to celebrate Karnataka’s culture, traditions, and history.

World's First Om-Shaped Lord Shiva Temple Expected To Be Ready By 2024 In Rajasthan  

• The Om-shaped Lord Shiva temple is soon going to be ready in the Jadan Village of Rajasthan's Pali, after nearly three decades since the laying of the found ation stone. This would be the first such temple in the world. The Om-shaped or the 'Om Aakar' temple is being constructed across a sprawling 250 acres of land in Jadan. Over 400 people worked on the construction of the temple.

RBI’s financial literacy week starts form 13 to 17 February, 2023 

• RBI’s ‘Financial Literacy Week’ started on 13th and will last till February 17, 2023. The Reserve Bank of India (RBI) has been conducting this every year since 2016 to propagate financial education messages on a particular theme among members of public across the country. Last year, RBI observed ‘financial literacy week’ from February 14 to February 18, 2022. The central bank held an event to propagate financial education messages on the theme of “Go Digital Go Secure”.
• The theme selected for 2023 year’S FLW is “Good Financial Behaviour - Your Saviour” which will be observed between February 13 and 17, 2023.  

Green hydrogen hubs to be established in Kochi

• The Budget presented by Finance Minister K.N. Balagopal on Friday announced a road map for setting up green hydrogen hubs in Kochi and Thiruvananthapuram in the next two years. A scheme of ₹200 crore has been announced for viability gap funding/grant/equity support to set up the green hydrogen hubs. 

First G20 Sustainable Financial Working Group meeting to begin in guwahati 

• Union Minister for Ports, Shipping, Waterways and AYUSH, Sarbananda Sonowal will inaugurate the 1st Sustainable Financial Working Group (SFWG) meeting under India’s G20 Presidency on Thursday in Guwahati with the theme ‘One Earth. One Family. One Future’ and with the motto “Vasudhaiva Kutumbakam”.  

The BEST FIFA Football Awards 2022 Winners: Lionel Messi Adjudged Best Men's Player, Alexia Putellas Bags Best Women's Player Prize 

• Paris Saint-Germain forward and Argentina captain Lionel Messi was adjudged the Best Men's Player at The Best FIFA Awards announced in Paris on Sunday night. Messi beat other finalists Karim Benzema and Kylian Mbappe to get the coveted prize.
• The 35-year-old seven-time Ballon d'Or Winner produced several memorable performances during Argentina's FIFA World Cup-winning campaign in Qatar last year. The other big individual award was the BEST FIFA Women's Player recognition which went to Alexia Putellas, the Spainish forward. She beat England's Beth Mead and United States' Alex Morgan to get the honour. Putellas had also bagged the prize last year

Aiden Markram named as new Sunrisers Hyderabad captain

• Sunrisers Hyderabad have decided to go with South African batter Aiden Markram as their new captain for the upcoming IPL 2023 season. Markram has attained tremendous success with the SRH's sister franchise, Sunrisers Eastern Cape, and led them to the inaugural SA 20 title recently. The 29 -year-old will now take over from Kane Williamson, who was let-go by the franchise and went on to join defending champions Gujarat Titans during the IPL 2023 auction. 

Virat Kohli Breaks Sachin Tendulkar's All-Time Record, Becomes Quickest To Score 25,000 Runs In International Cricket 

•  India batter Virat Kohli scaled another historic milestone in his career, becoming the fastest batter to score 25,000 runs in international cricket. He did so on Day 3 of the second Test against Australia in New Delhi. In the process, Kohli surpassed his idol and the Master Blaster, Sachin Tendulkar, who had reached the landmark in 577 matches. Virat, on the other hand, did so in 549 matches. Following Virat and Sachin are the likes of Ricky Ponting (588), Jacques Kallis (594), Kumar Sangakkara (608) and Mahela Jayawardene (701). 

BCCI Chief Selector Chetan Sharma Resigns After Viral Sting Operation 

• The BCCI chief selector Chetan Sharma resigned after a sting operation went viral, as per ANI. Sharma was in Kolkata for the Ranji Trophy final and sent his resignation on Friday morning and it has been accepted immediately by the BCCI.
• According to the sting operation, he alleged that former India captain Vir at Kohli attempted to defame the then-president of BCCI, Sourav Ganguly, as he believed Ganguly was to blame for his removal as captain of the One Day International (ODI) team."No player or selector will be comfortable on sharing a cordial relationship even with well-meaning journalists after this sting as the trust factor has been compromised," a senior BCCI source told PTI on conditions of anonymity.

3rd edition of Khelo India National Winter Games begins at Gulmarg 

• Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Saturday stated that Khelo India National Winter Games in Gulmarg will bolster the sporting culture in Jammu and Kashmir, and congratulated the athletes participating in the event

UAE Set To Host Asia Cup, Venue To Be Finalised In March 

• The Asian Cricket Council will decide on an alternate venue for the Asia Cup ODI tournament in March after BCCI secretary Jay Shah and PCB chairman Najam Sethi had their first formal meeting in Bahrain on Saturday. 
• The Asia Cup was initially allotted to Pakistan and was scheduled in September this year but Shah, who is also the ACC chairman, had announced last October that India will not travel to Pakistan.

Australian PM To Attend IND vs AUS 4th Test In Ahmedabad

• Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Australian PM Anthony Albanese will attend the fourth and final Test of Border-Gavaskar Trophy 2023. As per reported by the Times of India, the leaders of both the nations will witness India vs Australia 4th Test at Ahmedabad's picturesque Narendra Modi Stadium - largest cricket stadium of the world.  

Jupiter and Venus are destined to come together in a rare conjunction 

• Days after the Moon joined the party with Venus and Jupiter, dazzling stargazers across the world, the two planets are set to come closest to each other. The biggest planet in the solar system, Jupiter, and Earth’s myst erious twin are set to form a rare conjunction in the skies across the world on March 1.

Artifact, the AI-powered news app from Instagram’s co-founders

• Instagram’s co-founders are throwing open the doors to their new personalized news app, Artifact. Kevin Systrom and Mike Krieger’s new app launched last month with a waitlist, but now anyone on iOS or Android can download Artifact to try it for themselves.  

ISRO launches SSLV-D2 rocket with 3 satellites lifts off from Sriharikota 

• ISRO launches Small Satellite Launch Vehicle-SSLV-D2- from Satish Dhawan Space Centre at Sriharikota to put three satellites EOS-07, Janus-1 & AzaadiSAT-2 satellites into a 450 km circular orbit. 

Microsoft Launches ChatGPT-Powered Bing Search, Edge Browser

• Microsoft on Tuesday launched a new version of its Bing search engine and Edge browser. The new AI-powered Bing search engine and Edge browser aim to deliver better search, more complete answers, a new chat experience, and the ability to generate content, the company said in its blog. “Today, we’re launching Bing and Edge powered by AI copilot and chat, to help people get more from search and the web,” said Microsoft CEO Satya Nadella. 

IISc launches new research programme  

• The Indian Institute of Science (IISc) in collaboration with Brunel University London has launched a £100,000 (₹1,00,00,000) programme for joint research projects in areas of combustion, manufacturing, design and energy. 
• The Brunel–IISc International Collaboration Programme was announced on 1 February during a visit by Brunel’s Vice-Chancellor and President Professor Andrew Jones to IISc’s campus in Bengaluru. The programme is being rolled out in support of the universities’ aim to build long-term research and educational collaboration.

Lt Gen MV Suchindra Kumar to be new Vice Chief of Army Staff

• Lt Gen MV Suchindra Kumar has been appointed as the new Vice Chief of Army Staff, while incumbent Lt Gen B S Raju will take charge as South Western Army Commander, Lt General MV Suchindra Kumar has also served important staff appointments, including Additional Director General Milita ry Intelligence and Director General Military Intelligence at Integrated Headquarters of Ministry of Defence (Army) 

World NGO Day

• World NGO Day is observed every year on February 27. N.G.O. is an acronym for non-governmental organization. World NGO Day is a day set aside to recognize, celebrate and honor the fundamental contributions and profound impact that these independent organizations have had on the world. N.G.O.s are nonprofit organizations and although they’re a modern phenomenon, their history spans back hundreds of years. Their influence continues to grow and make positive changes where needed in today’s world. 

Taj Mahotsav or Taj Festival  

• Taj Mahotsav Agra, one of the most eagerly awaited festivals, is celebrated from 18th to 27th February every year at Shilpgram near the Eastern gate of “Taj Mahal”.This 10 days long carnival is actually a vibrant platform that gives you information of India where you can find India's rich arts, crafts, cuisine, dance and music. Taj Mahal is the most beautiful historical place of India which tells about incredible India. Taj Mahotsav is organized by UP Tourism and it is a source to increase Indian Tourism. 

MoU signed bertween CSC Academy and NIELIT

• CSC Academy, a subsidiary of Common Service Centre e-Governance Services India Limited, and NIELIT (National Institute of Electronics and Information Technology) have signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) to enhance digital literacy and skill development in India. The MoU aims to establish a long - term partnership between the two organizations to jointly develop and implement initiatives that promote digital literacy and create employment opportunities for the youth of India.

At UAE’s defence expo, an Abu Dhabi defence firm signs an MOU with India’s HAL  

• At the International Defence Expo and Conference on Wednesday, Hindustan Aeronautics (HAL), an aerospace company in India, and EDGE, the top defence company in the UAE, inked a Memorandum of Understanding, The agreemen t is inked to investigate potential areas of collaboration, such as the collaborative development of missile systems and unmanned aerial vehicles (drones)