This is the current affairs of 19 & 20 July 2023. Here are 10 questions and answers of daily current affairs for better preparation of competitive exams for government jobs.
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1. In Manipur, torn apart by violence, a mob strips two women, triggers nationwide outrage
– For the past two and a half months, the state of Manipur has been engulfed in ethnic violence.
– More than five hundred people have lost their lives in the clashes.
– The clothes of Manipuri women are being forcibly stripped off.
– The mob abducted two women from police custody.
– The incident was captured on video and is now going viral.
– In the video, hundreds of men from the Kuki community are seen parading two women naked in a field.
– They are subjecting them to inhumane acts.
Why is the central and state government just spectating?
– The incident took place on May 4, 2023, and an FIR was lodged on May 18, accusing “unidentified armed miscreants” of abduction, gang rape, and murder. However, no arrests have been made so far.
About the incident
– According to the newspapers Indian Express and The Hindu, the two affected women, aged 20 and 40, are from the Kuki-Zomi dominant hilly district of Kangpokpi.
– In the video, a crowd of men is seen parading them naked on the streets and towards the fields.
– Some people can be seen dragging the women towards the fields and subjecting them to forceful harassment.
– The complaint also alleges that the younger woman was “gang-raped brutally” in broad daylight.
– In their complaint, the three victimized women said that an armed group of around 800-1,000 people, carrying modern weapons like AK Rifles, SLRs, and Insas, attacked their village.
– The police had rescued them and were taking them to the police station.
– However, the mob stopped them nearly two kilometers away from the police station.
– The father of one of the victims died on the spot.
– “The women were forcibly stripped and paraded naked in front of the crowd,”
– Subsequently, another woman was raped in front of others.
– She also alleged that during her attempt to help, her brother was murdered.
– Later, all three women managed to escape to the nearby hilly district of Tengnoupal and are currently in relief camps.
Supreme Court takes cognizance, demands action from the government
– The case of the video showing indecent acts with women has reached the Supreme Court. The Supreme Court is genuinely concerned about the video showing two women being paraded naked in Manipur. Chief Justice of India, Devai Chandrachud, has asked the government to take action.
Why violence in Manipur?
– In fact, clashes between two groups – Meitei and Kuki – have been going on in Manipur since May 3, in which about 150 people have been killed.
– The Meitei community has been demanding Scheduled Tribe (ST) status for a long time.
– The High Court had ruled in favor of it. After this, violence erupted in Manipur.
Article 355 of the Constitution applied in Manipur
– This law gives the central government the right to take all necessary steps to protect the state against internal disturbance and external aggression.
– Article 355 has been applied in Manipur, which means the government has accepted that the state government is unable to handle the law and order situation.
– The law and order of the state come under the control of the central government.
Manipur
– Chief Minister: N. Biren Singh
– Governor: Anusuiya Uikey
– Capital: Imphal
– Neighboring states: Nagaland, Assam, and Mizoram
– Bordering country: Myanmar
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2. In which country did Tata Sons announce setting up of Europe’s largest ‘Battery Cell Gigafactory’?
a. Germany
b. United Kingdom (UK)
c. Netherlands
d. France
Answer: b. United Kingdom (UK)
Annually 40 gigawatts of cell production in the UK
– Chairman of Tata Sons, N. Chandrasekaran, announced on July 19, 2023, that the United Kingdom (UK) will have Europe’s largest battery cell manufacturing factory.
– The factory will produce 40 gigawatts of cells per year.
– An investment of £4 billion (42.412 thousand crore rupees) will be made for the establishment of this gigafactory.
– N. Chandrasekaran said that this will create thousands of skilled jobs in Britain and contribute to the growth of our economy in future clean industries.
– The production of battery cells at this factory is expected to begin in 2026.
– These batteries will be used in electric cars.
– The customers for Tata Sons’ factory will be JLR (Jaguar Land Rover) and Tata Motors.
What is a gigafactory?
– A gigafactory refers to a very large-scale facility for battery manufacturing processes that can produce gigawatt-scale energy-worthy batteries.
– It can also be described as a large plant that produces a large number of batteries for electric vehicles.
– The term was first mentioned for a short time in 2013 by Elon Musk, the CEO of Tesla and SpaceX. He used it for the battery factory being prepared for the production of Tesla’s cars.
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3. 26 Opposition parties have named the political alliance?
a. UPA
b. INDIA
c. PDA
d. BHARAT
Answer: b. INDIA
– In the 2024 Lok Sabha elections, 26 opposition parties have come together to defeat the BJP.
– The alliance of opposition parties has been named INDIA, which stands for ‘Indian National Developmental Inclusive Alliance.’
– Congress President Mallikarjun Kharge made this announcement during a press conference of the opposition parties.
– The second meeting of this alliance took place in Bangalore on July 17 and 18, 2023.
– Kharge stated that a committee of 11 members and an office will be set up for coordination, and the announcement for the same will be made in the upcoming meeting in Mumbai.
– Kharge said that though there are political differences among them, they have come together to save the country as the BJP has destroyed all democratic agencies like ED, CBI, etc.
– The first meeting of INDIA was held in Patna.
Parties in INDIA:
– Congress, Janata Dal (United), RJD, Samajwadi Party, AAP, JMM, Shiv Sena (UBT), NCP, DMK, PDP, MDMK, Trinamool Congress, CPI (M), CPI, and others are part of the alliance.
Parties in NDA:
– On the other hand, the ruling party BJP also held a meeting of the National Democratic Alliance (NDA) at the center.
– BJP President JP Nadda claimed that 38 parties participated in the NDA meeting on Monday.
– In the NDA meeting, it was unanimously decided that the alliance will contest the 2024 Lok Sabha elections under the leadership of Prime Minister Narendra Modi.
– Amit Shah is the Chairperson of NDA.
INDIA vs NDA:
– The atmosphere is gearing up for the INDIA vs NDA battle in the upcoming Lok Sabha elections of 2024.
– However, there are some parties that are not part of any alliance yet.
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4. When is world chess day celebrated?
a. July 19th
b. July 20th
c. July 18th
d. July 21st
Answer: b. July 20th
– On July 20th, 1924, the International Chess Federation (FIDE) was founded in Paris.
– Since then, July 20th is celebrated as International Chess Day.
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5. Which country has topped the list of world’s most powerful passports as per Henley & Partners Index (July 2023)?
a. Japan
b. Singapore
c. Germany
d. Finland
Answer: b. Singapore
– Singapore’s passport has become the world’s most powerful passport.
– Citizens of this country can travel to 192 countries without a visa.
– According to the Henley Passport Index, their passport ranks 103 out of 192 countries.
Top 5 Rankings:
1. Singapore (Visa-free travel to 192 countries)
2. Germany, Italy, Spain (Visa-free travel to 190 countries)
3. Austria, Finland, France, Japan, Luxembourg, South Korea, Sweden (Visa-free travel to 189 countries)
4. Denmark, Ireland, Netherlands, United Kingdom (Visa-free travel to 188 countries)
5. Belgium, Czech Republic, Malta, New Zealand, Norway, Portugal, Switzerland (Visa-free travel to 187 countries)
Countries with the weakest passports:
103. Afghanistan (Visa-free travel to 27 countries)
102. Iraq (Visa-free travel to 29 countries)
101. Syria (Visa-free travel to 30 countries)
100. Pakistan (Visa-free travel to 33 countries)
99. Somalia, Yemen (Visa-free travel to 35 countries)
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6. According to the Henley Passport Index (July 2023), what is the rank of India in the list of world’s most powerful passports?
a. 80
b. 81
c. 82
d. 83
Answer: a. 80
– In the Henley Passport Index (July 2023) list, India ranks 80th.
– Indian citizens can travel visa-free to 57 countries.
– This means that Indian citizens can visit these countries only with their passports, and they won’t require visas.
– In the previous report (January 2023), India’s ranking was 85. Last year (July 2022), India was ranked 87th.
– In the Henley and Partners Passport Index, there are 103 countries ranked.
– In the ranking, India, Togo, and Senegal share the 80th position.
Rankings of neighboring countries:
Country, Rank, Number of countries with visa-free entry:
China: 63: 80
Bangladesh: 96: 40
Sri Lanka: 95: 41
Nepal: 98: 38
Pakistan: 100: 33
Henley Passport Index:
– It is published by London-based global citizenship and residence advisory firm, Henley & Partners.
– International Air Transport Association’s data is used to compile the index.
– The report assesses how many countries can be visited visa-free using a country’s passport.
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7. In which city the 12th meeting of the Mekong-Ganga Cooperation (MGC) was held in July 2023, which was attended by S Jaishankar?
a. Delhi
b. Dhaka
c. Bangkok
d. Kathmandu
Answer: c. Bangkok (Thailand)
– During the meeting, discussions were held on issues related to food, health, and energy security.
– During this time, the decision to establish the Mekong-Ganga Cooperation Business Council was made.
Mekong-Ganga Cooperation (MGC)
– Mekong-Ganga Cooperation (MGC) is an initiative involving six countries: India, Cambodia, Laos, Myanmar, Thailand, and Vietnam.
– It includes five ASEAN countries and India.
– This initiative was established in the year 2000 for cooperation in tourism, culture, education, as well as transport and communication.
– It is named after the Ganga and Mekong rivers, which are both significant rivers in their respective civilizations.
– Its objective is to foster closer relations among the six member countries that share the Ganga and Mekong river basins.
– The areas of cooperation are culture, education, tourism, and transport.
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8. In which city the BIMSTEC Foreign Ministers’ meeting was held in July 2023, in which S Jaishankar participated?
a. Delhi
b. Dhaka
c. Bangkok
d. Kathmandu
Answer: c. Bangkok (Thailand)
– This meeting took place on 17th and 18th July 2023.
– During this meeting, discussions were held on areas of coordination challenges, including health and energy security.
About BIMSTEC:
– Full Name: The Bay of Bengal Initiative for Multi-Sectoral Technical and Economic Cooperation
– Seven member countries: Bangladesh, Bhutan, India, Myanmar, Nepal, Sri Lanka, and Thailand.
– BIMSTEC includes countries from the Bay of Bengal region. Approximately 22% of the world’s population resides in the seven countries surrounding the Bay of Bengal.
– Its objective is to work as an organization between South and Southeast Asian countries.
– The formation of this organization took place in 1997 as BIST-EC (Bangladesh, India, Sri Lanka, and Thailand Economic Cooperation). Later, Myanmar, Nepal, and Bhutan also joined, and it was renamed BIMSTEC.
– BIMSTEC’s headquarters is in Dhaka, Bangladesh.
– Objectives: Technical and economic cooperation among countries of South and Southeast Asia, along the coast of the Bay of Bengal.
– BIMSTEC’s 14 priority areas include trade and investment, transport and communication, energy, tourism, technology, fisheries, agriculture, public health, poverty alleviation, counter-terrorism and transnational crime, environment and disaster management, people-to-people contact, cultural cooperation, and climate change.
Focus on China:
– The Bay of Bengal region is significant for China as it strives to establish its reach to the Indian Ocean.
– Since China has initiated the Belt and Road Initiative, focusing on financial and construction infrastructure in almost all BIMSTEC countries except Bhutan and India, the BIMSTEC region has become a new battleground for India-China dominance.
About Thailand:
– Capital: Bangkok
– Official Language: Thai
– Monarch: King Vajiralongkorn (Rama X)
– Prime Minister: Prayut Chan-o-cha
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9. When is International Moon Day celebrated?
a. July 19
b. July 20
c. July 21
d. July 22
Answer: b. July 20
Theme of 2023:
– Commencement of a new lunar mission for humanity.
– It’s the anniversary of the day when space travelers Neil Armstrong and Buzz Aldrin stepped foot on the moon in 1969.
– They descended to the moon from NASA’s Apollo 11 spacecraft.
– Armstrong and Aldrin spent more than 21 hours on the lunar surface.
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10. Revenge of the Crimea sea bridge attack, which port of Ukraine was destroyed by Russia with an airstrike, raising concerns over the food supply in the world?
a. Kherson Port
b. Yalta Port
c. Murmansk Port
d. Odessa Port
Answer: d. Odessa Port
– On July 17, 2023, Ukraine launched a missile attack on the Crimean Bridge, causing damage.
– The bridge, which is 19 kilometers long over the Black Sea, connects Russia to Crimea.
– In response, Russia carried out its largest airstrike on Ukraine’s Odessa Port.
– Images show heavy black smoke and flames rising from the port.
– This port is crucial for Ukraine as it facilitates the transportation of goods, including food supplies, to countries worldwide through maritime routes.
– However, after the Russian attack, all facilities at Odessa Port have been destroyed, and the port has been closed immediately.
– Earlier, after repairing the Crimean Bridge and opening one lane for traffic, Putin had vowed to take revenge in Yalta.
Why the world is concerned about the attack on Odessa Port:
– Ukraine and Russia are the largest suppliers of grain worldwide.
– The port supplies grain to many places, including Africa and Europe.
– Now, the supply has been disrupted due to the attack.
Ukraine:
President – Volodymyr Zelenskyy
Capital – Kyiv
Currency – Hryvnia
