This is the current affairs of 23 February 2024. Here are questions and answers of daily current affairs for better preparation of competitive exams for government jobs.
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1. What is the Raisina Dialogue, the ninth edition of which was inaugurated by Prime Minister Narendra Modi in February 2024?
a. Russia-India Summit
b. Conference of Presidents of the World
c. Annual Conference on Geopolitics and Geoeconomics
d. India ASEAN Summit
Answer: c. Annual Conference on Geopolitics and Geoeconomics
– There is an annual conference on geo-politics and geo-economics.
– Its objective is to address the most challenging issues facing the world.
– This conference is held in New Delhi.
– It includes participants from around the world, including political, business, media, and civil society backgrounds.
– The Delhi-based think tank Observer Research Foundation hosts the conference in partnership with the Ministry of External Affairs.
Raisina Dialogue 2024:
– The first edition was inaugurated in the year 2016.
– Edition for 2024: Ninth
– Inauguration: February 21, 2024
– By: Prime Minister Narendra Modi
– Event Dates: February 21st to 23rd (Three days)
– Chief Guest: Prime Minister of Greece, Kyriakos Mitsotakis
– Theme for the year 2024: “Quad: Struggle, Competition, Cooperation, Construction”
In 2024, there are six “thematic pillars”:
(i) Tech Frontiers: Regulations & Realities
(ii) Peace with the Planet: Invest & Innovate
(iii) War & Peace: Armouries & Asymmetries
(iv) Decolonising Multilateralism: Institutions & Inclusion
(v) The Post 2030 Agenda: People & Progress
(vi) Defending Democracy: Society & Sovereignty
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2. Who participated as the chief guest of Raisina Dialogue Conference 2024?
a. Vladimir Putin (President of Russia)
b. Rishi Sunak (PM of UK)
c. Emmanuel Macron (PM of France)
d. Kyriakos Mitsotakis (PM of Greece)
Answer: d. Kyriakos Mitsotakis (PM of Greece)
Greece:
– Greece is a country located in the continent of Europe.
– Capital: Athens
– Currency: Euro (€)
– President: Katerina Sakellaropoulou
– Prime Minister: Kyriakos Mitsotakis
– Neighboring countries: Albania, North Macedonia, Bulgaria, Turkey
– Sea: Mediterranean Sea
Note: The Parliament of Greece approved the bill on February 15, 2024, granting permission for same-sex marriage and granting equal parental rights to same-sex couples.
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3. When is International Mother Language Day celebrated?
a. 20 February
b. 21 February
c. 22 February
d. 23 February
Answer: b. 21 February
– The idea of celebrating International Mother Language Day was Bangladesh’s initiative and it was approved at the 1999 UNESCO General Conference.
Many languages are disappearing from the world.
– The website ‘DownToEarth’ writes that according to the non-profit organization Ethnologue, out of the 7,139 languages spoken worldwide, 42 percent (3,018) are endangered. This means these languages are in various stages of extinction.
– Half of the world’s population speaks only 24 languages. Mainly included are Mandarin Chinese, Spanish, English, Hindi, Portuguese, Bengali, Russian, Japanese, Javanese, and German.
– The number of speakers of these languages is in the billions, while on the other hand, half of the world’s population speaks 7,000 languages.
– Ethnologue has found in its analysis that less than 10,000 people speak half of the world’s languages.
– Only one percent of the world’s population speaks about 5,000 languages. What is surprising is that 0.1 percent, that is, because of 8 million people, 3,500 languages are alive.
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4. The 37th summit of the African Union was held in February 2024 in the capital of which country, where it is also headquartered?
a. Bamako the capital of Mali
b. Cape Town, the capital of South Africa
c. Addis Ababa the capital of Ethiopia
d. Khartoum, capital of Sudan
Answer: c. Addis Ababa the capital of Ethiopia
– The 37th Summit Conference of the African Union was held on February 17 and 18, 2024.
– This summit took place at the African Union Headquarters in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia.
– The theme of the summit was “Educated and Skilled Africa for the 21st Century.”
The African Union:
– Headquarters: Addis Ababa, Ethiopia
– Establishment: 2002
– Member countries: 55 (The union consists of countries from the African continent.)
– Prior to 2002, it operated as the Organization of African Unity (OAU), established by independent states of Africa in 1963.
– The organization adopted the Lagos Plan of Action in 1980, suggesting that Africa should reduce its dependence on the West by promoting intra-African trade.
– In 2002, the African Union replaced the Organization of African Unity with the goal of accelerating economic integration on the continent.
– The Chairman of the African Union is Mohamed Ould Ghazouani.
– In 2023, the African Union became the 21st member of the G20.
Ethiopia:
– Capital: Addis Ababa
– Neighboring countries: Sudan, South Sudan, Kenya, Somalia, Djibouti, Eritrea
– President: Sahle-Work Zewde
– Prime Minister: Abiy Ahmed
– Currency: Birr
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5. Under whose chairmanship was the G-20 ministerial-level meeting held in February 2024?
a. USA
b. Brazil
c. India
d. South Africa
Answer: b. Brazil
– Currently, Brazil holds the chairmanship of the G20. Prior to that, India held the chairmanship.
– The G20 Foreign Ministers’ Meeting was held on February 21 and 22, 2024, in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil.
– Foreign Ministers of the G20 have been meeting as a group since 2012.
– This meeting marks the 10th gathering of the G20 Foreign Ministers.
– During this meeting, Brazil’s Foreign Minister (Mauro Vieira) called for reforms in the United Nations and other multilateral institutions on February 21, 2024.
G20 Summit by Year:
– 2024: Brazil (Rio de Janeiro)
– 2025: South Africa
– 2026: USA
About G20:
– The formation of the G20, or Group of Twenty, was initiated in 1999 in response to the financial crisis.
– This financial crisis had affected East Asia and Southeast Asia.
– The objective of the G20 is to ensure global financial stability by including middle-income countries.
– It currently has 21 members, and the 2024 summit will be known as the G21 summit.
– It comprises 19 countries and two organizations (Argentina, Australia, Brazil, Canada, China, France, Germany, India, Indonesia, Italy, Japan, South Korea, Mexico, Russia, Saudi Arabia, South Africa, Turkey, United Kingdom, United States, European Union, and African Union).
Brazil:
– Capital: Brasília
– President: Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva
– Currency: Brazilian Real
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6. Who represented India in the G-20 ministerial meeting (February 2024)?
a. Hardeep Singh Puri
b. V. Muraleedharan
c. Anurag Thakur
d. Kiren Rijiju
Answer: b. V. Muraleedharan (Minister of State for External Affairs)
– During Brazil’s chairmanship, the G20 ministerial meeting took place in February 2024.
– On February 22, 2024, India also participated in the Foreign Ministers’ meeting held in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil.
– Indian Foreign Minister S. Jaishankar was engaged elsewhere during this time, so Minister of State for External Affairs V. Muraleedharan participated instead.
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7. Fali S Nariman passed away on 21 February 2024. Who among the following was he?
a. Politician
b. Economist
c. Meteorologist
d. Jurist
Answer: d. Jurist
– He was born on January 10, 1929.
– He passed away on February 21, 2024.
– He was 95 years old.
– As a lawyer, his career spanned over 75 years.
– He spent the previous half-century as a senior advocate in the Supreme Court.
– During this time, he made his mark on law and the legal profession in many landmark cases.
– He was a supporter of secular India, free speech, and an independent judiciary.
Achievements of Fali S. Nariman:
– He was appointed as the Additional Solicitor General (ASG) of India in 1972.
– Honored with the Padma Bhushan in 1991.
– Conferred with the Padma Vibhushan in 2007.
– He also served as the President of the Bar Association of India from 1991 to 2010.
– He was a former nominated member of the Rajya Sabha.
In his autobiography ‘Before Memory Fades’, he wrote:
– “It has been a great thought and feeling for me that with the minority and majority communities, I am an integral part of India. I live in secular India and flourish. If God wishes, when the time comes, I too would like to die in a secular India.”
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8. Ameen Sayani, famous for his brilliant voice, died on 20 February 2024, why was he famous?
a. Radio program Binaka Geetmala
b. Krishi Darshan program on radio
c. Program Chitrahaar on Doordarshan
d. None of these
Answer: a. Radio program Binaka Geetmala
– Ameen Sayani passed away on February 20, 2024, due to a heart attack at a hospital in Mumbai.
– He was 91 years old.
– “Namaste sisters and brothers, I am your friend Ameen Sayani speaking,” this voice was broadcasted every Wednesday on Radio Ceylon from 1952 to 1988.
– After 1988, Binaca Geetmala moved to All India Radio’s Vividh Bharati, where he hosted it until 1994.
– Ameen Sayani was born on December 21, 1932, in a multilingual family in Mumbai.
– He hosted and presented over 50,000 shows in his 42-year career.
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9. Which country became the 119th member of the International Solar Alliance (ISA)?
a. Sicily
b. Malta
c. Tunisia
d. Libya
Answer: b. Malta
– Malta has become the 119th member of the International Solar Alliance (ISA).
– Christopher Cutajar, the Permanent Secretary of Malta’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs, signed the ISA Framework Agreement on February 20, 2024.
– Malta is a developed island nation located in the European continent. Its capital is Valletta.
About ISA:
– The International Solar Alliance is an intergovernmental organization comprising countries located between the Tropic of Cancer and the Tropic of Capricorn.
– It was established on November 30, 2015, with its headquarters in Gurugram, Haryana, India.
– The primary objective of its formation is to make clean energy accessible and affordable.
– It also aims to ensure energy security and promote clean energy deployment among its member countries.
Malta:
– Capital: Valletta
– Currency: Euro (€)
– Languages: Maltese and English
– Prime Minister: Robert Abela
– President of Malta: George William Vella
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10. When is World Scout Day celebrated?
a. 22 February
b. 23 February
c. 24 February
d. 25 February
Answer: a. 22 February
– The Scout Movement was founded by Lord Robert Baden-Powell.
– World Scout Day is celebrated on February 22, his birthday.
– The Scouting movement began in the United Kingdom in the year 1907.
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