Current Affairs Quiz - April, 2023

Notes:
First Peoples of Australia are people who lived in the Australia’s continental mainland and surrounding islands for tens of thousands of years before the arrival of first Europeans in the early 17th century.
A referendum will be issued this year by the Australian government to alter the Constitution to recognise the First Peoples of Australia by establishing an Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Voice. It will decide whether these people should be formally consulted in the law making process.

Notes:
Saudi Arabia agrees to join Shanghai Cooperation Organisation (SCO) as a dialogue partner. Saudi Arabia builds a long-term partnership with China despite U.S. security concerns.
The country has approved a memorandum on granting the kingdom the status of a dialogue partner in the Shanghai Cooperation Organization (SCO).

Notes:
The International Monetary Fund’s Extended Fund Facility is intended for countries experiencing serious medium-term BoP issues due to structural weakness that require time to address. It was recently approved for Ukraine to meet the urgent funding requirements amid the war with Russia.

Notes:
Salar de Atacama is Chile’s largest salt flat. Much of the country’s lithium deposits are found in this region.
Chile is planning to collaborate with India to tap into the lithium value chain. The copper-producing nation- Chile, holds the world’s largest known lithium reserves.

Notes:
‘Chondrostereum purpureum’ is a plant fungus that causes silver leaf disease in plants. A plant mycologist from India has become the first person in the world to contract a plant fungal disease.
It attacks most species of the rose family Rosaceae, particularly the genus Prunus. Among the millions of fungi present, only a few hundreds of fungi infect humans and animals.

Notes:
Minister of Culture, Tourism and Development of North Eastern Region G. Kishan Reddy hosted the first India-Central Asia Culture Ministers’ Meeting virtually.
The Culture Ministers of Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan, Turkmenistan and Uzbekistan participated in the meeting. The India-Central Asia Summit hosted by Prime Minister Narendra Modi in 2022.

Notes:
Australia, with gender pay gap of 13.3% as of 2023, has launched a new law that mandates firms with over 100 employees to reveal their gender pay gaps by early 2024.
This is expected to make businesses more accountable and improve working conditions of women in the country.

Notes:
In a first, two Japanese firms recently unveiled their respective laser systems which will be used to shoot down incoming unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs) or drones.
Mitsubishi Heavy Industries’ 10-kilowatt laser system is an anti-drone weapon. It is capable of neutralising drones at a distance of 1.2 km within 2 to 3 seconds.

Notes:
Basohli Painting is a world famous painting from Kathua district in Jammu and Kashmir. It recently received GI tag.
The Geographical Indications (GI) is a form of intellectual property right that identifies goods originating from a specific geographical location and having distinct nature, quality and characteristics linked to that location.

Notes:
Aroma Mission, which was started off in Jammu and Kashmir, aims to promote the cultivation of aromatic crops for the manufacture of essential oils, which are in high demand in the aroma industry.
Himachal Pradesh Government is set to collaborate with the Central Government on this initiative to replicate its success seen in the Jammu and Kashmir.