Current Affairs Quiz - April, 2023

Notes:
Finland has become the 31st member of the NATO security alliance, doubling the length of member states’ borders with Russia.
Finland’s accession is seen as a setback for Russia’s Vladimir Putin. He had repeatedly complained of NATO’s expansion before his full-scale invasion of Ukraine.

Notes:
Italy has banned English and other foreign languages in official communication. Italians who use English and other foreign words in official communications could face fines of up to 100,000 Pounds or 108,705 Dollars.
While the legislation encompasses all foreign languages, it is particularly geared at Anglomania or use of English words.

Notes:
Czech player Petra Kvitova defeats Kazakhstan’s Elena Rybakina to win her first Miami Open crown. The 33-year-old Kvitova, had won Wimbledon in 2011 and 2014.
In the men’s game, Daniil Medvedev wins the Miami Open title and his 4th trophy of the season.

Notes:
Catanduanes Island is the 12th largest island in the Philippines. A shallow earthquake of 6.2 magnitude struck this island recently.
According to the Philippine Institute of Volcanology and Seismology (Phivolcs), tsunami waves will arrive and last for hours.

Notes:
The Stand up India Scheme was launched in 2016 to promote entrepreneurship focusing on economic empowerment and job creation. The scheme has been extended till 2025.
Over Rs 40,700 crore was sanctioned under the Stand Up India Scheme over the seven years of its implementation. Around 80 percent of the loans under this scheme were provided to women.

Notes:
Gaia Mission, the ESA’s project, seeks to understand the formation of the Milky Way and its present nature.
With this mission’s data, the space agency has discovered a new family of black holes. These two black holes are believed to be the closest to the Earth.

Notes:
In Japan, an estimated 1.5 million working-age people are living in isolation, a phenomenon known as hikikomori.
Due to the phenomenon, they avoid social contact, further raising worries about their mental health and social well-being. According to a survey, the COVID-19 pandemic has been linked to about one-fifth of the specific incidents, with the most common reason being “quitting jobs”.

Notes:
A High-Level Conference on Accelerating Rail Digital Transformation in Asia and Pacific Region was held recently in New Delhi.
It was jointly organized by the United Nations Economic and Social Commission for Asia and the Pacific (ESCAP) and the Union Ministry of Railways.

Notes:
The India-France Business Summit was organised to commemorate 25 years of India-France Friendship.
It will focus on themes like building a green future, emerging technologies, defence cooperation and cooperation in the Indo-Pacific regions. The Embassy of India, Paris, France, in association with India’s CII, France’s MEDEF and the Indo French Chamber of Commerce and Industry(IFCCI), organised the Summit and CEOs Roundtable.

Notes:
State Energy Efficiency Index 2021-22 was developed by the Bureau of Energy Efficiency in collaboration with the Alliance for an Energy-Efficient Economy.
In SEEI 2021-22, 5 states – Andhra Pradesh, Karnataka, Kerala, Rajasthan and Telangana – are in the Front Runner category (>60 points) while 4 states are in the Achiever category. Karnataka, Andhra Pradesh, Assam and Chandigarh are the top-performing states in their respective state groups. Telangana and Andhra Pradesh showed the most improvement since the last index.