Current Affairs Quiz - April, 2023

Notes:
Ukraine Security Assistance Initiative was launched by the US to increase Ukraine’s capacity to defend itself from Russia’s aggression.
Under this initiative, USD 2.6 billion military aid package was announced by the US.  USAI is an authority under which the United States procures capabilities from industry.

Notes:
After raising repo rate in six consecutive policies, the Reserve Bank of India (RBI), decided to pause its rate hike cycle amid rising concerns over global financial stability.
The Monetary Policy Committee decided to keep the policy repo rate unchanged at 6.5 per cent in this meeting.

Notes:
The UN Statistical Commission is the highest decision-making body for international statistical activities.  Shigeru Kawasaki of Japan is the current chair of the Commission.
India has recently been elected to this body for a 4-year term starting from January 1, 2024.

Notes:
Ministry of Electronics and IT has notified amendments to the Information Technology (Intermediary Guidelines and Digital Media Ethics Code) Rules, 2021.
These rules seek to create an open, safe, trusted and accountable internet. It seeks to enforce greater due diligence by online gaming and social media intermediaries.

Notes:
Siren sphagnicola is a newly discovered species of Siren. Sirens are elongated eel-like aquatic salamanders.
The species was found in the seepage areas in the eastern Gulf Coastal Plain of the US. One of these species, Siren reticulata, was recently described.

Notes:
Indian government approved a project to build an advanced gravitational-wave detector in Maharashtra at an estimated cost of Rs 2,600 crore.
In the US, there are already two such LIGO observatories. The third such cutting-edge gravitational-wave observatory will be LIGO-India. The facility is expected to be completed by 2030.

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:
A fourth joint meeting between the delegates of the UAE and Qatar was held in Abu Dhabi to follow up on the implementation of the AlUla Declaration.
The AlUla Declaration, which was signed in 2021, resolved the dispute with Qatar and called for unity and the strengthening of relations among GCC countries.

Notes:
The Ministry of Corporate Affairs had appointed 10-Member Committee on Digital Competition Law, consisting of lawyers representing the Big Tech.
It is set to meet shortly to discuss provisions of the draft Digital Competition Law. The committee is responsible for examining the need for an ex-ante regulatory mechanism for digital markets via a separate legislation.

Notes:
State-owned non-banking finance firm REC recently raised USD 750 million through issuance of green bonds
The net proceeds from the issue of the bonds will be applied to finance, in whole or in part, the eligible green projects in accordance with the approvals granted by the Reserve Bank of India from time to time and in accordance with the ECB guidelines.