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:
Consumer price inflation in Pakistan jumped to a record 35.37% in March from a year earlier, the statistics bureau said.
At least 16 people were killed in stampedes for food aid. The inflation number was 31.5% in February. The food, beverage and transport prices surged up to 50% year-on-year.

Notes:
Lean diabetes is a medical condition that involves dual stress of intermittent starvation and overload of carbohydrate metabolism.
Cases of lean diabetes is seen spreading among tribals in Chhattisgarh. The rise of non-communicable diseases (NCD), including diabetes, has been recognised as a problem area in India.

Notes:
Four new species of jumping spiders were recently discovered from the Meghalaya. One among them is ‘Habrocestum togansangmai’.
It is named after Garo freedom fighter Togan Sangma.

Notes:
Andhra Pradesh is set to introduce a first-of-its-kind healthcare service for the rural population called ‘Family Doctor’ programme.
It seeks to provide a continual and comprehensive preventive healthcare service.

Notes:
The International Monetary Fund recently released a working paper titled ‘Stacking up the Benefits Lessons from India’s Digital Journey’.
It credits India’s building black approach and its focus on promoting innovation for the success of the country’s digital public infrastructure.

Notes:
B-52H strategic bomber is a long-range, supersonic, jet-powered strategic heavy bomber capable of carrying nuclear arsenals.
It was recently used during the bilateral air drills between South Korea and the United States.  In recent weeks, North Korea has tested an underwater nuclear-capable drone and an intercontinental ballistic missile.

Notes:
Jupiter Icy Moons Explorer (Juice) Mission is scheduled to be launched on April 13 this year. It will explore Jupiter and its satellites – Callisto, Ganymede and Europa.
The spacecraft will launch from Europe’s Spaceport in French Guiana to the biggest planet in the solar system. ‘Juice’ will monitor Jupiter’s complex magnetic, radiation, and plasma environment in depth and its interplay with the moons.

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:
National Panchayat Awards 2023 were conferred recently by Panchayati Raj Ministry to recognize best performing Panchayats in the areas that align with the 17 SHGs.
Telangana won 8 out of 27 various categories of the Deen Dayal Upadhyay Panchayat Satat Vikas Puraskar (DDUPSVP) for the years 2021 – 2022. It was followed by Kerala with 4, Jammu and Kashmir with 3, and Maharashtra with 3.