Current Affairs Quiz - April, 2023

Notes:
Rabbit Haemorrhagic Disease Virus is a contagious and deadly viral hepatitis that affects adult domesticated and wild rabbits.
The rabbits are threatening the bio-diversity and agriculture of the southern region of Central Otago. New Zealand is currently considering the use of the virus that causes this disease to cull the rabbits, which are turning into a plague.

Notes:
Scientists at the National Geophysical Research Institute (NGRI), a Council of Scientific and Industrial Research (CSIR) facility, reported the presence of rare-earth elements (REEs) in Anantapur district in Andhra Pradesh.
These elements are key components in many electronic devices and whose industrial applications span sectors like imaging, aerospace, and defence.

Notes:
USS Milius is a guided missile destroyer of the US Navy. Recently, it conducted an operation to assert navigational rights and freedoms in the South China Sea near the Spratly Islands.
The US Navy destroyer’s operation occurred while the Chinese military exhibited its power for the third consecutive day around Taiwan.

Notes:
Two new species of beetle were found in Sikkim and Arunachal Pradesh and they were named Melolontha lachugensis and Melolontha arunachalensis.
These two new beetle species have been discovered in India after 127 years in the genus Melolontha, bringing the total number of Indian species to 12.

Notes:
The Reserve Bank of India (RBI) regulates the Core Investment Companies. Core Investment Companies are specialized NBFCs that are involved in the business of acquisition of shares and securities.
The RBI has simplified the process of applying for registration of CICs, reducing the number of documents to be furnished from 52 to 18.

Notes:
Union External Affairs Minister Jaishankar launched ‘Tulsi Ghat Restoration Project’ of Varanasi during his visit to Uganda’s Kampala.
Uganda was endorsed to chair the Non-Aligned Movement on behalf of Africa for the period from 2022 to 2025.

Notes:
The Agartala-Akhaura New Rail Link Project is an under-construction rail link project that connects Agartala (Tripura) and Akhaura (Bangladesh). This strategically important project would be a game-changer and boost economic relationship between India and Bangladesh.
Under this project, there will be an integrated checkpoint next to the Nischintapur railway yard that will connect travellers to the Agartala-Akhaura Rail Link station.

Notes:
Nicobari hut, locally known as ‘chanvi-pati-nyi hupul’ is famed for its unique eco-friendly design and earth-quake resistant construction. It is set to receive geographical indication (GI) tag.
Earlier the GI tag for traditional ‘ hodi’, an outrigger canoe was given to the region. It has an inverted helmet-shaped hut with wood and palm fronds, which maintains a pleasant temperature despite the hot and humid tropical climate of the Andaman and Nicobar Islands. The huts are also earthquake resistant.

Notes:
The United has declared that the powerful synthetic opioid fentanyl combined with xylazine – an animal tranquilizer is an “emerging threat” facing the United States.
Xylazine is increasingly being used in illicit drugs and it is seen as a threat due to its role in the ongoing opioid crisis.

Notes:
Teja Singh Sutantar, a member of the fifth Lok Sabha, was a national revolutionary who fought for Indian independence from the British colonialism.
He also led the ‘PEPSU Muzara movement’ fighting for the liberation of Punjab peasantry from feudal lords. His statue was unveiled recently by Punjab Chief Minister Bhagwant Mann.