Current Affairs Quiz - April, 2023

Notes:
The United Arab Emirates (UAE) has confirmed financial support of USD 1 billion to Pakistan. This was announced by the Finance Minister of Pakistan.
Pakistan is tackling a major economic crisis as it awaits USD 1.1 billion tranche of funding from the Washington-based International Monetary Fund, part of a USD 6.5 billion bailout package the IMF approved in 2019.

Notes:
The Epstein–Barr virus is one of the nine known human herpesvirus types in the herpes family. A new study has found that this virus, which primarily spreads via saliva, can evolve into cancer.
Researchers at the University of California San Diego have discovered how the Epstein-Barr virus (EBV) can exploit genomic weaknesses to trigger cancer, while also decreasing the body’s ability to suppress it.

Notes:
The Agriculture Production Department of Jammu and Kashmir will launch the Kisan Sampark Abhiyan programme, which seeks to ensure the overall welfare of farmers across the Union Territory. The scheme will cover 3565 panchayats in J&K.
To ensure that the programme is successful, nearly 2400 resource persons have been identified and trained for all districts.

Notes:
The Capital markets regulator SEBI has come out with a dispute resolution mechanism for Limited Purpose Clearing Corporation (LPCC), in order to settle disputes and claims arising out of transactions cleared by it. The framework is implemented with immediate effect.
The Limited Purpose Clearing Corporation is an entity that is set up for clearing and settling repo transactions.

Notes:
The Government of India has recently notified the Animal Birth Control Rules, 2023 under Prevention of Cruelty to Animal Act, 1960. This notification is released by superseding the Animal Birth Control (Dog) Rules, 2001.
The new rules require the respective local authorities, municipalities, municipal corporations and Panchayats to carry out sterilization and immunization of stray dogs by addressing to the issues regarding to prevention of cruelty to animals.

Notes:
Rongali Festival is a 4-day festival which showcases ethnical diversity, creativity and entrepreneurship is held in Guwahati, Assam. This year marks the 7^th edition of the festival and is held from April 20 to 23.
The festival aims to promote the unique culture of Assam through a series of events and activities.

Notes:
‘Magnaporthe oryzae’ is a fungus that causes ‘wheat blast’. It is currently destroying wheat crops in South America, threatening its food security in a major scale.
Scientists have warned that the fungus Magnaporthe oryzae could spread worldwide. Cases of infection have earlier been reported in Asia in 2016 and Africa in 2018.

Notes:
Union Science and Technology Minister Dr. Jitendra Singh launches ‘YUVA PORTAL’ to identify potential young Start-Ups.
Dr. Jitendra Singh launched the One Week -One Lab programme. It will offer the opportunity to the CSIR labs to showcase the work being done by them so that others can avail of it.

Notes:
The Hakki Pikki is a tribe predominantly living in Karnataka. According to Census 2011, there are 11,892 Hakki Pikki tribal people in the state.
The Hakki Pikkis are an endogamous community and speak a language called Vaagri Booli. Hakki Pikkis were originally a nomadic tribe who hunted birds and they are named such as the Kannada word for bird is “Hakki”. Recently, as many as 108 Hakki-Pikki community people are said to be stuck in Sudan.

Notes:
‘Civil Services Day’ is observed on April 21 every year. It highlights the achievements and contributions of civil servants in India.
National Civil Services Day was first celebrated on April 21, 2006. April 21 was chosen because it is on this day that the first Home Minister of Independent India, Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel, 1947 addressed the probationers of Administrative Services Officers at Metcalf House in Delhi.