Current Affairs Quiz - February 2022

Notes:
Kiribati or the Republic of Kiribati, is an independent island nation located in the central Pacific Ocean.
The country had closed the borders for two years and managed to keep Covid away. Recently, as it reopened and the first flight landed, it is facing a challenge with the outbreak of the virus. India has sent a consignment of medical supplies among other Covid 19 supplies.

Notes:
The Northern Mariana Islands, a United States territory, is located only 2500km southeast of Japan.
Japan has planned to dump more than 1 million tonnes of treated water from the damaged Fukushima nuclear power station into the Pacific Ocean. The Northern Mariana Islands has proposed another viable solution to the plan to be considered.

Notes:
‘Carnival of Hope’ is a famous annual celebration held in the city of Venice. It is also known as “City of Bridges” and “The Floating City”. This year’s edition is expected to attract thousands of people.
The 2020 Venice Carnival, which usually draws tourists from around the world, was curtailed when the pandemic broke out in Italy.  The festival got cancelled the following year to contain infections.

Notes:
Ministry of New & Renewable Energy is conducting a three-day program “New Frontiers” on Renewable Energy.
This has been conducted as a part of Azadi ka Amrit Mahotsav celebrations. A brainstorming meeting on “Roadmap to achieve net-zero carbon emissions by 2070” will also be conducted

Notes:
Vedanta and Hon Hai Technology Group (also known as Foxconn) have formed a joint venture (JV) to manufacture semiconductors in India.
This is the first joint venture in the electronics manufacturing space after the Production Linked Incentive Scheme (PLI). In December 2021, the Centre cleared a PLI scheme for semiconductor and display board production targeting an investment of Rs 76,000 crore over the next five to six years.

Notes:
The Lassa fever-causing virus is found in West Africa and was first discovered in 1969 in Lassa, Nigeria. The fever is spread by rats.
It is primarily found in countries in West Africa including Sierra Leone, Liberia, Guinea, and Nigeria where it is endemic. Recently, three persons were diagnosed with Lassa fever in the UK and died. The cases have been linked to travel to West African countries.

Notes:
INSACOG is India’s SARS-CoV-2 Genomics Consortium. It is a network of laboratories for genomic sequencing and surveillance.
Recently, India announced that is ready to extend its SARS-CoV-2 Genomics Consortium (INSACOG) in the neighbourhood as part of the fight against COVID-19. This was announced by Foreign Secretary Harsh Vardhan Shringla at the COVID-19 Global Action Meeting convened by the US.

Notes:
Indian private sector bank, Yes Bank has launched an annual start-up enabler program, YES BANK Agri Infinity.
It aims to co-develop digital financial solutions for ‘Food and agriculture ecosystem’ by mentoring entrepreneurs in the field.

Notes:
Veteran Bengal Singer Sandhya Mukherjee passed away at the age of 90. The singer’s last rites were conducted with full state honours.
She has sung several popular songs and won many awards including Banga Bibhushan. In January 2022, she had refused to accept the Padma Shri award saying it did not befit her stature.

Notes:
Nepal will be the very first nation outside India to adopt India’s UPI (Unified Payment Interface) system.
NPCI International Payments Ltd (NIPL) which is an international arm of NPCI along with Gateway Payments Service (GPS) and Manam Infotech has implemented this service in Nepal. This move is expected to play a major role in boosting the digital economy of Nepal.