Current Affairs Quiz - February 2022

Notes:
According to figures released by the US Census Bureau, India-US bilateral goods trade was worth USD 113.391 billion from January to December 2021.
This is the largest volume of goods trade in a calendar year in India-US economic history. India exported goods worth over USD 73 billion, and imported goods worth over USD 40 billion dollars. In 2020 trade fell to USD 78.2 billion due to pandemic, from the high of USD 92.1 billion in 2019.

Notes:
NASA has announced two new science missions namely Multi-slit Solar Explorer (MUSE) and HelioSwarm.
These two missions aim to study the sun’s corona and also measuring the magnetic field of the solar wind. NASA earlier announced the latest observations done by the Parker Solar probe on its way to the sun.

Notes:
A team of Indian Scientists has recently identified the next-generation probiotic bacterium Lactobacillus Plantarum JBC5.
The bacterium promoted healthy aging on a model organism called Caenorhabditis Elegans. The team from Institute of Advanced Study in Science and Technology (IASST), Guwahati, has also developed a yogurt using this probiotic bacterium.

Notes:
The President of India Ram Nath Kovind inaugurated the annual ‘Udyanotsav’ of Rashtrapati Bhavan, New Delhi. Every year, the event is held during February-March.
The Mughal Gardens will remain open for the general public from February 12, 2022 to March 16, 2022. The main attraction of this year’s event will be 11 varieties of Tulips which are set to bloom in phases during February.

Notes:
India is placed third in the globe on the US Green Building Council’s (USGBC) 2021 global list for sustainable spaces.
It is a ranking of the top 10 nations and areas outside of the United States for Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED) in 2021. India has 1,649 LEED certified buildings with a total area of 46.2 million gross square metres, with a 10% rise in LEED certified space since 2020.

Notes:
State Bank of India’s Strategic Training Unit has entered into a partnership with NSE Academy to promote financial literacy as a necessary life skill.
Five inaugural Massive Online Open Courses (MOOCs) of SBI have been on the NSE Knowledge Hub platform. The e-courses enable learners to gather knowledge on various aspects of banking and financial services.

Notes:
The number of killings as a part of ‘Witch Hunting’ is the second-highest in Odisha, after Jharkhand, according to the National Crime Records Bureau (NCRB).
The Odisha State Commission for Women (SCW) has recently sought stringent provisions in the Odisha Prevention of Witch Hunting Act 2013. It also demanded that branding of victims be treated as heinous crime and punishable in the State.

Notes:
International Day of Women and Girls in Science is observed every year on 11 February. The United Nations calls for women’s full and equal access to and participation in science.
The day also celebrates those that are leading action and innovation around the world. As per UN Women, only 33 per cent of researchers are women, and they are awarded less research funding than men, and are less likely to be promoted.

Notes:
Atal Innovation Mission (AIM), NITI Aayog in collaboration with UNDP, India launched the Community Innovator Fellowship (CIF).
It was launched on the occasion of the “International Day of Women & Girls in Science”. It is a one-year-long fellowship program, developed as a pre-incubation model to guide innovators set up their social enterprise focusing on SDG based solutions.

Notes:
After Kerala and Tamil Nadu, Karnataka High Court has struck down the state’s ban on online gambling, declaring it to be ultra vires under the Constitution.
The Court struck down key amendments to the Karnataka Police Act, 1963, which were brought in last year to ban all forms of gambling in the state. The Court said that the state may bring in legislation to regulate betting and gambling, in accordance with the provisions of the Constitution.