Current Affairs Quiz - February, 2023

Notes:
The Reserve bank of India (RBI) has recently announced regulatory measures on climate risks and sustainable finance.
The new guidelines focused on creating a broad framework for promoting the acceptance of green deposits, a disclosure framework on financial risks associated with the climate crisis and guidelines for climate scenario analysis and stress testing.

Notes:
The Indian Armed Forces are looking to procure 18 armed Predator MQ 9A drones from the United States.
Of these 18 drones, six will be provided for each of the three armed forces. These unmanned aerial vehicles are capable of flying up to 50,000 feet for a maximum duration of 24 hours. It is capable of carrying air-to-ground missiles to target high-value ground targets or air-to-air missiles.

Notes:
Experts at the 5th International Marine Protected Areas Congress in Canada have recommended the setting up of Marine Protected Areas.
Marine protected areas are regions in the ocean where human activities are regulated by the government. These protected areas are set up to address issues such as pollution, litter, overfishing, and climate change.

Notes:
The ‘zero-draft’ of the pandemic treaty was launched recently by the World Health Organization’s Intergovernmental Negotiating Body (INB).
The international treaty is expected to be presented at the World Health Assembly in 2024. The aim of the pandemic treaty is to strengthen national and international-level preparedness against future pandemics.

Notes:
North Korea stole more cryptocurrency assets in 2022 than in any other year, as per a recent report by United Nations.
As per the report, most of the money stolen was used to support its ballistic missile and weapons of mass destruction programmes. North Korea-linked hackers stole virtual assets worth USD 630 million while its cyber currency heist stood at USD 1 billion.

Notes:
The Yuva Sangam is an initiative which was launched to build close ties between the youth of the North East Region and rest of India under the spirit of Ek Bharat Shreshtha Bharat.
The Yuva Sangam registration portal was launched in New Delhi recently. Under the initiative over 20 thousand youth will travel across the country and gain opportunity of cross-cultural learning.

Notes:
India signed a MoU with Indonesia-Malaysia-Thailand Growth Triangle Joint Business Council (IMT-GT JBC), to promote adoption of energy efficiency.
The MoU was signed during the Working group meeting of G20 on energy transition at Bengaluru. The MoU aims to further promote the adoption of energy efficiency and sustainable practices. Energy Efficiency Services Limited (EESL) signed MoU with IMT-GT JBC coinciding with the India Energy Week celebrations.

Notes:
PhonePe recently became the first Indian fintech company to enable payments abroad. It allows international transactions through Unified Payments Interface (UPI).
With this, Indian travellers can make UPI transactions to foreign merchants using PhonePe platform. Cross-border transaction facility by PhonePe will support all international outlets in UAE, Singapore, Nepal, Bhutan and Mauritius having local QR Code.

Notes:
Quasicrystal is a substance that has atoms orderly arranged like a crystal but its atomic structure is more complex and does not repeat periodically in all directions. This unique complex pattern makes it different from a normal crystal.
Recently, a new type of quasicrystal was discovered in the north central Nebraska’s Sand Hills in the USA.  It had 12-fold symmetry. It may have been created during an accidental electrical discharge because of a downed power line or a lightning strike.

Notes:
India has planned to launch a global initiative called the Millet International Initiative for Research and Awareness (MIIRA) to promote the consumption and production of millets.
MIIRA will coordinate international millet research programs and support research on millet crops. This global initiative will also raise awareness and promote millet consumption. India will provide the initial funding, while other G20 countries will contribute to the budget.