Current Affairs Quiz - February, 2023

Notes:
The US State Department gave the nod for the sale of M142 High Mobility Artillery Rocket System (HIMARS) launchers to Poland.
The HIMARS and the related equipment will be sold to Poland at a cost of around USD 10 billion. HIMARS (High Mobility Artillery Rocket System) is a type of artillery system that can fire long-range rockets with pinpoint accuracy. It has been used in the conflict between Ukraine and Russia.

Notes:
National Industrial Corridor Development and Implementation Trust (NICDIT) is an apex government body that comes under the aegis of the Department of Industrial Policy and Promotion (DIPP).
It is responsible for development of industrial corridors like Chennai-Bengaluru Industrial Corridor, Bengaluru – Mumbai Industrial Corridor and others. The Indian Government has sanctioned and approved 8 projects under NICDIT.

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 Everglades is a wetland ecosystem in the southern part of the US state of Florida. It spans across the southern half of a large drainage basin in the tropical region. This wetland ecosystem experiences fluctuating weather changes, habitat loss and environmental degradation.
A 35-year plan with an outlay of 10 billion USD is being implemented to restore this wetland. This is the world’s largest and most expensive ecological restoration project.

Notes:
The Tanimbar corella, which is also referred to as Goffin’s cockatoo, is a type of cockatoo that is found exclusively in the forests of Yamdena, Larat, and Selaru islands in the Tanimbar Islands archipelago in Indonesia.
It was later introduced to the Kai Islands, Singapore, and Puerto Rico. A new study found that Goffin’s cockatoos are capable of combining multiple tools to achieve a complex task that is only been recorded in humans and chimpanzees.

Notes:
NASA’s James Webb Space Telescope team has been selected to receive the ‘2023 John L. Jack Swigert, Jr.’ Award for Space Exploration.
It is a prestigious award from the Space Foundation. This annual award honors a space agency, company, or consortium of organizations in the realm of space exploration and discovery.

Notes:
Article 93 of the Indian Constitution mandates the election of the Deputy Speaker of Lok Sabha.
The Deputy Speaker of Lok Sabha is the second-highest ranking legislative official in the House of the People. The Supreme Court recently issued notices to the Centre and five states namely Rajasthan, Uttarakhand, Madhya Pradesh, Uttar Pradesh, and Jharkhand over the failure to elect a Deputy Speaker.

Notes:
The Uttarakhand Competitive Examination (Measures for Control and Prevention of Unfair Means in Recruitment) Ordinance, 2023 was approved by the state government recently.
The objective of this ordinance is to prevent offences that adversely affect the process of competitive examinations. The anti-cheating law has provisions providing hefty fines of up to Rs.10 crores and life imprisonment for the guilty.

Notes:
The ‘Aadi Mahotsav’ is a national tribal festival organized by the Tribal Cooperative Marketing Development Federation (TRIFED).
This nationwide festival celebrates the Indian tribal community’s traditional art, culture, crafts, gastronomy, and trade. Special emphasis will be placed on exhibiting millets grown by tribal people.

Notes:
The International Engineering and Technology Fair 2023 was inaugurated recently by President of India Droupadi Murmu in New Delhi.
This is the 25th edition of the global fair. It covers 11 areas of emerging technologies and provides a global platform to bring together policymakers, technical experts, CEOs, sourcing personnel, diplomats, government and trade dignitaries.