Current Affairs Quiz - February, 2023

Notes:
A report titled ‘Fossil Fuel Prices and Inflation in India’ was released recently by Cambridge Econometrics. According to this report, fossil fuel-related items like transport and household energy contributed to 20 percent of India’s annual rate of inflation between April and May 2022.
Between January 2021 and August 2022, prices of fuel and power surged nearly 5 times faster than the overall consumer price in India. This has increased household expenses on fuel and electricity.

Notes:
One of the most elongated asteroids, designated 2011 AG5, passed safely past the Earth at around 1.8 million kilometers.
It is an elongated asteroid with the similar dimensions of the Empire State Building was discovered for the first time in 2011. It is measured to be 1,600 feet long and around 500 feet wide.

Notes:
India-Uzbekistan biennial military training Exercise DUSTLIK 2023 will be conducted in Pithoragarh, Uttarakhand.
The Indian contingent will be represented by the 14th Battalion of the Garhwal Rifles, part of Western Command in this bilateral exercise. This joint exercise is aimed at enhancing military capability to undertake multi-domain operations in a Sub Conventional scenario under United Nations Mandate.

Notes:
The Supreme Court has rejected the government’s submission of a list of experts in a sealed cover for a panel to examine the country’s investor protection regime.
The court will select the committee’s members on its own, said a bench headed by Chief Justice DY Chandrachud. The apex court is hearing public interest litigation (PIL) on the Hindenburg Research report into the Adani Group and the impact it has had on investors. The top Court also rejected the government’s proposal of sealed cover suggestions.

Notes:
The 49th meeting of the GST Council was held recently, under the chairship of the Union Finance Minister.
It was decided to clear all pending dues of pertaining to GST compensation to states. The finance minister also spoke about the GoM report on online gaming and said that the report has been submitted. The chair of the GoM is Meghalaya Chief Minister Conrad Sangma.

Notes:
Researchers have discovered the fifth layer of the Earth by measuring seismic waves generated by earthquakes.
They revealed the presence of a solid “metallic ball” at the centre of the inner core, referred to as the ‘innermost inner core’. This is expected to reveal new insights into the deepest parts of the planet’s inner core.

Notes:
Agasthiyamalai Elephant Reserve is the fifth elephant reserve in Tamil Nadu. It is situated close to the Kalakad Mundanthurai Tiger Reserve (KMTR).
The Tamil Nadu government has recently issued an order to establish a biodiversity museum and a conservation center with eco-park in the Agasthiyamalai Elephant Reserve. It will be funded by the Tamil Nadu Pollution Control Board.

Notes:
Horaglanis populi is a newly discovered species of aquifer-dwelling catfish. It was found in the lateritic aquifer systems in Kerala.
The state currently has 4 endemic species of Horaglanis genus. The new species has 4 pairs of well-developed barbels and a blood-red body. Its length is less than 3.2 cm. It is blind and does not have pigments. It is highly vulnerable to extinction due to its small ranges.

Notes:
The Regional Comprehensive Economic Partnership (RCEP) is a free trade agreement between 15 countries in the Asia-Pacific region.
The Philippines Senate recently ratified the country’s entry into the RCEP. The RCEP, which was signed in 2020, represents the largest trade bloc in history. RCEP aims to increase economic integration and reduce trade barriers among its member nations.

Notes:
Mad cow disease, also known as bovine spongiform encephalopathy (BSE), is a fatal and progressive disease affecting the central nervous system of adult cattle.
Brazil, one of the world’s largest beef exporters, has temporarily suspended its beef exports to China after a confirmed case of mad cow disease.