Current Affairs Quiz - February, 2023

Notes:
North India’s first nuclear power plant is coming up in Gorakhpur, Haryana, about 150 km north of the national capital.
Department of Atomic Energy has been given permission to set up joint ventures with PSUs for resources to open atomic energy plants.

Notes:
The Mukaab is a new development project that has been announced by Saudi Arabia’s Crown Prince and Prime Minister Mohammed bin Salman.
The ambitious plan aims to build the largest inner-city building in the world named ‘The Mukaab’ in Riyadh, the country’s capital. It aims to develop the world’s largest modern downtown in Riyadh in line with Saudi Vision 2030.

Notes:
ULTRASAT, Israel’s first telescope mission, is set to be launched into a geostationary orbit in early 2026 through a partnership between NASA and the Israel Space Agency.
The ultra-violet observatory will focus on observing short-duration space events such as supernovae and the merging of neutron stars, utilizing its wide field of view to quickly capture ultraviolet light from such sources.

Notes:
Delhi Government’s Feed Back Unit (FBU) was instituted in 2015. It is responsible for gathering ‘relevant information and actionable feedback’ related to the functioning of the government bodies and autonomous institutes in the Delhi government’s jurisdiction.
The FBU is also responsible for conducting sting operations or trap cases. Its personnel are known as intelligence assets and it directly answers to the Chief Minister’s Office. It is being criticized for being extra-judicial body that answers to only one individual.

Notes:
The US administration has unveiled a new Commercial Arms Transfer (CAT) policy that places greater emphasis on human rights in its arms export policy,
This is in contrast to the Trump-era policy that gave more importance to commercial considerations. The new policy covers the review of government-to-government weapons transfers, security assistance, and licensed commercial sales of US-origin military equipment overseen by various government departments.

Notes:
Phosphor-gypsum, a by-product of fertilizer production, is composed of gypsum but is weakly radio-active due to naturally occurring uranium and thorium.
It is not commonly used in construction due to concerns about its radioactivity, resulting in indefinite storage. The NHAI is exploring the possibility of using phosphor-gypsum waste material in the construction of national highway and achieve circular economy. An Indian fertilizer company recently constructed a road using the neutralised phosphor-gypsum waste material.

Notes:
Anopheles stephensi is a mosquito species that can transmit both Plasmodium falciparum and P. vivax malaria parasites.
Recently, Kenya recorded this species, making it the sixth and the latest country in Africa to report the invasion of this vector. The species is well adapted to urban areas and has been spreading to new regions, including parts of East Africa.

Notes:
Tourette Syndrome is a neurological disorder that causes involuntary tics in individuals. These tics are sudden movements, sounds, or twitches that are repeated uncontrollably.
A famous Scottish singer Lewis Capaldi recently went public about being diagnosed with Tourette syndrome. The University of Nottingham has developed the Neupulse device, aimed at reducing tics.

Notes:
The United States and South Korea recently conducted a simulated table-top exercise called DSC TTX.
It is aimed at determining actions to be taken in the event of a possible nuclear attack by North Korea. The exercise was the eighth edition of the US and South Korean deterrence strategy committee table-top exercise.

Notes:
Nepal is planning to develop the Phukot Karnali Hydropower Project, a semi-reservoir hydropower project with a capacity of 480 MW.
It is to be built through collaboration between India’s National Hydroelectric Power Corporation (NHPC) and Nepal’s Vidyut Utpadan Company Ltd (VUCL). The surplus electricity from this hydroelectric project will be exported to India and Nepal will get 21.9% free energy monthly from the project.