Current Affairs Quiz - February, 2023

Notes:
The Digital Services Act was approved by the European Union in 2022 to update the bloc’s legal framework on illegal content, transparent advertising and disinformation on intermediaries and harmonize similar national laws in the EU.
Tech giants like Google, Twitter and Meta are facing stricter rules under the Digital Services Act. This Act categorizes those companies having more than 45 million users as very large online platforms. They are subject to obligations under the law like risk management and external and independent auditing.

Notes:
Ustad Bismillah Khan Yuva Puraskar 2019, 2020 and 2021 have been awarded by the Sangeet Natak Akademi to 102 artists.
Sangeet Natak Akademi, the national academy of Music, Dance and Drama, is the apex body of the performing arts in the country. The Ustad Bismillah Khan Yuva Puraskar is given to artists up to the age of 40 years, aims to encourage outstanding young talents in diverse fields of the performing arts.

Notes:
A bipartisan resolution was introduced in the US Senate to recognise Arunachal Pradesh as an integral part of India.
The resolution commends India for taking steps to defend itself against aggression and security threats from China.

Notes:
The Munich Security Conference is an annual conference that focuses on global security issues. It brings senior politicians and military leaders from across the world to Germany’s Munich.
In the 2023 conference, which was held recently, a major focus was given to the war in Ukraine. For the first time in many years, Russia did not send a delegation to this event.

Notes:
A new low-cost vertical farming structure has been developed by the ICAR-Indian Institute of Horticulture Research (IIHR) for growing crops such as cabbage and cauliflower, as well as flowers like lilium and gerbera.
The structures consist of vertically stacked layers, allowing for high planting density and utilization of the available unit area in the poly-house by up to 5-6 times.

Notes:
China has introduced a 30 days paid marriage leave plan is aimed at increasing the country’s declining birth rate.
This policy change aims to encourage young couples to get married and have children, and is seen as an effective way to increase the fertility rate. The extension of marriage leave is especially being implemented in areas with relatively slow economic development.

Notes:
First loss default guarantee (FLDG) arrangement allowed fin-tech companies to provide a guarantee to compensate for up to a certain percentage of default in a loan portfolio.
The RBI has banned the FLDG arrangement under its digital lending guidelines due to concerns regarding fin-techs taking on default risks without regulation. Fintech lenders are exploring alternative business models.

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:
The Indian Navy’s Information Fusion Centre for Indian Ocean Region (IFC-IOR) is located in Gurugram.
It is a regional maritime security centre that was launched in 2018. It aims to promote maritime security in the western Indian Ocean. It recently signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with the Regional Coordination Operations Centre (RCOC) of Seychelles.

Notes:
The I2U2 Group consists of four countries – India, Israel, the United Arab Emirates, and the United States.
Recently, the inaugural I2U2 Business Forum was organized in Abu Dhabi. This meeting discussed the possibility of building integrated agricultural facilities across India.