Current Affairs Quiz - February, 2023

Notes:
The APJ Abdul Kalam Satellite Launch Vehicle Mission-2023 was launched from Pattipolam village in Tamil Nadu by the Martin Foundation in association with Dr APJ Abdul Kalam International Foundation and Space Zone India.
More than 5,000 students from grades six to twelve across the country designed and developed 150 PICO satellites, which were launched.  The selected students were taught about satellite technology.

Notes:
Israeli Aerospace Industries (IAI) and India’s Bharat Electronics Limited (BEL), both owned by their respective Governments, entered into a Memorandum of Agreement (MoA) to form a joint venture firm for extending product support services for Indian Armed Forces.
MRSAM is an advanced air and missile defence system that provides protection against a variety of aerial platforms. The MRSAM is used by the Indian Air Force, Indian Army, Indian Navy and Israeli Defence Forces.

Notes:
World Pangolin Day is celebrated on the third Saturday in February, which aims to raise awareness about these unique mammals.
International non-profit organisation TRAFFIC has released a fact sheet on the eve of World Pangolin Day. It reported that 1,203 pangolins have been found in illegal wildlife trade in India from 2018 to 2022. The pangolin scales are used as an ingredient in traditional medicine in China and Southeast Asia.

Notes:
The New START Treaty is the last remaining nuclear arms control treaty between the US and Russia. Russian President Vladimir Putin recently announced Russia’s intention to suspend the participation in this treaty.
The treaty caps the number of strategic nuclear warheads that the two countries can deploy. It was signed in 2010 between former US President Barack Obama and Russian President Dmitry Medvedev.

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:
South Korea’s fertility rate is the lowest in the world. The average number of expected babies per South Korean women over her reproductive life declined from 0.81 in 2021 to 0.78 in 2022.
The country requires fertility rate of 2.1 to maintain a stable population. However, its number of deaths surpassed the births since 2020. The low fertility rate is causing major economic concerns in South Korea.

Notes:
Kaziranga National Park is a protected area located in the Indian state of Assam. It is home to a large population of one-horned rhinoceroses,
As of 2018 census, 2,613 rhinos are living in the park. The Central government has sought a factual report on the rhino population numbers in the National Park and Tiger Reserve based on the survey conducted in March 2022. Earlier, an activist found the possibility of number of rhinos being inflated.

Notes:
The Urban 20 (U20) Engagement Group held its inaugural event in Ahmedabad, attended by more than 70 delegates from 42 cities. This is the largest recorded attendance since the inception of U20.
The U20 meeting focused on the role of cities in economic prosperity and ecological harmony. The meeting aimed to equip city governments with on-ground solutions to close the gap between policy and practice.

Notes:
The Poverty Reduction and Growth Facility (PRGF) is a division of the International Monetary Fund (IMF) that provides financial assistance to the world’s most impoverished countries.
It was established in 1999, to replace the Enhanced Structural Adjustment Facility. The IMF recently sought urgent action from the international community to strengthen the global financial architecture, including global financial safety net and the debt resolution.