Current Affairs Quiz - February, 2023

Notes:
The Tourism Ministry will organise first Global Tourism Investors’ Summit from this year in New Delhi to showcase opportunities in the Tourism and hospitality sector.
The Summit will deliberate on potential opportunities for investment across tourism segments including hotels and restaurants, adventure and eco-tourism, cruise, and other related tourism sectors.

Notes:
World Economic Forum (WEF) recently released the ‘Global Security Outlook Report 2023’ in collaboration with Accenture.
It warned that the cyber-attacks are expected to cause an unprecedented threat in the coming 2 years. The report also predicts catastrophic cyber events mainly due to the present geopolitical instability.

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:
Whale stranding is a phenomenon that occurs when whales become stranded on land, and cannot return to the ocean.
Several factors have been proposed as reason for mass stranding, including the topography of the region, illness, human activities, and increasing noise pollution in the oceans. Certain regions such as Tasmania, New Zealand’s Golden Bay, and Massachusetts’s Cape Cod are known hotspots for whale stranding. Recently, 14 pilot whales got stranded on the shore of Sri Lanka’s Kalpitiya.

Notes:
The AMASR (Amendment) Bill is a proposed legislation that aims to make several changes to the Ancient Monuments and Archaeological Sites and Remains (AMASR) Act.
The Act regulates the preservation of historical monuments and archaeological sites. It seeks to redefine the current definition of a ‘monument’ which currently requires it to be at least 100 years old.

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 Working Mechanism for Consultation and Coordination on India-China Border Affairs (WMCC) was established as a result of a 2012 agreement between India and China
Its main purpose is to facilitate regular and institutional exchanges between the two neighbours. Recently, the top official in India’s External Affairs Ministry visited China to attend the 26th WMCC. It was held in Beijing.

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.

Notes:
Lake Garda, which is famed for its clear waters, is situated in northern Italy. The historically low waters of Lake Garda caused by a winter drought have led to an unusual phenomenon of a sand and stone causeway appearing to connect a small island to the mainland.
The decline in water levels is attributed to the warm temperatures, lack of rain in six weeks, and declining snow in the surrounding mountains.

Notes:
The Irinjadappilly Sree Krishna Temple in Kerala’s Thrissur district has made history by being the first temple in India to use a mechanical, lifelike elephant for its rituals, instead of a live one.
Named ‘Irinjadappilly Raman’, the robotic elephant was gifted to the temple by animal rights organization People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals (PETA) India. It is used to promote cruelty-free ceremonies and support the rehabilitation and life of real elephants in forests.