Current Affairs Quiz - June 2022

Notes:
West Nile fever was first detected in 1937 in Uganda. The vector-borne infection is spread by the Culex species of mosquitoes. The fever was first detected in Kerala in 2011.
A 47-year-old man died due to West Nile fever in Kerala’s Thrissur district. It is the first fatality in the state caused by the disease in the last three years.

Notes:
The Ministry of Defence signed a contract with Bharat Dynamics Limited (BDL) for the supply of ASTRA MK-I Beyond Visual Range (BVR) Air to Air Missile (AAM).
The contract includes associated equipment for the Indian Air Force and Indian Navy, along with the missile, at a cost of ₹ 2,971 crore under Buy (Indian-IDDM) category. ASTRA MK-I BVR AAM has been indigenously designed and developed by Defence Research and Development Organisation (DRDO).

Notes:
National Statistical Office (NSO) marginally slashed its year-on-year gross domestic product (GDP) growth forecast to 8.7 per cent, down from 8.9 per cent estimated in February.
The fourth quarter (January-March period of 2021-22) GDP growth was recorded at 4.1 per cent. The economy witnessed a 6.6 per cent contraction in 2020-21. The latest GDP growth estimate is lower than the second advance estimate of 8.9 per cent (released in February) and first advance estimate of 9.2 per cent (released in January).

Notes:
Denmark is set to join the European Union’s defence policy after it held a referendum for the decision. Denmark is the only EU member that is not part of the EU’s Common Security and Defence Policy (CSDP).
The Denmark government has succeeded in abolishing an exemption secured in a 1993 referendum on the Maastricht Treaty. Sweden and Finland also placed historic bids to join NATO, which will be taken up at the upcoming summit.

Notes:
India’s Vice President M. Venkaiah Naidu is on a three-nation tour, reached Senegal, a West African country.
India signed three MoUs with the country on 1) visa-free regime for Diplomatic and Official passport holders; 2)renewal of Cultural Exchange Progarmme (CEP) for the period 2022-26 and 3) bilateral cooperation in youth matters.

Notes:
The Supreme Court directed that every protected forest, national park and wildlife sanctuary across the country should have a mandatory eco-sensitive zone (ESZ) of a minimum one km starting from their demarcated boundaries.
As per the Environment Ministry guidelines, the eco-sensitive zone (ESZ) would act as a transition zone from areas of high protection to those involving lesser protection.

Notes:
Prime Minister Narendra Modi launched the national portal for credit-linked government schemes named ‘Jan Samarth Portal’.
Jan Samarth Portal is a one-stop digital portal linking government credit schemes, to connect beneficiaries to lenders. It provides people with the right government benefits through simple and easy digital processes.

Notes:
China successfully launched its third manned mission to its new space station, sending three astronauts to continue construction work for six months.
China’s Manned Space Agency (CMSA) announced that the Shenzhou-14 spacecraft was launched by a Long March 2F rocket. The team will live and work at the Tiangong Space Station’s Tianhe core module for six months.

Notes:
Prime Minister Narendra Modi launched a special series of coins that are also visually impaired friendly, while addressing the ‘Iconic Week Celebrations’ of the Ministry of Finance.
The coins of Re 1, Rs 2, 5, 10 and 20 denominations will have the Azadi Ka Amrit Mahotsav (AKAM) design. These are not commemorative coins and will be part of circulation across the country.

Notes:
Sony has announced that it formed a new company to build and supply devices that allow small satellites in orbit to communicate with one another via laser beams.
The devices will work between satellites in space and satellites communicating with ground stations. There are around 12,000 satellites in orbit, a number that is projected to increase rapidly in the coming years