Current Affairs Quiz - June, 2023

Notes:
XPoSat (X-Ray Polarimeter Satellite) is India’s first polarimetry mission. It is currently being built by ISRO and Raman Research Institute.
According to ISRO, “XPoSat will study various dynamics of bright astronomical X-ray sources in extreme conditions” and will carry two payloads. It is only the world’s second polarimetry mission to study various dynamics of bright astronomical X-ray sources in extreme conditions.

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Capital Market Regulator SEBI has recently reconstituted its intermediary advisory committee.
This committee is responsible for providing recommendations on matters concerning changes in legal framework and increasing transparency in systems and procedures of market intermediaries like stock brokers, clearing members and depository participants.

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The Lipizzans are horses that are descendants of long stallion lines crossing Spanish, Arabic and Berber horses.
Lipizzans are famous for their “airs above the ground” classical dressage jumps. The tradition of Lipizzan breeding was recently included in UNESCO’s Intangible Cultural Heritage list. The name derives from Lipica where the horses are found in Slovenia.

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Odisha Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik launched the ‘Odisha for Artificial Intelligence’ and ‘Artificial Intelligence for Youth’ initiatives.
In the first phase, the initiative will be implemented in Bhubaneswar, Puri and Cuttack. The state government has roped in global technology company Intel for the initiative.

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A new Jupiter-size exoplanet ‘TOI 4603b’ with the highest density known till this date and mass 13 times than that of Jupiter, has been discovered by an international team of scientists
ISRO says the discovery of this exoplanet has been made using the indigenously made PRL Advanced Radial-velocity Abu-sky Search spectrograph (PARAS) at the 1.2 m telescope of PRL at its Gurushikhar Observatory in Mount Abu.

Notes:
The 22nd Summit of the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation (SCO) will be held in a virtual mode on 4 July, the Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) announced.
India is set to host the 22nd SCO summit for the first time under its chairmanship. Invitations were sent to heads of state of all SCO member countries — China, Russia, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Pakistan, Tajikistan and Uzbekistan.

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The US Food and Drug Administration approved Pfizer’s RSV vaccine for older adults, the second such shot approved for the common virus.
Earlier in May, the agency approved the world’s first RSV vaccine for older adults, made by GSK. The vaccines could be available for seniors by fall, pending recommendations from the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and its vaccine advisers.

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NHPC Limited, a Government of India Enterprise and Vidhyut Utpadan Company Limited (VUCL), Nepal signed an MoU in New Delhi for development of Phukot Karnali Hydro Electric Project in Nepal.
This hydroelectric project will flow from Karnali River to generate power and the generated power will be fed into integrated power system of Nepal.

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As many as 62 Desiccation-Tolerant Vascular plant species have been discovered in the Western Ghats in India.
These species have potential applications in agriculture, especially in regions where there is scarcity of water.

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Mahakal Lok corridor, which was inaugurated by Prime Minister Modi in 2022, is part of the redevelopment project around the Mahakaleshwar temple, Ujjain.
Six out of seven idols of ‘Saptarishis’ installed at the Mahakal Lok corridor have collapsed due to gusty winds. Madhya Pradesh’s Lokayukta has taken suo motu cognisance of the damage that gusty winds caused to six statues installed as part of the Mahakal Lok Corridor Project.