Current Affairs Quiz - June, 2023

Notes:
Saudi Arabia and Canada to restore full diplomatic ties and appoint new ambassadors, bringing an end to a dispute from 2018.
The rift between the two countries began when Canada’s embassy in Riyadh published a tweet in Arabic, calling for the immediate release of women’s rights activists who were detained in Saudi Arabia.

Notes:
The United Arab Emirates (UAE) plans to send a new spacecraft to an asteroid belt to investigate the history of the solar system and the potential origins of life.
Emirates Mission to the Asteroid Belt (EMA) aims to visit seven different asteroids and land on one of them called (269) Justitia. It is scheduled for launch in 2028.

Notes:
Kerala government-run Agency for New and Renewable Energy Research and Technology (Anert) recently launched a new ambitious project aimed at making Thiruvananthapuram the largest solar city in India.
Under this project, every rooftop in the capital city will be turned into a solar energy-producing station.

Notes:
Global Container Port Performance Index (CPPI) 2022 was released by the World Bank and S&P Global Market Intelligence.
It acts as the benchmark for assessing container port performance and efficiency worldwide. Pipavav Port on the Gujarat coast has emerged as the most efficient port in India in Global Container Port Performance Index (CPPI) 2022. Globally, Pipavav Port has secured the 30th position.

Notes:
The Union Cabinet has approved the City Investments to Innovate, Integrate and Sustain 2.0 (CITIIS 2.0).
CITIIS 2.0 is a program conceived by the Ministry of Housing and Urban Affairs (MoHUA) in partnership with the French Development Agency (AFD), KfW, the European Union (EU), and National Institute of Urban Affairs (NIUA). The program will run for a period of four years, from 2023 till 2027.

Notes:
Swachh Jal Se Suraksha Campaign Report was released recently under the Jal Jeevan Mission. The campaign was organised from 2nd October, 2022 to 31st March, 2023.
Water quality testing has been reported in 5.39 lakh (89.69 %) villages for chemical and in 4.47 lakh (74.46 %) villages for bacteriological contamination.

Notes:
The human metapneumovirus (HMPV) is a pathogen capable of affecting upper and lower respiratory tract.
In March, the United States has recorded HMPV, with 11 percent of PCR tests and 20 percent of antigen tests coming out as positive.

Notes:
India and Nepal signed a series of agreements on energy and transport including the export of Nepal’s hydropower to Bangladesh through Indian territory.
Nepal’s Prime Minister Pushpa Kamal Dahal Prachanda is on a four-day visit to India. The two leaders virtually inaugurated six connectivity projects, which include the development of integrated check posts, rail lines and power transmission projects.

Notes:
The United States and Taiwan have signed a trade deal aimed at deepening economic relations between both sides in a move that has sparked a warning from China.
Washington and Taipei maintain a multibillion-dollar annual trade and unofficial ties through the de facto US embassy. The Chinese foreign ministry accused Washington of violating agreements on the status of Taiwan.

Notes:
The Countervailing Duty (CVD) is commonly imposed to safeguard domestic companies that are unable to compete with low-cost imports benefiting from subsidies provided by the exporting country.
The Indian government is planning to impose this duty on stainless steel imports to prevent the flooding of cheap imports and protect the domestic manufacturers.