Current Affairs Quiz - May, 2023

Notes:
Nagorno-Karabakh is a landlocked mountainous region in the South Caucasus that is disputed between Armenia and Azerbaijan. The two countries, both formerly part of the Soviet Union – have fought repeatedly over the last 35 years for control of Nagorno-Karabakh.
Azerbaijan has recently set up a checkpoint at the start of the Lachin corridor, the only land route that links Armenia to Nagorno-Karabakh.

Notes:
The European Organization for Nuclear Research (CERN) is currently working on the first phase of its Future Circular Collider (FCC) project.
The Future Circular Collider is expected to be a potential successor of the Large Hadron Collider – the world’s largest and most powerful accelerator that was started in 2008.

Notes:
Italian bees, also known as Apis mellifera, were first brought to India in 1962 and reared in Nagrota, Himachal Pradesh. These bees are used to pollination of Apple fruit crops in the region.
Recently, unseasonal rain and snowfall in Himachal Pradesh is said to have killed Italian honeybees thereby causing huge losses for apple growers. Most bee deaths have been reported from Shimla, Kinnaur, Lahaul Spiti and Kullu districts, which are at an elevation of 2.13 kilometres or above.

Notes:
The Air Pollution Tolerance Index is a tool used to assess the tolerance capacity of a crop or tree species against air pollution. A new study has found that certain trees and crops endemic to India have high APTI.
Trees such as pipal, neem, mango and crops like maize, pigeon pea and safflower, which are endemic to India can help lower the impact of air pollution by absorbing and filtering pollutants.

Notes:
Blue holes are large undersea vertical caves or sink holes found in the coastal regions. Recently, the second deepest blue hole was discovered off the coast of the Yucatan Peninsula in Mexico.
The new blue hole has about 900 feet deep, and it is behind only one other in depth—the Dragon Hole in the South China Sea.

Notes:
Mobile vaccine printer is an innovative technology developed by researchers at MIT. This small device is capable of producing hundreds of vaccine doses within a single day.
It has the potential to provide vital vaccines to individuals in remote regions who lack the required resources for conventional vaccine storage and transportation.

Notes:
Union Budget announced the Mahila Samman Savings Certificate (MSSC), a new small-savings scheme for women and was launched for investments from April 1, 2023. The interest rate on deposits made under this Program is 7.5% per year.
The Union Minister Smriti Irani opened the Mahila Samman Savings Certificate (MSSC) account recently.

Notes:
State Wide Attention on Grievances by Application of Technology -SWAGAT initiative was launched by the Gujarat Government in 2003.
The SWAGAT Online Programme has four components: the State SWAGAT, District SWAGAT, Taluka SWAGAT and Gram SWAGAT. Prime Minister Modi will address the 20th anniversary of this initiative.

Notes:
The India-UK ‘NET Zero’ Innovation Virtual Centre will be jointly created by the United Kingdom and India.
It will help promote collaborations between stakeholders from India and the UK to work on focus areas like decarbonisation of manufacturing processes and transportation systems, green hydrogen adoption and more.

Notes:
World Day for Safety and Health at Work is observed on April 28. The theme for this year is “A safe and healthy working environment as a fundamental principle and right at work”.
In June 2022, the International Labour Conference (ILC) decided to include ‘a safe and healthy working environment’ in the ILO’s framework of fundamental principles and rights at work.