Current Affairs Quiz - May, 2023

Notes:
Recently, a five-judge bench of the Supreme Court ruled that it can use its powers under Article 142 of the Constitution to grant a divorce decree directly to consenting parties in cases where there is an irretrievable breakdown of marriage.
This would eliminate the need for the parties to be referred to a family court, where they would have to wait for 6 to 18 months for a decree of divorce by mutual consent.

Notes:
King Charles III, who was officially crowned alongside Queen Camilla, wore St Edward’s Crown for the historic coronation ceremony.
The 74-year-old royal was officially crowned the UK’s monarch at Westminster Abbey. It is tradition for the monarch to wear the solid gold St Edward’s Crown. The crown dates back hundreds more years – to 1661 when it was made for King Charles II.

 

Notes:
Defence Minister Rajnath Singh and his Maldives counterpart recently laid foundation stone for the Coast Guard ‘Ekatha Harbour’.
It is one of the biggest Indian grant-in-aid projects in Maldives. The project was announced during External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar’s visit in February 2021.

Notes:
Kyasanur Forest disease (KFD) is a viral infection that spreads via the tick named Haemaphysalis spinigera. The outbreak of this disease can be curbed by restoring Karnataka’s forests.
The illness, named after Kyasanur forest in the Western Ghats, where it originated, is a haemorrhagic fever borne by the tick, Haemaphysalis spinigera. It has a fatality rate of 3-5 per cent.

Notes:
The technology known as STATCOM, which is based on the PQ standard-IEEE519 and IEEE1459, has gained importance in recent times because of the rising need for renewable energy sources like solar and wind power.
The STATCOM will help address issues like voltage fluctuations and instability when renewable sources are integrated to the power grid.

Notes:
UNICEF recently released a report titled ‘Is an End to Child Marriage Within Reach?’. According to this report, while the rate of child marriage is declining, it is not enough.
The present rate would mean that the practice will continue to exist for 300 more years. About 640 million girls, teens and women were victims of the practice of child marriage.

Notes:
Ministry of Housing and Urban Affairs (MoHUA) signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with RITES Limited for technical assistance for Solid Waste Management (SWM) & Used Water Management UWM under Swachh Bharat Mission-Urban 2.0.
Under this MoU, RITES will help standardise processes and design facilities for solid waste and used water management in towns with a population of below 1 lakh.

Notes:
Buddhist Vihara is a monastery for Buddhist renunciates, mainly found the Indian subcontinent. A 5-member team of the Temple Survey Project of the Archaeological Survey of India (ASI) has visited a court building that was believed to be a Buddhist Vihara during the Chola period in Nagapattinam.
Choodamani Vihara in Nagapattinam is believed to have flourished as a Buddhist cultural centre.

Notes:
Arab League member states have agreed to reinstate Syria’s membership after its suspension more than 10 years ago.
The country was suspended from the intergovernmental grouping in 2011 due to Damascus’ actions against peaceful protects that started earlier that year.

Notes:
Bangkok-based U.N. Economic and Social Commission for Asia and the Pacific (ESCAP) recently released a report titled “Race to Net Zero”.
According to this report, most of the countries in Asia-Pacific are “insufficiently prepared” to face extreme weather events and natural disasters.