Current Affairs Quiz - May, 2023

Notes:
Spitzer space telescope that was dedicated to infrared imaging and was launched in 2003. While it was initially designed to function for a little longer than five years, Spitzer continued to work along till January 2020, when it was retired.
Rhea Space Activity, a Washington-based astrophysics startup, will develop the Spitzer Resurrector Mission. With the mission, a spacecraft would travel to Spitzer to service and restore its operation.

Notes:
The Union Finance Ministry has implemented an amnesty scheme for traders who have defaulted on their export obligations under the Advance and EPCG (export promotion for capital goods) authorization scheme.
According to the amnesty scheme, EXIM traders who have not fulfilled their export obligations can rectify the situation by paying customs duty and interest, up to a maximum limit of 100%.

Notes:
Scientists have found the first-ever genetic detection of wolf-dog hybridization in India. According to researchers, wolf (Canis lupus)-dog (Canis lupus familiaris) hybridisation can cause a decline in wolf populations.
The researchers pressed the need to upscale conservation efforts through tracking, monitoring, assessing prey base.

Notes:
Monpa Handmade Paper-making art is a 1,000-year-old traditional art that originated from Tawang, Arunachal Pradesh.
For the last 100 years, this handmade paper industry had almost disappeared. Khadi and Village Industries Commission(KVIC) is playing a crucial role in reviving this art.

Notes:
Shavuot is a key Jewish festival with historical and theological significance. It is also known as Feast of Weeks.
It is one of the three pilgrimage festivals, that occurs on the sixth day of the Hebrew month of Sivan. As per the Bible, Shavuot marked the wheat harvest in the Land of Israel.

Notes:
Forum shopping is the practice of litigants or lawyers deliberately moving their cases to a particular judge or a court where they deem the judgement would be more favourable.
This practice of Forum shopping was condemned recently by the CJI DY Chandrachud.

Notes:
Uttarakhand’s first Vande Bharat Express is set to be flagged off by Prime Minister Modi. It will travel from Dehradun to Delhi.
The train has been indigenously manufactured and is equipped with advanced safety features, including the Kavach technology.

Notes:
India and Australia sign migration pact that will facilitate the movement of students, academics, and professionals.
The agreement was announced during Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s visit to Australia. India also plans to set up a new consulate in Brisbane, in addition to the existing consulates in Perth, Melbourne, and Sydney.

Notes:
Popocatepetl, commonly known as El Popo volcano, has recently started spewing plumes. It is situated in Mexico.
Popocatepetl means “smoking mountain” in the Nahuatl language. After lying dormant for more than 70 years, it has been spewing toxic fumes, ash, and lumps of incandescent rock.

Notes:
Volt Typhoon is a China-backed hacking group. It was recently revealed that this hacking group is developing capabilities that could potentially disrupt critical communication infrastructure between the US and Asia during future crises.
Volt Typhoon has been active since mid-2021 and has targeted critical infrastructure organizations in Guam and elsewhere in the United States.