Current Affairs Quiz - May, 2023

Notes:
Ministry of Civil Aviation (MoCA), Airport Authority of India (AAI) and Federation of Indian Chambers of Commerce and Industry (FICCI) is organising Asia’s largest event on Civil Aviation, Wings India 2024.
The event is scheduled to be held in January 2024 at Begumpet Airport, Hyderabad, India. The theme of the event is “Connecting the World: Setting the stage for India @ 2047” (100 Years of India’s Independence).

Notes:
The UK government has unveiled a new semiconductor strategy to minimize its dependence on Asian production of computer chips.
Under this strategy, the government will invest around 1.2 billion USD over the next decade into the semiconductor industry.

Notes:
Article 239AA of the Indian Constitution provides special status on Delhi based on the recommendations of the S Balakrishnan Committee that was established in 1987 to study Delhi’s demands for statehood.
A recent SC ruling, which provided the Delhi government more power over administrative services in the Capital, had interpreted Article 239AA.

Notes:
INDIAai is a central programme launched to promote artificial intelligence in India and beyond.  The National AI Portal of India is a joint venture by MEITY, NEGD and NASSCOM.
Seven working groups set up under INDIAai are expected to submit their recommendations for a comprehensive framework governing various facets of AI in the near future.

Notes:
Seven US states have reached a consensus on conserving the Colorado River. This is a major breakthrough in the region that constantly experiences drought.
Funding from President Biden’s Investing in America agenda combined with voluntary commitments will conserve 3-million-acre feet of water through 2026.

Notes:
ITF Transport Outlook 2023 was released recently by the International Transport Forum at the OECD. It was released during the at the ITF Summit in Leipzig, Germany.
The analysis covers the movement of passengers and freight across all transport modes. It examines the impacts of different policy measures on global transport demand and carbon dioxide emissions to 2050.

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:
Hemidactylus pakka malaiensis is a newly discovered species of large-bodied gecko. It was found at the Pakkamalai hills, at Gingee in the southern Eastern Ghats.
The new species is closely related to H. graniticolus and the recently described H. easai, from which it can be distinguished by its lower femoral pores count.

Notes:
Sturisoma reisi is a newly discovered species of catfish. It was found in Madeira River basin in Bolivia and Brazil.
First described in 1838 with Loricaria rostrata as the type species, the genus includes 10 recognized species at present.

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.