Current Affairs Quiz - May, 2023

Notes:
The Securities Exchange Board of India (SEBI) has recently proposed a regulatory framework to respond to unexplained suspicious trading pattern around the presence of material non-public information.
The framework would deal with malpractices by market participants, who use new-age technologies by way of encrypted or vanishing messages, and modus operandi to evade the law.

Notes:
The Reserve Bank of India (RBI has decided to withdraw Rs.2,000 denominated notes from circulation.
It has urged everyone to exchange these notes by September 30 this year.  However, the notes will continue as legal tender. Exchange of Rs 2,000 notes into notes of other denominations can be made upto a limit of Rs 20,000.

Notes:
Rayyanah Barnawi is the first Arab woman astronaut to go to space as part of Saudi Arabia’s maiden space mission.
She is part of a team which recently went to the International Space Station (ISS) in a SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket from the Kennedy Space Center, Florida.

Notes:
The ONDC Academy will be launched by the Open Network for Digital Commerce to raise awareness about various processes and to train network partners.
Its purpose is to develop a robust ecosystem of certified buyers, sellers and logistics network partners across the country.

Notes:
Dangote Refinery was commissioned recently by Nigeria. It is expected to transform the country into a net exporter of petroleum products.
Nigeria spent USD 23.3 billion last year on petroleum product imports and consumes around 33 million litres of petrol a day.

Notes:
INDUS-X is a joint initiative of the United States and India. Under this initiative, the two countries will collaborate to co-produce jet engines, infantry vehicles and long-range artillery.
It also aims to promote partnerships between the two countries’ defence innovation ecosystems. Some high-technology initiatives are expected to be announced during Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s visit to the U.S. in June 2024.

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:
Spanish Tennis player Carlos Alcaraz replaced Novak Djokovic at No. 1 in the ATP rankings, earning the top seeding at the French Open.
Daniil Medvedev’s Italian Open title moved him up to No. 2 ahead of the year’s second Grand Slam tournament. Alcaraz, who turned 20 this month, is 30-3 with four titles in 2023.

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.