Current Affairs Quiz 4th April 2023 Quiz

Exp. France invited PM Modi for Bastille Day parade

France has invited PM Narendra Modi to visit Paris as a guest at the annual Bastille Day parade, which will be held in July 2023.

The PM and French President Emmanuel Macron are expected to discuss several major agreements including those on the Indo-Pacific region, nuclear power, and defense, as the two countries mark the 25th year of their strategic partnership.

Earlier, Manmohan Singh was invited as the Bastille Day parade guest in 2009.

About France

• Capital- Paris
• President- Emmanuel Macron
• Prime Minister- Elisabeth Borne
• Official language- French

Exp. IOC signed deal with Russia’s Rosneft to raise oil imports

Russia’s largest oil producer Rosneft and India’s top refiner Indian Oil Corp have signed a term agreement to substantially increase oil supplies and diversify oil grades delivered to India.

The parties also discussed ways of expanding cooperation between Rosneft Oil Company and Indian companies in the entire value chain of the energy sector, including possibilities of making payments in national currencies.

India has been the biggest buyer of Russia’s benchmark Urals grade crude in March. Deliveries to India are set to account for more than 50% of all seaborne Urals exports this month, with China in second place.

Russia for the first time has become one of the five largest trading partners of India as the volume of trade between the countries reached $38.4 billion in 2022.

Recent MoUs

• NTPC signed MoU with Indian Army for implementation of Green Hydrogen Projects
• GAIL signed MoU with Shell Energy India on ethane sourcing
• NTPC Green Energy Limited (NGEL) signed Agreement with IOCL for setting up of renewable energy projects
• BPCL signed an MoU with Brazilian oil company Petrobras to diversify crude oil sourcing
• FuelBuddy partnered with IOCL for doorstep delivery of automotive lubricants

Exp. PM Modi flagged off Bhopal-New Delhi Vande Bharat Express

Prime Minister Narendra Modi has flagged off the 11^th Vande Bharat Express train between Rani Kamlapati Railway Station in Madhya Pradesh and Hazrat Nizamuddin railway station in Delhi.

The train will cover a distance of 701 kilometres in 7 hours 30 minutes and will run on all days except Saturday.

It will have stoppages at Veerangana Laxmibai Jhansi, Gwalior and Agra.

Vande Bharat train has showcased the skill, potential and confidence of the nation.

Vande Bharat Express Trains

• 1st Vande Bharat – Delhi to Varanasi (Uttar Pradesh)
• 2nd Vande Bharat – Delhi to Katra (Jammu Kashmir)
• 3rd Vande Bharat – Gandhinagar (Gujarat) to Mumbai (Maharashtra)
• 4th Vande Bharat – Una (Himachal Pradesh) to New Delhi
• 5th Vande Bharat – Chennai (Tamil Nadu) to Mysore (Karnataka)
• 6th Vande Bharat – Bilaspur (Chhattisgarh) to Nagpur (Maharashtra)
• 7th Vande Bharat – Hawrah (West Bengal) to New Jalpaiguri (West Bengal)
• 8th Vande Bharat – Secunderabad (Telangana) to Vishakhapatnam (Andhra Pradesh)
• 9th Vande Bharat -Mumbai (Maharastra) to Solapur (Maharashtra)
• 10th Vande Bharat -Mumbai (Maharashtra) to Sainagar Shirdi (Maharashtra)
• 11th Vande Bharat – Bhopal (Madhya Pradesh) to New Delhi

Exp. Eravikulam National Park gets a fernarium

Eravikulam National Park (ENP) in Kerala, the natural habitat of Nilgiri tahr in Munnar, has a new attraction — a Fernarium set up inside the park.

This is the first time such a fern collection has been established in the hill station.

The Eravikulam National Park is known for its diverse range of flora and fauna, and the introduction of the fernarium is a step towards educating visitors about the park’s biodiversity.

Ferns are part of the Epiphytic family. Fern grows naturally in a soilless condition. The plants obtain water and nutrients through leaching from trees.

It has 52 varieties of ferns have already been planted in the new Fernarium.

About Kerala

• Capital – Thiruvananthapuram
• Chief Minister – Pinarayi Vijayan
• Governor – Arif Mohammad Khan

Exp. Italian government seeks to ban English in official communication

Italy’s PM Giorgia Meloni’s Brothers of Italy party has introduced new legislation which proposes a fine of up to Euro 100,000 (Rs 82,46,550) for using any foreign language, especially English, in official communication.

The bill was introduced by Fabio Rampelli, a member of the lower chamber of deputies and is supported by the Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni.

It also prohibits the use of English in official documentation, including “acronyms and names” of job roles in companies operating in the country.

Italian must be the primary language used in all offices, even those which communicate with non-Italian-speaking foreigners, according to the first article of the legislation.

Exp. US Senate confirms Richard Verma as Deputy Secretary of State

The United States Senate on March 30 confirmed the appointment of Indian American Richard Verma as Deputy Secretary of State, Management and Resources.

He is currently working as the chief legal officer and head of global public policy at Mastercard.

Verma served as the US Ambassador to India from January 2015 to January 2017 and is currently the Chief Legal Officer and Head of Global Public Policy at MasterCard.

Verma has also served as Vice Chairman of The Asia Group, Partner and Senior Counselor at Steptoe and Johnson LLP, and Senior Counselor at the Albright Stonebridge Group.

This position is normally seen as the CEO of the powerful State Department in the US Government.

Recent Appointment

• First Woman President of Indus Entrepreneurs (TiE) Rajasthan – Dr. Sheenu Jhawar
• First Head of NASA’s ‘Moon To Mars’ Programme – Amit Kshatriya
• First Assistant Police chief in USA’ Connecticut – Manmeet Colon (Indian-origin Sikh woman)
• First woman officer to command a fighter unit in IAF – Shalija Dhami
• First Indian-American judge at New York Court – Arun Subramanian
• President of World Bank – Ajay Banga

Exp. RBI appoints Neeraj Nigam as executive director

The Reserve Bank of India has appointed Neeraj Nigam as executive director (ED) who will look after four departments, including consumer education and protection.

Prior to being promoted as ED, he was heading the Bhopal regional office of the RBI as director.

Nigam has, over a span of more than three decades, served in Regulation and Supervision, human resource management, premises, currency management, bank accounts and other areas in the Reserve Bank, in its central office as well as regional offices.

Recent Appointment in Banking Sector

• MD and CEO of Axis Securities – Pranav Haridasan
• President of New Development Bank (NDB) – Dilma Rousseff (Former Brazilian Prez)
• MD and CEO of UCO Bank – Ashwani Kumar
• Chairman of PFRDA – Deepak Mohanty
• MD of LIC – Tablesh Pandey and M Jagannath

Exp. Sumil Vikamsey appointed as MD of Hitachi Payment Services

Sumil Vikamsey has been appointed as the new Managing Director of Hitachi Payment Services.

Vikamsey will replace current MD Rustom Irani.

Vikamse was earlier the CEO of Cash Business at Hitachi Payment Services.

During his tenure at Hitachi Payment Services, Vikamse has been responsible for various functions including finance, strategy, development, analysis, white-label ATM program and allied business domains.

Recent Appointment in Banking Sector

• MD & CEO of IndusInd Bank – Sumant Kathpalia (reappointment)
• Head of Citi Commercial Bank (CCB) – Bhanu Vohra
• Interim Chairman of LIC – Siddhartha Mohanty (replaced MR Kumar)
• MD and CEO of Axis Mutual Fund – B Gopkumar
• MD & CEO of HDFC Bank – Sashidhar Jagdishan (reappointment)

Exp. Israel launches new Ofek-13 spy satellite into orbit

Israel has successfully launched the “Ofek-13” spy satellite into space by the Shavit launch vehicle, from Palmachim Airbase spaceport.

This satellite was manufactured by state-owned Israel Aerospace Industries (IAI).

The ‘Ofek 13’ is the most advanced of its kind with unique radar observation capabilities and will enable intelligence collection in any weather and conditions of visibility.

It is the latest in a series of domestically produced satellites that were first put into orbit in 1988.

Israel joined the club of space powers in 1988 with the deployment of its first Ofek (Horizon in Hebrew) satellite.

About Israel

• Capital – Jerusalem
• Currency – Sheqel
• President – Isaac Herzog
• Prime Minister – Benjamin Netanyahu

Exp. Max Verstappen wins Australian GP

Red Bull’s driver Max Verstappen has claimed his first Australian Grand Prix 2023.

Seven-time world champion Lewis Hamilton finished second, while Aston Martin’s Fernando Alonso filled third spot on the podium.

Verstappen had appeared to be coasting to victory with an eight-second lead when debris from Kevin Magnussen’s Haas forced the second of three red flags issued in the race with three laps remaining.

Recent Grand Prix 2023 Winner

• Australian Grand Prix 2023 – Red Bull’s Max Verstappen (Netherlands)
• Bahrain Grand Prix 2023 – Red Bull’s Max Verstappen (Netherlands)
• Saudi Arabian Grand Prix 2023 – Red Bull’s Sergio Pérez (Mexico)

Exp. Daniil Medvedev Wins Maiden Miami Opens Title 2023

Russian tennis star Daniil Medvedev claimed his fourth title of the year by defeating Jannik Sinner in a closely-contested final match in Miami Opens 2023.

Medvedev has now won 24 out of his last 25 matches, including his latest victory at the prestigious Miami Open.

The win marked his first-ever title win at the Miami Open. Medvedev clinched his fifth Masters 1000 title and 19th title overall by beating Sinner, who has also been in impressive form this season, with a scoreline of 7-5, 6-3.

Exp. PM Modi inaugurated CBI’s diamond jubilee celebrations

Prime Minister Narendra Modi has inaugurated the Diamond Jubilee Celebrations of the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) at Vigyan Bhawan, New Delhi.

The premier investigating police agency of India, the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI), completes its 60 years of service to the nation this year.

About CBI

The Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) was established by a resolution of the Ministry of Home Affairs, Government of India, dated April 1, 1963.

It is not a statutory body but it is empowered to investigate under the Delhi Special Police Establishment Act, 1946.

The establishment of the CBI was recommended by the Santhanam Committee (1962–1964).

It works under the Ministry of Personnel, Pension & Public Grievances, Government of India.

Headquarters – New Delhi

Director General – Subodh Kumar Jaiswal

PM Modi in News

• PM Narendra Modi has launched an app called ‘Call Before u Dig’.
• PM Modi addressed the ‘One World TB Summit’ at Rudrakash Convention Centre, at Varanasi.

• PM Modi inaugurated new ITU Area Office and Innovation Center in New Delhi

• PM Modi unveiled Bharat 6G Vision Document & 6G Research and Development Test Bed and Call Before U dig App.
• PM Modi inaugurated the Global Millets Conference

Exp. 1-7 April – Prevention of Blindness Week 2023

The Government of India organizes the Prevention of Blindness Week from April 1-7 every year to raise awareness about the causes and prevention of blindness.

Objective – To support individuals with visual impairments, and to promote access to eye care services.

Pandit Jawaharlal Nehru and Raj Kumari Amrit Kaur, the first health minister of India, established the National Society for the Prevention of Blindness and along with it, the observance of the week was started in 1960.

According to the World Health Organization (WHO), at least 2.2 billion people globally have a near or distant vision problem while at least one billion cases could have been prevented with proper care. Also, half of these visual impairment cases are yet to be addressed.

Exp. Former Indian Cricketer Salim Durani passed away

Former India all-rounder Salim Durani passed away at the age of 88 in Jamnagar, Gujarat.

He made a significant contribution in the series against England in 1961-62. In the last two Tests, Salim led India to victory.

He played 29 Tests for India from 1960 to 1973, scoring 1,202 runs at an average of 25.04, with one century (104 against West Indies in 1962) and seven fifties.

He was a left-arm spinner and claimed 75 wickets at 35.42 apiece.

In first-class cricket, he played for Saurashtra, Gujarat, and Rajasthan.