Current Affairs Quiz - January, 2021

Notes:
The famous French designer Pierre Cardin, who created an iconic brand in his name, recently passed away at the age of 98.
He licensed thousands of products in his name and they were sold across over several outlets worldwide. Beyond his designer clothes, he also licensed products like Perfumes, Makeup, Porcelain, Chocolates among others.

Notes:
The United Kingdom approved the Covid vaccine developed by AstraZeneca along with the University of Oxford, thereby becoming the first country in the world to do so.
The country’s residents are already being administered with the Pfizer-BioNTech coronavirus vaccine since the first week of December 2020. The UK has ordered 100 million doses of the new vaccine, to vaccinate 50 million people.

Notes:
The Defence Research and Development Organisation (DRDO) along with the Indian Navy has conducted a successful trial of the SAHAYAK-NG.
It is the country’s first indigenously designed and developed air droppable container. The container, aided by GPS can carry a payload of up to 50 kg and can be dropped from a heavy aircraft. It is designed and developed by two DRDO labs and a private company ‘Avantel’.

Notes:
The Cabinet Committee on Economic Affairs (CCEA) chaired by the Prime Minister has approved to set up Multi Modal Logistics Hub (MMLH) and Multi Modal Transport Hub (MMTH) at Greater Noida.
The estimated cost of the hubs in the city in Uttar Pradesh is Rs 3,883.80 crores. As per the Ministry of Commerce and Industry, the projects are estimated to generate employment for about 1 lakh persons by 2040.

Notes:
The Asian Development Bank (ADB) and the Government of India signed a loan agreement recently.
As per the agreement, the ADB will provide a USD 231-million loan to improve electricity generation capacity in Assam by construction of a 120- (MW) hydroelectric power plant. The proposed hydroelectric project is a project over Kopili river.

Notes:
The International Organization of Securities Commissions (IOSCO) is an association of organizations, which regulate the world’s securities and futures markets.
International Financial Services Centres Authority (IFSCA), established by the Government of India in 2019, has become an associate member of the IOSCO. With this, IFSCA can exchange information at the global level, learn from the best practices of the other regulators.

Notes:
The Asian Development Bank (ADB) is to provide a USD 100 million loan to upgrade the power distribution system in Bengaluru city.
Another USD 90 million loan will also be provided to the Bangalore Electricity Supply Company. The project also includes laying over 2500 km of fibre optical cables and moving distribution lines underground.

Notes:
The Supreme Court’s three-judge bench headed by Justice A M Khanwilkar delivered its verdict on Central Vista Project Case.
The bench approved the re-development project by a 2:1 majority and upheld the exercise of power by the Centre as just and valid. It also confirmed the modifications in the change in land use and the recommendations of the environmental committee.

Notes:
The world’s largest floating solar energy project is set to be constructed at Omkareshwar dam on Narmada river, Madhya Pradesh.
The 3,000-crore project, which will construct a 600 MW plant, will begin power generation by 2022-23. World Banks’s IFC and Power Grid will provide the financial assistance to this project, which includes installing solar panels in the dam.

Notes:
Over 200 Google engineers and other employees have recently formed a Union in the United States, which is seen as a rare move in the Silicon Valley.
After the increasing demands by Google employees for policy changes on pay, harassment and ethics, the “Alphabet Workers Union” has been formed. It is affiliated with the US-based leading union, the ‘Communications Workers of America’.