Current Affairs Quiz - January, 2021

Notes:
Technology major Google has signed a deal with a group of French publishers which will enable the company make digital copyright payments for online news content.
France became the first country to adopt new European Union copyright rules, which aims to ensure media are paid for original content, typically news, offered online by tech giants such as Google and Facebook.

Notes:
The state Government of Gujarat has entered into an MoU with Adani Ports and SEZ Limited. The MoU aims to establish India’s biggest multi-model logistics park at Virochan Nagar, near Sanand in Ahmedabad.
The park would be constructed at 1,450 acres and would have an investment of Rs.50,000 crore. It is expected to provide direct and indirect employment to 25,000.

Notes:
The Ministry of Home Affairs has recently announced the Subhash Chandra Bose Aapda Prabandhan Puraskar for 2021.
As per the notification, Rajendra Kumar Bhandari has been selected in the individual category of the award, while the Sustainable Environment and Ecological Development Society (SEEDS) has been selected for the award in the institutional category.

Notes:
The World Health Organization (WHO) has collaborated with the American pharmaceutical firm Pfizer recently.
As per the deal, 40 million doses of the Pfizer-BioNTech coronavirus vaccine will be distributed for poor and lower-middle income countries under its COVAX programme.

Notes:
China recently passed its coastguard legislation, which allows its Coast Guards to fire on foreign vessels, to stop or prevent threats from them.
It also allows the coast guard personnel to demolish structures built on Chinese-claimed reefs by other countries. The personnel can also board and inspect foreign vessels in the waters claimed by China.

Notes:
As per a recent publication of the Zoological Survey of India (ZSI) named “Birds of the Sundarban Biosphere Reserve”, the region is home to 428 species of birds.
The Indian Sunderbans one of the largest mangrove forests in the world, also comprises of the Sunderban Tiger Reserve. Some birds like Masked Finfoot and Buffy fish owl are found only in the Sunderbans.

Notes:
India’s economist Jayati Ghosh has been chosen to be a part of UN high-level advisory board on socio-economic challenges in post-COVID-19 world. The board would make recommendations to U.N. Secretary-General for making response to the future, especially after the post COVID era.
Ms. Ghosh is presently a professor of economics at University of Massachusetts.

Notes:
The U.S. President Joe Biden signed an executive order which allows all qualified Americans to serve in the country’s military.
Former President Barack Obama allowed transgender people to serve in the Military while the previous President Donald Trump banned the process. Now, this new order would repeal the ban while also providing the necessary medical care to the persons.

Notes:
Alphabet unions across the world have joined hands and created a global alliance called Alpha Global.
It has been created with the aid of UNI Global, a federation of unions representing over 20 million workers. As many as 13 different unions, from 10 different countries are part of Alpha Global alliance. Google labour union was formed recently in the United States.

Notes:
The Mount Merapi is located in Indonesia. It is an active volcano which is located in the border between Central Java and Yogyakarta. This is the most active volcano of the country and has been erupting at frequent intervals since 1500s. This volcano has erupted again recently.
Indonesia is located on the “Ring of Fire” and hence has the most number of active volcanoes in the world.