Current Affairs Quiz - January, 2021

Notes:
The Goa state Cabinet recently cleared the Goa Lokayukta (Amendment) Bill to make retired High Court Judges also eligible for the post of Lokayukta.
After Justice PK Mishra retired in September last year, the position remained vacant. As per the Lokayukta law, only a retired Supreme Court Judge or a retired Chief Justice of a High Court are eligible for the post.

Notes:
Google’s parent company Alphabet recently announced that it is to shut down the ambitious nine-year ‘Loon’ Internet balloon project.
The company aimed to deliver global internet access with a fleet of balloons floating on the edge of space. As per the company, the commercial viability of the project of the Google’s X lab, is considered risky and long.

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:
India is to host the Defence Ministers of the countries of the Indian Ocean Region (IOR) in Bengaluru city on February 4, 2021.
This conclave will be organised alongside the upcoming Aero India in Bengaluru. The theme of the conclave will be ‘Enhanced Peace, Security and Cooperation in the Indian Ocean’.

Notes:
Reigning Olympic champion, Carolina Marin from Spain and former World Champion Viktor Axelsen from Denmark recently claimed their second Thailand Open badminton men’s and women’s singles titles respectively.
The 27-year-old Carolina Marin went into the final without losing a single game across both tournaments. The Badminton World Federation World Tour Finals will be contested by the top eight of each discipline.

Notes:
The Himalayan state of Himachal Pradesh has celebrated recently its 50th statehood day on January 25, 2021.
In 1970, the State of Himachal Pradesh Act was passed in the Parliament and the state came into existence from January 25, 2071. It is the 18th Indian state to be formed in the country. Dr Yashwant Singh Parmar was its first chief minister.

Notes:
Marcelo Rebelo de Sousa has been re-elected as the President of Portugal. The right-wing President won the elections with 60.7 percent of the vote.
Although the Prime Minister Antonio Costa is a Socialist, the President has a prominent role in the nation’s polity with superior role in foreign policy and national security. President of Portugal has the power to dissolve the Parliament.

Notes:
The DRDO’s Integrated weapons system design centre has been inaugurated by the Vice President M Venkaiah Naidu at Dr APJ Abdul Kalam Missile Complex – Hyderabad.
This centre would set an all-new platform for enhanced design – development for surface to air missile (SAM) systems and ballistic missile defence (BMD) systems.

Notes:
The International Monetary Fund released its latest World Economic Outlook Update recently. As per the report, Indian economy would grow 11.5 per cent in FY22. It has revised the earlier forecast of 8.8 per cent growth.
As per the IMF, India would be the only key country to record a double-digit growth and reclaim the status of the fastest-growing major economy of the world.

Notes:
Union Bank of India announced that it has raised Rs 1,000 crore by issuing Basel III-compliant bonds on a private placement basis.
The bank issued perpetual bonds in the nature of debentures, which qualify as the Additional Tier 1 Capital of the bank. The public sector bank also announced that it will raise Rs 205 crore by issuing Basel III compliant bonds later this week.