Current Affairs Quiz - January 2022

Notes:
According to the G20 People’s Climate Vote 2021 report, which was recently released by the United Nations Development Program (UNDP), around 67 per cent of the youth in India consider the climate crisis as a global emergency.
The youth are also vocal about the need for urgent policy creation and change. Whereas, India has only about 58 per cent adults, who consider climate change a global emergency.

Notes:
The scientific team at CSIR-CDRI, Lucknow along with their industry partner Biotech Desk have successfully developed the indigenous RTPCR Kit INDICoV-OmTM for specific detection of the Omicron variant.
Most of the RT-PCR-based diagnostic kits do not confirm whether Covid infection is caused by the Omicron variant. Also various current Omicron tests have several limitations.

Notes:
Saudi Arabia and Thailand have ended a 30-year dispute over a scandal involving stolen jewels and a series of murders. Saudi Arabian Airlines has announced to restart direct flights to Thailand.
The resumption of full diplomatic ties came during a visit to Riyadh by Thailand Prime Minister Prayut Chan-ocha. Gems stolen from Saudi had a rare 50 carat blue diamond, which was never recovered. The dispute has cost a huge dip in trade and led to job losses for Thai Migrant workers.

Notes:
The findings of the Annual Status of Education Report (ASER) Chhattisgarh (Rural) 2021 were released recently.
As per the survey, the proportion of primary school children who cannot recognize letters of the alphabet has doubled since 2018. Only a fewer students can now do basic subtraction or division. The survey covered over 46,000 children in 1,677 villages.

Notes:
Pakistan has raised USD 1 billion loan with Sukuk (Islamic Bond), at highest ever interest rate of 7.95%.
In return for the loan, Pakistan has also agreed to pledge a portion of the Lahore-Islamabad motorway, which is a national sset built in the 1990s. The last Islamic Bond issued by Pakistan was in 2017, which was a 5-year Sukuk at a rate of 5.6%.

Notes:
The Kerala Bird Atlas released recently is said to be Asia’s largest bird atlas in terms of geographical extent, sampling efforts, and species coverage.
It is also the first-of-its-kind state-level bird atlas in India, and was conducted as a citizen-driven exercise with the participation of over 1000 volunteers. The Atlas has provided data about the distribution of various bird species across major habitats.

Notes:
India Pavilion at EXPO2020 Dubai launched the USD 150-million fund India-UAE venture capital fund in the UAE.
It is the first such fund to be set up in the UAE. The fund aims to invest and nurture promising startups through an accelerator to fuel the growth of India-UAE start-ups. It will be funded by investors across UAE, India and GCC countries.

Notes:
The Sathyamangalam Tiger Reserve (STR) of Tamil Nadu has been awarded the prestigious TX2 Award after its tiger number doubled since 2010.
STR is a protected area and tiger reserve in the Western Ghats in the Erode District of Tamil Nadu. The reserve is a part of the Nilgiri biosphere landscape, which is the home to world’s largest tiger population. The awards are presented by the Conservation Assured Tiger Standards (CATS), Global Tiger Forum (GTF), IUCN’s ITHCP, UNDP, WWF among other stakeholders.

 

 

Notes:
In a new study, researchers have found that the highest levels of atmospheric mercury pollution in the world are found in a patch of the Peruvian Amazon.
The study shows that illegal Gold mining in the Peruvian Amazon is causing record high levels of atmospheric mercury pollution. Birds from this area have up to 12 times more mercury in their systems than birds from less polluted areas.

Notes:
The Delhi cabinet approved ex-gratia relief of Rs 20,000 per acre to farmers whose lands were damaged by rains last year.
In September-October 2021, several acres of farmland were damaged due to heavy rain and water-logging in fields. If the damage is found to be 70% or less, the compensation will be 70% of the amount. If the assessed loss is more than 70%, Rs 20,000 per acre will be paid.