Current Affairs Quiz - January 2022

Notes:
Centre-right lawmaker Roberta Metsola has been selected as the third woman to head the European Parliament.
The 43-year-old from the European Union’s smallest nation Malta is also the youngest President of the European Parliament. She is viewed as a political moderate in spite of the controversy over her anti-abortion stance.

Notes:
Russia’s central bank has called for a blanket ban on crypto-currencies in the country. The proposed ban prohibits cryptocurrency trading, mining as well as usage in the country.
The Bank of Russia, in a new consultation paper, highlights the risks posed by the volatile nature of cryptocurrencies to the financial stability and wellbeing of citizens of the country. It also focuses on the extensive use of cryptocurrencies in illegal activities.

Notes:
Manipur, Meghalaya, and Tripura were formed in 1972 with the enactment of North-Eastern Areas (Reorganisation) Act, 1971.
The three states were formed on January 21, 1972 and the day has been celebrated as the Statehood Day every year. Meghalaya was a part of Assam before it attained complete statehood and Tripura was a Union Territory before it attained statehood.

Notes:
India has emerged as the largest exporter of gherkins in the world. India has exported cucumber and gherkins of around 1.2 lakh metric tonnes with a value of $ 114 million during April-October (2020-21).
Gherkins (Cornichons) are small cucumbers with thick bumpy skins, also called baby pickles or pickling cucumbers.

Notes:
The Australian government has bought the copyright of the Aboriginal flag, to free the symbol of identity from fights over who can use it.
Indigenous artist Harold Thomas created the flag in 1971 as a protest image. It is used as the dominant Aboriginal emblem and an official national flag. Now, the flag can be reproduced by anyone without fear of legal threats.

Notes:
Researchers have recently found scientific evidence of a strong anti-cancer activity in the ethyl acetate fraction of Halodule uninervis.
It is a species of sea-grass found in the coastal region near Rameswaram in southern Tamil Nadu. It evaluated the activity of the species against various human cancer cell lines, including malignant melanoma, lung, cervix, carcinoma and colorectal cancers.

Notes:
After massive protests, the Serbia government has cancelled the licenses for lithium mining to Rio Tinto, a multi-national mining organisation.
The Jadar is a river in western Serbia, 75 km long tributary of the Drina river. Serbians staged protests against Rio Tinto’s plans to mine lithium in the Jadar valley near Lozinca town in the country.

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 National Conference on Agriculture for Summer Campaign 2021-22 was held through video conference. It is also called as Zaid Conference. Zaid crops are grown between Kharif and Rabi Seasons
Union Agriculture Minister Narendra Kumar Tomar attended the conference. The objective is to review the crop performance during the preceding crop seasons and fix crop-wise targets for the next summer season in consultation with State Governments.

Notes:
The Lok Sabha secretariat has launched a new app, Digital Sansad, which enables people to follow the proceedings in Parliament.
It also contains the live telecast of Sansad proceedings. Citizens can access general information on MPs, on budget speeches since 1947, House discussions from 12th Lok Sabha to 17th Lok Sabha.The app will also help members of parliament access services such as checking personal updates.