Current Affairs Quiz - July, 2021

Notes:
China has banned construction of skyscrapers that are taller than 500 meters, following the rising concerns about public safety in the country.
These new mandates come after the near 300-metre-high Shenzhen Electronics Group Plaza, one of China’s tallest skyscrapers, was evacuated recently after it began to shake. All local authorities are directed to strictly limit construction of towers taller than 250 metres, citing quality concerns and public safety hazards.

Notes:
The #Benderaputih (white flag) campaign is being undertaken in Malaysia, which has gained momentum on social media. It aims to encourage people to help others in distress during the long lockdown in Malaysia.
In response to the white flag campaign, neighbours, businesses, politicians and celebrities have stepped in to donate to the needy people. Malaysia has reported more than 7,85,000 cases of COVID-19, the third-highest numbers in Southeast Asia.

Notes:
A team of scientists from the University of California, Los Angeles (UCLA) recently reported real-world results on SwabSeq, a testing platform.
It uses sequencing to test thousands of samples at a time, to detect the coronavirus. They were able to perform more than 80,000 tests in less than two months, with high sensitivity and specificity. SwabSeq uses sample-specific molecular barcodes to simultaneously analyse thousands of samples.

Notes:
The third ASEAN (Association of Southeast Asian Nations) Conference on Biodiversity was held recently. The fifth and the final session of the Conference focussed on the theme of ‘Towards 2050: Living in Harmony with Nature.’
As per the ASEAN nations, developing countries will need resources for proper implementation of the Post-2020 Global Biodiversity Framework. The ASEAN includes 10 countries: Brunei, Cambodia, Indonesia, Laos, Malaysia, Myanmar, the Philippines, Singapore, Thailand and Vietnam.

Notes:
UNICEF has recently released a report titled ‘Suffering in Silence’, to highlight the plight of Niger during Covid-19. As per the report, more than 2.1 million children need humanitarian help in the country.
In 2021, 3.8 million people will need humanitarian assistance in Niger. In addition to the armed conflict, displacement, floods, diseases and malnutrition, Niger has also been affected by the impacts of Covid-19 recently.

Notes:
The Bunder mining project is a proposed diamond mining project in the Buxwaha protected forest region in Chhatarpur district of Madhya Pradesh.
The mining project was awarded by the state to Essel Mining & Industries Limited, an Aditya Birla Group’s company, in 2019. Environmentalists fear that the project may have a greater ecological impact on the region. The Bundelkhand region, where the project is proposed is already water-depleted.

Notes:
In the seaside town of Blokhus – Denmark, the world’s tallest sandcastle has been built. The castle is more than 20 metres in height and has been built using nearly 5,000 tonnes of sand.
This is 3 metres taller than one built in Germany in 2019, which was previously the tallest sand castle to be built on earth.

Notes:
Chinese port city of Qingdao, which was making news recently, has a massive algae boom is threatening sea life, tourism, and water transport
In response to that, China has deployed thousands of boats and machines to deal with the massive algae bloom. As per the environmentalists, the. Climate change and pollution contributed to the production of the organic matter which contains micro-organisms and can flourish when nutrient-rich sewage flows into seawater.

Notes:
Shyam Srinivasan was re-appointed as the Managing director (MD) and Chief executive officer (CEO) of Federal Bank.
Federal Bank has received the approval from Reserve Bank of India (RBI) for his re-appointment as MD and CEO of the bank for a period of three years with effect from 23 September 2021 till 22 September 2024.

Notes:
India’s first cryptogamic garden, with nearly 50 species of lichens, ferns and fungi was inaugurated in Dehradun, Uttarakhand.
Cryptogamae means “hidden reproduction” and cryptogamic garden has plants which bear no flowers and no seeds. Algae, bryophytes, lichens, ferns and fungi are commonly known groups of cryptogams that require moist conditions to survive.