Current Affairs Quiz - March, 2021

Notes:
The United Nations Security Council (UNSC) has urged the government of Somalia to conduct general elections in the country without any delay. The UNSC has also stressed upon the threat to Somalia from al-Shabab and armed opposition groups.
A resolution in this regard has been passed and adopted unanimously by the UNSC.

Notes:
The QUAD leaders (i.e) United States of America, India, Australia and Japan have recently agreed upon pool financing for manufacture of 1 billion coronavirus vaccines and distributing it across the Asian continent by end of 2022.
It has been proposed that Indian manufacturing capacities would be used to manufacture US vaccines with financial assistance from International Development Finance Corporation and the Japan Bank for International Cooperation.

Notes:
The Board for Financial Supervision (BFS) has reviewed the performance of IDBI Bank recently. It was found that the Bank has not breached any PCA (Prompt Corrective Action) parameters in terms of regulatory capital, Net NPA and Leverage.
Hence, the bank has been taken out of the PCA framework, subject to some terms and conditions.

Notes:
India’s foreign-exchange reserves surpassed that of Russia to become the world’s fourth largest. India’s central bank the RBI continues to hoard dollars to cushion against any sudden outflows.
India’s foreign currency reserves reached USD 580.3 billion as of March 5, surpassing Russia’s USD 580.1 billion holdings. China has the largest forex reserves, followed by Japan and Switzerland.

Notes:
Recently, a scientist from Hong Kong has developed a technology of Retinal eye scanning that can detect autism at very early stages of life.
The technology makes use of machine learning and artificial intelligence to scan retinas of children thus enabling early detection and treatment of autism.

Notes:
The Union Cabinet approved the Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) signed between the Union Ministry of Youth Affairs and Sports and its counterpart in Maldives for cooperation in Sports and Youth Affairs.
The MoU, which was signed in November last year, aims to promote exchange programmes in the field of sports and youth affairs.

Notes:
Rajya Sabha passed the Medical Termination of Pregnancy (Amendment) Bill, 2020, to raise the upper limit for permitting abortions from the present 20 weeks to 24 weeks.
This limit is applicable for special categories of women including rape survivors, victims of incest, minors and the differently-abled. The bill was passed by Lok Sabha about a year ago.

Notes:
India’s Union Minister of Health Dr. Dr.Harsh Vardhan has been appointed as the chairman of the Stop TB Partnership Board, in recognition of his efforts to eliminate TB in the country. He will serve a three-year term as the chairperson.
The Stop TB Partnership is a unique international body that is mandated to eliminate Tuberculosis as a public health problem. It was established in the year 2000.

Notes:
Pritzker Prize is the highest international honour given in the field of Architecture. The 2021 Pritzker Architecture Prize, has been granted to Anne Lacaton and Jean-Philippe Vassal.
The French duo winners are the founders of Lacaton & Vassal, and are famous for their multiple sustainable housing projects. Chairman of The Hyatt Foundation announced the winners and Anne Lacaton became the first French female architect to ever win the award.

Notes:
Italy has signed the International Solar Alliance under the amended ISA Framework Agreement. As per the amendments to the Framework Agreement, all Member States of the UN can become members of the UN.
The International Solar Alliance was launched jointly by the Indian Prime Minister and the French President during the 2015 United Nations Climate Change Conference (COP21) in Paris.