Current Affairs Quiz - May, 2021

Notes:
An MoU was signed by the Oil and Gas PSUs and Shri Badrinath Utthan Charitable Trust, to redevelop Badrinath Dham in Uttarakhand as a ‘Spiritual Smart Hill Town’.
The Oil and Gas PSUs include Indian Oil, Bharat Petroleum Corporation Limited (BPCL), Hindustan Petroleum Corporation Limited (HPCL), Oil and Natural Gas Corporation (ONGC), and GAIL.

Notes:
A new and endemic trap-jaw ant species named ‘Strumigenys ayersthey’ has been discovered in Ecuador.
The ant species can be distinguished by its smooth and shining cuticle surface and long trap-jaw mandibles. Ecuador is known for its highest animal and plant species diversity due to the three bio-regions present: The Amazon basin, the Chocó-Darién bioregion and the Tumbesian drylands.

Notes:
A cloudburst is an extreme amount of precipitation in a short period of time, which is capable of creating flood condition. It is sometimes accompanied by hail and thunder.
Several shops and houses are buried under the debris after the cloud burst incident in Uttarakhand’s Chamoli. State Disaster Response Fund (SDRF) is undertaking relief work in the affected regions.

Notes:
World Red Cross Day, also known as Red Crescent Day is celebrated on May 8 every year. This date marks the birth anniversary of Henry Dunant, the founder of the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC).
The day is celebrated by the Red Cross society across all the countries. The theme of World Red Cross Day 2021 is ‘Together we are unstoppable’!.

Notes:
China has recently suspended the China-Australia Strategic Economic Dialogue, amidst the strained relations between the two countries.
Bilateral ties were strained in the year 2018 when Australia became the first country to publicly ban Chinese tech giant Huawei from its 5G network. Last year, Australia called for an independent investigation into the origins of the novel coronavirus, which prompted trade retaliations from China.

Notes:
Thalassemia is an inherited blood disorder characterised by less oxygen-carrying protein- haemoglobin and less red blood cells in the body than normal.
May 8 is observed as World Thalassemia Day every year. The day commemorates the struggles of the patients suffering from this genetic disorder.

Notes:
The National Financial Reporting Authority (NFRA) has framed a provisional database of companies and auditors that come under its regulatory purview. This includes 6,500 companies, comprising listed companies, unlisted companies and insurance and banking companies.
The NFRA is an independent regulator that oversees auditing profession and accounting standards in India and has been constituted under the Companies Act 2013.

Notes:
The Union Ministry of Environment, Forest and Climate Change (MoEFCC) has notified 48.32 sq km around the Thane Creek Flamingo Sanctuary (TCFS) in Maharashtra as an eco-sensitive zone (ESZ).
Eco-Sensitive Zones are geographical areas within a radius of 10 kms around a protected area, a national park or a wildlife sanctuary, and are declared by the ministry under the provisions of Environment Protection Act 1986.

Notes:
Climate & Clean Air Coalition (CCAC) in association with the United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP) has launched a report named “Global Methane Assessment”.
The assessment report brings out the benefits of cutting methane emissions especially from the fossil fuel industry and its impacts of global warming.

Notes:
British racing driver Lewis Hamilton of Mercedes defeated Red Bull’s Max Verstappen in the Spanish Grand Prix 2021 tournament.
This is Lewis Hamilton’s third win in four races this season, the 98th of his career, after he set his 100th pole position. Max Verstappen finishes second with Valtteri Bottas in third place.