Current Affairs Quiz - November, 2021

Notes:
The International think tank International Institute for Democracy and Electoral Assistance (IDEA) released its report titled “Global State of Democracy 2021”.
It added the United States to its annual list of “backsliding” democracies for the first time. It also stated that their data suggests that the backsliding episode began at least in 2019. As of 2021, the world will have 98 democracies, the lowest number in many years, some countries like India, the Philippines and the USA imposed measures that amount to democratic violations.

Notes:
Ministry of Panchayat Raj, in association with National Institute of Rural Development and Panchayat Raj, Hyderabad and other partners organised one day National Consultative Workshop on Citizen Charter and Delivery of Services by Panchayats.
Participants from 16 States signed the ‘Mysuru Declaration Service Delivery by Panchayats’ and resolved to launch the Common Minimum Service delivery by Panchayats across the country from April 1, 2022.

Notes:
Odisha’s state cabinet approved the maiden Odisha Electronics Policy 2021 to promote the development of the electronics and electronics manufacturing sector.
The policy aims to promote innovation and investment in the electronics sector. It assures capital investment subsidy ranging from Rs 10 crore to Rs 250 crore to electronics system design and manufacturing (ESDM) units. It also guarantees production-linked incentives.

Notes:
Kangxiwar Martyrs’ Cemetery is a high-altitude military cemetery in Xinjiang which houses the tombs of over 100 Chinese soldiers who died fighting Indian troops during 1962 war and in the Galwan Valley clash.
The cemetery is being renovated to serve as a base for patriotic education. Communist Party of China (CPC) designated the cemetery as CPC education base.

Notes:
The President of USA Joe Biden has ordered to release 50 million barrels of oil from its U.S. strategic reserves. This announcement has been made to cool down the increasing oil prices.
The USA has stated that this is a coordinated step along with major oil consumers like India, Japan, China etc.

Notes:
The American space agency NASA has launched the first ever spacecraft to deflect an asteroid from its path.
Under the mission named Double Asteroid Redirection Test (DART), a robo spacecraft was carried by a SpaceX-owned Falcon 9 rocket, with a plan to crash the robot spacecraft into the moonlet Dimorphos at a speed of 15,000mph thereby changing its path by a fraction. If successful, this would be the world’s first planetary defence system.

Notes:
Ministry of Labour and Employment recently released a new series of Wage Rate Index (WRI) with base year 2016.
It is compiled and maintained by the Labour Bureau, an attached office of the Labour Ministry. The new series of WRI with base 2016 will replace the old series with base 1963-65.  The base year is revised to make the economic indicators reflect the changes in the economy.

Notes:
Kaririavis mater lived in the present-day Brazil some 115 million years ago. It was living during the Cretaceous period when the supercontinent Gondwana (which included the South America, Africa, Australia, Antarctica and India) was splitting.
The fossilized remains of Kaririavis mater (an isolated right foot with some feathers) were recovered from the Crato Formation at Pedra Branca Mine, in Brazil’s Ceará recently.

Notes:
The World Health Organization on November 26 declared the recently-discovered B.1.1.529 strain of COVID-19 to be a variant of concern and renamed it Omicron.
The strain has been first detected in southern Africa and this classification puts Omicron into the most-troubling category of COVID-19 variants, along with the dominant Delta along with its weaker rivals Alpha, Beta and Gamma.

Notes:
The Prichal docking module arrived at the International Space Station propelled by a modified Russian Progress propulsion compartment.
Prichal has five docking ports to accommodate multiple Russian spacecraft and provide fuel transfer capability to the Nauka module. Nauka has been named for the Russian word for “Science,”, and was launched to the space station in July.