Current Affairs Quiz - October, 2021

Notes:
The Nobel Prize for Physics 2021 has been awarded recently, in which Syukuro Manabe and Klaus Hasselmann have been jointly awarded one half of the prize for “physical modelling of Earth’s climate, quantifying variability and reliably predicting global warming”.
The other half of the prize has been awarded to Giorgio Parisi for “the discovery of the interplay of disorder and fluctuations in physical systems from atomic to planetary scales”.

Notes:
The two-day Online Meeting of Range countries began to strengthen the conservation actions for migratory birds and their habitats in the Central Asian Flyway.
Central Asian Flyway (CAF) covers a large area of Eurasia between the Arctic and Indian Oceans. This area comprises several important migration routes of birds. There are 30 countries under the Central Asian Flyway, including India. India organised two-day online meeting on 6th -7th October 2021 with CAF Range Countries.

Notes:
India is set to assume the G20 Presidency in 2023. New Delhi-based Indian Council for Research on International Economic Relations ICRIER’s 13th Annual International G20 Conference was held recently.
It was attended by the Union Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman. Emerging market economies will hold the G20 presidency till 2025, with Indonesia in 2022 and India in 2023.

Notes:
The Reserve Bank of India has increased the fund transfer limit from Rs.2 lakh to Rs.5 lakh under the Immediate Payment Service (IMPS). This decision has been made by the Reserve Bank keeping in view the instant domestic payment which can be made using IMPS and to enhance convenience of users.
The IMPS facility is provided by National Payments Corporation of India (NPCI).

Notes:
Darwin’s ground sloth (Mylodon darwinii), lived in South America between 1.8 million years and 12,000 years ago.
Though the six living sloth species are relatively small and herbivorous tree-dwellers, some species roamed from Alaska to South America. As per findings of a recent study, the extinct species was between 3 and 4 m long and weighed between 1 and 2 tons. The study also contradicts that all sloths were necessarily herbivores.

 

Notes:
The World Health Organisation (WHO) releases a new report every three years. Titled ‘Mental Health Atlas’, is a compilation of data provided by countries around the world on mental health policies, financing, human resources, availability and utilization of services and data collection systems. It also has new targets for 2030.
It serves as a guide for countries for the development and planning of mental health services. It includes data on newly-added indicators on service coverage, mental health integration into primary health care, preparedness for the provision of mental health and psychosocial support in emergencies and research on mental health. It also includes

Notes:
New Delhi has launched a patrolling operation named ‘Operation Satark’, to combat and prevent crime and make public places safer.
The South-West district Police has launched this patrolling operation, where senior officials including women officers will be patrolling on foot. This is aimed to enable a thorough check on nuisance creators and provide confidence among the public.

Notes:
Australian Square Kilometre Array Pathfinder, known as ASKAP, is a radio telescope situated at the Murchison Radio-astronomy Observatory in Australia. It is run by Commonwealth Scientific and Industrial Research Organisation (CSIRO), Australian Government agency.
Recently, using this telescope, Astronomers have discovered unusual signals coming from the direction of the Milky Way’s center. This new signal had very high polarisation and varying brightness. It was named as ‘ASKAP J173608.2-321635’.

Notes:
The Aerial Archaeological Mapping Explorer has been launched to offer virtual flights over ancient landscapes. The digital aerial archaeology tool will allow users to see landscapes from England’s past.
Historic England, the agency that looks after the tool, enables people to discover previously unknown details through virtual flights over England, about local landscapes, including prehistoric hill forts, Roman settlements and cold war military stations etc.

Notes:
India Exim Bank conducted a study titled “Prospects for Enhancing India Japan Trade Relations”. It has highlighted that over the past decade, India’s total trade with Japan has increased from $10 billion to almost $18 billion, with exports valued at US$ 5 billion and imports $ 13 billion in 2019.
It also noted that despite having a Comprehensive Economic Partnership Agreement (CEPA) with Japan, India is undergoing a persistent trade deficit with Japan, which has doubled during the decade, to almost US$ 8 billion in 2019.