Current Affairs Quiz - October, 2021

Notes:
The Centre for Development of Telematics is an Indian Government owned telecommunications technology development centre.  It is headquartered at New Delhi.
C-DOT has been asked to start working on 6G technologies which is said to be 50 times faster than 5G and other futuristic technologies. Union Telecom Secretary recently inaugurated C-DOT’s Quantum Communication Lab and launched the indigenously developed Quantum Key Distribution (QKD) solution.

Notes:
Karuppur Kalamkari paintings and wood carvings of Kallakurichi, both belonging to the state of Tamil Nadu have received geographical indication or GI tag, from the Government of India.
GI tag is awarded to products of specific geographical origin and it adds significance to the product. It is regulated under the Geographical Indications registration is administered by the Geographical Indications of Goods (Registration and Protection) Act of 1999.

Notes:
Jezero crater is known to be a dry, wind-eroded depression in the surface of Mars. However, the first scientific analysis of images taken by NASA’s Perseverance rover has now confirmed that the Jezero crater was once a quiet lake.
It says that the lake was fed steadily by a small river over 3.7 billion years ago. The images also reveal evidence that the crater underwent flash floods. The new analysis is based on images of the outcropping rocks inside the crater on its western side.

Notes:
Paleontologists have discovered the fossilized upper molar tooth of Hippopotamus antiquus from Westbury Cave, in the UK.
It is an extinct species of hippo that lived in Europe during a warm period between 2 and 1 million years ago. The species is said to had been much larger than the modern African hippo, weighing around 3 tons. It is known to have been more reliant on aquatic habitats.

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.

Notes:
Ernst & Young (EY) has released the 58th edition of “Renewable Energy Country Attractiveness Index”. This ranks world’s top 40 nations based on attractiveness of their renewable energy investment.
India has been ranked at 3rd position without a position change compared to last year’s rankings. USA and China have been placed in the top 2 spots.

Notes:
As per the International Monetary Fund’s ‘Fiscal Monitor’ Report, the global debt has jumped to a new high of USD 226 trillion. Advanced economies and China contributed more than 90 per cent to the accumulation of world-wide debt in 2020.
India’s debt increased from 68.9 per cent of its GDP in 2016 to 89.6 per cent in 2020. It is projected to jump to 90.6 per cent in 2021. The debt of governments, households and non-financial corporations added up to USD 226 trillion in 2020.This is the highest increase on record.

Notes:
The Union Home Ministry has recently enhanced the powers of the Border Security Force (BSF) to arrest, search and seize within 50 km from the international boundary in Assam, West Bengal and Punjab.
BSF is a Central armed police force under the Union. This power will also be applicable to the newly created Union Territories of Jammu and Kashmir and Ladakh. Earlier, the BSF’s limit was fixed up to 80 km from the international boundary in Gujarat and 15 km in Rajasthan, Punjab, West Bengal and Assam.

Notes:
The Union Ministry of Environment has released a draft notification on regulation of extended producer responsibility under the plastic waste management rules 2016. This covers three categories of plastics namely rigid plastic packaging: flexible plastic packaging of single layer / multilayer plastics.
As per the draft, quantity of waste that will have to be managed by producers and importers has been specified.