Current Affairs Quiz - October, 2021

Notes:
A set of 136 countries including India have set a minimum global tax of 15% for big companies. This sets a floor tax rate for these countries to attract investment and prevents countries from levying tax at a lower rate to multinational companies.
By many countries including the USA, this move is seen as a level playing field and this rate is lower than the corporate tax rate of 23.5% in many countries.

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:
NITI Aayog released a ‘Handbook on sustainable urban plastic waste management, jointly released with United Nations Development Programme (UNDP).
Niti Aayog suggested urban local bodies to adopt the material recovery facility (MRF) model & operate it as a public-private partnership model. A materials recovery facility, also called as a materials reclamation facility or recycling facility is a specialized plant that receives, separates, and prepares recyclable materials for marketing to end-user manufacturers.

Notes:
Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal recently launched the ‘Desh ke Mentor’ programme to provide career guidance to the students of class 9 to 12.
The Delhi government school students will be mentored by subject experts for providing various career options. Every mentor will adopt up to 10 students to provide career counselling. Actor Sonu Sood has been named by the Delhi government as the brand ambassador of the initiative.

 

Notes:
The 6th ministerial meeting of the Conference on Interaction and Confidence-Building Measures in Asia (CICA) began in Nur-Sultan, the capital city of Kazakhstan.
The CICA is an intergovernmental forum aimed at strengthening regional cooperation and ensuring peace, security, and stability in Asia. The first CICA summit was held in June of 2002. The members include 27 Asian countries, including India, China, Russia, nine observer states, and five international organizations.

Notes:
The Naval forces of China and Russia have commenced the “The Naval Interaction-2021” joint Naval exercise, which aims to enhance the two country’s capability and hone their skills to jointly deal with maritime security threats.
The exercise is taking place at Russia’s Peter the Great Gulf in the Sea of Japan.

Notes:
World Sight Day is observed annually on the second Thursday of October. This year, the Day is observed on October 14.
It is a global event which aims to create awareness on blindness and vision impairment. It was originally initiated by the Sight First Campaign of Lions Club International Foundation in 2000. The theme for World Sight Day 2021 is ‘Love Your Eyes’.

Notes:
Nebra Sky Disc is said to be the oldest map of stars available on earth and is set to be displayed at the British Museum at London.
It is said that the disc was buried along with two swords, axes, two spiral arm-rings near Nebra in Germany about 3600 years ago. It is thought to be buried as a dedication to God.

Notes:
Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez announced a 100-million-euro ($116 million) mental healthcare drive, including 24-hour suicide helpline.
La Lloreria, or the Crying Room was inaugurated in Madrid, which aims to remove the attached to mental health, crying and seeking help. As per Government Data, In 2019, as many as 3,671 people died from suicide in Spain. One in 10 adolescents has been diagnosed with a mental health condition.

Notes:
Allium negianum, a plant discovered in Uttarakhand in the year 2019 has been recently confirmed as a new species of Allium, in journal PhytoKeys.
Allium is the genus that includes many foods such as onion and garlic, among 1,100 species globally. It was discovered in the Chamoli district of Uttarakhand. It grows at 3,000 to 4,800 m above sea level. The scientific name Allium negianum honours late Dr Kuldeep Singh Negi, an explorer and Allium collector.