Current Affairs Quiz - October, 2021

Notes:
The Indian Army has bagged a gold medal at the Cambrian Patrol Exercise, which was held in the UK. The 4/5 Gorkha Rifles represented the Indian Army in the exercise.
The competition witnessed representation from 96-armed force teams of nations across the globe. This competition tests the ultimate levels of human endurance and team spirit and is considered as the “Olympics of military patrolling”.

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:
People of Thailand are using capsules of a herbal medicine called green chiretta (Andrographis paniculata) to treat asymptomatic and mild COVID.
In Thailand, Green chiretta – nicknamed the “king of bitters” is a common herbal medicine. In early 1990s, researchers concluded after a clinical trial that chiretta is equally effective as paracetamol to treat fever and sore throat in patients with inflammation of the pharynx and tonsils.

Notes:
Every year, the Uttar Pradesh state conducts State-level Sugarcane competition to award farmers for high yield per hectare.
This year, a farmer from western Uttar Pradesh has won the State cane competition with a sugarcane yield of 2,635 quintal per hectare. The award is given in four categories namely: ratoon, early plant, general plant and drip irrigation.

Notes:
Barbados has elected its first-ever president Sandra Mason to replace Britain’s Queen Elizabeth as head of state.
Barbados is a former British colony that gained independence in 1966 but had maintained ties with the British monarchy. There have been calls from across the country for full sovereignty and homegrown leadership. Sandra Mason was a former jurist who has been governor-general of the country since 2018.

Notes:
Saudi Arabia has announced plans to massive new theme park, or ‘Extreme Park’. Named “The Rig”, it is claimed to be massive new theme park.
The country also announced earlier that they were developing a new city with the world’s fastest roller coaster in 2023. Dubai, a major city of the UAE is known for the entertainment attractions including the Burj Khalifa. It plans to convert an oil rig into a massive 1.6 million-square-foot, to be opened in 2025.

Notes:
The United States has recently released the first-ever National Intelligence Estimate (NIE) on climate. As per the report, India has been categorised as a ‘country of concern’ along with 10 other countries.
The other countries on the list are Afghanistan, Guatemala, Haiti, Honduras, Iraq, Pakistan, Nicaragua, Colombia, Myanmar and North Korea. The report has also named two regions of concern, countries on the African continent.

Notes:
The Reserve Bank of India has proposed minimum 11.5% capital for the four all India financial institutions (AIFI). Minimum total capital is proposed at 9% along with minimum capital buffer at 2.5%.
This proposal has been made in line with Basel III framework to raise their financial strength in periods of stress. The new capital norms would be applicable to Exim Bank, NABARD, NHB and SIDBI from the next fiscal year.

Notes:
Uttar Pradesh has reported the first case of Zika virus recently from Kanpur. A warrant officer in the Indian Air Force (IAF) was diagnosed with the virus infection.
Kerala was the first state to have reported a case of Zika virus in a pregnant woman on July 8, and a high alert was subsequenty issued in the state. In August, Maharashtra reported its first case after a 50-year-old woman from Pune positive for the infection Kerala has reported more than 60 Zika virus cases, so far.

Notes:
The Reserve Bank of India issued a new set of rules for non-banking finance companies (NBFCs). It includes limiting the lending to IPO investors to Rs 1 crore per borrower from April 1, 2022.
At present some high-net-worth individuals have been borrowing in excess of Rs 100 crore, from NBFCs for investing in IPOs. These curbs are a part of RBI’s “scale-based regulations”, which aim to mitigate systemic risks.