Current Affairs Quiz - September, 2021

Notes:

• India’s Ministry of Defence has signed a project agreement with the US Department of Defence for cooperation in the development of air-launched unmanned aerial vehicle (ALUAV).
• This Project Agreement for ALUAV is under the overall framework of the Defence Technology and Trade Initiative (DTTI).
• It also includes the collaboration between Air Force Research Laboratory, Indian Air Force, and DRDO in the process of co-developing an ALUAV Prototype

Notes:

• Eastern Economic Forum (EEF) is an annual meet held in Vladivostok, Russia.
• It aims to encourage foreign investments in Russia’s resource-rich but underdeveloped Far East regions.
• In 2019, PM Modi had announced a $1-billion line of credit for the Far East in 2019.
• The proposed Chennai-Vladivostok maritime corridor will promote tbe bilateral relationships together.
• Mazagon Docks Limited will partner with the Russian ship-building facility at Zvezda to build important commercial ships.
• India and Russia are partners in space exploration through the Gaganyaan programme.

Notes:

• Amazon India has launched the Kisan (farmer) store a store on its platform, meant exclusively for farmers.
• The Amazon Kisan store was launched by Agriculture Minister, Narendra Singh Tomar.
• Farmers can now buy farming tools, seeds, crop protection and other farming tools on the Amazon platform.
• This aims to make agri-inputs available to buyers at competitive prices with the added convenience of delivery at their doorstep.

Notes:

• The World Meteorological Organization (WMO) released the Atlas of Mortality and Economic Losses from Weather, Climate and Water Extremes (1970–2019).
• As per the report, every third death (35 per cent) from extreme weather, climate or water stress in half a century was in Africa.
• The African continent accounts for only 17 per cent of global population.
• Four droughts (1973 and 1983 in Ethiopia, 1981 in Mozambique and 1983 in Sudan) were responsible for 89 per cent of the total deaths in Africa from weather, climate and water extremes in the last 50 years.
• Almost 99 per cent of all reported deaths occurred in low-to-lower-middle-income countries in Africa.

Notes:

• The International Labour Organization has released its flagship report “World Social Protection Report 2020-22” Social protection at the crossroads – in pursuit of a better future”
• It highlights the developments across the globe in social protection systems, including the impact of COVID.
• The report has a special focus on universal social protection coverage and achievement of SDG 2030.
• The ILO is headquartered at Geneva, Switzerland.

Notes:
Kasai River is located in the Democratic Republic of Congo. It was seen in the news because the Kasai River had turned red recently.

The bodies of hippos and dead fish were seen floating in the river. The pollution was first detected in a tributary of the Kasai River, named the Tshikapa. The Kasai is a tributary of the Congo River. The pollution originates from a major spill at three mining facilities around in Angola. Researchers also fear the potential for lasting contamination of groundwater.

Notes:
Indian biologist Shailendra Singh has been awarded the Behler Turtle Conservation Award for bringing three critically endangered turtle conservation species back from the brink of extinction. The award has been bestowed by several global bodies involved in turtle conservation such as Turtle Survival Alliance, IUCN/SSC Tortoise and Freshwater Turtle Specialist Group, Turtle Conservancy, and the Turtle Conservation Fund.

Notes:
Some 28% of the 1,38,374 species assessed by the International Union for the Conservation of Nature (IUCN) for its survival watch list are now at high risk of vanishing forever. The IUCN World Conservation Congress 2020 is being held in Marseille, France from September 3 to 11, 2021. Habitat loss, over-exploitation and illegal trade have hammered global wildlife populations for decades, and climate change is now kicking in as a direct threat as well as reported by the IUCN. The event was originally scheduled in June, 2020 but was rescheduled due to the COVID-19 pandemic.

Notes:
Gujarat government has planned to undertake public welfare projects worth Rs. 1,000 crores jointly with non-resident Gujaratis which have to be completed by December 2022. The projects will be under the state government’s ‘Vatan Prem Yojana’. Vatan Prem Yojana is a repackaged version of Madar-e-Vatan scheme by the state government of Gujarat. The Vatan prem yojana will cover village-level projects such as: Smart classes in schools, Library Community hall, Primary health centres, CCTV surveillance system, Water recycling, drainage, sewage treatment and beautification of ponds, Solar energy powered streetlights, etc.

Notes:
The International Day of clean Air For Blue Skies was celebrated on September 7, 2021. The theme is “Healthy Air, Healthy Planet” which emphasizes the health aspects of air pollution, especially considering the COVID-19 pandemic. The day serves as a rallying call to action to align our efforts and claim our right to clean air. #HealthyAirHealthyPlanet. The day is facilitated by the United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP).