Current Affairs Quiz - September, 2021

Notes:
Thailand Prime Minister Prayuth Chan-ocha won votes of confidence in Parliament, which would help him to steady his government. The Government has been facing criticism in response to the coronavirus pandemic.

Prayuth and his government had survived two other no-confidence debates since the 2019 general election. Pro-democracy activists have been opposing his policies have been seeking his resignation since last year.

Notes:
The 28th edition of Singapore-India Maritime Bilateral Exercise (SIMBEX) was held at South China Sea. Due to the COVID pandemic, this year’s SIMBEX was conducted as an ‘at-sea only’ exercise without any physical intervention.

SIMBEX is the Indian Navy’s oldest bilateral maritime exercise with a foreign country.

Notes:
Suhas Lalinakere Yathiraj, current district magistrate of Noida, has become the first IAS officer to win Paralympics medal. He lost gold to top seed Lucas Mazur of France in the men’s singles SL4 class final at the Tokyo Paralympics on September 5. In the Tokyo Paralympics, India has won 19 medals.

Notes:
Union Minister of Fisheries, Animal Husbandry and Dairying, Parshottam Rupala, has chaired a review meeting with Uttar Pradesh State Animal Husbandry and Dairying Minister. He reviewed the implementation of animal husbandry and dairy schemes in the state and also took stock of the proposals in respect of animal husbandry and dairying. The state has been advised to focus on creating rural Entrepreneurship and better livelihood opportunity for unemployed youth and livestock farmers and to further expand the existing Pashu Bima and to promote Kisan Credit card for livestock farmers.

Notes:
The world’s largest plant designed to suck carbon dioxide out of the air and turning it into rock started running in Iceland. The plant, named Orca, after the Icelandic word “orka” meaning “energy”, consists of four units, each made up of two metal boxes, similar in appearance to the containers used for maritime transport. World’s Largest Plant Capturing Carbon Dioxide From Air Starts In Iceland A facility for capturing carbon dioxide from air. (Reuters File) 3 Reykjavik: The world’s largest plant designed to suck carbon dioxide out of the air and turning it into rock started running on Wednesday, the companies behind the plant said. The plant, named Orca, after the Icelandic word “orka” meaning “energy”, consists of four units, each made up of two metal boxes, similar in appearance to the containers used for maritime transport. Constructed by Switzerland’s Climeworks and Iceland’s Carbfix, when operating at capacity the plant will draw 4,000 tonnes of carbon dioxide (CO2) out of the air every year.

 

Notes:
The government has constituted an eight-member panel for framing a new law for drugs, cosmetics and medical devices. The panel is being headed by Drugs Controller General of India (DCGI) Dr V G Somani. The Drugs and Cosmetics Act, 1940, regulates the import, manufacture, distribution and sale of drugs, cosmetics and medical devices. This Act is amended from time to time. The last amendment in the Act was made in 2008.

Notes:
India and the United States have agreed to expand their energy partnership by adding emerging fuels to the list of areas of cooperation that previously included power and energy efficiency, oil and gas, renewable energy and sustainable growth. Minister of Petroleum and Natural Gas Hardeep Singh Puri co-chaired a virtual Ministerial meeting with the U.S. Secretary of Energy Jennifer Granholm to launch the revamped U.S.-India Strategic Clean Energy Partnership (SCEP).

Notes:
India and Japan held their sixth Maritime Affairs Dialogue in a virtual format on September 9, 2021. The consultations involved exchanges on developments in the maritime security environment, regional cooperation activities and opportunities for cooperation between the two countries in the Indo-Pacific region.

Notes:
Veteran India sports administrator Randhir Singh has been appointed as acting president of the Olympic Council of Asia (OCA) after incumbent Sheikh Ahmad al-Fahad al-Sabah had to step aside after being found guilty of forgery by a Geneva Court. He had served as Secretary General of the OCA for 24 years from 1991 to 2015. The 72-year-old Mr. Singh, a five-time Olympian shooter, is currently an Honorary Life Vice-President of the OCA. He also served as the Secretary General of the Indian Olympic Association (IOA) from 1987 to 2012 and was a full member of the International Olympic Committee from 2001 to 2014 before becoming its honorary member.

Notes:
Hyderabad-based International Crops Research Institute for the Semi-Arid Tropics (ICRISAT) has been awarded the Africa Food Prize 2021 for improving food security in sub-Saharan Africa. The award was given away at the Africa Forum for Green Revolution (AGRF) 2021 Summit that is underway in Nairobi, Kenya. ICRISAT got the award for the Tropical Legumes Project that has improved food security across 13 countries in sub-Saharan Africa. ICRISAT has its headquarters at Patancheru on the outskirts of Hyderabad.