May 2nd Week 2021 Current Affairs Online Test English

Explanation

• Significant Economic Presence (SEP) principle was introduced in the Finance Bill 2018–19. It widened the scope of ‘business connection’ to include download of data or software, if aggregate payments from such transactions exceed a prescribed amount, or a prescribed number of users. India recently notified a revenue threshold of Rs 2 crore and a limit of 300,000 users for non–resident technology firms such as Google, Facebook, to pay tax in India.

Explanation

• India and UK announced 1 billion pounds (USD1.4 billion) of private–sector trade and investment. It also includes a 240 million pounds investment by the Serum Institute of India The Serum Institute, in collaboration with Codagenix, has begun early–stage trials of a one–dose nasal vaccine against Covid–19. Trade between the India and UK accounts for about 23 billion pounds annually.

Explanation

• In India, 100% FDI has been allowed for roads and highways sector allowed under the automatic route. Recently, Union Road Transport and Highways Ministry has set a target of road construction worth Rs 15 lakh crores in next two years. The Ministry also aims to achieve the target of 40 kilometres per day of highways construction, in the current year.

Explanation

• The World Health Organisation, through its Emergency Use Listing (EUL) procedure, allows countries to use their own regulatory approval processes to import and administer the vaccine. It also enables UNICEF and Health Organizations to procure the vaccine for distribution to needy countries. WHO has recently given the approval for emergency use of Moderna’s COVID–19 vaccine.

Explanation

• The OECD (Organisation for Economic Co–operation and Development) has reported that FDI globally has plunged to a 15 year low in the year 2020 and has dropped by 38% compared to previous years. Among the nations, China has emerged as the leading FDI destination in 2020 and has overtaken the USA in this regard.

Explanation

• A team of palaeontologists has identified a new species of hadrosaur or duck–billed dinosaur, Yamatosaurus izanagii, on one of the southern islands of Japan. This discovery suggests new information about hadrosaur migration that the animals migrated from Asia to North America. It also highlights that the giant creatures evolved from walking upright to walking on all four limbs.

Explanation

• The United States’ National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration has released the new climate normal. The data reveal that weather across the US is getting warmer. NOAA releases the climate normals every 10 years and they reflect the data from the past 30 years. The recently released data set comprises of the average temperature, precipitation and rainfall from 1991 to 2020.

Explanation

• As a part of the Operation Samudra Setu II, INS Kolkata arrived Port Shuwaikh, Kuwait and will bring Liquid Medical Oxygen and medical supplies from Kuwait. Earlier the ship had boarded 200 bottles of oxygen and 43 oxygen concentrators from Doha, Qatar. Indian Navy has deployed seven Indian Naval ships for shipment of liquid medical oxygen from friendly countries.

Explanation

• Eight Asiatic lions at Hyderabad’s Nehru Zoological Park have tested positive for Covid–19. This is the first case of lions or any other animals testing positive for the coronavirus infection in an Indian zoo.
• The samples were tested by Centre for Cellular and Molecular Biology (CCMB) and the RT–PCR tests turned out to be positive for COVID–19. However, there is no factual evidence that animals can transmit the disease to humans.

Explanation

• Scientists have discovered a new species of insectivorous mammal, a white–toothed shrew, from Narcondam Island of the Andaman and Nicobar group of islands. Shrews are small and mouse–like mammals with insects as the primary diet. This is the first discovery of a shrew from this volcanic island (Narcondam Island) and it increases the number of White–toothed shrew species in India from 11 to 12.

Explanation

• The Government of India’s Department of Telecommunications (DoT), has permitted telecommunication companies to conduct trials for 5G technology in India. These companies would conduct trials in rural, semi–urban and urban regions for a period of six month, which includes a 2 months’ time for procurement and setting up of equipment.

Explanation

• The First supply of UCO (Used Cooking Oil) based Biodiesel blended Diesel was flagged off recently from Indian Oil’s Tikrikalan Terminal, New Delhi. The flagging off ceremony was presided over by Minister of Petroleum & Natural Gas and Steel, Shri Dharmendra Pradhan. Earlier in 2019, petroleum and health ministries had initiated Expressions of Interest for “Procurement of Biodiesel produced from Used Cooking Oil”. IOCL has received 51KL of UCO–Biodiesel till March 2021.

Explanation

• World Asthma Day (WAD) is organized by the Global Initiative for Asthma, (GINA). It is a World Health Organization collaborative organization founded in 1993.
• Every year World Asthma Day is organised on May 5, every year, to raise awareness of Asthma worldwide. This year’s World Asthma Day theme is “Uncovering Asthma Misconceptions”. WHO estimates that over 339 million people had Asthma globally.

Explanation

• The International Firefighters’ Day (IFFD) is observed every year on May 4 to recognize and honour the sacrifices that firefighters make to ensure that our communities and environment are as safe as possible. It was instituted after a proposal was emailed out across the world on January 4, 1999 due to the deaths of five firefighters in tragic circumstances in a bushfire in Australia.

Explanation

• The East India Company exploited the Raniganj coalfield along the western bank of Damodar River, West Bengal, thereby starting the Coal mining in India in 1774. Every year, Coal Miners Day is observed on May 4 in solidarity with the miners working in coal fields.

Explanation

• The International No Diet Day is observed every year on May 6 to promote a healthy life style and to raise awareness of the potential dangers of dieting and the unlikelihood of success. Its symbol is a light blue ribbon.

Explanation

• The crops that are sown in the rainy season are called kharif crops in India. They are also known as the summer or monsoon crop. Kharif crops are usually sown with the beginning of the first rains in July, during the south–west monsoon season.
• Tur/arhar (pigeon pea), urad (black matpe) and moong (green gram) are the major pulses in this season. The Ministry of Agriculture has recently formulated a special Kharif strategy to attain self–sufficiency in the production of pulses.

Explanation

• The Climate Action Tracker analysis said that the world will warm by 2.4C by the year 2100. This is only 0.2C less than the temperature without global action. But the estimate is much higher than the 1.5C goal agreed under the Paris Agreement on climate change, signed in 2016. Its report also suggested that the 1.5C target is still possible, but it requires action from major nations.

Explanation

• Several countries have approached the World Trade Organization (WTO) regarding the waiver of intellectual property (IP) protection for Covid–19 vaccines. Recently, the United States announced support for waiving IP protection for COVID–19 vaccines. US will pursue negotiations on the waiver at the WTO. All 164 WTO members must agree on the draft, and any one member can veto it.
• The DDoS attack started on 4 May and targeted Belnet, the government–funded ISP provider for the country’s educational institutions and government services.

Explanation

• A Distributed Denial of Service (DDoS) attack is an attempt to make an online service unavailable by overwhelming it with traffic from multiple sources. A massive DDoS attack affected the websites of over 200 organisations across Belgium, including government, parliament, universities and research institutes.

Explanation

• NASA’s Parker Solar Probe detected a natural radio signal, while flying through the upper atmosphere of Venus. This was the first direct measurement of the atmosphere of Venus in nearly 30 years. This recent glimpse looks very different from the past portrayal of the planet. The upper atmosphere of Venus undergoes a lot of changes and hence is different from the Earth.

Explanation

• The Cabinet Committee on Economic Affairs (CCEA), chaired by Prime Minister Narendra Modi, has given its in–principle approval for strategic disinvestment along with transfer of management control in IDBI Bank. However, the extent of shareholding to be divested by the Government of India and LIC shall be decided at the time of the transaction in consultation with Reserve Bank of India (RBI).

Explanation

• Manas Bihari Verma – a reputed aeronautical scientist and Padma Shri Awardee died recently of suffering a massive heart attack. He was 78 years old. He has been the man behind the country’s first Light Combat Aircraft (LCA) ‘Tejas’ and has closely worked with former president Dr.APJ Abdul Kalam.

Explanation

• India and UK have jointly adopted ‘Roadmap 2030’, during a virtual bilateral between Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi and British counterpart Boris Johnson. The two leaders pledged to elevate this road map into a comprehensive strategic partnership. An Enhanced Trade Partnership was also announced by the two leaders along with an intent to form a comprehensive Free Trade Agreement (FTA).

Explanation

• Channel Islands are an archipelago in the English Channel, located between France and the UK, 22 kilometres from the coast of Normandy, France. They include two Crown dependencies: The Bailiwick of Jersey and the Bailiwick of Guernsey.
• They recognise Queen Elizabeth II as their head of state and the UK is responsible for the defence and international relations of the islands. Recently, 60 French fishing boats made a blockade in the Jersey islands, which followed a deployment of two Royal Navy vessels from the UK.

Explanation

• The Supreme Court has struck down West Bengal’s Housing Industry Regulation Act (HIRA) 2017, saying it was ‘unconstitutional’ as it is in direct conflict with the Centre’s Real Estate (Regulation and Development) Act (RERA). As per the verdict, Sections 88 and 89 of the RERA did not implicitly permit the states to create their own legislation creating a parallel regime.

Explanation

• Giant wood moth is the heaviest moth in the world, with the wingspan of about 23 cm. Their scientific name is ‘Endoxyla cinereus’ and they belong to the family of Cossidae. The moth is typically found in Australia and New Zealand.
• A giant moth with a wingspan measuring up to 25cm has been recently found at a Queensland school in Australia. They have an extremely short life cycle with only a few days. They die after mating and laying eggs.

Explanation

• The Lord’s Resistance Army (LRA) is a rebel group which operates in African countries including northern Uganda, South Sudan, the Central African Republic, and the Democratic Republic of the Congo.
• Recently in a landmark judgment, the international criminal court has sentenced a former militia leader from Uganda and commander in the Lord’s Resistance Army (LRA), to 25 years in prison after he was found guilty of war crimes and crimes against humanity.

Explanation

• Glyphosate is an herbicide, which used to kill weeds, especially used in cotton farms and to kill annual broadleaf weeds and grasses that compete with crops. The Telangana Government has imposed a total ban on glyphosate, a controversial herbicide, as the chemical’s rampant use, especially in cotton, is polluting soil and causing health hazards to human beings.

Explanation

• The United Nations food agency, the Food and Agriculture Organization releases the Food price index, which measures monthly changes for a basket of cereals, oilseeds, dairy products, meat and sugar. In the recent food price index, World food prices increased for an 11th consecutive month in April at 120.9 points.
• This is also the highest level of the index since May 2014. The rise in the main indices was led by the price rise of Sugar, as per the United Nations food agency.

Explanation

• IBM announced that it has created a 2–nanometer chip, which is the smallest and most powerful microchip ever developed. At present, most of the computer chips powering devices use 10–nanometer or 7–nanometer process technology.
• Some companies have introduced 5–nanometer chips. The lower the number, more advanced is the processor.

Explanation

• Thalassemia is an inherited blood disorder characterised by less oxygen–carrying protein– haemoglobin and less red blood cells in the body than normal. May 8 is observed as World Thalassemia Day every year. The day commemorates the struggles of the patients suffering from this genetic disorder.
• This years’ theme for the day is “Addressing Health Inequalities Across the Global Thalassemia Community”.

Explanation

• The Reserve Bank is to conduct the first auction for special long–term repo operations (SLTRO) of Rs 10,000 crore for Small Finance Banks (SFBs), at the repo rate, one auction each month. This will provide fresh lending of up to Rs 10 lakh per borrower and will support small business units, micro and small industries, and other unorganised sector entities. The facility will be available till October 31, 2021.

Explanation

• The World Health Organisation (WHO) finally granted the conditional approval to Sinopharm COVID–19 vaccine for emergency use. The Sinopharm vaccine, developed by China, was already authorised by 45 countries.
• China has approved five of its vaccines for emergency use and it is using Sinopharm and Sinovac vaccines for domestic use and export.

Explanation

• Ministry of Ayush is launching a massive nationwide campaign to distribute poly herbal Ayurvedic drug AYUSH 64 and Siddha drug Kabasura Kudineer, to benefit COVID patients, who are in home isolation. Kabasura Kudineer, a Siddha medicine was also subjected to clinical trials for studying the efficacy in Covid–19 patients by Central Council for Research in Siddha (CCRS) under Ministry of Ayush.

Explanation

• Health authorities in England has elevated one subtype of the Indian variant from under investigation category to a Variant of Concern (VOC). This step has been taken following a rise in the number of cases in the UK and evidence of community transmission. The original India variant officially known as B.1.617 was first detected in October, and the variant B.1.617.2 is found to have more transmission capacity.

Explanation

• The California condor is a vulture species belonging to ‘New World’ vulture species. It is the largest North American land bird. The bird is said to have become extinct in the wild in 1987. Recently, a flock of over 15 endangered California condors has reportedly descended on a house in the city of Tehachapi in California.

Explanation

• Climate & Clean Air Coalition (CCAC) in association with the United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP) has launched a report named “Global Methane Assessment”. The assessment report brings out the benefits of cutting methane emissions especially from the fossil fuel industry and its impacts of global warming.

Explanation

• Interpol has launched a mobile app named “ID–Art app”. This app would help identify stolen cultural property, reduce illicit trafficking, and increase the chances of recovering stolen works and artefacts. This has been designed to be used by law enforcement agencies across the globe to get access to the Interpol’s database of stolen works of art. It can also be accessed by the general public.

Explanation

• The European Investment Bank has entered into a pact with State Bank of India, for equity financing Indian small businesses which are focusses on climate change and sustainability. The pact has been signed for a value of Euro 100 million. The two banks have created a new fund named “NEEV FUND II” to implement this pact.

Explanation

• “XcodeGhost” is a malware, which is claimed for injecting malware into several iPhone and iPad apps that were subsequently uploaded to the App Store. It was originally found in 2015.
• Recently, more than 128 million iOS users were allegedly affected by the “XcodeGhost” malware. 55% of the affected users are in China while 18 million of them are in the U.S.

Explanation

• The Central Board of Secondary Education (CBSE) has recently launched a new application for psycho–social wellness of students. The new app will help the class 9–12 students and parents from CBSE–affiliated schools. Live counselling sessions will be conducted free of cost, thrice a week by trained counsellors. Earlier, there was a practice of counselling through toll–free number.

Explanation

• India has recently participated in the 3rd Arctic Science Ministerial (ASM3), the international platform for discussing research and cooperation in the Arctic region. The first two meetings—ASM1 and ASM2, were held in the USA in 2016 and Germany in 2018, respectively. 
• ASM3, jointly organised by Iceland and Japan, is the first Ministerial meeting being held in Asia. India enjoys ‘Observer’ status in the Arctic Council with twelve other countries.

Explanation

• German Tennis player Alexander Zverev defeated Italian Matteo Berrettini to claim his fourth Masters 1000 crown and second Madrid Open title. The player has been in the top 10 since July 2017 and he was also the US Open runner–up last year. Aryna Sabalenka, Belarusian tennis player has won her 10th career title at the Mutua Madrid Open. She defeated the World No.1 Ashleigh Barty.

Explanation

• National Technology Day is celebrated on May 11 every year to commemorate the technological advancements made by the country. 
• The theme this year is “Science and Technology for a Sustainable Future”. The day was first observed on May 11, 1999, as on the same date in 1998, India successfully conducted three nuclear tests at Indian Army’s Pokhran Test Range in Rajasthan. On 11th May 1998, India also tested its first indigenous aircraft Hansa–3 and Trishul.

Explanation

• Researchers have found an 18.5–million–year–old fossil in Panama. It is said to be the oldest reliable species of a climbing plant. The new species is named as ‘Ampelorhiza heteroxylon’., belonging to the climbing vine known as a liana from the soapberry family.
• This discovery is expected to shed more light on the evolution of climbing plants.

Explanation

• India’s only aircraft carrier is INS Vikramaditya, a modified Kiev–class 44,500–tonne aircraft carrier and the flagship of the Indian Navy. The aircraft recently reported a minor fire at its home port, Karwar in Karnataka. India bought the aircraft carrier from Russia and it joined the naval fleet seven years ago. The Indian Navy operates MiG–29K maritime fighters from the deck of this aircraft carrier.

Explanation

• The debris of China’s biggest rocket landed in the Indian Ocean, after most of its components destroyed during re–entry into the Earth’s atmosphere. The Long March 5B rocket, launched the main module of China’s next space station, Tiangong, in April. There were speculations for long days about where would the debris hit on the Earth. Last year, pieces from the first Long March 5B fell on Ivory Coast.

Explanation

• “Conflict and Conservation” is a report which is released by the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN).
• In the report, IUCN explores the intricate relationships between nature and conflict and suggests policies aimed towards peace building and conservation. IUCN is an international organisation, working for the conservation and sustainability of nature and resources. It is headquartered at Gland, Switzerland.

Explanation

• The International Nurses Day is observed on May 12 every year. On the same day in 1820, the famous social reformer and nurse Florence Nightingale was born. She was an English statistician and a social reformer who founded the key pillars of modern nursing.
• The ICN (International Council of Nurses) observes the International Nurses Day. International Council of Nurses is a federation of more than 130 national nurses’ associations.