Current Affairs Quiz - May, 2021

Notes:
The North Atlantic Treaty Organisation (NATO) has launched joint military exercise named DEFENDER-Europe 2021 in Albania.
This is the first such large-scale exercise in the Western Balkan region since the World War II. Thousands of military forces from the United States and other countries will participate in the exercise. DEFENDER-Europe is an annual large-scale U.S. Army-led, multinational exercise.

Notes:
The Securities and Exchange Board of India (SEBI), has recently announced that 20% of the salary of top executives must be paid in the form of units of mutual fund schemes they oversee.
This decision has been taken to align the interests of the key employees of the asset management companies (AMCs) with the unitholders of the schemes.

Notes:
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.

Notes:
The world’s longest pedestrian suspension bridge has been built in Arouca Geopark, an UNESCO recognized site in northern Portugal.
The bridge spans to a length of 516 metres and is constructed at a height of 175 metres above the River Paiva. Previously the record was held by Charles Kuonen Bridge in Swiss Alps.

Notes:
‘Putola Nach’ is a traditional form of string puppetry, practised in the state of Assam. It has become a near-forgotten art form.
Recently, an Assam based trust ARMT has created three short videos using string puppetry for creating mass awareness on COVID appropriate behaviour. This project was undertaken in association with UNICEF- Assam.

Notes:
The Indian armed forces have launched operation “CO-JEET” to support anti-COVID-19 efforts of the country.
It aims to strengthen medical infrastructure and oxygen supply chains and to ensure mental wellbeing of people. The personnel of the Army, the Air Force and the Navy have been engaged to help restore oxygen supply chains, set up COVID beds and provide help to the administration.

Notes:
Steel Authority of India Ltd (SAIL) regained market capitalisation (m-cap) of Rs 50,000 crore. It also entered into the league of top 100 most valued companies in terms of market capitalisation.
The state-owned steel major has 5 large integrated steel plants (Bhillai, Rourkela, Durgapur, Bokaro and IISCO) spread across 4 states in eastern India. In addition, SAIL also has 3 special steel plants (Salem Steel plant, Alloy Steel plant and Visvesvaraya iron and steel plant) and a Ferro Alloy plant at Chandrapur.

Notes:
World champion and Olympic silver medallist PV Sindhu and Canada’s Michelle Li have been nominated as athlete ambassadors for International Olympic Committee’s ‘Believe in Sports’ campaign.
This duo has also been the global ambassadors for Badminton World Federation’s ‘i am badminton’ campaign.

Notes:
‘VINCOV-19’ is an engineered therapeutic antibody which has been found to effectively neutralize SARS-CoV-2. It has been engineered in a collaborative effort by University of Hyderabad (UoH), CSIR-Centre for Cellular and Molecular Biology (CSIR-CCMB) and Vins Bioproducts Ltd.
This has obtained the approval from Drugs Controller General of India (DGCI) for clinical trials.

Notes:
Researchers have found the fossil bone fragments of sauropods – a long neck dinosaur at West Khasi Hills District in Meghalaya. The fossil is assumed to be about 100-million-years old.
This finding makes Meghalaya the 5th state in India after Gujarat, Madhya Pradesh, Maharashtra, and Tamil Nadu to report Sauropod bones.