Current Affairs Quiz - February, 2021

Notes:
India participated in the 11th India – European Union (EU) Macroeconomic dialogue recently. The delegation was held in a virtual mode and India was led by Tarun Bajaj, Secretary, Economic Affairs.
EU is one of India’s largest trading partners. It is also an important source of technology and investment to India.

Notes:
The United States of America has officially re-joined the Paris international climate pact recently. Earlier, the USA under the former President Donald Trump’s leadership quit from the agreement and remained outside the pact for 107 days.
With the change in government in USA led by Joe Biden, US decided to rejoin the Paris pact. Biden has set 2022 as the deadline for achievement of 2030 emission cuts as envisaged in the Paris pact.

Notes:
Indian PSU – Indian Oil Corporation Limited (IOCL) has signed an agreement with Norway’s Greenstat for setting up a centre of excellence on hydrogen.
This institution would promote R & D projects in green and blue hydrogen among Indian and Norwegian research and educational institutions.

Notes:
The Government of Australia has posted a liaison officer at Indian Navy’s Information Fusion Centre (IFC) which is located at Gurugram.
The Information Fusion Centre for Indian Ocean Region (IOR) was established in the year 2018 in order to keep watch on shipping traffic and other critical developments in the IOR

Notes:
India has recently extended a Line of Credit (LoC) amounting USD 40 million to the Government of Maldives. This is intended to boost the sports infrastructure of Maldives
This has been announced by the Union Minister for External Affairs Shri.S Jaishankar during his 2 day visit to Maldives.

Notes:
Every year, a group of blue earthworms, migrate about 300 metres up and down the slopes in the East Khasi Hills, Meghalaya.
Scientists of the Zoological Survey of India (ZSI) have prepared a report on the two-way mass migration, for the first time. The blue earthworms migrate twice annually, uphill in spring and downhill in autumn.

Notes:
India and Mauritius signed a free trade agreement, the comprehensive economic cooperation and partnership agreement (CECPA).
The countries signed six more pacts, including that for leasing a Dornier aircraft and Dhruv advanced light helicopter to monitor the exclusive economic zone of Mauritius. India also extended a USD 100-million line of credit to fund purchases of defence equipment.

Notes:
Bird Count of India organised a campus bird count (CBC) in the Mangalore University, as a part of Great Backyard Bird Count.
During the process, the team of bird watchers spotted 108 species of birds including Yellow-Billed Babbler, Green Sandpiper, and Grey-Necked Bunting. With this, the counting process recorded a total of 146 species in the campus in six years.

Notes:
The US space agency NASA released the first audio from Mars, captured by the Perseverance rover. The audio sounded like a faint crackling recording of a gust of wind in the red planet.
Though a microphone did not work during the rover’s descent to the surface, it could capture audio after it landed on Mars. NASA also released the first video of the landing of the rover.

Notes:
The Government of UP in its state budget has announced that the under-construction airport at Ayodhya would be named as Maryada Purushottam Sriram Airport.
The budget has made a provision for Rs.101 crores for the airport. It is also envisaged that the airport would soon be made an international airport.