Current Affairs Quiz - June, 2021

Notes:
A team of Australian scientists has discovered a new species of a tree frog from the rainforests of New Guinea.
Also called as the “chocolate frog” due to its chocolate colour, it belongs to the Australasian tree frog genus Litoria. Hence the new species was named as ‘Litoria mira’. The closest known relative of this new species is the Australian green tree frog.

Notes:
Tasneem Aslam, an Indian student belonging to Kerala has received United Arab Emirates (UAE) 10-year Golden Visa under the exceptional student category.
The student is permitted to stay in the UAE till the year 2031. This visa is one of the most coveted documents, which is given to prominent global personalities for merit and academic credentials.

Notes:
Foreign direct investment (FDI) in computer software and hardware rose over threefold to 26.14 billion during 2020-21. It accounted for about 43 per cent in the total 59.63 billion foreign inflows that India attracted in 2020-21.
As per the data from the Department for Promotion of Industry and Internal Trade, the sector received 7.67 billion FDI in 2019-20 and 6.41 billion in 2018-19.

Notes:
New Zealand has entered into an agreement for space exploration with NASA.
With this, New Zealand becomes the eleventh country to sign the Artemis Accord, which is an agreement with NASA to be a part of its plans to send humans to the moon by 2024 and further to Mars.

Notes:
Microsoft has launched the first Asia Pacific Public Sector Cyber Security Executive Council. It aims to build a strong communications channel for addressing cyber threats.
It also aims to share best practices across the participating countries by accelerating public-private partnerships in cybersecurity. The council has policy makers from many Asian countries, supported by cybersecurity professionals.

Notes:
NASA has planned to send 128 baby squids and some 5,000 tardigrades, also called as Water Bears to the International Space Station for research purposes.
The water animals will be launched aboard SpaceX’s 22nd cargo resupply mission to the ISS. The experiments will also help to understand how beneficial microbes interact with animals. The experiments would also help design protective measures for astronauts going for long space travel.

Notes:
Pakistan has recently launched its homemade Covid-19 vaccine named “PakVac” which it developed with the help of its ally China.
According to the Ministry of National Health Services of Pakistan, 1,771 new cases were reported in the last 24 hours, with the tally of confirmed cases at 922,824. It has vaccinated over 5.3 million people with about 2 million fully vaccinated.

Notes:
Isaac Herzog has been elected as the 11th president of Israel, by way of a secret ballot. He is a labour leader and son of a former President.
Isaac Herzog won a majority vote of 87 out of the 120-member house there by defeating his opponent Miriam Peretz by a large margin.

Notes:
The US administration headed by President Joe Biden has proposed to suspend the oil and gas leases at Alaska’s Arctic National Wildlife Refuge. This decision has been welcomed by environmentalists and Arctic tribals.
This move is reversal of the lease brought about by earlier US administration by President Trump.

Notes:
David Diop has become the first French writer to win the International Booker Prize, as he was selected for the prestigious award in 2021.
His second novel, At Night All Blood is Black, was translated by the US author and poet Anna Moschovakis. The book was inspired by his Senegalese great-grandfather’s silence about his experiences in First World War.