Daily Current Affairs Quiz: July 23,2021

ANSWER: A

WHY IN NEWS?

• Perumkulam, in Kollam District, has been bestowed with the title Kerala’s first ‘Book Village’. This claim to fame results from years of concerted efforts aimed at encouraging the habit of reading.
• Perumkulam is a small village in Kulakkada near Kottarakkara in Kollam district. Bapuji Smaraka Grandhasala’, a library in the village is at the forefront in this effort of making it the first book village of the State.
• The library inculcates passion towards reading by setting up bookshelves, or ‘Book Nests’ placed at different corners of the village. Anybody can take books from the book nests, read them, and keep them back.

ANSWER: C

WHY IN NEWS?

• The Indian Institute of Technology (IIT), Ropar has developed a first-of-its-kind Oxygen Rationing Device called AMLEX, to save the oxygen which otherwise gets wasted unnecessarily, and in turn, increase the life of medical oxygen cylinders three folds.
• The device will supply a required volume of oxygen to the patient during inhalation and will trip when the patient exhales carbon dioxide.
• “AMLEX”, on the other hand, was a system developed specifically for oxygen cylinders synchronising the flow of oxygen with inhalation and exhalation of the patient, thus conserving a large amount of oxygen in the reservoir for a long-lasting operation.
• As “AMLEX” supplies a required volume of oxygen to the patient during inhalation and trips when the patient exhales CO2, it saves the flow of oxygen at that time.

ANSWER: D

WHY IN NEWS?

• Billionaire Jeff Bezos has made a short journey to space, in the first crewed flight of his rocket ship, New Shepard. He was accompanied by Mark Bezos, his brother, Wally Funk, an 82-year-old pioneer of the space race, and an 18-year-old student.
• They travelled in a capsule with the biggest windows flown in space, offering stunning views of the Earth. On this flight was the oldest person who has been to space, Wally Funk and the youngest, student Oliver Daemen.
• When the capsule touched back down after the 10-minute, 10-second flight, Jeff Bezos exclaimed: “Best day ever!”
• New Shepard, built by Bezos’ company Blue Origin, is designed to serve the burgeoning market for space tourism.

ANSWER: B

WHY IN NEWS?

Amsterdam, has unveiled the world’s first 3D-printed steel pedestrian bridge. This project has been opened on the Oudezijds Achterburgwal canal in the city of Amsterdam. The opening ceremony of this bridge was attended by the Queen of the Netherlands, Máxima.

About the 3D-printed steel bridge

• The length of the bridge is nearly 40 feet.
• It is a 6-ton stainless steel structure.
• This bridge has been constructed by MX3D an Amsterdam based 3D metal printing company.
• The entire printing process, with the help of four robots, took just six months.
• The bridge has been designed by the Joris Laarman Lab and was first unveiled during the Dutch Design Week in the year 2018.

After several load-testing rounds were carried out in 2019 there were plans to install the structure in early 2020. However, the ongoing site preparation work at the canal delayed the bridge’s installation

 ANSWER: B

WHY IN NEWS?

22^nd July is organised as World Fragile X Awareness Day. On this day various landmarks and monuments are illuminated by various communities globally.

About World Fragile X Day

• World Fragile X Day celebrates the families who have been impacted by Fragile X and highlights the progress of cure finding research.
• On World Fragile X Day monuments and landmarks across the globe are illuminated.
• World Fragile X Day began with FRAXA Research Foundation joining hands with the various communities around the world to raise Fragile X awareness while making progress toward effective treatments and a cure.

About Fragile X

• Fragile X syndrome (FXS) is genetic disease inherited from the parents to their children that causes developmental and intellectual disabilities.
• Martin-Bell syndrome is another name of Fragile X Syndrome.
• Among boys, the most common hereditary mental disability disease is the FXS and 1 in 4,000 boys are affected.
• It’s less common in girls with 1 in every 8,000 being affected.
• People suffering from FXS usually experience developmental and learning problems.
• This disease is a chronic condition and only some people who are suffering from FXS are able to live independently

 ANSWER: D

WHY IN NEWS?

In the state of Madhya Pradesh, the cities of Orchha and Gwalior have been selected by UNESCO under its ‘Historic Urban Landscape Project.’ This project was started in the year 2011.

About:

• UNESCO’s Historic Urban Landscape project for the cities of Orchha and Gwalior was launched through video conferencing by Chief Minister of Madhya Pradesh Shivraj Singh Chouhan.
• Six cities of South Asia, including Indian cities of Varanasi and Ajmer are already involved in this project. Gwalior and Orchha have been included as the 7th and 8th cities of South Asia.
• UNESCO will prepare the management and development of these cities.
• This project will help in boosting the tourism of the state of Madhya Pradesh. Along with this additional employment opportunities will be created.
• These cities will be jointly developed by UNESCO, the Government of India and the state of Madhya Pradesh by putting primary focus on their cultural and historical improvement.
• By implementing this project of UNESCO, full care of the history, culture, traditions, nature as well as heritage of the cities will be sustainably developed.

ANSWER: A

WHY IN NEWS?

Rasmi Ranjan Das, a Joint secretary of the Finance Ministry has been appointed to the UN tax committee as a member for the term period 2021 to 2025. Rasmi Ranjan Das is Joint Secretary – (FT&TR-I), Central Board of Direct Taxes, Department of Revenue, Ministry of Finance.

About the UN tax committee

• Formally known as the UN Committee of Experts on International Cooperation in Tax Matters, this committee helps the countries’ efforts to advance stronger and forward-looking tax policies which are adapted to suit the realities of a digitalised economy, globalised trade and investment and the ever worsening environmental degradation.
• This committee also assists countries in their efforts to prevent multiple or double taxations and non-taxation. Also, it helps in broadening their tax base, curb international tax evasion and avoidance as well as strengthen their tax administrations.
• The committee also focuses on the developing countries and their various policy environments.
• A majority of the newly appointed members of this committee are from the developing countries.
• Since its inception, for the first time this Committee has a majority of women experts in its panel.
• The UN Tax Committee works closely with various observers from government, business and academia as well as civil society to develop, guide and to encourage an inclusive setting of policies.