Current Affairs Quiz 5 January 2021 | Current Affairs for SSC, IBPS, Railway, UPSC Exams

Explanation:

The Nation’s first indigenously developed DNA vaccine candidate against COVID-19, ZyCoV-D, by M/s Zydus Cadila has been approved by Drugs Controller General of India (DCGI), for conduct of the Phase III clinical trials. The candidate has been supported by the National Biopharma Mission (NBM) under the aegis of BIRAC and the Department of Biotechnology, Government of India.

Explanation:

Spain announced it had struck a deal with the UK to maintain free movement to and from Gibraltar – a small portion of land on the southern tip of the Iberian Peninsula that Britain controls but Spain claims as its own. Gibraltar is a British Overseas Territory. Under the Gibraltar constitution of 2006, Gibraltar is self-governing, with some responsibilities, such as defence and foreign relations, remaining with the British government.

Explanation:

The United Kingdom began 2021 by abolishing a 5 per cent Value Added Tax (VAT) on women’s sanitary products, often referred to as the “tampon tax” and which many activists had described as sexist. It now joins the list of countries which have already eliminated this tax, which includes India, Australia and Canada. The measure is part of a wider UK government effort called ‘End Period Poverty’. Scotland, which is a part of the UK, made history in November 2020 by becoming the first country in the world to make period products free of cost to those who need them.

Explanation:

The Karnataka government has allowed all shops and commercial establishments to operate round the clock all days of the week for the next three years under provisions of the Karnataka Shops and Commercial Establishments Act (1961). The rules permits only shops and commercial establishments employing ten or more persons to operate 24×7. The period of this extension of timings will be in force till January 2, 2024.

Explanation:

After more than 1,400 migratory birds were found dead due to an unexplained cause in the Pong Dam area of Kangra district in Himachal Pradesh, the local administration has suspended all tourism activities in the reservoir's precincts till further orders. Wildlife authorities have sent samples taken from the carcass of the birds for testing at the High Security Animal Disease Laboratory in Bhopal to ascertain the cause of death. The Pong Dam is also known as the Beas Dam. It is an earth-fill embankment dam on the Beas River in Himachal Pradesh.

Explanation:

Indian Railways' South Western Railway zone started the train services connecting the Bengaluru City Railway Station to the Kempegowda International Airport. The train would be run only six days a week with no service on Sunday as for now. Kempegowda International Airport halt is an Indian Railways' Train station located near Kempegowda International Airport, Bangalore (Karnataka). The station has been built by the airport operator, Bangalore International Airport Limited (BIAL) and on its completion was handed over to the railways.

Explanation:

The Food Safety and Standards Authority of India (FSSAI) has capped the amount of trans fatty acids (TFA) in oils and fats to 3% for 2021 and 2% by 2022 from the current permissible limit of 5% through an amendment to the Food Safety and Standards (Prohibition and Restriction on Sales) Regulations. Trans fats, or trans-fatty acids, are a form of unsaturated fat. They come in both natural and artificial forms.

Explanation:

Scientists at the CSIR-National Institute for Interdisciplinary Science and Technology (NIIST) at Pappanamcode here in Kerala have come up with a new product, Banana Grit, developed from raw Nendran bananas. The concept was introduced to utilise the presence of resistant starch in bananas, which is reported to improve gut health. Changalikodan Nendran Banana or famously known as Changalikodan is a banana variety originated and cultivated in Chengazhikodu village of Thrissur District in Kerala. Changalikodan, now are cultivated on the banks of the Bharathapuzha river. Changalikodan got Geographical indication registration from the Geographical Indications Registry, Chennai.

Explanation:

Five Eyes is a network of five nations collaborated to better respond to increasing threats by North Korea and China. Japan is on its way to become the 'sixth eye'. The "Five Eyes" (FVEY) refers to an alliance comprising Australia, Canada, New Zealand, the United Kingdom and the United States.

Explanation:

India and Pakistan conducted the annual practice of exchanging the list of their nuclear installations under a bilateral arrangement that prohibits them from attacking each other's atomic facilities. The agreement contains the provision that both countries inform each other of their nuclear installations and facilities on January 1 every year. This has been done consecutively since January 1, 1992, according to the FO.