Current Affairs Quiz - October, 2021

Notes:
October is observed as the ‘Cybersecurity Awareness Month’. It is co-led by the National Cyber Security Alliance and the Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Agency (CISA) of the U.S. Department of Homeland Security.
This year, the theme is “Do Your Part. #BeCyberSmart.” Cybersecurity Awareness Month is being observed for 18 years. National Bullying Prevention Month is also observed in October. It was started 15 years ago by PACER’s National Bullying Prevention Center.

Notes:
Valneva SE, a French vaccine company, announced the results from its Phase 3 trial of its inactivated Covid-19 vaccine candidate, VLA2001.
As per the company, the vaccine was as effective as the Oxford/AstraZeneca vaccine. VLA2001 is an inactivated, adjuvanted vaccine. The Sars-CoV-2 virus is killed using chemicals, heat, or radiation and delivered in an inactivated form. India’s Covaxin vaccine is also an inactivated vaccine.

Notes:
Union Minister of Ports, Shipping and Waterways and AYUSH Sarbananda Sonowal inaugurated Ayush Van, a dedicated forest for Ayurvedic plants, at Gandhidham, Gujarat.
The Ayush Van was set up in 30 acres of land allotted by the Deendayal Port Trust (DPT). Tree plantation is being done to improve greenery in urban area and increase density of tree cover in the Kutch region.

Notes:
India’s Harbhajan Singh and Javagal Srinath have been awarded life membership of the Marylebone Cricket Club (MCC).
They have joined sixteen other cricketers who were given the honour this year. Harbhajan is India’s third-highest wicket-taker in Tests (417 wickets) and more than 700 plus international wickets.  Srinath is an ICC Elite Panel Match Referee at present. He is a fast bowlers with 315 ODI wickets and 236 Test wickets.

Notes:
According to a new report released by climate tech startup Blue Sky Analytics, India is at the top in emissions related to crop burning.
India was responsible for 13% of total global emissions for the 2015-2020 period. India also contributed to 12.2 % to cropland fire emissions in 2020. Blue Sky Analytics, an Indian climate tech startup founded by an IIT alumnus, is also a part of global coalition “Climate TRACE”.

Notes:
The Institute of Tropical Meteorology (IITM) is an autonomous institution under the Union Ministry of Earth Science, and is located at Pune.
The institution has developed and launched a new ‘Decision Support System’ (DSS) aimed to enhance the existing ‘Air Quality Early Warning System’, for air quality measurement and management in Delhi – NCR.

Notes:
Imprisoned Russian Opposition leader Alexei Navalny has been awarded the European Union’s top human rights prize- the Sakharov Prize.
The European Parliament praised the 45-year-old activist’s immense personal bravery. He was poisoned with a nerve agent last year and arrested and imprisoned. He has campaigned consistently against the corruption of Russia’s ruling government.

Notes:
Besides the well-known tiger mosquito Aedes albopictus, another species of this genus, Aedes koreicus, is expanding throughout Europe.
A paper published recently claims that the dangerous mosquitos have been spreading towards southwest Italy since they were found in the north in 2011. The expansion of foreign mosquito species has caused worries in Europe due to spread of diseases.

Notes:
Prime Minister Narendra Modi will attend the U.N. climate summit (COP26) in Glasgow, as per Union environment minister Bhupender Yadav.
India is the world’s third-biggest emitter of greenhouse gases after China and the United States. India and China have not yet made stronger pledges to cut emissions, known as nationally determined contributions or NDCs.

Notes:
Over 650 cases of infection caused by the bacteria salmonella (Salmonellosis) have been reported in the US. The outbreak is suspected to have been caused by contaminated onions.
Though there were no fatalities, over 100 patients were hospitalised. As of now, the infections have been linked to whole, fresh onions imported from Mexico between the beginning of July and end-August this year.