Current Affairs Quiz - October, 2021

Notes:
The Indian Navy received its 11th P-8I long range maritime patrol aircraft from Boeing. The Navy has signed a contract of 12 P-8Is from Boeing in two batches.
Defence Minister Rajnath Singh also launched an ‘Integrated Unmanned Road Map for Indian Navy’ at the second edition of the Naval Commanders Conference. This will outline all unmanned aerial and underwater platforms and efforts of the Navy in modernisation.

Notes:
Alibaba Group Holding Ltd. unveiled a new server chip that’s based on advanced 5-nanometer technology. The new chip is based on micro-architecture provided by the SoftBank Group Corp.-owned Arm Ltd.
Named as Yitian 710, the Arm-based server chip is the third semiconductor introduced by Alibaba since 2019, following an artificial intelligence chip as well as a chip used for internet-of-things. China has been inviting companies to build a homegrown semiconductor industry and to achieve self-sufficiency.

Notes:
Union Minister Piyush Goyal inaugurated 250mm Seer Water supply scheme in Kashmir. The project would benefit around 10000 people and will be completed under the ambit of Jal Jeevan Mission.
The Union Minister also inaugurated tourist hut of Pahalgam Development Authority at Golf Course Pahalgam. He also inaugurated Forest Departments Deodar sapling plantation drive being conducted under the banner of Green JK Drive, under which a total of 1 lakh saplings will be planted as part of the drive.

Notes:
As per media reports, China’s military conducted two hypersonic weapons tests recently. China first tested a rocket using ‘Factional orbital bombardment system (FOBS), to launch a hypersonic glide vehicle capable of carrying nuclear weapons.
China is also reported to have conducted a second hypersonic test in August. However, the Foreign Ministry of China cited the test as a routine spacecraft test to verify the technology of the spacecraft’s reusability.

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 Union Public Service Commission (UPSC) has launched a toll-free helpline to help government job aspirants from economically weaker sections (EWS) and backward classes among others.
The toll-free number, 1800118711 will provide assistance to the candidates who have applied or seek to apply for examinations or recruitment. The helpline, which will remain operational on all working days during office hours, is part of celebrations under the ‘Azadi ka Amrit Mahotsav’.

Notes:
The Internet Governance Forum (IGF) is a multi-stakeholder platform, which brings representatives together from various groups, to discuss public policy issues related to the Internet.
The Indian Government along with National Internet Exchange of India and other Stakeholders has decided to host its own Internet Governance Forum  in November this year. The India Internet Governance Forum (IIGF) will recognize every citizen as a stakeholder and enable them to participate in policy dialogue and decision making.

Notes:
NASA has selected a new space telescope proposal to study the recent history of star birth, star death, and formation of chemical elements in the Milky Way.
The gamma-ray telescope, called the Compton Spectrometer and Imager (COSI), is set to be launched in 2025 as NASA’s latest small astrophysics mission. COSI will study gamma rays from radioactive atoms produced when massive stars exploded. It will also probe the origin of our galaxy’s positrons, also known as antielectrons.

Notes:
A micro-snail species named Georissa mawsmaiensis has been discovered in Mawsmai, a limestone cave in Meghalaya.
Before 170 years, Georissa saritta, a member of the same genus, was collected and described from the Musmai valley near Cherrapunjee. The researchers involved in the discovery are from the Ashoka Trust for Research in Ecology and the Environment (ATREE), Bengaluru.

Notes:
Cumbre Vieja is an active volcanic ridge, is located in Spain’s La Palma Island, a part of Canary Islands. Recently, as the volcano started erupting, a total of around 7,500 people have been forced to be evacuated.
As per the Scientists, the eruption could continue for three more months. The molten rock has already covered more than 866 hectares and damaged around 2,185 buildings. The economy of La Palma is largely based on tourism and banana plantations.