Current Affairs Quiz - October, 2021

Notes:
Praggnanandhaa is Indian ace Chess player and is one of the young Grandmasters of the country. Recently, he won Julius Baer Challengers Chess Tour by winning against his American opponent Christopher Yoo.
With this victory, Praggnanandhaa has won $12,500 prize money as well as the right to play with an elite set of chess champions at the Meltwater Champions Tour in 2022.

Notes:
India’s External Affairs Minister S. Jaishankar has unveiled the “Bhoodan Grove” plaque at Jerusalem Forest of Israel.
This is in recognition of Jayaprakash Narayan’s visit to Israel in 1958 and a 27-member Sarvodaya team in 1960 to Israel, to study the social structure of Israel’s communal and cooperative institutions.

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:
The world-renowned Kung Fu Nuns of the Drukpa order of Buddhism has won the prestigious Martial Arts Education Prize 2021 from the UNESCO International Centre for Martial Arts for their brave acts of service.
Through martial arts, the Drukpa nuns empower young girls to defend themselves, build confidence, and take on leadership roles in their communities.

Notes:
Hardoi MLA Nitin Agrawal was recently elected Deputy Speaker of the Uttar Pradesh Assembly, which has five months left in its tenure.
Agrawal became the MLA from Samajwadi Party (SP) in 2017, later switched to the BJP. In 2019, SP sought his disqualification from the Assembly under the anti-defection law and was rejected by the Speaker. Article 178 contains the position for Speaker and Deputy Speaker of the Legislative Assembly of a state. More than two years of constitution in 2019, the 17th Lok Sabha remains without a Deputy Speaker.

Notes:
Saudi Arabia has announced plans to massive new theme park, or ‘Extreme Park’. Named “The Rig”, it is claimed to be massive new theme park.
The country also announced earlier that they were developing a new city with the world’s fastest roller coaster in 2023. Dubai, a major city of the UAE is known for the entertainment attractions including the Burj Khalifa. It plans to convert an oil rig into a massive 1.6 million-square-foot, to be opened in 2025.

Notes:
The United States has recently released the first-ever National Intelligence Estimate (NIE) on climate. As per the report, India has been categorised as a ‘country of concern’ along with 10 other countries.
The other countries on the list are Afghanistan, Guatemala, Haiti, Honduras, Iraq, Pakistan, Nicaragua, Colombia, Myanmar and North Korea. The report has also named two regions of concern, countries on the African continent.

Notes:
Bangladesh has announced that it would present its “climate prosperity plan” at the upcoming UN Climate Conference at Glasgow.
Bangladesh is considered prone to extreme weather and rising ocean levels. The plans aim to lessen the effects of climate change on the economy. It also seeks to boost renewable energy, make agriculture more resistant to climate shocks and restore mangroves to protect coasts from cyclones.

Notes:
National Small Matchbox Manufacturers Association announced that from December 1, the price of a matchbox would be increased to Rs 2 from the present Rs 1.
The proposed price increase comes after a gap of 14 years, as the price of raw materials have increased leading to a jump in cost of production. The raw materials include red phosphorous, wax, pottasium chlorate and splints (sticks). Fuel price led transportation cost is also a factor. Consumers will get more matchsticks up from 36 to 50 per box.

Notes:
Turkish President Tayyip Erdogan has ordered his foreign ministry to declare 10 ambassadors from western countries ‘persona non grata’.
This decision has been taken after the ambassadors of 10 countries including the US, German, France, Norway, Sweden among others, calling for the release of philanthropist Osman Kavala. ‘Persona non grata’ can remove diplomatic status and results in withdrawal of recognition of envoys. Osman Kavala has been in jail for more than four years over protests and a coup attempt.