Current Affairs Quiz - October, 2021

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.

Notes:
The Reserve Bank of India (RBI) imposed a monetary penalty of Rs 1 crore on Paytm Payments Bank recently.
The penalty was for submitting information that did not reflect the factual position. It is an offence under Section 26 (2) of the Payments and Settlement Act. RBI also imposed a penalty of Rs Rs 27.78 lakh on Western Union Financial Services for non-compliance with Money Transfer Service Scheme (MTSS) directions.

Notes:
The United Nations has recently set up a special trust fund for Afghanistan, amidst its economic crisis.
The primary aim of the trust fund is to inject liquidity into Afghan households. As per the UN Development Programme’s (UNDP), Germany had pledged 50 million euros ($58m) to the fund. International Monetary Fund announced that Afghanistan’s economy is set to contract up to 30 percent this year.

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:
The Ministry of Power announced new rules to sustain economic viability of the sector and to promote clean energy, under Electricity Act, 2003.
It includes Electricity (Timely recovery of costs due to Change in Law) Rules, 2021. The other rule is Electricity (Promotion of generation from renewable sources of energy by addressing Must Run and other matters) Rules, 2021. It also aims to ensure timely recovery of costs involved in electricity generation.

Notes:
Pablo Escobar’s cocaine hippos became the first non-human creatures to be legally considered people by US courts.
This has been announced as a measure to save the “cocaine hippos” from being culled. There have been proposals in Columbia to kill these hippos since 2009, citing that they are an invasive species. reportedly compete with local wildlife for food and pollute local waterways with their faeces. The hippos are said to reportedly compete with local wildlife for food and pollute local waterways with their faeces.

Notes:
Two entrepreneurs from Shree Guru Plastic and Inside Out, Guwahati have been chosen as winners Zero Waste Cities Challenge.
It was launched by WasteAid, a United Kingdom-based non-profit, to find entrepreneurs with innovative business ideas that can help reduce or recycle waste and create green employment. Guwahati was among three cities selected for the challenge. The two winners were honoured for their work on promoting circular economy and reducing plastic usage.

Notes:
Goa has been complimented for achieving ODF (Open defecation free) status and connecting every household with electricity. Information and Broadcasting Minister Anurag Thakur congratulated Goa for this achievement.
He also highlighted that Goa provided tap water to every household under Har Ghar Jal Mission and it has become the first state to achieve the feat. Goa has also achieved 100 per cent target in providing free ration to the poor and needy as well as 100 per cent first dose vaccination.

Notes:
Global Media and Information Literacy (MIL) Week is observed annually in October to empower people with the right information and to mitigate the challenges of misinformation.
This year (from October 24 to October 31) will mark the 11th annual observance of the event. The host for 2021 Global Media and Information Literacy Week is South Africa, co-organised by UNESCO. This year’s MIL theme is Media and Information Literacy for the Public Good.

Notes:
Recent works on a mummy excavated in 2019 suggests that ancient Egyptians living during the time of the Old Kingdom (between 2700BC and 2200BC) were already carrying out sophisticated burials of dead bodies. This is 1,000 years earlier than the previously known information.
This discovery was featured in a 2020 episode of National Geographic’s Lost Treasures of Egypt. As per the researchers, the development will change the understanding of the evolution of the process of mummification.