Current Affairs Quiz - October, 2021

Notes:
The Finance Minister of Germany “Olaf Scholz” belonging to the Social Democrats, the ecologist Greens and liberal FDP have announced a preliminary deal to form a new government in Germany. If successful, he would succeed Angela Merkel as Chancellor of Germany.
Earlier in September, Olaf Scholz’s Social Democratic Party (SPD) won the general elections but could not have a clean majority.

Notes:
Vidyut Mohan, an Indian entrepreneur has been named the winner of Prince William’s inaugural Earthshot Prize under the “clean our air” category, for his innovation which recycles agricultural waste into sellable bio-products.
This prize is also called Eco Oscars and is awarded to innovators who strive to save the planet earth.

 

Notes:
Government think tank NITI Aayog launched the ‘Geospatial energy map’ of the country. It captures data on all sources of energy, in a comprehensive way.
As per the NITI Aayog, the energy maps available in the country were fragmented and scattered across multiple departments or ministries. It can be used by policymakers, investors, environmentalists, financial institutions and disaster management authorities.

Notes:
The first meeting of the Foreign ministers of India, Israel, the UAE and the USA held recently. It is dubbed as the New QUAD.
The virtual meeting discussed on increasing trade, enhancing cooperation in maritime security and global public health, as well as joint infrastructure projects in transportation and technology. Indian foreign minister S. Jaishankar held discussions with his counterparts.

Notes:
Tech Major Microsoft has launched a start-up program called AI Innovate along with an AI Playbook that will help start-ups in the country adopt the technology.
Microsoft has also been involved in two similar programs for agri-tech and health-tech startups. As per a 2020 report by Nasscom, data and AI have the potential to add $500 billion to the economy by 2025 and can account for 10% of the country’s GDP.

Notes:
National Payments Corporation of India (NPCI) announced the launch of the NPCI Tokenization System (NTS).
The Token Reference On File (TROF) service will help millions of RuPay cardholders maintain the security of their financial data. This will enable tokenization of cards as an alternative to storing card details with merchants. The card details of cardholders will be secure at the RuPay Network Secure vault.

Notes:
The Archaeological Survey of India is an agency under the aegis of Union Ministry of Culture. It is responsible for archaeological research and the conservation of cultural monuments in the country. ASI was founded in 1861 by Alexander Cunningham.
ASI illuminated 100 monuments across the country in the Indian tricolour as India’s Covid-19 vaccination drive completed to administer one billion doses. The illumination was done as a mark of gratitude to Covid warriors who contributed in the fight against pandemic.

Notes:
Ashfaqullah Khan, an Indian freedom fighter, was sentenced to death at the age of 27 for the Kakori train robbery. He was born on October 22, 1900 and he was remembered recently on his anniversary.
Ram Prasad Bismil and Chandrashekhar Azad were among the people who were part of the Kakori train robbery of 1925. He used to write poems in Urdu and Hindi, under the pen name Varasi and Hazarat.

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.

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.