Important Current Affairs 5th November 2021

INTERNATIONAL

Covaxin gets WHO approval for emergency listing

•Bharat Biotech’s Covaxin has got WHO approval as the technical advisory team has recommended the India-made vaccine for emergency use listing for 18 years and above. This marks a major victory for India’s journey in vaccination against C-19. Covaxin is a vaccine, completely ‘made in India’, by Hyderabad-based Bharat Biotech and the Indian Council of Medical Research. WHO has so far approved C-19 vaccines of Pfizer-BioNTech, AstraZeneca-SK Bio/Serum Institute of India, Johnson 7 Johnson – Janssen, Moderna, and Sinopharm for emergency use.

•The emergency listing got delayed last month as the technical advisory group sought some additional clarification from Bharat Biotech for its final risk assessment. The technical advisory group met to take the final call, and Covaxin has been recommended for emergency use listing. Covaxin has demonstrated 77.8 per cent effectiveness against symptomatic C-19 and 65.2 per cent protection against the new Delta variant.

NATIONAL

Manipur CM inaugurates 29 museums to protect culture of ethnic tribes

•In Manipur, with a vision to preserve and showcase the rich culture, tradition, art and crafts of various tribes of Manipur, twenty nine Tribal Museums constructed at ten different districts of the State were inaugurated.

•Manipur Chief Minister N. Biren Singh virtually inaugurated these museums at a function held at CM Secretariat Imphal. The State government decided to construct a total of 31 tribal museums in the State under the aegis of Manipur State Archaeology. Out of these, six museums were constructed at Chandel, three museums at Tengnoupal, five museums at Kangpokpi, six museums at Churachandpur, four museums at Senapati, three museums at Tamenglong, one museum each at Pherzawl , Ukhrul, Noney and Imphal East.

MP Government to bring law to recover property damages from rioters

•The Madhya Pradesh government on November 2 announced to bring a law to ensure constitution of tribunals having civil court powers to adjudicate the claims for damages to public and private properties and recover them from rioters and protesters involved in such incidents.

•Under the law, city specific tribunals will be constituted for such incidents in the respective areas, state Home Minister Narottam Mishra told reporters.

SPORTS

BCCI appoints rahul dravid as head coach of indian cricket team

•Former India captain Rahul Dravid has been appointed as the Head Coach of the senior Indian men’s cricket team, the BCCI announced on Wednesday.

•Dravid takes over from Ravi Shastri, whose term ends after the ongoing ICC T20 World Cup. Dravid, among the finest batsmen India has produced, was unanimously appointed by the Cricket Advisory Committee comprising of former international cricketers Sulakshana Naik and R.P. Singh.

•Dravid’s innings will commence with the home series against New Zealand later this month.

Unmukt Chand becomes the first  Indian male cricketer to sign up for BBL

•Unmukt Chand has become the first Indian male cricketer to sign up for the Big Bash League as he is set to feature in the Melbourne Renegades side in the upcoming edition. The 28-year-old, who led India to the Under-19 World Cup title in 2012, has represented India A, apart from featuring in teams like Delhi Daredevils, Mumbai Indians, and Rajasthan Royals in the IPL. He announced his retirement from Indian cricket in August this year stating that he would explore ‘better opportunities from around the world’.

•Chand has now shifted his base to the United States of America (USA). He was recently named ‘Player of the Tournament as his side, Silicon Valley Strikers, won the Minor League Cricket (MCL) title. The right-handed batter will travel to Australia later this month and be available for the entire duration of the tournament.

APPOINTMENT & RESIGNATION

Ajaneesh kumar appointed India's ambassador to Estonia

•Ajaneesh Kumar, an IFS official from the 1996 batch, has been named India's next ambassador to Estonia.Kumar is currently the Indian High Commissioner to Brunei Darussalam.

•According to the Ministry of External Affairs (MEA), Ajaneesh Kumar (IFS: 1996), the current High Commissioner of India to Brunei Darussalam, has been named the next Ambassador of India to the Republic of Estonia.Kumar is anticipated to start working on the project soon.

Partha Satpathy appointed as next Indian Ambassador to Hungary

•India has appointed Sanjay Bhattacharyya as its next Ambassador to Switzerland, the Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) informed on Wednesday.

•Currently, Bhattacharyya is serving as Secretary in the Ministry of External Affairs, the official statement added.

•Bhattacharyya -- an Indian Foreign Service officer of the 1987 batch -- is expected to take up the assignment shortly.

•Earlier, he had also served as India's Ambassador to Turkey and Egypt.

 IMPORTANT DAYS

World Tsunami Awareness Day 2021: 5th November

•World Tsunami Awareness Day was observed across the world on 5 November. The day is celebrated to spread awareness among people across the world in matters related to the dangers of tsunami. In 2021, World Tsunami Awareness Day promotes “Sendai Seven Campaign,” target (f), which aims to ‘substantially enhance international cooperation to developing countries through adequate and sustainable support to complement their national actions for implementation of the present Framework by 2030.’

•World Tsunami Day was first officially observed on 5 November 2016 After the announcement of the UN General assembly on 22 December 2015. The UN General Assembly called all the countries in international bodies to raise awareness about this natural disaster and share product ideas.

AWARDS & RECOGNITION

Damon Galgut wins 2021 Booker Prize for his novel "The Promise"

•South African playwright and novelist, Damon Galgut has won the 2021 Booker Prize for “The Promise”, his third shortlisted novel which chronicles a family in his homeland from the late apartheid era through to Jacob Zuma’s presidency. Spanning several decades, the book shows the family’s growing disintegration as the country emerges into democracy.

•Mr. Galgut took the prize on his third time as a finalist, for a book the judges called a “tour de force.” He was previously shortlisted for “The Good Doctor” in 2003 and “In a Strange Room” in 2010, but lost both times.