Current Affairs Quiz - November, 2021

Notes:
The tech major Google has partnered with MeitY Startup Hub, to launch “Appscale Academy”, which aims to help Indian startups to create high-quality apps.
The initiative of Google would specifically cater to the needs to local – early to mid-stage startups in India and support them to create applications in domains like gaming, education, social impact, health care etc.

Notes:
Kushagra Rawat of Delhi and Srihari Nataraj of Karnataka are Indian Aquatic champions, who have created new national records in 400m freestyle and 100 backstroke events respectively at the 74th Senior National Aquatic Championships.
Kushagra Rawat has created a new record of 3:53.68 seconds, which is 1.25 seconds lower than the previous record on 400 m freestyle, while Srihari Nataraj finished in 55.10 seconds in 100 m back stroke, there by beating his own national record created in 2019.

Notes:
Pune International Centre (PIC) has convened the 6th ‘Pune Dialogue on National Security (PDNS) 2021’. It is a two-day virtual conference, with the theme of ‘National Security Preparedness in the Age of Disasters and Pandemics’.
National Security Advisor Ajit Doval delivered the inaugural address at conference, which will have a keynote address by Dr Soumya Swaminathan, Chief Scientist of the WHO.

Notes:
India has launched its first manned ocean mission, ‘Samudrayan’, joining six other nations engaged in exploring Deep Ocean for research. While launching the mission, Union minister Jitendra Singh
The Samudrayan project will be a part of the Deep Ocean Mission. It is being undertaken by the National Institute of Ocean Technology (NIOT). The National Institute of Ocean Technology in 1993 is an autonomous society under the Ministry of Earth Sciences.

Notes:
Scientists have discovered a species of human ancestors called ‘Homo bodoensis’ who lived around half a million years ago, in Africa during the Middle Pleistocene which is now known as Chibanian.
The term ‘bodoensis’ has been derived from a skull found in Bodo D’ar, Ethiopia. International Commission on Zoological Nomenclature allows name changes under strictly defined rules. That age saw the rise of our own species, Homo sapiens as well as our closest relatives Neanderthals.

Notes:
The Andhra Pradesh State Cabinet, under the chairmanship of Chief Minister YS Jagan Mohan Reddy approved passing a resolution in the Assembly urging the Centre to undertake caste census of Backward Classes while conducting general census 2021.
Cabinet gave its approval for setting up a separate department for Economically Weaker Sections (EWS) to effectively implement schemes. It was also decided to set up separate corporations for the welfare of Jains and Sikhs in the State.

Notes:
Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi and his United Kingdom’s counterpart Boris Johnson jointly launched a new flagship international initiative, at the COP26 World Leaders’ Summit.
Named ‘Green Grids Initiative – One Sun One World One Grid’ (GGI-OSOWOG), it is aimed at accelerating the development of interconnected electricity grids across continents, countries and communities. It aims to improve energy access of the poor through mini-grids and off-grid solutions.

Notes:
A glacier in Antarctica has been formally named Glasgow Glacier in honour of the city hosting the UN climate summit which formally opened recently.
The 100-km long body of ice, which has been experiencing rapid melting, was named by a team of researchers at the University of Leeds to mark the 26th Conference of Parties (COP26) of the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC).

Notes:
In the COP26 climate summit’s first major deal, as many as 110 world leaders promised to end and reverse deforestation by 2030.
Named ‘Glasgow Leaders’ Declaration on Forests and Land Use’, the pledge includes $12 billion in public funds and $7.2 billion of private investment of public and private funds. A previous deal in 2014 had failed to slow deforestation at all.

Notes:
The UK will provide an “India Green Guarantee” to the World Bank, to unlock 750 million pounds for green projects across India.
This was announced at the COP26 summit in Glasgow. The green guarantee financing will support clean and resilient infrastructure in sectors including clean energy, transport and urban development. UK committed over 210 million pounds at the UN climate summit under Private Infrastructure Development Group (PIDG).