Current Affairs Quiz - October, 2021

Notes:
In a first, doctors at a health centre in New York temporarily transplanted a pig`s kidney onto a human.
It is considered as a significant step toward Animal-to-human organ transplants, known as xenotransplantations. The doctors altered the pig`s genes, to avoid immediate rejection from the human immune system due to the presence of a sugar molecule in pig cells called Glycan.

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:
India is ranked at 71st position out of 113 countries in the Global Food Security (GFS) Index 2021, with an overall score of 57.2 points. It is a global report released by Economist Impact and Corteva Agriscience.
Ireland, Australia, the UK, Finland, Switzerland, the Netherlands, Canada, Japan, France and the US shared the top rank with the overall GFS score in the range of 77.8 and 80 points on the index. The GFS Index considers 58 unique food security indicators including income and economic inequality.

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:
Iran’s Air Force is set to conduct a large-scale, nationwide drills named Fadaeeyan-e Harim-e Velayat (Defenders of Velayat Sanctuary).
This is the 10th edition of the drills and it will be held in five airbases across the country. As per Iran’s Army Air Force Commander, all kinds of indigenous and upgraded systems and ammunition, heavy and semi-heavy smart bombs, all kinds of laser-guided and radar-evading missiles will be used during the drills.

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:
HDFC Bank, Mastercard and USAID has committed a sum of $100-mn credit facility for small businesses in India.
The new credit facility aims to expand lending to small businesses that need financing to maintain and grow their operations. It also lays emphasis on supporting women-led businesses and focus more on digitization of banking services.

Notes:
WeProtect Global Alliance, a global movement released the ‘Global Threat Assessment report 2021’. As per the report, COVID-19 contributed to a significant spike in child sexual exploitation and abuse online.
WeProtect Global Alliance is a global movement of more than 200 governments, private sector companies and civil society organisations. It aims to transform the global response to child sexual exploitation and abuse online.

Notes:
Saudi Arabia has launched a national infrastructure fund to support up to 200 billion riyals ($53 billion) in projects over the next decade.
It will be advised by the world’s largest fund manager BlackRock. The National Infrastructure Fund (NIF) will invest in sectors such as water, transportation, energy and health. Saudi Arabia is preparing to transform the economy to make it less reliant on oil revenue.

Notes:
China is set to vaccinate its children from ages 3 to 11. 76% of the population has been fully vaccinated in China.
Local city and provincial level governments issued notices announcing the vaccination of children. China had approved two vaccines: ‘Sinopharm’s’ from the Beijing Institute of Biological Products and ‘Sinovac’ for children age 3-17. But it has only been vaccinating the children of ages 12 and older.