Current Affairs Quiz - October, 2021

Notes:
Barbados has elected its first-ever president Sandra Mason to replace Britain’s Queen Elizabeth as head of state.
Barbados is a former British colony that gained independence in 1966 but had maintained ties with the British monarchy. There have been calls from across the country for full sovereignty and homegrown leadership. Sandra Mason was a former jurist who has been governor-general of the country since 2018.

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:
The Reserve Bank of India has proposed minimum 11.5% capital for the four all India financial institutions (AIFI). Minimum total capital is proposed at 9% along with minimum capital buffer at 2.5%.
This proposal has been made in line with Basel III framework to raise their financial strength in periods of stress. The new capital norms would be applicable to Exim Bank, NABARD, NHB and SIDBI from the next fiscal year.

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:
Tamil movie Koozhangal (Pebbles), directed by filmmaker Vinothraj PS, has been selected as India’s official entry for the 94th Academy Awards.
It was picked by a 15-member jury out of 14 entries. Koozhangal had earlier won the top honour, the Tiger Award for best film, at the 50th International Film Festival Rotterdam (IFFR). The movie follows an alcoholic husband who sets out with his young son to find his wife and bring her back.

Notes:
World Polio Day is observed on October 24 every year to raise awareness for polio vaccination and to eradicate polio.  The theme of World Polio Day 2021 is “Delivering on a Promise”.
The World Polio Day was established by Rotary International to commemorate the birth of Jonas Salk, who led the first team to develop a vaccine against poliomyelitis. Global Polio Eradication Initiative (GPEI) had reduced polio worldwide by 99%, as of 2013.

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:
Union Culture Minister G. Kishan Reddy launched a podcast series on the freedom struggle as a part of the ‘Azadi ka Amrit Mahotsav’ celebrations.
The series titled ‘Zara Yaad Karo Qurbani’, would focus on the people and movements that contributed to the freedom struggle. The series will be available on amritmahotsav.nic.in, Spotify, Soundcloud, and other platforms for podcasts.

Notes:
The Union Minister for Skill Development and Entrepreneurship Dharmendra Pradhan launched phase II of the Mahatma Gandhi National Fellowship (MGNF).
It is a two-year-long fellowship that aims to create opportunities for youth to contribute to enhance skill development at the grassroots. MGNF Phase-I was launched with IIM Bangalore as the academic partner while for this phase 8 more IIMs have been onboarded.

Notes:
The African Union has suspended Sudan from all its activities, after the country’s military overthrew the transitional government in a coup.
The World Bank also followed the United States in suspending aid to Sudan after the widely criticised military takeover. Soldiers seized Prime Minister Abdalla Hamdok and detained him in the coup and General Abdel Fattah al-Burhan imposed a nationwide state of emergency across the country.