Current Affairs Quiz - October, 2022

Notes:
Alphabet Inc’s Google has announced to set up its first cloud region in Greece, as the country is making efforts to become a world cloud computing hub.
The deal is estimated to contribute some USD 2.13 billion to the GDP of Greece and create some 20,000 jobs by 2030. A cloud region is based around a cluster of data centres. Microsoft has also decided to build a data centre hub in the country.

Notes:
Indian Council for Cultural Relations (ICCR) announced a collaboration deal with Google to promote Sanskrit.
ICCR and Google signed a memorandum of understanding (MoU) to advance the tech major’s artificial intelligence (AI)/machine learning (ML) language technology for translating Sanskrit literature to many other languages and vice-versa.

Notes:
India has signed a USD 250 million deal to export arms and ammunition to Armenia, which is currently engaged in clashes with its neighbour Azerbaijan.
India will send indigenously developed multi-barrel Pinaka launchers, anti-tank rockets, and other range of ammunitions to Armenia, the former Soviet region. This is the first time, India is set to export its Pinaka missile system.

Notes:
As per University Grant Commission (UGC) Guidelines, Higher Educational Institutions can now create up to 25 percent seats for foreign students.
Universities will be free to choose their admission policy for foreign students, while adopting a transparent admission process. This 25 percent of the supernumerary seats for international students will not include the students under exchange programmes.

Notes:
Prime Minister Narendra Modi officially announced the launch of 5G in select cities, during the ‘Indian Mobile Congress’ held in 2022 in New Delhi.
Leading Telecom companies like Bharti Airtel and Jio confirmed that it will roll out 5 G services in select cities.

Notes:
As per the draft guidelines issued by the Finance Ministry, Regional rural banks (RRBs) will be eligible to list on stock exchanges and raise funds if they have net worth of at least Rs 300 crore over the previous three years.
Such banks must have a capital adequacy of 9 per cent in each of the previous three years and recorded operating profit of at least Rs 15 crore for a minimum of three out of the preceding five years, among other norms.

Notes:
As per the government data, over 69% of houses constructed under the Pradhan Mantri Awas Yojana (PMAY), are either wholly or jointly owned by women in rural areas.
The data also showed that as on September 29, 2022, a total of two crore houses had been constructed out of the 2.46 crore houses that were sanctioned.

Notes:
Former German Chancellor Angela Merkel was named as the recipient of Nansen Award given by UN High Commissioner for Refugees
The former scientist, who led her country for 16 years, was awarded for offering haven to over 1.2 million refugees and asylum seekers fleeing violence during Syrian conflict, when other countries were turning their backs on them.

Notes:
Small Industries Development Bank of India (SIDBI) and Dun & Bradstreet, business decision data and analytics provider, partnered to launch a SIDBI -D&B Sustainability Perception Index (SIDBI – D&B SPeX) for MSMEs.
The customised index will be presented as a quantitative measurement for policy makers and enablers to nudge businesses towards adopting an ESG framework in their business strategy.

Notes:
Actor Pankaj Tripathi has been declared as the ‘National Icon’ of the Election Commission of India (ECI) for creating awareness amongst voters along with ECI.
In the 2017 film Newton, for which he won the National Award, he played a role of CRPF officer, who was tasked with conducting elections in the jungles of Chhattisgarh, faced by conficts.