Mark Zuckerberg changes Facebook’s name to Meta
Facebook is now called Meta, in a rebrand that focuses on building the “metaverse,” a shared virtual environment that it bets will be the successor to the mobile internet. The name change, the plan for which was first reported by the Verge, is a significant rebrand for Facebook, but not it’s first. In 2019 it launched a new logo to create a distinction between the company and its social app.
Did metaverse derive from?
The metaverse is a term coined in the dystopian novel “Snow Crash” three decades ago and now attracting buzz in Silicon Valley. Zuckerberg said the new name, coming from the Greek word for “beyond,” symbolized there was always more to build. It refers broadly to the idea of a shared virtual realm that can be accessed by people using different devices.
Why did Facebook change its name?
The name change comes as the world’s largest social media company battles criticisms from lawmakers and regulators over its market power, algorithmic decisions and the policing of abuses on its services.
International Internet Day is celebrates on 29 October
International Internet Day is celebrated on October 29 every year across the world to celebrate the usage of the internet for the first time. The day marks the sending of the first electronic message which was transferred from one computer to another in 1969. At that time the Internet was known as ARPANET (Advanced Research Projects Agency Network).
History of the day:
- Charley Kline, a student programmer at the University of California, Los Angeles (UCLA), transmitted the first-ever electronic message ‘LO’ on October 29, 1969.
- The first International Internet Day was celebrated on October 29, 2005, to celebrate this momentous event in the history of telecommunications and technology.
K V Kamath named as chairperson of NaBFID
The government of India has appointed K V Kamath as chairperson of the National Bank for Financing Infrastructure and Development (NaBFID). He is a well-known banker in India and is the first head of the New Development Bank (NDB). NaBFID is a newly set up development financial institution (DFIs) in India. It has been set up for infrastructure financing as per the National Bank for Financing Infrastructure and Development (NaBFID) Act 2021. The authorized share capital of the NaBFID is Rs one lakh crore. The initial paid-up capital of NaBFID is Rs 20,000 crore.
Important takeaways for all competitive exams:
- The headquarters of NaBFID is in Mumbai.
PM Modi participates 18th ASEAN-India summit virtually
Prime Minister of India, Narendra Modi has attended the 18th Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN)-India Summit virtually. This was the 9th ASEAN-India Summit attended by PM Modi. The Summit was held under the chairmanship of the Sultan of Brunei.
The Heads of State/Government of the ASEAN Countries participated in the Summit to review the status of the ASEAN-India Strategic Partnership and progress made in key areas of Covid-19 & Health, Trade & Commerce, Connectivity, and Education & Culture. The year 2022 will mark 30 years of ASEAN-India relations partnership, and will be celebrated as ‘ASEAN-India Friendship Year’.
Baldev Prakash appointed as MD & CEO of J&K Bank
The Reserve Bank of India has approved the appointment of Baldev Prakash as Managing Director and CEO of J&K Bank for a period of three years from the date of taking charge or April 10, 2022, whichever is earlier. The actual date of appointment of Baldev Prakash as MD & CEO of J&K Bank will be announced by the bank subsequently.
Rajesh Kumar Chhibber is the present Chairman and Managing Director of J&K Bank. He assumed charge of the bank in June 2019. The government of Jammu & Kashmir holds a majority shareholding of 68.18% in the bank. The headquarters of J&K Bank is located in Srinagar.
Important takeaways for all competitive exams:
- Jammu & Kashmir(J&K) Bank Headquarters: Srinagar, Jammu & Kashmir.
Mansukh Mandaviya addresses CII Asia Health 2021 Summit
The Union Minister for Health and Family Welfare, Dr Mansukh Mandaviya participated in the CII Asia Health 2021 summit on October 28, 2021, through video-conferencing. The theme of the two-day summit is ‘Transforming Healthcare for a better tomorrow. The Confederation of Indian Industry (CII) has organised the summit to provide a centralised forum to deliberate on the most critical challenges that India and the world face in delivering healthcare, with a focus on the digital transformations that result in improved patient outcomes and experience.
The Union Health Minister highlighted the successful initiatives taken by the Hon’ble Prime Minister during the COVID-19 pandemic to increase public awareness. He mentioned how campaigns like ‘Dawai Bhi Kadai Bhi’ and ‘Do Gaj ki Doori, Mask hai Zaruri’ reached out to the masses and helped curb the COVID-19 infection in the country.
Indigenously-built ICGS ‘Sarthak’ dedicated to the Nation
A new Indian Coast Guard Ship (ICGS) ‘Sarthak’ has been dedicated to the nation on October 28, 2021. It will be based at Porbandar in Gujarat. The indigenously built ship was commissioned by the Director-General of Indian Coast Guard, K Natarajan, at Goa. ICGS Sarthak is commanded by Deputy Inspector General MM Syed and has a complement of 11 Officers and 110 men.
About the ICGS Sarthak:
- ICGS Sarthak is fourth in the series of five Offshore Patrol Vessels (OPVs) being built by Goa Shipyard Limited for the ICG, to boost maritime safety and security of India.
- The 105-meter-long ship displacing 2,450 tons is propelled by two 9,100 kilowatt diesel engines designed to attain a maximum speed of 26 knots.
- The ship is fitted with state-of-the-art equipment, machinery, sensors and weapons which enables it to function as a command platform and undertake mandated Coast Guard charter of duties including search & rescue, combating maritime crimes and preserving & protecting the marine environment. Indian Coast Guard is a pioneer in inducting indigenous platforms and ICGS Sarthak is a glowing example of ‘Atmanirbhar Bharat’.
Important takeaways for all competitive exams:
- Director-General of Indian Coast Guard: Krishnaswamy Natarajan.
- Indian Coast Guard Headquarters: New Delhi.
GoI reconstitutes seven-member Economic Advisory Council-PM
The Central Government of India has reconstituted the seven-member Economic Advisory Council to the PM (EAC-PM). Bibek Debroy continues to be the Chairman of the Council. EAC-PM has been reconstituted for a period of 2 years. EAC-PM was set up in September 2017 with a term of two years and it replaced the erstwhile Economic Advisory Council to the Prime Minister (PMEAC).
Other six members of EAC-PM:
- Rakesh Mohan,
- Poonam Gupta,
- TT Ram Mohan,
- Sajid Chenoy,
- Neelkanth Mishra and
- Nilesh Shah.
Maharashtra became 1st state to pass its own Wildlife Action Plan 2021-30
During the 17th meeting of the State Board for Wildlife (SBWL), the government of Maharashtra approved its own Wildlife Action Plan (2021-2030), which will be implemented over the next 10 years. Maharashtra became India’s first state to pass its own Wildlife Action Plan. The board has also approved the extension of the boundary of Tadoba-Andhari Tiger Reserve, in the Chandrapur district of the Vidarbha region, by around 79 sq km.
The plan has suggested integrating climate change adaption in wildlife conservation. “To develop a Climate Action Plan for the Coastal Region of the state in sync with the ‘State Climate Change Action Plan’ with special emphasis on ‘Climate Change Adaptation’ (CCA) and ‘Disaster Risk Reduction (DDR)’,” the plan states.
Important takeaways for all competitive exams:
- Maharashtra Governor: Bhagat Singh Koshyari;
- Maharashtra Capital: Mumbai;
- Maharashtra CM: Uddhav Thackeray.
SC set up a committee to Probe unauthorized surveillance using Pegasus
Supreme Court of India has appointed a three-member committee to look into allegations of unauthorized surveillance using Pegasus, a spyware developed by Israeli firm NSO Group. It will be headed by retired judge Justice R V Raveendran. He will supervise the functioning of the technical committee, which will look into the “truth or falsity of the allegations” and will submit a report “expeditiously”. Justice Raveendran was part of the R M Lodha Committee appointed by the SC in 2015 to reform the BCCI.
Committee Other members:
- Naveen Kumar Chaudhary, professor (Cyber Security and Digital Forensics)
- Prabaharan P, professor (School of Engineering)
- Ashwin Anil Gumaste, institute chair associate professor (Computer Science and Engineering)
MeitY Startup Hub and Google tie-up to launch ‘Appscale Academy’ Programme
MeitY Startup Hub, an initiative of the Ministry of Electronics and Information Technology (MeitY), and Google have partnered to launch ‘Appscale Academy’, a growth and development programme, to train early to mid-stage startups across India. The programme focuses on the emerging startup ecosystem in Tier II and Tier III cities of India to provide them with the help needed to build scalable app solutions.
About the Appscale Academy:
- Appscale Academy will focus on helping local early to mid-stage startups build and scale a range of world-class apps across domains, including gaming, healthcare, fintech, edtech, social impact, and others.
- Applications for the Appscale Academy will be open till December 15, 2021. Out of the applicants, 100 startups will be selected based on defined qualitative and quantitative parameters by a panel of industry experts, members of MeitY Startup Hub, and Google Play.
Important takeaways for all competitive exams:
- Google CEO: Sundar Pichai.
- Google Founded: 4 September 1998, California, United States.
- Google Founders: Larry Page, Sergey Brin.
“Global Climate Tech Investment trend” report: India ranked 9th
In accordance with the report ‘Five years on: Global climate tech investment trends since the Paris Agreement’ by London & Partners, and Co, India ranked 9th in the list of top 10 countries for climate technology investment from 2016 to 2021. Indian climate tech firms received USD 1 billion in venture capital (VC) funding in this period.
About the report:
The report analyzed the trends in the climate sector since the 2016 United Nations Conference of Parties (COP) in Paris, France. The list has been topped by the United States (US) with USD 48 billion which is followed by China USD 18.6 billion.
Top 10 country in the list:
| Rank | Country |
| 1 | United States (US) |
| 2 | China |
| 3 | Sweden |
| 4 | United Kingdom (UK) |
| 5 | France |
| 6 | Germany |
| 7 | Canada |
| 8 | The Netherlands |
| 9 | India |
| 10 | Singapore |
Google Pay tied up with SBI General Insurance to offer Health Insurance
SBI General Insurance made a technological partnership with Google Pay to enable users to buy SBI General’s health insurance on the Google Pay app. This collaboration marks Google Pay’s 1st partnership with an insurer in India to offer health insurance. The users were enabled to buy both individual and family plans under SBI General’s Arogya Sanjeevani policy through Google Pay Spot.
Important takeaways for all competitive exams:
- SBI General Insurance Founded: 24 February 2009;
- SBI General Insurance Headquarters: Mumbai, Maharashtra;
- SBI General Insurance MD & CEO: Prakash Chandra Kandpal.
TVS Motor Company awarded India Green Energy Award 2020
TVS Motor Company has been awarded the ‘Outstanding Renewable Energy User’ at the third Edition of India Green Energy Award 2020 by the Indian Federation of Green Energy (IFGE). The award was presented by Union Minister for Road Transport and Highways, Nitin Gadkari. IFGE has recognized the efforts of TVS Motor in researching and implementing the use of alternative power sources in the renewable energy domain while ensuring their longevity and stability.
Netherland’s Ryan ten Doeschate retired from International Cricket
Ryan ten Doeschate, the 41-year-old Cricket all-rounder from the Netherlands, announced retirement from International Cricket after Netherland failed to qualify for the Super 12 stage of the International Cricket Council (ICC) T20 World Cup. During the qualifiers, Netherland lost to Namibia and failed to enter the Super 12 stage, which was his last international match.
Ryan ten Doeschate has scored 2074 runs from 57 international Test matches, 1541 runs from 33 One Day Internationals & 533 runs from 24 T20 internationals, since his debut in 2006.
Ramesh Pokhriyal gifted his book ‘AIIMS Mein Ek Jang Ladte Hue’ to PM Modi
The former Union Minister of Education Ramesh Pokhriyal ‘Nishank’ has gifted a copy of his book titled ‘AIIMS Mein Ek Jang Ladte Hue’ to Prime Minister (PM) Narendra Modi in Delhi. The book was written by Pokhriyal while he was battling COVID-19 at AIIMS in Delhi. The book was published by Prabhat Prakashan Pvt. Ltd.
