- Ankur Sachdev
Current Affairs Dated November 07, 2021
The Covid-19 pandemic appears to be far from over. The great news in the latest current affairs, however, is that the Government and corporations continue to grow while benefiting the people.
In today’s current affairs article, we will have a look at some of the most interesting events that happened this week.
Current Affairs For November 01, 2021 (Monday)
Corona Cases
The number of Corona Cases across India were as follows:
Confirmed - 3,42,85,814
Recovered - 3,36,68,560
Deceased - 4,58,437
J&K’s First Floating Theater
Tourism has never been an issue for the ever-shining Jammu and Kashmir. If anything, it has only welcomed people from all over the world with open arms. In a bid to further accelerate the tourism sector, the Union Territory of India has opened its first floating theater in Dal Lake.
The first floating theater in Jammu & Kashmir is an open theater. It was inaugurated by Arun Kumar Mehta, the Chief Secretary of the Union Territory.
The first movie to be shown in the floating theater of Jammu & Kashmir was Kashmir Ki Kali. It was broadcast to the tourists and residents of the area.
Odisha Government’s Exemption on Electric Vehicle
This is one of the updates that make the current affairs articles a lot better to read. Every electric vehicle deserves true recognition. The government of Odisha has taken a step in this direction by announcing a 100% exemption on the registration fee of an electrical vehicle. A buyer will not have to pay Motor Vehicle Tax either.
The move has been taken under the Odisha Electric Vehicle Policy 2021. Additionally, the Government of Odisha will offer a 15% subsidy on every kind of electric vehicle. The maximum limit for a two-wheeler, three-wheeler, and four-wheeler is ₹5,000/-, ₹10,000/-, and ₹50,000/- respectively. The incentive will be applicable to the base price of the electric vehicles.
The objective of offering such attractive incentives is to promote battery-based electric vehicles. The exemption and subsidy are applicable till December 31, 2021.
Current Affairs For November 02, 2021 (Tuesday)
Corona Cases
The number of Corona Cases across India as reported on Aarogya Setu App were as follows:
Confirmed - 3,42,96,237
Recovered - 3,36,83,581
Deceased - 4,58,880
WhatsApp Bans Indian Accounts
The month of September 2021 witnessed the banning of around 22 lakh Indian accounts by WhatsApp. This came as a surprise until WhatsApp released an official statement saying the Indian accounts were banned due to the unauthorized use of automated or bulk messaging services.
WhatsApp made this public after filing its fourth compliance monthly report in accordance with the IT Rules 2021.
The messaging platform owned by Meta also said that it received around 560 grievance reports in September 2021. WhatsApp banned 22,09,000 Indian accounts, to be more specific.
SpaceX’s Subsidiary Now Has A Legal Identity In India
Starlink Satellite Communications Private Limited, a 100% owned subsidiary of SpaceX, now has a legal identity in the Indian market. It is a long way before the residents of India get to enjoy the internet services of Starlink. However, this is a major achievement of SpaceX to get its subsidiary going in the country.
Starlink was earlier restricted from opening a bank account and applying for any licenses. Now that it has got legal recognition from the relevant authorities, the company can open a bank account and apply to secure licenses for its operations. Starlink aims to begin its operations from December 2022 with around two lakh active terminals, subject to securing various permission from the Indian Government.
Starlink has reportedly received pre-orders from 5,000 Indian residents, who have deposited ₹7,350/- to get the internet speed of 50 to 150 gigabit once the service becomes operational.
Current Affairs For November 03, 2021 (Wednesday)
Corona Cases
The number of Corona Cases across India were as follows:
Confirmed - 3,43,08,140
Recovered - 3,36,97,740
Deceased - 4,59,191
Nike’s Request For Trademarks
The US Patent and Trademark Office received seven requests from Nike pertaining to the trademark approval of its product, logo, and tagline, to mention a few. Nike also expressed its interest in heading towards the concept of the metaverse.
The trademark attorney of Nike said that the filing of requests with the Patent and Trademark Office of the United States of America was a nod to the idea of entering into the concept of the metaverse. The company is eyeing to sell its digital products namely eyewear, headwear, backpacks, bags, and other sports equipment that come under the brand name of Nike & Jordan.
The broad category that Nike has covered in its seven trademark requests is downloadable virtual goods and programs featuring shoes & apparel for online use.
Swiflearn Is Now Owned by Unacademy
Unacademy acquired the home tuition start-up, Swiflearn for an undisclosed amount. Swiflearn, as a start-up, has achieved decent height since the time it was founded in 2019. The online teaching industry has become competitive over time. Yet, it has been able to make its mark in the industry.
Swiflearn is a baby of two IIT pass-out entrepreneurs namely Abhinav Agarwal and Anand Bakode. The two graduates gave the online teaching category a personal touch, literally. The platform became a bridge between those who were looking for personal face-to-face coaching classes and the teachers who were looking to reach more students irrespective of the geographic boundaries.
The acquisition is being said to be in line with Unacademy’s plan to strengthen its position in the k-12 category.
Current Affairs For November 04, 2021 (Thursday)
Corona Cases
The number of Corona Cases across India as reported on Aarogya Setu App were as follows:
Confirmed - 3,43,21,025
Recovered - 3,37,12,794
Deceased - 4,59,652
Damon Galgut’s 2021 Booker Prize For Fiction
The Promise has earned Damon Galgut his first Booker Prize for Fiction in 2021. Damon Galgut is the third South African author to win the Booker Prize for Fiction award. He has also been rewarded $69,000 as the prize money.
The novel is about the Swart Family that is haunted by its unkept promise of returning Salome, their black maid, her house. The story is spread over several decades with its parts structured around a series of funerals.
The Booker Prize for Fiction has previously been awarded to two South African novelists. Nadine Gordimer received the award in 1974 and J. M. Coetzee received the award in 1983 & 1999.
Cruise’s Robotaxi Service Is Now In San Francisco
General Motors has done it in style, with its self-driving unit launching a driverless robotaxi in San Francisco. Cruise has made its robotaxi available in the city of California with its President to become the first one to take a ride.
Kyle Vogt, the President and Co-Founder of Cruise, was the first person to take a ride in the driverless robotaxi. He accessed the Cruise app to book a robotaxi. Once it arrived, he pressed the Start Ride button to begin the trip, and the vehicle pulled itself into the traffic conveniently.
The launch has come with a restriction from the side of Californian officials, who have quoted that the driverless robotaxi service by Cruise can only operate between 10 pm and 6 am at the maximum speed of 48 kilometers per hour.
Current Affairs For November 05, 2021 (Friday)
Corona Cases
Confirmed - 3,43,33,754
Recovered - 3,37,24,959
Deceased - 4,59,873
Blue Origin’s Lawsuit Against NASA Is Officially A Trash
Judge Richard Hertling rejected the lawsuit of Blue Origin against the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA). The lawsuit pertained to the lunar lander contract worth $2.9 billion. It was awarded to SpaceX after following all the protocols but Blue Origin decided to take the matter into court after expressing its disappointment.
Blue Origin had filed the lawsuit on August 16, 2021. Now that the lawsuit has been rejected by the US Judge, NASA has announced that it would resume the work on the project as soon as possible.
The conclusion was not in favor of Blue Origin. The official spokesperson expressed sadness and said that the company would respect the decision of the court even though the decision was not in its favor.
Euthanasia Is Now (Almost) Legal In Portugal
The bill related to legalizing euthanasia and physician-assisted suicide for terminally ill & injured people was presented in the Parliament of Portugal. The bill received the majority of approvals in its favor, making it almost legal in the Southern-European country.
The bill has now been sent to Marcelo Rebelo de Sousa for his approval. This is the second version of the bill that has been sent to the President of Portugal. The first version was passed in January 2021 but it was rejected by Marcelo Rebelo de Sousa citing an imprecise definition of the circumstances under which the authorities could grant the right to die.
If approved, then Portugal would become one of the few countries in the world to legalize euthanasia and physician-assisted suicide for terminally ill & injured people.
This is all for this week's current affairs.
*Disclaimer: The information has been presented in this blog after reviewing various news articles. In case you find any article, or if you have any article, that states some facts differently, then share them in the comment section. Please keep the publishing date of the article in mind as it may be an update on the article which was published previously, or it may contain outdated information if it was published before the date mentioned in this blog. The blogger is not responsible for any transaction that happens between the reader and the brand.