IBPS RRB PO + LIC HFL CURRENT AFFAIRS NOVEMBER 17 2022
CURRENT AFFAIRS SNIPPETS
17th November 2022
National
News
Former bureaucrat Dr CV Ananda Bose
appointed as Governor of West Bengal
Retired IAS officer
Dr CV Ananda Bose has been appointed as the Governor of West Bengal, President
Droupadi Murmu's office said. He'll be replacing La Ganesan, who assumed charge
of the office after former Governor Jagdeep Dhankhar was elected as India's
14th Vice-President. He's previously served as Chief Secretary to Government of
India and Principal Secretary to Chief Minister's office.
Centre moves SC seeking review of order
releasing 6 Rajiv Gandhi assassination convicts
The Centre has
filed a review petition in Supreme Court against its order allowing the release
of six convicts in the Rajiv Gandhi assassination case. The Centre told the
apex court that it wasn't heard in the matter as it wasn't made a party during
the proceeding. The apex court had ordered release of the convicts on November
11.
PM to address third Ministerial
Conference on Counter-Terrorism Financing in New Delhi on Friday
Prime
Minister Narendra Modi will deliver the inaugural address at the third 'No
Money for Terror' Ministerial Conference on Counter-Terrorism Financing in New
Delhi on Friday. The two day conference will offer a unique platform for
participating nations and organizations to deliberate on effectiveness of the
international regime on Counter Terrorism Financing. This conference will
enhance the global cooperation to restrict the financing sources to terrorists.
Briefing media in New Delhi this afternoon, DG
NIA, Dinker Gupta said over 70 countries will participate in the conference. He
said that apart from this, fifteen multilateral international organisations
including Interpol, FATF, and all the connected multilateral organisations and
stakeholders in terror financing will be joining in.
The conference will be attended by 450 delegates
from across the world including Ministers, Heads of Multilateral organisations
and Financial Action Task Force (FATF) Heads of Delegations.
Indians no longer need police clearance for
Saudi Arabia visa
Saudi Arabia on
Thursday announced that it will be exempting Indian nationals from submitting a
police clearance certificate (PCC) to obtain a visa to travel to the country.
Saudi Arabia announced the decision citing "strong relations and strategic
partnership between the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia and the Republic of
India". Notably, more than 2 million Indians live in Saudi Arabia.
Sanjay Kumar Mishra gets one-year extension
as ED Director a day before his retirement
The government on
Thursday extended the tenure of Enforcement Directorate Director Sanjay Kumar
Mishra by one year. The extension comes a day before his retirement. The Centre
had earlier extended his tenure till November 18, 2022. This is the third
extension for Mishra as the director of the federal agency.
3 Indian Cities Among Largest Data Centre Markets in Asia-Pacific
According to a report by Knight Frank, Indian cities, namely
– Hyderabad, Chennai and New Delhi, have emerged as three of the top
data centre markets in the Asia-Pacific (APAC) region. The report further noted that the data
centre industry in India has been on a high growth trajectory, partly
driven by government policies, including easier access to credit and other
incentives to boost data centre investment.
A data center is a facility composed of networked computers, storage
systems and computing infrastructure that organizations use to assemble,
process, store and disseminate large amounts of data. A business typically
relies heavily on the applications, services and data
contained within a data center, making it a critical asset for everyday
operations.
India Becomes the World’s Second Largest Producer of Steel
India has emerged as the second-largest producer of crude steel by
replacing Japan. The biggest steel producing country is currently China,
which accounted for 57% of world steel production. In order to support the domestic steel
industry, the Government of India has notified the National Steel Policy,
2017, and the Policy for Providing Preference to Domestically Manufactured
Iron and Steel (DMI & SP) in the case of state procurement. These
policies have helped create a favorable environment to improve domestic
production and consumption of steel.
Rank-Wise List :
|
Rank
2018 |
Country |
Qty
(mt) |
Rank
2019 |
Country |
Qty
(mt) |
|
1 |
China |
920 |
1 |
China |
996.3 |
|
2 |
India |
109.3 |
2 |
India |
111.2 |
|
3 |
Japan |
104.3 |
3 |
Japan |
99.3 |
|
4 |
USA |
86.6 |
4 |
USA |
87.9 |
|
5 |
South
Korea |
72.5 |
5 |
Russia |
71.6 |
International News
UK is already in recession, declares UK's
Finance Minister
The United
Kingdom's Finance Minister Jeremy Hunt on Thursday said that the UK is now in
recession and the economy is headed towards further shrinkage. Hunt tabled his
emergency budget with £55 billion ($65 billion) of tax hikes and spending cuts.
"There may be a recession made in Russia, but there is a recovery made in
Britain," Jeremy Hunt said.
CPPIB buys 1.70 cr shares of Nykaa parent
worth ₹299 cr
Canada Pension Plan
Investment Board (CPPIB) on Thursday bought over 1.70 crore shares of Nykaa's
parent company FSN E-Commerce Ventures for ₹299 crore through an open market
transaction. The shares were acquired at an average price of ₹175.25 apiece, taking
the aggregate value to ₹299.35 crore. The company's lock-in period for
pre-offer investors came to an end on November 10.
De-occupation of Crimea will end war,
ceasefire won't: Ukraine's Prez
During an
interview, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said, "A simple
ceasefire won’t do the trick. Unless we liberate our whole territory, we will
not bring peace." President Zelenskyy said the de-occupation of Crimea,
which was annexed by Russia in 2014, and the country's long-occupied eastern
Donbas region are conditions for bringing the nine-month war to an end.
Wartime agreement to ship Ukrainian grain
extended: UN
The United Nations
(UN) on Thursday announced that the wartime agreement to allow the shipment of
grains from Ukraine to the rest of the world via the Black Sea has been
extended. The UN-brokered deal, finalised on July 22, had helped check global
food prices amidst the Russia-Ukraine war. The agreement was set to expire on
November 19.
Nancy Pelosi to step down as US House
Democratic leader after two decades
US House of
Representatives Speaker Nancy Pelosi, the face of House Democrats for nearly
two decades and the first woman to hold the post, will step down as the
Democratic leader in the chamber. Pelosi said she will remain in Congress,
representing San Francisco in the House. This comes after Republicans secured a
narrow majority following the midterm elections.
Streaming devices maker Roku to lay off 200
employees in US
Roku, video
streaming devices maker, will cut 5% of its staff or about 200 employees in US
due to "current economic conditions". Roku will incur costs up to
nearly $31 million in severance and other layoff payments in the fourth
quarter. The firm's shares have fallen nearly 75% this year and is the latest
tech company to plan layoffs.
India-Russia-Iran
Holds Trilateral Meet on Afghanistan on Sidelines of Moscow Format
India participated in the fourth Meeting of the Moscow Format
Consultations on Afghanistan, which was held in Moscow on November 16. Special
envoys and senior officials from Russia, China, Pakistan, Iran,
Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan, Turkmenistan and Uzbekistan also
participated in the meeting. It
was introduced in 2017 on the basis of the six-party
mechanism for consultations among special representatives
from Russia, Afghanistan, China, Pakistan, Iran and India. The Moscow format meeting’s main
objective is to facilitate the national reconciliation process in
Afghanistan and secure peace in that country as soon as possible.
US Imposes $1.4 mn Fine on Air India Over Delay in Refunds
The US Department of Transportation (DOT) has
fined Air India $1.4 million (around Rs 11.3 crore)
for delaying refunds worth $121.5 million (around Rs 985
crore) to passengers whose flights were cancelled during the Covid-19
pandemic. Air India is among
the six airlines that were probed by the US government. Totally, over
$600 million in refunds were paid and $7.25 million penalties imposed
against six airlines for “extreme delays in providing refunds,” the
US DOT said. Other airlines facing the DOT action include Frontier
Airlines, TAP Portugal, Aeromexico, El Al Airlines and Avianca. Under US law, airlines and ticket agents have
a legal obligation to refund consumers if the airline cancels or
significantly changes a flight to, from and within the US, and the passenger
does not wish to accept the alternative offered.
Appointments News
PFRDA named Suraj Bhan as chairman of NPS Trust
Pension Fund Regulatory & Development Authority has
appointed Suraj Bhan as the chairman of the National Pension
System Trust (NPS Trust), responsible for managing funds under
the National Pension System (NPS). Bhan
has been a Trustee on the Board of NPS Trust since 2018. He joined the Indian
Economic Service in 1983 and retired as Director General of Labour Bureau,
Chandigarh, in January 2018. He has varied experience across several sectors
with the government and public sector undertakings in the areas of economic
policy, business, industry and finance.
Important Points:
Pension Fund Regulatory & Development Authority Founded: 23 August
2003;
Pension
Fund Regulatory & Development Authority Headquarters: New Delhi;
Pension
Fund Regulatory & Development Authority Chairperson: Supratim
Bandyopadhyay.
Ex-Chief Economic Advisor Arvind Virmani named as full-time member of
NITI Aayog
Former Chief Economic Advisor, Arvind Virmani has been appointed as a
full time member of NITI Aayog. The other existing Members of NITI
Aayog are VK Saraswat, Ramesh Chand and VK Paul. While Suman
Bery is the Vice Chairman of NITI Aayog, Parameswaran is the incumbent CEO
of the think tank. The Prime Minister
has approved the appointment of Shri Arvind Virmani, Founder, Chairman,
Foundation for Economic Growth & Welfare as Full-Time Member, NITI Aayog
with immediate effect and until further orders, on the same terms and
conditions as are applicable to Full-Time Members of NITI Aayog. Virmani was Chief Economic Advisor in the
Finance Ministry from 2007-09. He was Executive Director at the International
Monetary Fund (IMF) till end 2012. He served as a member of the Technical
Advisory Committee of the Reserve Bank of India (RBI) on monetary policy from
February 2013 to August 2016.
Important Points:
NITI Aayog Vice Chairman: Suman Bery;
NITI
Aayog CEO: Parameswaran Iyer.
BANKING, BUSINESS AND ECONOMY
SEBI notifies rules on mutual fund
dividends, redemption proceeds
The Securities and
Exchange Board of India (SEBI) notified new rules under which every mutual fund
and asset management company has to transfer dividend and redemption proceeds
to unit holders within a specified period. In case payments aren't made on
time, companies would have to pay interest to unit holders. The new rules will
come into effect from January 15.
About 100 startups registered with ISRO:
Chairman S Somanath
Indian Space
Research Organisation (ISRO) Chairman S Somanath said that about 100 startups
are registered with it and are working on domains of the space sector. Speaking
at the Bengaluru Tech Summit 2022, Somanath added that of those, at least 10
are working on developing satellites and rockets. He also said that ISRO is
working with NASA in space technology.
RBI Chooses 5 Banks for Retail Digital Currency Pilot
State bank Of India(SBI), ICICI Bank, IDFC First Bank, HDFC Bank and Yes
Bank are among a shortlist of at least five lenders that the Reserve
Bank of India (RBI) has roped in to work on the retail pilot project of
the central bank digital currency (CBDC).
The report said, citing people familiar with the matter, that
the Reserve Bank of India could add more banks to run the pilot,
which is expected to launch soon. “Five banks have been shortlisted to run the
pilot along with the help of NPCI (National Payments Corporation of
India) and RBI. Some customer and merchant accounts will be chosen to
roll out the retail digital rupee pilot soon,”
5G to add up to 2% of India's GDP amounting
to $180 bn by 2030: Report
The 5G network
technology is expected to contribute about 2% to India's GDP amounting to $180
billion by 2030, according to a report by NASSCOM and Arthur D Little. The
report added that India is expected to have over 500 million 5G users by 2027.
The report also expects 5G to enable a $1.5-trillion revenue potential globally
by 2030.
Ranks and Reports News
Climate Change Performance Index 2023: India ranked 8th in the list
The Climate Change Performance Index (CCPI) 2023 released which was
published by three environmental nongovernmental organizations viz.
Germanwatch, NewClimate Institute and the Climate Action Network
(CAN) International. India rose
two spots to rank eighth out of 63 countries in the Climate Change
Performance Index 2023 (CCPI). In the Greenhouse Gas Emissions and Energy Use
categories, the country was rated “high”. In the Climate Policy and Renewable
Energy categories, it earned a “medium” rating. In the overall standings, no country ranked
first, second or third on the index. Denmark, with a score of 79.61,
ranked fourth, followed by Sweden with 73.28 points. India scored
67.35 points. India’s ranking in
categories: In GHGs, it ranked 9 , Renewable Energy (24 ), and Energy Use (9 ),
and on Climate Policy (8 ). It should be
noted that India ranked at top in the grouping of top 10 emitters. It is
followed by Germany and Japan at 2 and 3 positions of this grouping. The worst performers in the overall ranking
are Iran, Saudi Arabia and Kazakhstan. They are particularly weak in
renewables and heavily reliant on oil. Saudi
Arabia is the country with the highest per capita GHG emissions among the
G20 nations.
India Set to Become World’s Most Populous Country in 2023: UN Report
India is projected to surpass China as the world’s most populous
country in 2023, with each counting more than 1.4 billion residents this
year, according to the 27th edition of the United Nations’ World
Population Prospects, 2022. The world’s
population, estimated to reach 8 billion by Nov. 15 this
year, could grow to 8.5 billion in 2030, and 10.4 billion in 2100, as the
pace of mortality slows, said the report released on World Population Day. The world’s population was growing at
its slowest pace since 1950, having fallen below 1% in 2020, UN
estimates showed. In 2021, the average
fertility of the world’s population stood at 2.3 births per
woman over a lifetime, having fallen from about 5 births in
1950. Global fertility is projected to decline further to 2.1 births per
woman by 2050.
5G may Contribute up to 2% to India’s GDP by 2030
The launch of 5G services will strengthen India’s position as
an economic and technology powerhouse globally and is
expected to boost 2% of the country’s gross domestic product (GDP),
amounting to approximately $180 billion by 2030, according to a new report
by industry body Nasscom. The
report titled, “5G — Unfolding India’s era of digital convergence” was released
on the side lines of Nasscom Tech Innovation Conclave (NTIC) 2022,
added that “5G is expected to create new value through hyper-connectivity and
become a catalyst for digital transformation across industries”. India currently has the second-highest
number of telecom users in the world, with 1.1 billion users, of which 740
million are 4G customers. However, with the launch of 5G in the country,
the shift is expected to offer rapid up-gradation of customer experience.
Schemes and Committees News
National Commission for Women Launched Digital Shakti 4.0
The National Commission for Women (NCW) launched the fourth
phase of the Digital Shakti Campaign, a pan-India project
on digitally empowering and skilling women and girls in cyberspace. Digital Shakti started in June 2018 to help
women across the nation to raise the awareness level on the digital front,
to build resilience, and fight cyber-crime in the most effective
ways. The Digital Shakti 4.0 is focused
on making women digitally skilled and aware to stand-up against any
illegal/inappropriate activity online. NCW
launched the campaign in collaboration with CyberPeace Foundation and
Meta. Through this project, over 3
Lakh women across India have been made aware of cyber safety tips and tricks. It is helping women in reporting &
redressal mechanisms, data privacy and usage of technology for their
benefits.
Science and Technology News
Blackstone launches its Asian Data center business from India
Global asset manager Blackstone Group has forayed into the data
center business in Asia with a planned capacity across two large
hyperscale data centers in India. It plans to increase it to 600
MW over the next two years through presence in five locations in the
country. Blackstone launched its data
center platform Lumina CloudInfra on 15 November 2022. Initially the data
center will be set up in Mumbai and Chennai, and later on it will be set up in
Delhi-NCR, Hyderabad and Pune. The
government data center has been set up and managed by the National
Informatics Centre (NIC).The first Data Centre was launched in Hyderabad in
2008, followed by NDC Pune in 2010, NDC Delhi in 2011 and NDC Bhubaneswar in
2018.
US space agency NASA launches Artemis-1 rocket on a mission to the moon
The United States space agency NASA has launched its Artemis-1
mission from Kennedy Space Centre, Florida. About eight minutes after
launch, the core stage’s engines cut off and the core stage separated from the
rest of the rocket. After this,
the Orion spacecraft was propelled by the Interim Cryogenic
Propulsion Stage (ICPS). NASA also deployed the four solar arrays of the
Orion spacecraft. After completing “translunar injection”, Orion separated
itself from the ICPS and is now on its way to lunar orbit. For the first time in 50 years since the end
of the Apollo program, the launch of Artemis 1 is an ambitious US mission to
return astronauts to the surface of the Moon.
The Artemis 1 launch will also be the first flight of NASA’s 21st
century moon-exploration program. With
Artemis 1 on the surface of the Moon, NASA aims to demonstrate new
technologies, business approaches and capabilities that are essential for
future explorations, including Mars. The launch aims to further aid in the
study of the Moon, its origin and history.
Important Points:
NASA administrator: Bill Nelson;
Headquarters
of NASA: Washington D.C., United States;
NASA
Founded: 1 October 1958.
Sports News
Paris Olympics 2024: Phrygian cap chosen as Paris 2024 mascot
The Phrygian cap, the symbol of the French republic but wearing sneakers
as a nod to the present, was unveiled as the mascot for the 2024 Paris
Olympics. The Olympic Phryge ((pronounced fri-jee-uhs) is a bit smaller,
the Paralympic Phryge is a bit slimmer and has a blade on his right leg because
it is a Phyrge with an impairment. The
mascots were unveiled in a press conference in Paris by Paris 2024 president
Tony Estanguet, Beijing 2008 wheelchair tennis men’s doubles champion Michael
Jeremiasz and Gwladys Epangue, a bronze medallist in taekwondo from Beijing
2008.
Formula-1 Racing: Mercedes’ George Russell won Brazilian F1 GP 2022
Mercedes’ George Russell has won his maiden F1 race in Brazilian
Grand Prix in Sao Paulo. Mercedes’ Lewis Hamilton &
Ferrari’s Carlos Sainz came at the second and third positions
respectively. With Red Bull’s Max
Verstappen finishing fourth. It was also Mercedes’ maiden win in the F1 2022
season. The 2022 season’s final race will be held in Abu Dhabi from November 18
to 20 at Yas Marina Circuit.
Important Days
World Philosophy Day 2022 is observed on 17 November
World Philosophy Day is commemorated on the third Thursday of
November every year. This year it will fall on November 17. The
United Nations Educational, Scientific, and Cultural Organization (UNESCO)
proclaimed it an International day in 2005.
However, that was not always the case. World Philosophy Day was first
celebrated on November 21, 2002. UNESCO aimed to raise public awareness about
philosophy and how vital it is, not only to connect the world today but to the
past and present, as well as for a better understanding of the future. The theme for the 2022 World Philosophy Day
is ‘The Human of the Future’. UNESCO along with Le Fresnoy – National
Studio of Contemporary Arts has organized a symposium and exhibition.
World COPD Day 2022 observed on 16 November
On the third Wednesday in November World COPD Day is
observed. This year World COPD Day is observed on November 16.
The day aims to create awareness about the condition and ways to reduce the
burden of COPD worldwide. Chronic
obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) is the third leading cause of death
worldwide. Its aim is to raise awareness, share knowledge, and discuss ways to
reduce the burden of COPD worldwide. The 2022 theme for World COPD Day will
be “Your Lungs for Life” and takes place on November 16th. This
year’s theme aims to highlight the importance of lifelong lung health. The first World COPD Day was held in
2002. Each year organizers in more than 50 countries have carried out
activities, making the day one of the world’s most important COPD awareness and
education events.
National Epilepsy Day Observed On 17 November
Each year, on November 17, National Epilepsy Day is marked in India
to raise awareness of the condition. National Epilepsy Day 2022 is
observed to raise public awareness of epilepsy. To raise awareness of the
causes and symptoms of epilepsy, numerous governmental and non-governmental
organisations will mark National Epilepsy Day in 2022. A persistent brain
illness called epilepsy is marked by periodic “fits” or “seizures.” International Epilepsy Day is observed
every year on the Second Monday of February across the world. In
2022, International Epilepsy Day falls on February 14, 2022. According to the Epilepsy Foundation, the
theme of National Epilepsy Awareness Month (NEAM) 2022 is “There is no
NEAM without ME”.
Important Points:
International Bureau for Epilepsy President: Francesca Sofia;
International
Bureau for Epilepsy established: 1961.
@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@17112022
Post a Comment