14th November
National & International Appointments
1. PC Mody appointed as new Secretary General of Rajya Sabha
- Pramod Chandra Mody (1982 batch IRS Officer) has been appointed as the new Secretary General of Rajya Sabha.
- He was formerly working as the chairman of the Central Board of Direct Taxes (CBDT).
- He replaced P.P.K. Ramacharyulu, who was appointed to the post on 1st September, 2021 and has now been appointed as an adviser to the Rajya Sabha chairman.
- Chairman of RS (Vice President of India): M Venkaiah Naidu.
- Leader of the Rajya House: Piyush Goyal.
Defense
2. India and France to hold 6th edition Exercise SHAKTI 2021
- Navies of India and France will conduct 6th edition of biennial training exercise ‘EX SHAKTI 2021’ from 15th to 26th November 2021 in Frejus, France
- Indian Army will be represented by Gorkha Rifles Infantry Battalion and France Army will be represented by troops of 21st Marine Infantry Regiment of 6th Light Armoured Brigade
- Focus: Counter Terrorism operations, military cooperation and inter-operability
- India and France also carry out Exercise GARUDA and Exercise VARUNA
National & International Appointments
3. Daniel Bruhl appointed Goodwill Ambassador by UN World Food Programme
- Spanish-German actor Daniel Bruhl has been named as the Goodwill Ambassador for United Nations World Food Programme (WFP)
- Daniel Bruhl will help WFP in its mission to reach world with Zero Hunger
- He is known for his performances in movies like Rush, Goodbye Lenin and as Baron Zemo in Marvel Cinematic Universe
- WFP: World’s largest humanitarian organization aimed at ending hunger around the globe. It was founded in 1961, headquartered in Rome and has offices in 80 nation
Important Dates
4. World Diabetes Day: 14th November
- World Diabetes Day (WDD) is observed every year on November 14 to growing concerns about the escalating health threat posed by diabetes.
- The day also birthday of Sir Frederick Banting, who co-discovered insulin along with Charles Best in 1922.
- The day was launched in 1991 by the IDF and World Health Organization (WHO) and became an official UN Day in 2006.
- Theme for WDD 2021-23: Access to Diabetes Car – If Not Now, When?
Defense
5. 32nd Indo-Thai CORPAT begins in Andaman Sea
- The 32nd edition of India-Thailand Coordinated Patrol (Indo-Thai CORPAT) was conducted from 12th to 14th November 2021 in Andaman Sea.
- It is a three-day bi-annual CORPAT exercise
- Indian Navy was represented by Indian Naval Ship (INS) Karmuk while Royal Thai Navy participated with Majesty’s Thailand Ship (HTMS) Tayanchon
- It was conducted for 1st time in 2005 along their International Maritime Boundary Line
- CORPAT builds up understanding, interoperability between navies
Sports
6. Women’s T20 tournament to make debut in 2022 Commonwealth Games
- Women’s cricket T20 tournament will be making its debut at 2022 Commonwealth Games in Birmingham, England
- This will be 1st time that women cricket will be included in Commonwealth Games
- Earlier, cricket was played as List A men’s tournament at 1998 Commonwealth Games in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia
- 2022 matches will be played under Twenty20 format and there will only be women’s tournament.
- Opening match on schedule will be between Australia and India at Edgbaston Stadium
National Affairs
7. Five Integrated Check Posts to be set up on India Bangladesh border
- Five new Integrated Check Posts (ICPs) will be set up on India-Bangladesh border in West Bengal to ensure better connectivity and security.
- In total, 7 ICPs will be set up in West Bengal
- These include 5 ICPs on Indo-Bangladesh border at Changrabandha in Cooch Behar, Phulbari in Jalpaiguri, Hilli in South Dinajpur, Mahadipur in Malda and Gojadanga in North 24-Parganas and one ICP borders with Nepal at Panitanki in Darjeeling district
National & International Appointments
8. Fumio Kishida re-elected as Prime Minister of Japan
- Fumio Kishida (64 years) has been re-elected as the Prime Minister of Japan in the parliamentary elections held on 10th November 2021.
- His governing party Liberal Democratic Party scored a major victory securing 261 seats in the 465-member lower house.
- He is the former Foreign Minister of Japan.
- Japan is an island country in East Asia, located in the northwest Pacific Ocean with Tokyo as capital
- Emperor of Japan: Naruhito
National & International Organizations
9. World Bank sanctions Rs 770 crore for Inland Water Transport department
- World Bank and Inland Water Transport (IWT) dept of Assam has signed MoU for Rs 770 crore loan to improve river transportation in the state.
- Central Govt will refund 80% of the sanctioned amount and the state government would bear the remaining 20%
- CM of Assam also flagged off four steel catamaran vessels at Pandu Port recently under World Bank-funded project to integrate high-quality passenger and vehicle ferry services into the state’s wider transport network system.
Books & Authors
10. Book titles ‘Nehru: The Debates that Defined India’ released
- A book titled ‘Nehru: The Debates that Defined India’ has been released, highlighting the former PM's encounters with his contemporaries.
- The book has been co-authored by Tripurdaman Singh and Adeel Hussain.
- This book mentions the political journey of Jawaharlal Nehru from being elected as Congress president to various other important aspects of his life.
- The book has been published with permission from HarperCollins India.
National & International Appointments
11. Ram Nath Kovind confers honorary rank on Prabhu Ram Sharma
- President Ram Nath Kovind has conferred honorary rank of ‘General of the Indian Army’ on Nepal’s Army Chief Gen Prabhu Ram Sharma.
- Prabhu Ram Sharma is on a four-day visit to India to explore ways to expand bilateral defence cooperation.
- Earlier, Nepal had conferred honorary rank of ‘General of Nepal Army’ to Indian Army Chief Gen MM Naravane in November 2020.
- PM of Nepal: Sher Bahadur Deuba
15th November
Sports
1. Lewis Hamilton wins Formula One Sao Paulo Grand Prix 2021
- Mercedes driver Lewis Hamilton won the Brazilian Grand Prix, and gained momentum in his Formula One title fight with Red Bull driver Max Verstappen.
- Hamilton, a seven-time world champion, beat Verstappen despite starting from 10th position on the grid due to a penalty.
- Verstappen, the winner of the race's previous edition in 2019, finished second and saw his lead in the driver's championship shrink to 14 points.
- The winner of a race gets 25 points.
Sports
2. Australia wins maiden T20 World Cup title
- Australia won their maiden T20 World Cup title, crushing New Zealand in the final at the Dubai International Stadium.
- Chasing a stiff target of 173, the Aussies overhauled New Zealand's score with seven balls remaining.
- David Warnerwas chosen as Player of The Tournament for his effort with the bat.
- In the previous two editions of the event (2014 and 2016), it was India batter Virat Kohli who won the title.
Summits & Conferences
3. Abu Dhabi International Petroleum Exhibition and Conference begins today
- Abu Dhabi International Petroleum Exhibition and Conference (ADIPEC) being organized from 15-17 Nov.
- Union Petroleum Minister Hardeep Singh Puri will lead the official and business delegation.
- He will participate in the inaugural Ceremony of ADIPEC and also take part in a Ministerial Round Table titled "Charting the Climate Action Path from COP 26 to COP 27".
- Mr. Puri will inaugurate the India Pavilion, set up jointly by the FIPI, DGH, and CII.
International Affairs
4. Dubai Airshow begins at Al Maktoum International Airport
- The biggest-ever Dubai Airshow began at Al Maktoum International Airport, Dubai.
- With more than 1,200 exhibitors taking part in the 5-day show.
- Dubai Airshow is also the largest of its kind since the outbreak of the Covid-19 pandemic.
- The show also features more than 160 of the world’s most advanced aircraft on the ground and in the air.
- Indian Air Force (IAF) contingent is also taking part in the Dubai Air Show with the Sarang and Suryakiran Aerobatics Teams.
Obituaries
5. Legendary author Wilbur Smith passes away
- Renowned writer Wilbur Smith (88) passed away at his home in South Africa.
- During his decades long career as a writer, Smith authored 49 novels and sold over 140 million copies worldwide in more than 30 languages.
- Smith was born in today's Zambia in 1933 to a British family.
- In 1964, the author published his first novel, "When the Lion Feeds," which narrates the tale of a young man growing up on a South African cattle ranch.
National Affairs
6. Delhi, Kolkata, Mumbai among world's top 10 polluted cities
- According to the data from air quality and pollution city tracking service from IQAir, a Switzerland-based climate group, Delhi, Kolkata and Mumbai are among the top ten most polluted cities of the world.
- Delhi top the list with AQI at 556, Kolkata and Mumbai recorded an AQI of 177 and 169, respectively, at 4th and 6th position.
- The cities with the worst AQI indices also include Lahore, Pakistan, and Chengdu, China.
- IQAir is also a technology partner of the UNEP.
Agreement
7. Indian Oil and NTPC ink deal to collaborate on green energy
- NTPC Ltd inked an initial pact with Indian Oil to collaborate in the field of renewable energy.
- This is a first-of-its-kind novel initiative by two leading national energy majors of India, to support the country’s commitment to achieving renewable energy targets and reduce greenhouse gas emissions.
- This comes in the backdrop of Indian Oil announcing its plan to build the country’s first green hydrogen plant at its Mathura refinery.
Agreement
8. IIT Guwahati to join hands with Oil India Ltd, to tech in energy sector
- IIT-Guwahati will collaborate with OIL on the development and introduction of new technologies energy, and related sectors.
- The partnership will also focus on cooperation in Transfer of existing tech, Knowledge up-gradation and innovation partnership, Training and skill development, and other areas of mutual agreement.
- The MoU will facilitate a new path for exploring various opportunities in applied and translational research for the sustainable energy sector with OIL
Banking & Finance
9. HDFC Bank integrates with government's e-NAM platform
- HDFC Bank integrated with the National Agriculture Market (eNAM) to enable digital collections and settlement of funds to various e-NAM beneficiaries.
- HDFC Bank has partnered with the SFAC to further improve the ease of doing business on e-NAM platform by offering collection modes like multi-net banking, debit card, NEFT/RTGS and UPI/IMPS
- This integration will help farmers, FPOs, commission agents, institutional buyers and other Mandi level service providers.
Banking & Finance
10. Tata Projects bags $120mn order for power transmission project in Banglades
- Tata Projects Limited has received an order for a 400kV double circuit transmission line project valued at around $120 million from the Power Grid Company of Bangladesh Limited (PGCB).
- This is a 120-km project from Barapukuria to Bogura in Bangladesh to be executed in 30 months.
- The funding for the same will be provided by EXIM Bank under Indian Line of Credit.
- This project is on the line of South Aisa power pool comprising Bangladesh, Bhutan, India and Nepal.
Obituaries
11. Noted historian Babasaheb Purandare passes away
- Noted historian and Padma Vibhushan awardee Balwant Moreshwar Purandare (Babasaheb) passed away recently.
- Purandare (99) was an authority on the Maratha warrior king Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj.
- Purandare was awarded with Padma Vibhushan, India's second-highest civilian award in 2019.
- He was conferred with the Maharashtra Bhushan award in 2015.
- He had conceived and directed the theatrical history extravaganza on Shivaji Maharaj’s life titled Jaanta Raja.
Summits & Conferences
12. FICCI to hold virtual agriculture summit on Nov 17-18
- FICCI will organize ‘Envisioning Smart & Sustainable Agriculture’, a virtual agriculture summit and awards event.
- Aim: to bring all key stakeholders on a common platform to ideate an implementable strategy for smart and sustainable agriculture
- The sessions will focus on issues such as strengthening agri-inputs for sustainably increasing productivity
- A knowledge report on ‘India Beyond 75: Envisioning smart and sustainable agriculture’ is being released during the event
Banking & Finance
13. Paytm Money launches AI-powered ‘Voice Trading’
- Paytm Money has launched ‘Voice Trading’, powered by artificial intelligence.
- It will allow users to place a trade or get information about stocks via single voice command.
- This service has been launched in line with Paytm Money’s efforts to offer next-gen and AI-driven tech to elevate user experience.
- The voice trading feature enables a single voice command, with the use of neural networks and natural language processing (NLP) to allow instant processing.
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