Daily GK Update: 28th November 2021

 Arts & Culture

1. 52nd International film festival of India in Goa concluded

• The 52nd edition of IFFI in Goa concluded.
• For the first time: The BRICS film festival was hosted alongside IFFI, OTT platforms participated and 75 creative young minds of cinema were felicitated at IFFI.
• The Golden peacock award: Ringu Wandering (Masakazu Kanyeko) 
• The best director: Vaclav Kadrnka for ‘Saving One Who Was Dead’.
• Best actor male went to Jitendra Joshi (Godavari).
• Best actor female: Angela Molina (Paraguay)
• The Special Jury award: Renata Carvalho (Brazil)

 Honours & Awards

2. Hunar Haat receives India International Trade Fair, 2021 Silver Medal

• The ‘HUNAR HAAT’, organized by the Ministry of Minority Affairs received the prestigious India International Trade Fair, 2021 Silver Medal for strengthening commitment to “Vocal for Local”. 
• Over 550 artisans and craftsmen from more than 30 States and Union Territories participated and set up more than 300 stalls in the 33rd HUNAR HAAT.
• The next HUNAR HAAT will be organised at Surat and JLN Stadium, New Delhi.
• Minister of Minority Affairs: Mukhtar Abbas Naqvi 

 State Affairs

3. Kerala Tourism launches STREET project for experiential tourism

• Kerala Tourism will launch the 'STREET' project to to take tourism deep into the state's interiors and rural hinterland
• Project would help visitors experience the diversity of offerings in these locales.
• The project, conceived by the Responsible Tourism Mission, is inspired by the 'Tourism for Inclusive Growth' slogan of The United Nations World Tourism Organization. 
• The STREET is an acronym for Sustainable, Tangible, Responsible, Experiential, Ethnic, Tourism hubs.

 Summits & Conferences

4. Maritime Council to establish International Day for Women

• The International Maritime Organisation Council has decided to establish an International Day for Women in Maritime to be observed on May 18 every year.
• The observance will celebrate women in the industry, promote the recruitment, retention and sustained employment of women in the male- dominated maritime sector.
• It is a welcome move in the sector dominated by male, but many issues need to be addressed to get more women on board the shipping sector.
• IMO Hq: London, UK 

 International Affairs

5. New Russian module launched to International Space Station

• A Russian rocket Soyuz blasted off successfully to deliver a new docking module to the International Space Station.
• It carries the Progress cargo ship with the Prichal (Pier) docking module. 
• The new spherical module with six docking ports will allow potential future expansion of the Russian segment of the station.
• The space outpost is currently operated by NASA's Raja Chari, Thomas Marshburn, Kayla Barron, and Mark Vande Hei; Russian Anton Shkaplerov and Pyotr Dubrov.

 Banking & Finance

6. HSBC launches India’s 1st recycled PVC plastic credit card

• HSBC India has launched India’s first credit card made from recycled PVC plastic.
• The cards are issued in partnership with IDEMIA and will help gradually eliminate single-use PVC plastic.
• This initiative has initially been rolled out for HSBC Cashback Credit Card and will be gradually extended to all card variants.
• Made from 85% recycled plastic, the new rPVC cards will help save 3.18gm of plastic waste per card in addition to helping lower overall carbon emission.

 Banking & Finance

7. ESAF Bank launches electric vehicle loan scheme ‘Go green’

• ESAF Small Finance Bank has announced the latest “ESAF Go Green” range of electric vehicle loan schemes.
• ESAF Go green loans validate bank’s social business strategy seeking a triple bottom line impact; people; planet; and prosperity.
• ESAF SFB caters to more than 46 lakhs customers through its 550 banking outlets across 21 States and two UTs.
• Govt had given special consideration in the budget to promote the use of electric vehicles.
• Hq: Thrissur, Kerala.

 Obituaries

8. Veteran Broadway composer Stephen Sondheim passes away

• Veteran songwriter Stephen Sondheim has passed away recently.
• From the comedic 'A Funny Thing Happened on the Way to the Forum' to the ground-breaking 'Company' and the experimental 'Pacific Overtures', his shows have had transformed the Broadway musical stage.
• He's a recipient of Tony Awards plus a 2008 Special Tony Award for lifetime achievement. 
• He also received a Pulitzer Prize ('Sunday in the Park'), and an Academy Award for the song 'Sooner or Later'.

 Summits & Conferences

9. 9th Meeting of the BIMSTEC Joint Working Group on Counter Terrorism held

• 9th Meeting of the BIMSTEC Joint Working Group on Counter Terrorism and Transnational Crime was hosted by Bhutan.
• The meeting was attended by BIMSTEC Members: Bangladesh, Bhutan, India, Myanmar, Nepal, Sri Lanka and Thailand.
• The meeting discussed emerging traditional and non-traditional security threats in the BIMSTEC region.
• India would be hosting the tenth Meeting of the BIMSTEC Joint Working Group on Counter Terrorism and Transnational Crimes (JWG-CTTC) in 2022.

 Agreement

10. AMTRON signed MoU to setup cyber Intelligence center of excellence

• Assam Electronics Development Corporation Limited has signed a tripartite MoU with Mastercard Asia/Pacific Pte Ltd. and I-Sec Security Services Pvt. Ltd for setting up a strategic cyber intelligence centre of excellence at Tech City, Guwahati.
• The Cyber COE is envisaged to provide intelligence services to the GoI, state govts, PSUs. 
• Mastercard is already providing value-added services to various customers in India and abroad.