Alexander Zverev beats Daniil Medvedev to win ATP Finals title
In Tennis, Alexander Zverev of Germany beat World No.2 Daniil Medvedev of Russia, 6-4, 6-4, in the men’s singles finals to clinch the 2021 ATP Finals title, held at Turin in Italy. This is Zverev’s second Nitto ATP Finals title, after winning the first in 2018. Pierre-Hugues Herbert and Nicolas Mahut of France clinched the men’s double title by defeating Rajeev Ram of the US and Joe Salisbury of the UK.
Financial Stability Board: JP Morgan named world’s most systemic bank
JPMorgan Chase has once again been named the world’s most important bank to the health of the wider financial system, according to the latest annual ranking of top lenders by global regulators. The Financial Stability Board (FSB), made up of regulators from G20 countries, published its latest table of the world’s 30 most systemic banks.
The 30 lenders are divided between four “buckets” in order of how systemic, international, interconnected and complex they are, with JPMorgan now in a higher bucket than its nearest peers. Being included in the table means having to hold additional capital and undergo more intense supervision to avoid a repeat of taxpayer bailouts in the banking crisis over a decade ago. In practice, the lenders typically hold capital buffers that are already above FSB requirements.
NASA launches world’s first DART Mission
The US space agency NASA has launched a first-of-its-kind mission named DART to change the path of an asteroid by intentionally crashing a spacecraft into it. DART stands for Double Asteroid Redirection Test. The $325 million DART mission was launched into orbit on November 24, 2021, from Vandenberg Space Force Base in California atop a SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket.
About the mission:
The mission aims to test asteroid-deflecting technology. The purpose of the mission is to crash a space probe into the asteroid so as to alter its speed and course so prevent it from hitting the Earth. NASA is poised to investigate just that with a first-of-its-kind mission to deflect an asteroid by intentionally crashing a spacecraft into it. The mission offers a rare, real-world chance to test a planetary defence strategy that could protect Earth from a potentially catastrophic collision in the future.
Important takeaways for all competitive exams:
- NASA administrator: Bill Nelson;
- Headquarters of NASA: Washington D.C., United States;
- NASA Founded: 1 October 1958.
Shimla tops NITI Aayog’s inaugural SDG Urban Index
NITI Aayog launched the inaugural SDG Urban Index & Dashboard 2021-22, to further strengthen Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) localization and institute robust SDG monitoring at the city level. The index is an SDG progress monitoring tool at the ULB level to highlight the strengths and gaps of ULB-level data, monitoring, and reporting systems. Shimla has topped among the 56 urban areas while Dhanbad in Jharkhand is at the bottom.
Top 5 Urban Areas with the score
- Shimla: 75.50
- Coimbatore: 73.29
- Chandigarh: 72.36
- Thiruvananthapuram: 72.36
- Kochi: 72.29
Bottom 5 Urban Areas with the score
- Dhanbad: 52.43
- Meerut: 54.64
- Itanagar: 55.29
- Guwahati: 55.79
- Patna: 57.29
About the SDG Urban Index and Dashboard 2021-22:
The SDG Urban Index and Dashboard 2021-22 ranks 56 urban areas on 77 SDG indicators across 46 targets of the SDG framework. These include 44 cities with a population above one million and 12 State capitals with a population of less than a million. The Index has been developed by Niti Aayog in collaboration with GIZ and BMZ under the umbrella of Indo-German Development Cooperation.
Based on the composite score, urban areas have been classified as below:
- Aspirant: 0–49
- Performer: 50–64
- Front-Runner: 65–99
- Achiever: 100
Indore’s Railway Station renamed after Tribal Icon Tantya Bhil
Madhya Pradesh Chief Minister, Shivraj Singh Chouhan has announced the renaming of Indore’s Patalpani railway station after tribal icon Tantya Bhil, who was well known as ‘Indian Robin Hood’ by the tribals. CM also announced that 2 other landmarks, the Bhanwar Kuan intersection, and MR 10 bus stand, in Indore will also be named after Tantya Bhil. Notably, Bhopal’s Habibganj railway station was recently named after Rani Kamalapati, a tribal queen.
About the Tantya Bhil:
Tantya Bhil is hailed as one of the revolutionaries who waged an armed struggle against the British rule for 12 years. It is said that Tantya used to loot the treasuries of the British government and distribute the wealth among the poor.
Important takeaways for all competitive exams:
- Chief Minister of Madhya Pradesh: Shivraj Singh Chouhan; Governor: Mangubhai C. Patel.
RBI revealed a Draft Scheme for amalgamation of PMC Bank
The Reserve Bank of India (RBI) revealed a draft scheme for amalgamating the Punjab and Maharashtra Cooperative (PMC) Bank with the Delhi-based Unity Small Finance Bank Ltd (USFB). Unity Small Finance Bank is a joint venture between Centrum Group and Bharatpe. It has commenced operations as a small finance bank with effect from November 1, 2021. According to the draft scheme of amalgamation, the takeover of the assets and liabilities of PMC Bank, including deposits, by Unity will give a greater degree of protection for the depositors.
The suggestions and objections to the draft scheme are open till December 10, 2021. PMC Bank Limited based in Mumbai, Maharashtra was placed under All-Inclusive Directions under Sub-section (1) of Section 35-A read with Section 56 of the Banking Regulation (BR) Act, 1949 on September 23, 2019, on account of fraud which led to a steep deterioration in its net worth. The RBI scheme also said that for institutional depositors 80 per cent of the uninsured deposits outstanding will be converted into Perpetual Non-Cumulative Preference Shares (PNCPS) with the dividend of one per cent per annum payable annually.
SBI signed an MoU with Pondicherry Co-op Milk Producers’ Union Ltd
The State bank of India (SBI) has signed an MoU with Pondicherry Co-op. Milk Producers’ Union Ltd (PONLAIT) for financing individual dairy farmers up to Rs 3 Lakh. The Loan will be made available through YONO application of the SBI Bank. SBI has introduced a technology product, named ‘SAFAL- Simple And Fast Agriculture Loan’ for financing individual Dairy farmers, who are supplying milk to commercial dairies on a regular basis.
About the agreement:
Around 3,500 dairy farmers supplying milk to 98 primary milk societies of PONLAIT would be benefited by the arrangement. This was the first MoU signed in the Chennai circle of the bank which plans to enter into such agreements with commercial dairies throughout the country to finance farmers supplying milk to the dairies. The present arrangement to boost milk production with the help of bank loans would help the administration of the union territory to meet the daily requirement of milk.
Important takeaways for all competitive exams:
- SBI Chairperson: Dinesh Kumar Khara.
- SBI Headquarters: Mumbai.
- SBI Founded: 1 July 1955.
S K Sohan Roy 1st Indian to be honoured with Knighthood of Parte Guelfa
Dr S K Sohan Roy from Kerala, CEO, and founder of Aries Group of Companies has become the first Indian to be honoured with the Knighthood of Parte Guelfa for his humanitarian and Environmental protection efforts in business and movies. The honorary title of “Knight of Parte Guelfa” has been conferred upon him during the conferring ceremony organized during the Investitures of Parte Guelfa of Annus Domini 2021 and was held at the Basilica of Santa Croce and the Palagio di Parte Guelfa in Florence, Italy.
Order of the Guelph Part:
Order of the Guelph Part or Ordo Parte Guelfae which was initially known as Societas Partis Ecclesiae is an order of pontifical foundation established by Pope Clement IV in 1266. The Guelph part is concerned with environmental protection and the knighthood is recognised as the protector of the World Environment.
Who is Dr Sohan Roy?
Dr Sohan Roy, an Indian entrepreneur based in Sharjah, is a Naval Architect and Marine Engineer, an award-winning director and a poet. Forbes listed him among the top Indian leaders of the Arab World four times in a row between 2015 and 2019. Aries Punnamada Urukku Chundan, a steel snake boat developed by Sohan Roy’s Aries Marine, has been certified as the world’s largest canoe crew by Guinness World Records.
India, Maldives & Sri Lanka conducted biennial trilateral exercise ‘Dosti’
The 5-day long, 15th edition of the Maldives, India, and Sri Lanka biennial Trilateral Exercise ‘Dosti’ was conducted in the Maldives from 20-24 November 2021 as part of regional security formation for a peaceful and stable Indian Ocean Region. The Exercise is conducted biennially among the Coast Guards of the 3 countries. This year marks the 30th year since the initiation of the exercise.
Indian Coast Guard vessels, Integrated Coast Guard Ship (ICGS) Vajra and Apoorva along with Sri Lanka Coast Guard Ship (SLCGS) Suraksha Participated in the exercise. The aim of the India-Maldives-Sri Lanka tri-lateral exercise ‘Dosti’ is to further fortify the friendship, enhance the mutual operational capability, and exercise interoperability and to build cooperation between the Coast Guards of Maldives, India and Sri Lanka.
Jitendra Singh launched India’s 1st Virtual Science Lab for children
Science and Technology Minister, Jitendra Singh has launched India’s first Virtual Science Lab for Children under CSIR (Council of Scientific and Industrial Research) Jigyasa Programme. These labs will connect students with scientists across the country. To provide quality research exposure and innovative pedagogy for school students based on an online interactive medium.
The new facility will immensely benefit students from Kendriya Vidyalayas, Navodaya Vidyalayas, and Government Schools. The virtual lab would provide a virtual tour of CSIR laboratories and expose students to research infrastructure. CSIR has also partnered with the Indian Institute of Technology, Bombay to develop a Virtual Lab platform under Jigyasa programme.
Art historian BN Goswamy’s book on Indian arts
Distinguished art historian & Padma Awardee, Brijinder Nath Goswamy has authored a new book on Indian arts, titled “Conversations: India’s Leading Art Historian Engages with 101 themes, and More”. The book acquired by Penguin Random House India will be published in January 2022. In this book, B.N Goswamy explores a wide range of subjects on or around the arts.
With this book, Goswamy opens a window to a wide range of subjects: on and around the arts. It not only invites those interested and literate in arts but also the general readers who want to take a dive into the field of the arts.
Former South Korean President Chun Doo-hwan passes away
The former president of South Korea Chun Doo-hwan passed away at the age of 90 years due to heart failure in Seoul, South Korea. He belonged to the ‘Democratic Justice’ party. He became the 5th President of South Korea. He served as the President of the Democratic Justice Party from 1981 to 1987.
A former military commander, Chun — known as the “Butcher of Gwangju” — presided over the 1980 army massacre of pro-democracy demonstrators in the city, a crime for which he was later convicted and received a commuted death sentence.
IRCTC : Railways to start theme-based Bharat Gaurav trains
Minister of Railways, Ashwini Vaishnaw has announced the launch of Bharat Gaurav, which will be run in theme-based circuits by both the private sector and the IRCTC. The Indian Railways is in the process of finalising theme-based tourist circuit trains through private and state-owned service providers in a move to display the country’s rich cultural heritage.
To promote the first-of-its-kind theme-based trains, the railways has dedicated more than 3,000 AC and non-AC coaches of various categories to run around 190 tourist circuit trains to various cultural and heritage sites. The first Bharat Gaurav train may begin by January 2022.
