Latest Current Affairs For Tuesday 9th November, 2021

Astronaut Wang Yaping Becomes First Chinese Woman To Walk In Space

Astronaut Wang Yaping became the first Chinese woman to walk in space.

Her team completed a 6-hour stint outside the Tiangong space station as part of its ongoing construction.

Wang and her colleague Zhai Zhigang stepped out of the module waving to the camera while tethered to the outside of the station and installed a suspension device and transfer connectors.

Tiangong-meaning "heavenly palace" is the latest achievement in China's drive to become a major space power. 

IBM sets up client innovation centre in Mysuru

IBM Corp. launched a client innovation centre in Mysuru with support from the Karnataka Digital Economy Mission (KDEM). 

Aim: to attract companies to set up operations in cities beyond Bengaluru.

This initiative aims at supporting the rapid, high-tech driven economic growth in tier-2 and -3 regions while providing comprehensive hybrid cloud and AI technology consulting capabilities.

The centre specialises in design, software engineering and analytics.

Manu Bhaker and Javad Foroughi win mixed team gold in President's Cup

India's pistol ace Manu Bhaker and Iran's Javad Foroughi won the 10m air pistol mixed team gold at the inaugural ISSF President's Cup.

The Indo-Iranian pair got the better of the French-Russian duo of Mathilde Lamolle and Artem Chernousov 16-8 in the gold medal match.

India's Abhishek Verma paired up with Ukranian Olena Kostevych to finish 6th while Saurabh Chaudhary paired with Swiss Heidi Gerber Diethelm made it among the top eight semi-finalists to finish 7th.

Puneeth Rajkumar honoured posthumously with Basavashree Award 2021

Kannada actor Puneeth Rajkumar will be posthumously conferred the Basavashree award 2021 by the Bruhanmutt.

The award honours people for services to society in their respective fields by following the principles of Lord Basaveshwar.

It is presented by Chitradurga Bruhanmutt since 1997.

The award includes a Rs 5 lakh cash and a memento.

PT Usha (2009), Malala Yousufzai (2014), P Sainath (2016), Dr K Kasturirangan (2020) are some to win the award in recent times.

World Radiography Day 2021: 8th November

Every year 8th November is observed as World Radiography Day to commemorate the discovery of X-radiation, or X-rays.

In 1895 on this date German scientist Wilhelm Conrad Rontgen discovered X-rays who, in 1901, became the inaugural winner of the Nobel Prize in Physics. 

The first World Radiography Day was celebrated in 2012. 

Globally, various organisations celebrate this day, including the UK's Society of Radiographers and the Association of Radiographers in Nigeria. 

ESAF Bank join hands with Nabard for local economic development

ESAF Small Finance Bank has joined hands with NABARD for local economic development.

K Rajan, the State Revenue Minister inaugurated the state-level Local Sustainable Economic Development Training Program organized by the bank in this regard.

ESAF Small Finance Bank's state wide initiative on Local Sustainable Economic Development Training Program in collaboration with NABARD is a step towards building financial literacy at grass root levels.

Australia is putting a rover on the Moon in 2024 to search for water

Australian Space Agency announced plans to send a rover to the moon as early as 2026, under a deal with NASA.

The rover will harvest lunar soil containing oxygen, which could eventually be used to support human life in space.

It will be the 1st rover with Australian-made components to reach the moon.

The ten-kilogram rover, measuring 60x60x50cm, will be launched aboard the Hakuto lander built by ispace, a Japanese-based robotic lunar exploration company.

Priyanka Mohite to get Tenzing Norgay National Adventure Award

Maharashtra-based mountaineer Priyanka Mohite will be bestowed with the'Tenzing Norgay National Adventure Award 2020' for her outstanding contribution in the field of adventure.

She will receive the award from President at a function in the Rashtrapati Bhawan.

She started out by trekking in Sahyadri ranges in Maharashtra and rock-climbing, began summiting mountains from 2010.

She has scaled the world's highest peak Mt Everest besides Mt Lhotse and Mt Makalu.

Manika Batra, Archana Kamath Clinch Doubles Title in WTT Contender tourname

Indian pair of Manika Batra and Archana Girish Kamath clinched the women's doubles title in the WTT Contender tournament in Lasko, Slovenia.

The Indian duo defeated the Puerto Rican team of Melanie Diaz and Adriana Diaz in straight sets by 11-3, 11-8, 12-10.

Manika Batra and Archana Girish Kamath entered the finals of the women's doubles event of the WTT Contender tournament after defeating the team of Wang Yidi and Liu Weishan.

Iran’s military began its annual war games Zolfaghar-1400 in Gulf of Oman

Iran’s military began its annual war games “Zolfaghar-1400” in the Gulf of Oman.

Navy and air force units as well as ground forces were participating in a more than 1 million square-kilometer area east of the strategic Strait of Hormuz.

The war games are aimed at “improving readiness in confronting foreign threats and any possible invasion.

Nearly 20% of all oil shipping passes through the strait to the Gulf of Oman and Indian Ocean.

President Ram Nath Kovind confers Padma awards in Rashtrapati Bhawan

President Ram Nath Kovind presents the Padma Awards in the Rashtrapati Bhawan.

The Padma Awards are one of the highest civilian honours of India announced annually on the eve of Republic Day.

The Awards are given in 3categories: Padma Vibhushan, Padma Bhushan and Padma Shri (distinguished service).

119 Padma Awards will be presented by President this year.

The list comprises 7 Padma Vibhushan, 10 Padma Bhushan and 102 Padma Shri Awards.

Sankalp Gupta becomes India's 71st Grandmaster

Nagpur based teenager Sankalp Gupta has become India's 71st Grandmaster by finishing second in the GM Ask 3 round-robin event in Serbia.

He secured the 3 required GM norms by playing three tournaments on the trot.

To achieve the GM title, a player has to secure three GM norms and cross the live rating of 2,500 Elo points.

He won five games, drew three and lost one to Rudik Makrarian (Russia) to take the second place with 6.5 points in the GM tournament. 

India-US launched ‘Operation Broader Sword’

India and the USA, jointly conducted an ‘Operation Broader Sword’ to stop the illegal shipment of drugs through the International Mail System.

It targeted shipments of illicit, potentially dangerous, unapproved prescription drugs, combination medical devices, and synthetic drug precursors shipped through International Mail Facilities.

The operation resulted in the interception of over 500 shipments of illicit and unapproved prescription drugs bound for US consumers.

NLU Delhi launches research affiliate program ‘Eklavya’

The National Law University (NLU), Delhi launched Eklavya, a ‘Research Affiliate’ program, for those who do not have a traditional law degree.

Aim: To emphasize its commitment to actively seek partnerships outside the varsity and draw from their experiences and perspectives to develop quality legal scholarship. 

It is open to those who have at least three years of demonstrable experience working on issues that have a significant interface with the law.

CarTrade Tech to acquire OLX India's auto business for Rs 537 cr

Mumbai-based used cars platform CarTrade Tech Ltd will acquire online marketplace OLX India's auto sales business for Rs 537 crore.

CarTrade will acquire a 100% stake in Sobek Auto India Pvt Ltd, the entity that houses OLX India’s Automotive business, in an all-cash deal.

The acquisition will likely to be completed in 21-30 days.

Sobek is a company incorporated under the Companies Act, of 2013.

It is engaged in the business of running an automotive digital platform.

Bajaj Allianz Life Insurance wins Insurer Innovation Award 2023

Bajaj Allianz Life Insurance has won the Insurer Innovation Award 2023 for the APAC region at the 8th World Digital Insurance Awards, hosted by TDI - The Digital Insurer.

Recognition: Bajaj Allianz Life's ground-breaking WhatsApp Conversational Platform - empowering customers to digitally services their policies seamlessly. 

The award entries were shortlisted by industry experts and the winner was selected by the community through pre-voting and live event voting.

OCA elects Sheikh Talal as the new President

Kuwait’s Sheikh Talal Fahad Al Ahmad Al Sabah has been elected as the new President of the Olympic Council of Asia (OCA).

He replaced his older brother Sheikh Ahmad Al-Fahad Al-Sabah, who led the OCA for 30 years until 2021.

The OCA was founded in 1982 by his father Fahad Al-Ahmed Al-Jaber Al-Sabah, who led it until 1990.

The Olympic Council of Asia (OCA) is a governing body of sports in Asia, currently with 45 member National Olympic Committees.

Gujarat CM launches pilot project of ‘Antyodaya Shramik Suraksha Yojana’

Gujarat CM Bhupendra Patel launched the Antyodaya Shram Suraksha Accident Insurance Scheme from Kheda

All those registered under the e-Shram portal from Nadiad will benefit from the scheme.

It is being implemented through the Indian Postal Department, the IPPB, and the Ministry of Labour and Employment.

Under this scheme, insurance with a premium of Rs. 289 and Rs. 499 per year will be a big support to workers in the event of death or partial disability.

MoHUA conducts SBM-U 2.0 Planning & Implementation Review-cum-Workshop

The Housing Ministry organized a review-cum-workshop to evaluate and accelerate the planning and implementation of the SBM-Urban 2.0.

PM Modi launched the 2.0 versions of SBM-U and AMRUT on October 1, 2021.

SBM-U 2.0: Achieving 100% waste segregation in all households and premises and 100% door-to-door collection of segregated waste from each. 

AMRUT 2.0: To provide complete coverage of water supply to all households and sewerage and septage in 500 AMRUT cities. 

World Population Day 2023: 11 July

World Population Day is observed every year on July 11 in order to raise awareness about global population issues, including population control.

2023 theme: Unleashing the power of gender equality: Uplifting the voices of women and girls to unlock our world’s infinite possibilities. 

It was established by the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) in 1989, after the day the world approximately reached a population of five billion, which was observed on 11 July 1987.

India overtakes China as most attractive emerging market for investing

According to a study by Invesco Global Sovereign Asset Management, India has overtaken China to become the most attractive emerging market for investing in sovereign wealth funds this year.

Reason: This is due to its solid demographics, political stability, and proactive regulation. 

Positives for the nation also include the rapidly expanding demography, strong regulatory actions, and a welcoming climate for sovereign investors.

L&T and Spain's Navantia sign agreement for submarine project

L&T has signed a teaming agreement with Spanish-based Navantia for the submission of a techno-commercial bid for the Indian Navy’s prestigious P75 (India) submarine program.

P75 (India) Submarine Project is expected to be valued at €4.8 billion.

Navantia would carry out the design of P75(I) submarines based on its S80 class of submarines.

The first S80 class submarine was launched in 2021 and is undergoing sea trials prior to its delivery to Spanish Navy.