Top Current Affairs 18th November 2021 at Freshers Wisdom

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International Students’ Day: 17 November

• 17th November is observed as International Students’ Day globally, every year.
• The day marks the anniversary of the horrific attack in 1939, during World War II when Nazis stormed Czech universities in Prague and killed hundreds of students.
• The day is observed in the remembrance of those students. 

World Pancreatic Cancer Day: 18 November 2021

• World Pancreatic Cancer Day is observed on the third Thursday of November every year.
• For 2021, it is being observed on 18 November.
• Pancreatic cancer has the lowest survival rate of all different types of cancer.
• Only 3-5% of those diagnosed survive for up to five years.
• The World Pancreatic Cancer Coalition, comprising more than 60 organizations, founded World Pancreatic Cancer Day.

World Philosophy Day: 18 November 2021

• On the third Thursday of November every year, World Philosophy Day is observed.
• For 2021, it was observed on 18 November.
• The day promotes an academic exchange of philosophy for the development of human thought.
• World Philosophy Day was initially established by UNESCO on 21 November 2002.
• In 2005, the UNESCO General Conference declared the annual celebration of this event.

Rajnath Singh inaugurates revamped Rezang La war memorial in Ladakh

• Union Defence Minister Rajnath Singh inaugurated a newly revamped war memorial in Ladakh’s Rezang La, on 18 Nov’21.
• The memorial has names of soldiers who died in the Jun’20 Galwan Valley clash with the Chinese.
• The memorial was first raised at Chushul in Ladakh in memory of soldiers who died in the battle of Rezang La during the 1962 war.
• 18 November is marked as this battle’s anniversary.

First Global Innovation Summit of Pharmaceuticals sector inaugurated

• Prime Minister Narendra Modi inaugurated the first Global Innovation Summit of the Pharmaceuticals sector on 18 November 2021.
• It will also highlight the opportunities in the Indian pharma industry that has huge growth potential.
• The two-day event, which will comprise 12 sessions, will be attended by more than 40 national and international speakers.

PM Modi delivers the keynote address at Sydney Dialogue

• PM Narendra Modi delivered a keynote address at the Sydney Dialogue on 18 Nov 2021.
• The Sydney Dialogue is being held from 17-19 November as an initiative of the Australian Strategic Policy Institute.
• PM Modi spoke on the theme of India’s technology evolution and revolution. 
• The summit, co-hosted by the Australian government and Meta, will focus on space, the quantum computing race, etc.

Securities Exchange Board of India (SEBI) unveils investor charter

• Securities Exchange Board of India (SEBI) on 17 November 2021 released an investor charter outlining the rights and responsibilities of investors investing in the securities market.
• The vision of the investor charter is to protect the interests of investors by enabling them to understand the risks involved and invest in a fair, transparent, and get services in a timely and efficient manner.

Indian men’s compound team wins bronze at Asian Archery Championships

• The Indian men’s team of compound archers clinched the bronze medal at Asian Archery Championships 2021 after beating Bangladesh, on 17 November 2021.
• The trio of Abhishek Verma, Rishabh Yadav, and Aman Saini defeated Mohammad Ashikuzzaman, Nawaz Rakib, and Sohel Rana, beating them 235-22.
• This was India’s first podium finish at the ongoing continental event.

SAI confers 246 athletes with first-ever SAI Institutional Awards

• Union Minister of Youth Affairs and Sports Anurag Thakur conferred the first ever SAI Institutional Awards to 246 athletes and coaches on 17 November 2021 in New Delhi.
• 162 athletes and 84 coaches have been conferred awards in the Outstanding Award and Best Award category.
• The awards have been granted to the deserving candidates for the years 2016-17, 2017-18, 2018-19, and 2019-20.

MoFPI signs MoU with Department of Animal Husbandry and Dairying

• Dept of Animal husbandry and Dairying (DAHD) and the Ministry of Food Processing Industry have signed an MoU.
• It has been signed for the extension of benefits to dairy entrepreneurs through the convergence of various schemes of DAHD.
• Both will facilitate the beneficiaries to avail the benefits under the PM Kisan Sampada Yojana and PM Formalisation of Micro food processing Enterprises Scheme.

Cabinet approves continuation of Pradhan Mantri Gram Sadak Yojana

• The Cabinet Committee on Economic Affairs has approved the continuation of Pradhan Mantri Gram Sadak Yojana-I and II  (PMGSY) up to Sept 2022.
• It also approved the continuation of the Road Connectivity Project for Left Wing Extremism Affected Areas (RCPLWEA) up to March 2023.
• The govt started PMGSY-I to provide connectivity to unconnected habitations of North-East and Himalayan states.

Indian scientists discover star-planet bigger than Jupiter

• The exoplanet search and study group at the Ahmedabad-based Physical Research Laboratory (PRL), has discovered a new exoplanet orbiting too close to an evolved or aging star with a mass of 1.5 times that of the Sun and located 725 light-years away.
• The exoplanet’s mass is found to be 70 percent and size about 1.4 times that of Jupiter.
• The planet is called TOI 1789b or HD 82139b.

India participates in 21st IORA Annual Council of Ministers’ Meeting

• Bangladesh, as the Chair of IORA (Indian Ocean Rim Association), hosted the 21st IORA Council of Ministers’ (COM) Meeting on 17 November 2021.
• India participated in it virtually led by Minister of State External Affairs Dr. Rajkumar Ranjan Singh.
• IORA is an international organization consisting of 23 nations bordering the Indian Ocean. 

Odisha CM Naveen Patnaik inaugurates 135 more transformed schools

• CM Naveen Patnaik dedicated 130 transformed high schools in five districts to the people on the fourth day of the 5T School Transformation programme on 16 November 2021.
• Of 130 schools, seven are in the Nuapada district, 83 in Ganjam, 25 in Sambalpur, eight in Nayagarh, and seven in Rayagada.
• The 5Ts aim at achieving progress via Transparency, Teamwork, Technology, Time, and Transformation.

MPL signs MoU with Telangana to set up a game development centre

• Mobile Premier League (MPL), an online gaming platform, will set up a game development centre in Telangana.
• It signed an MoU with the state government on the sidelines of IndiaJoy 2021.
• Telangana govt will allot a dedicated 500 seat facility for Mobile Premier League in IMAGE Towers.
• MPL will work with the Telangana Academy of Skills and Knowledge to introduce special game development.

India’s first portable wireless spirometer launched by Cipla

• Drug major Cipla on 17 November 2021 launched Spirofy.
• It is the country’s first pneumotach-based portable wireless spirometer for the diagnosis of chronic obstructive pulmonary disorder (COPD) and asthma.
• The device generates reports in real-time, which can be printed using a portable wireless thermal printer instantly, or a pdf version can be shared on the phone.

Enforcement Directorate Chief Sanjay Mishra gets 1-year extension

• Enforcement Directorate (ED) Chief Sanjay Kumar Mishra has got a one-year extension till 18 November 2022.
• Mishra is a 1984-batch Indian Revenue Service (IRS) officer of the Income Tax Department cadre.
• He was first appointed as the ED director for a period of two years by an order of November 19, 2018, and later his term of two years was replaced by three years.

IndusInd Bank unveils mobile app ‘Indus Merchant Solutions’

• IndusInd Bank has launched ‘Indus Merchant Solutions’ mobile application (app).
• It will enable merchants, retailers, and professionals to carry out banking transactions digitally, on a single platform.
• It will enable activities such as accepting instant cashless payments on mobile phones, tracking inventory via in-built dashboards, applying for an exclusive Point of Sale (PoS) machine, etc.

Centre approves USOF scheme for providing 4G based mobile services

• The Union Cabinet on 17 Nov’21 approved the provisioning of mobile services in uncovered villages of aspirational districts across 5 states- Andhra Pradesh, Chhattisgarh, Jharkhand, Maharashtra, and Odisha.
• The project would be funded by Universal Service Obligation Fund (USOF).
• It envisages providing 4G based mobile services in the 7,287 uncovered villages of 44 aspirational districts.

New Model Concession Agreement – 2021 announced

• Union Minister for Ports, Shipping and Waterways Sarbananda Sonowal on 18 Nov’21 announced the revised Model Concession Agreement (MCA) – 2021 for PPP (Public-Private Partnership) projects at Major Ports.
• It will be applicable to all the future PPP projects at major ports, as well as projects which are under bidding stage.
• At the moment, there are more than 80 PPP projects in the sector.

BDL inks export contract with Airbus Defense and Space

• Bharat Dynamics Limited (BDL) on 17 November 2021 signed an export contract with Airbus Defense and Space, Spain for the supply of the Counter Measures Dispensing System (CMDS).
• Under the contract, BDL will supply its in-house developed CMDS to Airbus.
• The contract is valued at around USD 21 million.

Garbine Muguruza beats Anett Kontaveit to win WTA Finals title

• Garbine Muguruza beat Anett Kontaveit 6-3, 7-5 to win the WTA Finals title on 17 November 2021 for the first time in her career.
• Garbine Muguruza, who won back-to-back titles in Monterrey in northern Mexico in 2018 and 2019, became the first Spaniard to win the women’s season-ending tournament.
• She is now placed no.3 while Anett is at no.7.

India re-elected to UNESCO executive board for 2021-25 term

• India has been reelected to the UNESCO Executive Board, one of the three constitutional organs of the UN, for the 2021-25 term.
• The election took place on 17 November 2021.
• In Group IV Asian and Pacific States, Japan, Philippines, Vietnam, Cook Islands, and China also were elected.
• United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organisation (UNESCO) currently has 193 member nations.

NSDL e-Governance gets RBI nod for account aggregator business

• NSDL e-Governance Infrastructure has received in-principle approval from RBI to set up an account aggregator business under its wholly-owned subsidiary, NSDL e-Governance Account Aggregator Ltd.
• Account aggregator is a first-of-its-kind consent framework that empowers an individual with control over his or her data, and the ability to securely and digitally access and share the same. 

Madras Sappers celebrated 241st Corps Day: 18 November 2021

• The Madras Sappers celebrated its 241st Corps Day on 18 November 2021.
• The Indian Army’s Corps of Engineers officially recognizes its birth in 1780 when the oldest group of the Corps, the Madras Sappers, was raised.
• Subsequently, the Groups of Bengal and Bombay Sappers were formed in their respective presidencies, which were later merged on November 18, 1932, to form the Corps of Engineers.

RBI authorises RBL Bank to collect direct taxes

• RBL Bank has been authorized by the Reserve Bank of India (RBI),  to collect direct taxes on behalf of the Central Board of Direct Taxes (CBDT).
• The recommendation was made by the Controller General of Accounts, Ministry of Finance, and Government of India.
• RBL Bank’s corporate and individual customers will be able to pay their direct taxes through RBL Bank’s mobile or net banking platforms.

The number of tobacco users decreased globally since 2015: WHO

• The number of people using tobacco globally decreased to 1.30 billion in 2020, from 1.32 billion in 2015.
• This was stated in the fourth World Health Organization (WHO) global tobacco trends report released on 16 November 2021.
• The report highlighted that although South-East Asia has the highest rates, it is also the region in which the numbers are declining fastest. 

Barbora Krejcikova and Katerina Siniakova clinch doubles title

• Barbora Krejcikova and Katerina Siniakova of the Czech Republic clinched the doubles title at the WTA Finals in Guadalajara on 17 November 2021.
• They defeated Hsieh Su-Wei of Chinese Taipei and Elise Mertens of Belgium, 6-3, 6-4, in an hour and 18 minutes.
• The final victory also clinches the year-end WTA Doubles World No.1 ranking for Siniakova, who will displace Hsieh at the top.

President starts Swa Prerit Adarsh Gram Yojana in Sui village

• President Ram Nath Kovind initiated the Swa Prerit Adarsh Gram Yojana on 17 November 2021.
• He presided over the inauguration ceremony of Sui-a model village in Bhiwani that is developed under the Swa-Perit Adarsh Gram Yojana.
• It has been developed as an ‘Adarsh Gram’ by Mahadevi Parameshwaridas Jindal Charitable Trust.