Current Affairs Daily Digest – November 30 2019
1. Akkitham Namboodiri to be awarded the 55th Jnanpith Award
Malayalam poet Akkitham Achuthan Namboodiri has been chosen as the recipient of the 55th Jnanpith Award. The 93-year old considered to have brought modernism in Malayalam poetry. Akkitham is the 6th Malayalam writer to be conferred with the award after G Sankara Kurup, Thakazhi, SK Pottekatt, MT Vasudevan Nair and ONV Kurup.
Akkitham Achuthan Namboodiri:
Akkitham has more than 43 literary works in Malayalam. His work includes Irupatham Noottandinte Ithihasam (The legend of the 20th century). He was awarded the Padma Shri in 2017. The poet has also received several other awards, including the Kerala Sahitya Academy Award in 1971, the Sahitya Academy Award in 1973, and the Vayalar Award in 2012.
Jnanpith Award:
Jnanpith Award was instituted in 1961. It is sponsored by Bharatiya Jnanpith. It is India’s highest literary honour. The award recognizes the outstanding contribution of the authors towards literature.
2. Brad Gobright dies after falling from the El Toro mountain
American rock climber Brad Gobright passed away after falling off a mountain in Mexico. He was 31 years old. He fell on an almost sheer face known as El Sendero Luminoso on the El Toro Mountain in the El Portrero Chico, Monterrey. He fell about 300 metres (1,000ft). The area was marked as inaccessible by the civil defense office.
3. The 18th World Wind Energy Conference was held in Brazil
World Wind Energy Association (WWEA) organized the 18th World Wind Energy Conference and Exhibition (WWEC2019) from 25-27 November 2019 in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil. The conference focused on opportunities offered by a renewable energy strategy.
4. India Japan Foreign and Defence Ministerial Dialogue held in New Delhi
India-Japan Foreign and Defence Ministerial Dialogue 2+2 is held in New Delhi on 30 November 2019. The dialogue will be chaired by the Defence Minister Rajnath Singh. The Indian delegations will be held by the External Affairs Minister Dr. S. Jaishankar and the Japanese delegation will be led by Foreign Affairs Minister Toshimitsu Motegi and Minister of Defence Taro K.
5. Railways installs RTIS on the locomotives
The Ministry of Railways has announced that a Real-time Train Information System (RTIS) is being installed on the locomotives for automatic acquisition of train movement data. The data includes the arrival, departure and run-through timings at the stations en route. The announcement was made by the Union Minister of Railways and Commerce & Industry, Shri Piyush Goyal.
6. All India Police Science Congress organised in Lucknow
The 47th All India Police Science Congress (AIPSC) was organised from 28-29 November 2019, at Police Headquarters in Lucknow, Uttar Pradesh. The chief guest for event was former cop and current Lieutenant Governor of Puducherry Kiran Bedi.
7. Aditya Birla Finance becomes first company to list commercial papers on stock exchanges
Aditya Birla Finance Ltd (ABFL), the Non-Banking Financial Company (NBFC) arm of Aditya Birla Capital, has now become the first company to list its commercial papers (CPs) on stock exchanges.
The move comes after stock exchanges- the BSE (Bombay Stock Exchange) and NSE (National Stock Exchange), came out with a framework for listing of commercial papers (CPs), in a bid to broaden investors’ participation in such securities.
8. UNDP launches Accelerator Lab in New Delhi
The United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) has launched the India chapter of its new initiative, Accelerator Lab in New Delhi. The objective behind launching lab is to address some of the most pressing issues facing India, including air pollution, through innovation. To achieve its objectives, the UNDP has also partnered with NITI Aayog ‘s Atal Innovation Mission (AIM).
9. Indian Navy test-fires Brahmos supersonic cruise missile
Indian Navy test-fired the BrahMos supersonic cruise missile, from the Navy’s stealth destroyer INS Kochi. The supersonic missile successfully hit a decommissioned target ship in Arabian Sea. Moreover, the second ship of Project 15-A ‘Kolkata-class’ guided missile destroyer test-fired advanced missile during a naval drill in west coast.
Earlier the BrahMos missile has been successfully test fired twice from INS Kolkata, (one in June 2014 and February 2015) and one successful test firing has been from INS Kochi in November 2015. The recent test firing from INS Kochi has now re-validated ship’s precise strike capability.
10. NDTV wins International Press Institute India award for Excellence in Journalism
India’s private news channel NDTV has been awarded International Press Institute India award for excellence in journalism by the India chapter of the Vienna-based International Press Institute. NDTV was awarded for its ‘expose of the conspiracy to scuttle’ the Kathua rape and murder case probe.
11. COCO by DHFL General Insurance launches customisable health insurance plan
COCO by DHFL General Insurance announced the launch of its First Retail Health Indemnity Insurance Product COCOCure. COCOCure is a comprehensive, new-age health insurance product that is designed to make health insurance easy to understand and convenient to purchase.
12. Mukesh Ambani overtakes Larry Page, Sergey Brin to become 9th richest in the world
With a net worth of USD 60 billion, Reliance Industries chief Mukesh Ambani has been ranked the 9th richest person globally, according to ‘The Real-Time Billionaires List’ of Forbes, that was topped by Amazon Founder and CEO Jeff Bezos.
The list tracks the daily ups and downs of the world’s richest people and reflects changes since 5 pm EST of the previous trading day. Ambani was ranked 13th in the annual Forbes’ rich list for 2019.
13. Emirates appoints Jabr Al-Azeeby as vice-president of India and Nepal
Emirates has appointed Jabr Al-Azeeby as the new vice-president of India and Nepal, said a company statement issued. Al-Azeeby began his career with Emirates in October 2005 as a commercial graduate trainee, and quickly moved up the ranks to the role of manager – Uganda in 2008.
He held this position for three years, gaining significant expertise in managing commercial operations and teams, enhancing the customer experience, looking for opportunities to better serve the local com ..
14. Indian Navy Commissions Sixth Dornier Aircraft Squadron In Gujarat
The Indian Navy has commissioned its sixth Dornier aircraft squadron in strategically located Porbandar town of Gujarat, giving a fillip to coastal security near the sea border with Pakistan.
The Indian Naval Air Squadron 314, called Raptors, which will operate with four newly-inducted, next generation Dornier aircraft, was commissioned by Deputy Chief of Naval Staff Vice-Admiral MS Pawar.
15. Tree rings can predict climate change : Asian Dendrochronology Conference
Reconstructions of past responses of vegetation from different ecosystems can predict the impact of climate change on weather and other environmental parameters, scientists said at the 6th Asian Dendrochronology Conference being held at the Birbal Sahni Institute of Palaeosciences in Lucknow.
This is the first time that the conference is being held in India. The studies presented and deliberated at the conference were mostly from different ecological niches within Asia.
16. Indian Overseas Bank names Bhuwan Chandra as CFO
Public sector lender Indian Overseas Bank has named Bhuwan Chandra as its new chief financial officer (CFO). His appointment will be effective from December 1, 2019 according to the bank’s filing with the stock exchanges.
