Current Affairs - November 22, 2017 Current Affairs

India and Russia have joined their hands and signed a pact for giving visa-free entry to the crew members of chartered and scheduled flights in both the nations. The agreement will facilitate visa-free entry, stay and exit of the crew of aircraft of the designated airlines as well as other aircraft companies operating chartered and scheduled flights in the respective territories on a reciprocal basis. This ease has made the relationship between the two nations more concrete. The crew visas are associated with the request for permission to enter a country for a short duration and perform the predefined duties in the given areas, distinct from actual formal permission for an alien to enter and remain in the country.

India has become the second largest fish producing country in the world, Union Agriculture Minister Radha Mohan Singh stated while addressing a conference on the occasion of World Fisheries Day in New Delhi. The scheme 'Blue Revolution' has been launched with the outlay of Rs. 300 crore for the integrated development of the Fisheries sector in the country.

China launched three remote sensing satellites Jilin-1 04, Jilin-1 05 and Jilin-1 06 from Taiyuan Satellite Launch Center in China's northern Shanxi Province. It have been designed to improve observation capability to promote commercial use for the remote sensing industry. The system will be used for wide imaging, video imaging and multispectral imaging. Remote sensing data will serve administrations and commercial customers.

The sixth edition of India's premier open water swimming competition " Swimmathon" will be held at Colva beach in South Goa on December 3, 2017. The event had been accredited by the Swimming Federation of India (SFI) as the national selection trials. This year, the event will have four categories for both men and women. Around 1000 participants are expected to participate in the event across various categories.

Tencent becomes the first Chinese company to be valued at more than $500 billion in Asia. The Shares of the 19-year-old company, which is listed on the Hong Kong Stock Exchange, rallied to reach HK $418.80 to give it a market cap of HK$3.99 trillion which takes past the $500 billion mark. Alibaba is Asia's second-highest-valued firm at $474 billion.

Pondicherry University library has bagged the Highest Profile Registration category award for effective utilisation of the J-Gate@eShodhSindhu platform. University librarian R. Samyuktha received the award at the first J-Gate@eShodhSindhu Forum and Information and Library Network Centers (INFLIBNET) meet jointly organised by INFLIBNET and Informatics Publishing Ltd, held at Gandhi Nagar recently. Pondicherry University is a member of the consortia of leading universities in the country for access to e-resources including electronic journals and electronic databases for major publishers.

The National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) successfully tested supersonic landing parachute that will be deployed in its Mars rover mission set to launch in 2020. The mission will rely on a special parachute to slow spacecraft down as it enters Martian atmosphere at over 5.4 kilometers per second.

Andhra Bank has launched a new scheme "Pattabhi Sitaramayya - Self Business Group (PS-SBG)" on November 21, 2017 to encourage entrepreneurship. The scheme was launched to commemorate the 138th birth anniversary of its founder Bhogaraju Pattabhi Sitaramayya, and the Silver Jubilee of the SHG-Bank linkage programme in the country. Under the scheme, maximum financial assistance will be Rs. 25 lakh without collateral security. The Self Help Groups (SHGs), which have had five years of association with Andhra Bank, will be eligible for the scheme. The SHGs should also have completed three credit rotations with good repayment record to be considered eligible. The bank aims to encourage SHGs to Self Business Group model by helping these collectives take up substantial economic activity.

A two-day conference of all Commanders of Eastern Air Command commenced at Shillong in Meghalaya, where issues pertaining to security are being discussed. Chief of the Air Staff Air Chief Marshal B S Dhanoa interacted with the Commanders and exhorted them to put in efforts to upgrade the operational infrastructure and capability of eastern zone.

The Union Ministry of Health and Family Welfare observed Vasectomy Fortnight to raise awareness about male sterilization and to promote the participated of men in family planning. Under this awareness campaign, all states and union territories observed Vasectomy Fortnight by providing quality of male sterilization services by providing quality of male sterilization services at public health facilities. The Vasectomy fortnight will be observed up to block level with a focus on family planning service delivery along with information, education, communication, and advocacy. The theme for this is "Zimmedar Purush ki yehi hai Pehchan, Parivar Niyojan mein jo de Yogdaan".

Professor Quarraisha Abdool Karim, an acclaimed South African Indian-origin AIDS researcher, has been appointed as a UNAIDS Special Ambassador for Adolescents and HIV. Professor Abdool Karim is one of the world's leading AIDS researchers and has made pioneering contributions to understanding the HIV epidemic among young people, especially among young women. She is a strong advocate for the rights of people living with and affected by HIV. In her new role as a UNAIDS Special Ambassador, Abdool Karim will focus on adolescents and HIV, while also championing the involvement of young women in science.

American model Kendall Jenner beat Gisele Bundchen to become the world's highest-earning model in 2017, as per Forbes Report. The 22-year-old model's earnings have been estimated to be $22 million (142crores). Gisele, who has been the highest-paid model since 2002, was ranked second in the list this year, with earnings of $17.5 million (113 crores).

India has been ranked 51st globally in terms of ability to attract, develop and retain talent while Switzerland topped the list compiled by leading global business school IMD. The annual IMD World Talent Ranking covered 63 countries and assessed the methods the countries adopted to attract and retain talent. The rankings are based on a country's performance in three main categories - investment and development, appeal, and readiness - and India was ranked 62nd, 43rd and 29th on these terms.