Today's Current Affairs - 8th November 2022

INTERNATIONAL

TRENDS: Russia becomes India's top oil supplier in October 2022

• Surpassing traditional suppliers Saudi Arabia and Iraq, Russia has emerged as the top oil supplier to India in October. This comes amid an ongoing war between Russia and Ukraine that has also seen many Western nations issue sanctions against Russian Federation.
• The data shows that Russia, which made up for just 0.2 per cent of all oil imported by India in the year to March 31, 2022, supplied 935,556 barrels per day (bpd) of crude oil to India in October — the highest ever. Russia now supplies almost 22% of India’s total crude imports, ahead of Iraq’s 20.5 per cent and Saudi Arabia’s 16 per cent.
• India’s appetite for Russian oil swelled ever since it started trading on discount as the West shunned it to punish Moscow for its invasion of Ukraine.
• India imported just 36,255 barrels per day of crude oil from Russia in December 2021 as compared to 1.05 million bpd from Iraq and 952,625 bpd from Saudi Arabia.
• In June, Iraq was India’s top supplier with 1.04 million bpd of oil. Russia in that month became India’s second biggest supplier.
• Imports dipped marginally in the following two months. They stood at 876,396 bpd in September before rising to 835,556 bpd in October.

SPORTS

Suryakumar Yadav becomes 1st Indian player to score 1,000 T20I runs in a calendar year

• Star Indian batter Suryakumar Yadav has became the first Indian player to score 1,000 T20 International runs in a calendar year. The batter accomplished this feat in his side’s final Super 12 stage match against Zimbabwe in Melbourne cricket ground (MCG), Australia. In the match, Suryakumar put his perfect finishing touches to make sure India finished their innings on a high. He scored 61 not out of just 25 balls, consisting of six fours and four sixes. In 28 innings this year, Suryakumar has scored 1,026 runs at an average of 44.60.
• Suryakumar Yadav has now joined Pakistan’s Mohammad Rizwan on the elite list of batters who have scored more than 1000 T20I runs in a calendar year. Rizwan, who has 924 runs in 23 T20Is this year, scored a total of 1326 runs in 29 matches in 2021. Surya is only the second player in T20I history to have scored more than 1000 runs in one calendar year. Now he has a total of 1026 runs in 28 T20I matches this year.
• Surya made his T20I debut for India against England in March last year, and since then he has been on a roll. He has played a total of 39 T20I matches in total for India, in which he has scored 1270 runs.

ICC Player of the Month 2022: Virat Kohli, Nida Dar awarded for October 2022

• The International Cricket Council (ICC) announced the winners of the ICC Player of the Month awards for October 2022. India veteran batter Virat Kohli has been named as the ICC men’s Player of the Month for October. Meanwhile, Pakistan’s veteran all-rounder Nida Dar has been selected as ICC Women’s Player of the Month, thanks to her sensational form in the Women’s Asia Cup.
• Both Kohli and Dar were elected winners following a global vote conducted among media representatives, ICC Hall of Famers, former international players, and fans registered at icc-cricket.com.
• Virat Kohli has been in phenomenal touch this past month, delivering brilliant performances throughout the ongoing ICC T20 World Cup and has been an integral part of India’s semifinal qualification. The 34-year-old played four innings in October and had 205 runs in his kitty, including a match-winning 53-ball unbeaten 82 against Pakistan in India’s Super-12s opener.
• Zimbabwe’s Sikandar Raza and South Africa’s David Miller were the other nominees for the award along with Kohli, but the Indian batter beat them to claim the title.
• For her key contributions to Pakistan’s semi-final surge in the Women’s Asia Cup in Bangladesh, Nida Dar takes home the ICC Women’s Player of the Month award for October.
• Scoring 145 valuable runs at an average of 72.50 during the month and taking eight key wickets, the influential all-rounder underlined her importance to the Pakistan cause despite falling short in the knockout stages.

 APPOINTMENTS & RESIGNATIONS

Former Karnataka HC Chief Justice appointed as Law Commission of India chairperson

• The central government appointed chairperson and members of the Law Commission over two and a half years after it was constituted. Retired Karnataka High Court Chief Justice Rituraj Awasthi appointed as the chairperson of the commission.
• The Law Commission is constituted for three years and the 22nd Law Commission was notified on February 24, 2020. The law panel has been lying vacant since the retirement of former Supreme Court judge Justice BS Chauhan in 2018.
• The government has said the issue related to the Uniform Civil Code might be taken up by the 22nd law panel.
• Former Kerala High Court judge Justice KT Sankaran, Professor Anand Paliwal, Professor DP Verma, Professor Raka Arya and M Karunanithi have been appointed as members of the commission.
• Justice Rituraj Awasthi was a judge of the Allahabad High Court and retired in July this year as the Chief Justice of Karnataka High Court. He had headed the HC bench which upheld the ban on wearing hijab by Muslim girls in government colleges in Karnataka.

 IMPORTANT DAYS

World Radiography Day 2022: 8th November

• Every year on November 8, World Radiography Day is observed to honour the discovery of X-radiation, also known as X-rays. This day in 1895 saw the completion of German scientist Wilhelm Conrad Rontgen’s discovery of X-radiation, or X-rays. For this accomplishment, he was awarded the first Nobel Prize in Physics in 1901. This year, we will be celebrating the 11th International Day of Radiology on 11 November and this is observed by all the medical imaging professionals from across the world.
• The theme of International Day of Radiology 2022 is “Radiographers at the Forefront of Patient Safety.” This theme aims to encourage all radiologists, radiographers, radiological technologists, and professionals to recognize and promote the essential role of radiology in the treatment of a patient.
• World Radiography Day celebrates the anniversary of the discovery of X¬rays in 1895 and is used as a platform to raise public awareness of radiographic imaging and therapy. Radiographic imaging plays an important role in the diagnosis and the treatment of patients but it is equally crucial that the radiation level is kept to the minimum required so that it improves the health of patients instead of harming them.

 Infant Protection Day 2022: 7th November

• Every year, November 7 is celebrated as Infant Protection Day. This day is celebrated with the sole purpose of raising awareness about the safety of newborn lives and giving them proper care. The day has been set to discuss how to best safeguard and nurture young children at one of their most important and vulnerable developmental stages.
• The main reason behind the commemoration of Infant’s Protection Day is to take steps to protect the lives of infants. On this day, the government hopes to raise awareness about the protection and nurturing that infants require. This day also seeks to provide every child with the strong health and immunity they deserve.
• While highlighting the need of improving immunological support, this day also emphasises the measures that the government should take into account in order to promote effective healthcare systems.
• According to the data from the Sample Registration System (SRS) Bulletin of Registrar General of India (RGI), the Infant Mortality Rate (IMR) has reduced from 37 per 1000 live births in 2015 to 30 per 1,000 live births in 2019 at National Level.

 SUMMIT'S & MOU's

Urban Mobility India Conference 2022: Challenges and Solutions to India's Urban Public Transport System

• In Kerala, the 15th edition of the Urban Mobility India Conference & Expo opens in Kochi on 4th of November. Union Minister of Housing and Urban Affairs Hardeep Singh Puri and Kerala Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan jointly inaugurated the three-day conference.
• The meet is focus on the theme, ‘Azadi @ 75 — Sustainable Aatmanirbhar Urban Mobility‘.
• Senior officers from the central and state governments, policymakers, Managing Directors of Metro Rail Companies, Chief Executives of transport undertakings, and international experts are participating in the conference.
• A total of 12 sessions were held on day two, including research symposiums on topics like ‘Electric and Clean Urban Mobility’ , ‘Sustainable Transport Planning’ and ‘Urban Transport Governance’. The Plenary Session was on ‘Strengthening the Ecosystem to Accelerate Shift to Public Transport’.

 RANKING

Reliance Industries among top 20 in Forbes' World's Best Employers rankings 2022

• According to Forbes’ World’s Finest Employers rankings 2022, Reliance Industries, the nation’s largest corporation by revenues, profits, and market value, is India’s best employer and the 20th best company to work for globally. Oil-to-telecom-to-retail conglomerate Reliance, with 2,30,000 employees, is ranked 20th – the highest-ranked Indian firm. It is ranked above Mercedes-Benz of Germany, US beverage maker Coca-Cola, Japanese auto giants Honda and Yamaha, and Saudi Aramco.
• The global ranking was topped by South Korean giant Samsung Electronics, followed by US giants Microsoft, IBM, Alphabet and Apple.
• US companies occupy rankings from 2nd to 12^th, followed by German automaker BMW Group at 13th. The world’s largest online retailer Amazon is ranked 14th in the list and French giant Decathlon is at 15th rank.
• There is no Indian company other than Reliance in the top 100. HDFC Bank is ranked 137th. Bajaj (173rd), Aditya Birla Group (240th), Hero Motocorp (333rd), Larsen & Toubro (354th), ICICI Bank (365th), HCL Technologies (455th), State Bank of India (499th), Adani Enterprises (547th) and Infosys (668th) are the other companies on the list.

 BANKING AND ECONOMY

GoI appointed non-executive Chairman in four Public Sector Banks

• Canara Bank, Punjab National Bank, Union Bank of India and Punjab & Sind Bank are the four banks where Non-executive Chairman has been appointed on their Boards. The approval is given by the Appointments Committee of the Cabinet (ACC).
• Vijay Srirangam has been appointed as part-time Non-Official Director as well as Non-Executive Chairman of Canara Bank for three years.
• K G Ananthakrishnan has been appointed as part-time Non-Official Director as well as Non-Executive Chairman of Punjab National Bank for a term of three years.
• Srinivasan Varadarajan has been appointed as part-time Non-Official Director as well as Non-Executive Chairman of Union Bank of India for a term of three years, according to an order issued by the Department of Personnel & Training.
• The Centre has also appointed Charan Singh as a part-time Non-Official Director as well as Non-Executive Chairman of Punjab & Sind Bank for a term of two years.

GreenCell Express secures $40 million loan from ADB to produce 255 e-buses

• The Asian Development Bank (ADB) signed a $40 million financing package with GreenCell Express Private Limited (GEPL) to develop 255 electric battery-powered buses (e-buses) to serve 5 million people a year on 56 intercity routes in India and enhance the safety of passengers, especially women, through improved security features including panic buttons connected to command controls for immediate response.
• The financial package comprises $20.5 million loan (in equivalent Indian rupee) from ADB’s ordinary capital resources, ADB’s administration of a $14 million loan from the Clean Technology Fund (CTF), grants worth $325,000 from the CTF and $5.2 million from Goldman Sach’s and Bloomberg’s the Climate Innovation and Development Fund (CIDF).
• ADB also assisted in mobilizing an additional parallel loan of $20.5 million from the Asian Infrastructure Investment Bank.
• “Decarbonization of public transport in India is essential for the country to reach its net-zero climate commitments, and it’s important to ensure safety and security of women passengers to make travel more inclusive,” said ADB Private Sector Operations Department Director General Suzanne Gaboury.
• “By providing safe transport for women, these intercity buses will enhance their ability to participate in economic and livelihood opportunities,” “Electrifying transportation is a key driver of reducing greenhouse gas emissions in our cities.
• GEPL is a wholly owned subsidiary of GreenCell Mobility Private Limited (GreenCell), a platform company of Green Growth Equity Fund (GGEF). GGEF is an Indian alternative investment fund in India managed by EverSource Capital with a mandate to mobilize institutional capital into green infrastructure in India.