Important Current Affairs 7th November 2021

INTERNATIONAL

American technology company Yahoo Inc. stops its services in China

•Yahoo Inc. has announced that the company has stopped providing service in mainland China with effect from November 01, 2021, due to the increasingly challenging business and legal environment in the country. With this Yahoo has ended its 22-year presence in the Chinese market.

•This means that services like Yahoo Weather, Yahoo Finance, and other websites run by Yahoo such as AOL.com, TechCrunch and Engadget will not be accessible from within China. Earlier, US tech platform LinkedIn also announced the closure of its localized social media network in China on October 14.

NATIONAL

India's GDP likely to grow at 10-10.5% in FY2022: Brickwork Ratings

•Domestic credit rating agency Brickwork Ratings has estimated the gross domestic product (GDP) of India at 10-10.5 per cent in the current financial year, i.e. in 2021-22 (FY22). Earlier this was estimated at 9 per cent.

•Brickwork Ratings is a SEBI registered Credit Rating Agency with headquarter in Bengaluru. It expects the GDP growth for Q2 FY22 to be at 8.3 per cent (year-on-year), on the back of a 7.4 per cent contraction in Q2FY21. The country’s GDP grew at 20.1 per cent in the first quarter of fiscal 2022.

SPORTS

Rashid Khan Becomes Youngest Bowler to Take 400 T20 Wickets, Joins Dwayne Bravo, Sunil Narine in Elite List

•Afghanistan leg-spinner Rashid Khan became the youngest bowler to take 400 T20 wickets during his team’s crucial Super 12 encounter against New Zealand in Dubai. Martin Guptill became Rashid’s 400th victim in T20 cricket. Rashid joined an elite list of cricketers as he picked up his 400th wicket in ongoing New Zealand vs Afghanistan T20 World Cup game.  He is the 4th bowler to enter the 400 club after Dwayne Bravo (553), Sunil Narine (425) and Imran Tahir (420).

•Earlier, Rashid had become the fastest bowler to register 100 dismissals in Twenty20 Internationals during a T20 World Cup 2021 match against Pakistan. Rashid has 103 wickets for Afghanistan and 93 scalps for Sunrisers Hyderabad while the rest have come for the teams he plays for in different T20 tournaments around the world.

WTT Contender Lasko: Manika Batra, Archana Kamath Clinch Doubles Title

•In Table Tennis, Indian duo Manika Batra and Archana Girish Kamath clinched the women’s doubles title in the WTT Contender tournament in Lasko, Slovenia. The Indian pair defeated the Puerto Rican team of Melanie Diaz and Adriana Diaz, 11-3, 11-8, 12-10 to win the title. Meanwhile, Manika Batra also claimed a bronze medal in the women’s singles title after Wang Yidi of China defeated her by 2-4 (11-7, 7-11, 13-11, 10-12, 11-7, 11-5).

Red Bull Racing's Max Verstappen extended his lead in the 2021 Formula One World Championship

•Max Verstappen (Red Bull – Netherlands) has won the 2021 Mexico City Grand Prix held at the Autódromo Hermanos Rodríguez in Mexico City. Seven-times world champion Lewis Hamilton (Mercedes-Great Britain) stood second while Sergio Perez (Mexico- Red Bull) came third. Perez became the first Mexican to stand on his home podium at a jubilant Autodromo Hermanos Rodriguez.

RANKING

2022 QS World University Rankings

•QS (Quacquarelli Symonds) has released the 2022 QS World University Rankings. The ranking has been topped by the National University of Singapore (NUS) for the 4th year in a row. It is followed by China’s Peking University at 2nd position and Nanyang Technological University in Singapore, and the University of Hong Kong in Hong Kong at 3rd.

•Indian Institute of Technology Bombay (IITB) (42nd regionally) and IIT Delhi (45th regionally) are the only two Indian institutions among the Top-50. IIT Madras, which was in 50th place last year, has lost four places and now ranks 54th. India features 118 Indian Universities following China with 126 universities.

Books & Authors

Book “The Sage with Two Horns: Unusual Tales from Mythology” authored by Sudha Murty

•The chairperson of the Infosys Foundation and a renowned author, Sudha Murty has published her new book titled “The Sage with Two Horns: Unusual Tales from Mythology”, the 5th and last book of the “Unusual Tales from Mythology” series. The series features the stories of kings and queens, gods and goddesses, sages, and extraordinary men and women of wisdom.

BANKING AND ECONOMIC

SBI launches ‘Video Life Certificate’ facility for pensioners

•The State Bank of India has launched a video life certificate service for pensioners. This new facility will allow pensioners to submit their life certificates via video from their homes. This facility is available for pensioners (other than family pensioners). Thus, the spouse of the pensioner receiving a pension from the government will not be able to use this facility.

•As per SBI, the process of video life certificate is paperless and free of cost.

•It is important for pensioners and family pensioners to submit their life certificates before November 30 every year to avoid their pensions getting suspended.