Scholz Elected by Germany's Parliament to Take Charge as Chancellor
Olaf Scholz was approved by Germany's parliament to become chancellor, clearing the way for the Social Democrat to take charge amid a worsening pandemic crisis and a raft of geopolitical challenges including the standoff over Ukraine.
The vote in the Bundestag was not in doubt because of his three-party coalition's majority, and was sworn in later, ending Angela Merkel's 16-year tenure and becoming the country's ninth chancellor since World War II.
Forbes Feature Sitharaman in 100 most Powerful Women List
For the third time in a row, Union Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman made it Forbes' 100 most powerful women in the world. This year, she was ranked at number 37, up from last year when she was placed at 41. She is also two spots ahead of her American counterpart Janet Yellen.
Every year, the American business magazine releases a list of 100 powerful women of the world. This year, the 18th annual list of power women included 40 CEOs, the most since 2015, who, according to the magazine, "oversee a record $3.3 trillion in revenue." The list also included 19 world leaders, an immunologist.
In another remarkable highlight of the list, it also featured a new number one for the first time in more than a decade, as philanthropist Mackenzie Scott replaced outgoing German Chancellor Angela Merkel.
Kazhuveli Wetland is 16th Bird Sanctuary of Tamil Nadu
The Kazhuveli wetland situated in Villupuram district of Tamil Nadu was declared as the 16th Bird Sanctuary by Surpiya Sahu, Environment and Forest Secretary, at the Minister of Environment Forest and Climate Change. The declaration was made under subsection (1) of section 18 of the Wildlife (Protection) Act, 1972. The Kazhuveli wetland is referred to as the 2nd largest Brackish Water Lake in South India, only after Pulicat Lake.
Kazhuveli Bird Sanctuary covers 5,151.60 hectares of land in Vanur taluk and 3,027.25 hectares in Marakkanam taluks.
The sanctuary lies adjacent to the Bay of Bengal along the East coast of Tamil Nadu.
Kazhuveli is a wetland of international importance that is spread over 670 square km in the east coast of Tamil Nadu.
Note- Southern part of the wetland was declared reserved land in the year 2001.
The Sanctuary covers 13 villages in the Villupuram district.
The place is home to a diverse species of flora and fauna, giving accommodation to long-distance migrant birds from Central Asia and Siberia.
Snapdeal Appoints Priyaranjan Kumar as VP and Business Head
Snapdeal appointed Priyaranjan Kumar as Vice President and Business Head, an experienced leader in the retail industry, who will lead various growth and expansion initiatives of the company.
Prior to joining Snapdeal, Kumar was the Chief Operating Officer (COO) of Iconic Fashion, where he led the charge to build a complete omnichannel sales structure and inventory management for efficient and accurate delivery of marketplace and website orders.
Kumar has over 15 years of experience in general management, sales, and distribution in retail & FMCG sectors. He has led large teams in startups, mid sized and large organizations.
IndiGo Signs Agreement with CSIR-IIP to Make Sustainable Aviation Fuel
IndiGo signed an agreement with Dehradun-based Council of Scientific and Industrial Research-Indian Institute of Petroleum (CSIRIIP) to manufacture and deploy sustainable aviation fuel (SAF) globally.
As per global airlines body IATA, SAF is defined as "fuel that has the potential to generate lower carbon emissions than conventional kerosene on a life cycle basis".
Uttar Pradesh, Delhi, Karnataka Leading States in EV Sales
As per reports, Uttar Pradesh, Delhi and Karnataka emerged as top three states in terms of registration of electric vehicles in India.
Uttar Pradesh (255,700) had the highest registered electric vehicles, followed by Delhi (125,347) and Karnataka (72,544) come in that order.
The fourth and fifth spots were grabbed by Bihar (58,014) and Maharashtra (52,506).
Australia Announces Diplomatic Boycott of Beijing Winter Olympics
Australia joined the US in announcing a diplomatic boycott of the Beijing Winter Olympics over concerns about human rights abuses in China.
This came a few days after the Biden administration announced the decision not to send an official US delegation to the 2022 Winter Olympics in Beijing.
Rohit Becomes New White-ball Captain
Virat Kohli was removed as India's ODI captain with the national selection committee making Rohit Sharma the sole white-ball leader of the team till the 2023 50-over World Cup.
In another significant development, Ajinkya Rahane was removed from Test vice-captaincy, a position which was also given to Rohit.
Pat Cummins Becomes 1st Captain to get 5-wicket Haul in Ashes since 1982
Australia skipper Pat Cummins became the first captain to take a five-wicket haul in an Ashes Test since 1982.
Cummins achieved this feat on Day 1 of the first Ashes Test at the Gabba, Brisbane. In 1982, England pacer Bob Willis was the first skipper to scalp five wickets in the Ashes Test.
After meeting with Congress general secretary Priyanka Gandhi Vadra in the national capital, Shiv Sena MP Sanjay Raut hinted at a pre-poll alliance with the Congress in Uttar Pradesh and Goa, stating that the parties are thinking of working together in both the states that are scheduled to go to assembly polls early next year.
However, he said that the final decision will be taken only after talks with Maharashtra Chief Minister Uddhav Thackeray.
National Commission for Women Launches 'She is a Changemaker' Programme
National Commission for Women (NCW) launched a pan-India capacity building programme, 'She is a Changemaker' for women representatives at all levels, gram panchayats to parliament members and political workers including office bearers of National/State political parties. The programme was launched by Ms. Rekha Sharma, Chairperson of the National Commission for Women, to improve leadership skills of grassroots women political leaders.
The official launch of training programmes under the 'She is a Changemaker' series was held in collaboration with Rhambhau Mhalgi Prabodhini, Thane, Maharashtra. The three-day capacity building programme for 'Women in Municipal Corporation' will be organised from 7thto 9th December. The capacity building programme will be undertaken in association with region-wise training institutes with an objective to undertake capacity building of women political leaders and improve their decision making and communication skills including, oration, writing, etc.
India Successfully Test-fires Air Version of BrahMos Supersonic Cruise Missile
India successfully test-fired the air version of the BrahMos supersonic cruise missile from the integrated test range of Chandipur, off the coast of Odisha.
the air version of the missile was test-fired from supersonic fighter aircraft Sukhoi 30 MK-I.
BrahMos is a joint venture between India (DRDO) and Russia (NPOM) for the development, production and marketing of the supersonic cruise missile. The offensive missile weapon system has been inducted into the Armed Forces.
India's First CDS and Longest Serving 4-star Officer Passes Away
General Bipin Rawat, India's first Chief of Defence Staff, his wife madhulika Rawat and 11 others have been killed in the chopper crash near Coonoor in Tamil Nadu. General Rawat was 63.
CDS Rawat was instrumental in creating foundation of India's joint theatre commands, a major reform in Indian military establishment since Independence and also for changing the way the Army had been functioning for many decades.
CDS Rawat was commissioned into the Indian Army in December 1978. He previously served as Chief of the Army Staff from January 2017 to December 2019. He took charge of Chief of Defence Staff in January 2020.
International Anti-Corruption Day is observed on December 9 to raise awareness on the importance of getting rid of corruption. Corruption affects every area in our society and preventing corruption unlocks progress towards sustainable development goals.
The United Nations took its first step to fight against International Corruption in December 2003. The UNCAC United Nations Convention Against Corruption was drafted on October 31, 2003. UNAC is a treaty signed by the UN member states. The aim of this treaty is to legally bind members of the states to work in reducing corruption to enforce law and order.
The theme of International Anti-Corruption Day 2021 was "Your Right, Your Role: Say no to Corruption".
Konkani novelist Damodar Mauzo won the 57th Jnanpith Award. The country's highest literary award, the Jnanpith is bestowed on writers for "their outstanding contribution to literature". Jnanpith Award is a literary award presented by the Bharatiya Jnanpith organization to Indian writers every year. This was instituted in 1961 and is given only to Indian writers who write in Indian languages and English.
Mauzo is based out of Majorda, Goa, and has previously won the Sahitya Akademi Award. He is known for his novels, such as Karmelin, and Tsunami Simon, and short stories Teresa's Man and Other Stories from Goa. This is the second Jnanpith Award for a Konkani writer— the first being Ravindra Kelekar in 2006.
The Union Cabinet approved the continuation of Pradhan Mantri Awaas Yojana (Rural) for another three years to provide financial assistance for the construction of the remaining 155.75 lakh houses under the scheme.
The continuation of the scheme till March 2024 would ensure that the remaining 155.75 lakh households within the overall target of 2.95 crore houses would be provided assistance for construction of pucca houses with basic amenities to achieve the objective of 'housing for all' in rural areas.
Rajya Sabha Passes Bill for Regulation of Practice and Process of Surrogacy
The parliament passed a bill to regulate and supervise assisted reproductive technology clinics.
The Assisted Reproductive Technology (Regulation) Bill, 2021, which was passed by Lok Sabha on December 1, got the approval of Rajya Sabha with a voice vote.
The Upper House also passed The Surrogacy (Regulation) Bill, 2020 with amendments. The proposed bill was earlier passed by Lok Sabha, but Rajya Sabha had referred it to a Select Committee. It will now go back to Lok Sabha for approval.
Tripura Govt .to Hand over Low Enrollment Schools to Coveted Private Organisations
According to Ratan Lal Nath, the Education Minister of Tripura, the Tripura government framed a new policy to invite prestigious institutions of the country to take over schools that have very low enrollment located in the rural areas of the state.
This policy was framed in the month of October and as of now, no private institution meeting the criteria set by the government showed interest in coming to Tripura.
As per Ratan Lal Nath, in Tripura, there are 4,200 schools in total, out of which the Tripura government directly controls, 2,600 schools and 1,630 schools come under the jurisdiction of TTAADC.
Gold 'Lotus Flower' Pendant from Queen Nefertiti's Time Discovered in Cyprus
A precious-gem-studded "lotus flower" pendant similar to one worn by ancient Egypt's Queen Nefertiti has been unearthed in a set of tombs in Cyprus. The pendant is one of hundreds of opulent grave goods from around the Mediterranean region that have been uncovered at the site, including gemstones, ceramics and jewelry.
Archaeologists from the New Swedish Cyprus Expedition first unearthed the two Bronze Age tombs, both underground chambers, in the ancient city of Hala Sultan Tekke in 2018. One hundred and fifty five human remains and 500 funerary goods were found in the tombs, placed in layers on top of one another, suggesting that the burial chambers were used over several generations.
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