Current Affairs – November December 2023

Current Affairs – November December 2023
Compiled by Sarasij Majumder, 1971 Civil Engineering

Olympic medalist and multiple Grand Slam champion Leander Paes, along with two-time Davis Cup finalist Vijay Amritraj, have become the first Asian men to be inducted into the International Tennis Hall of Fame. The induction ceremony is scheduled to be held in Newport, Rhode Island, on July 20, 2024.

Paes, an 18-time Grand Slam champion in doubles and mixed doubles, has been selected in the player category, while Amritraj and United Kingdom’s Evans are inductees in the contributor category, which is considered for election every two years. The third person Richard Evans is a tennis journalist who has reported on more than 200 Grand Slams and other tournaments. He has written 23 books.

Paes, Amritraj and Evans will join an elite group of 264 inductees from 27 nations – with India set to become the 28th nation represented in the Hall of Fame.
“It has been my life’s honour to play for my country for over three decades in a sport that has given and taught me everything. This acknowledgment is indeed the ultimate accolade for every tennis player. Induction into the International Tennis Hall of Fame belongs not just to me, but to our billion-plus Indians,” Paes said.

In a testament to his longevity at the sport’s height, Paes spent a total of 462 weeks inside the ATP doubles top 10, including 37 weeks at No. 1, and won 55 doubles titles on tour.

Paes proudly represented India in international competition for 30 years, winning a Davis Cup record 45 doubles rubbers during his career. He competed in a record seven consecutive Olympic Games, the most in tennis history, and is India’s only Olympic medalist in tennis, capturing bronze in singles at the 1996 Atlanta Games.

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V R Lalithambika, the distinguished scientist at the Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO), was conferred the ‘Légion d’Honneur’, the highest French civilian honour for her engagement in space cooperation between France and India by the Ambassador of France to India. The Légion d’Honneur (the Legion of Honour) is the highest civilian award given by the French Republic for outstanding service to France irrespective of nationalities. It has been in existence for over 200 years since it was created in 1802 by Napoleon Bonaparte.

The scientist, who was the director of the Human Spaceflight Programme at the ISRO, has earlier been recognised by France for her role in the signing of the first joint agreement for cooperation between the French National Space Agency CNES and the ISRO on human spaceflight in 2018 where the two agencies agreed to work in the area of space medicine.

Lalithambika is also credited for coordinating another Indo-French agreement on the Indian astronaut programme in 2021. Under this agreement, the CNES will train India’s flight physicians and the CAPCOM mission control teams for human spaceflights in France at the CADMOS centre for the development of microgravity applications and space operations at the CNES in Toulouse and at the European Astronaut Centre (EAC) in Cologne, Germany.

“Lalithambika is an inspiration to the next generation of scientists not only in Toulouse but also in India, where she promoted inclusivity by enabling the recruitment of civilians, including women, to participate in the future of the Indian astronaut programme,” the French embassy in India said in a statement.

“She has designed the autopilot for the PSLV, the GSLV, the GSLV Mk III and later, led the team in developing guidance and autopilot systems, flight software and validation of navigation, guidance and control systems for all ISRO ascent and re-entry missions,” the ISRO said.

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On 16th December, while playing the one-off Test cricket against England at Navi Mumbai, the Indian women cricketer Deepti Sharma achieved a 9-wicket haul making way for the Indian women’s cricket registering a  347-run victory – the biggest margin in the history of women’s Tests. The previous best was Sri Lanka’s 309-run win over Pakistan in Colombo in 1998.
The Indian all-rounder, after a patient 113-ball 67 in India’s first-innings total of 428, Deepti destroyed England line-up with a 5.3-4-7-5 spell, helping the team with a 292-run lead. Then she finished her bowling with of 4/32 in the second innings. She narrowly missed out on being the second Indian female cricketer to register a 10-wicket match haul after the legendary Jhulan Goswami.

Earlier in September 2019, Deepti Sharma had an extraordinary bowling spell of three maidens and made her way into the record books outing in India’s first T20I against South Africa in Surat. It was the first time that an Indian has bowled as many maiden overs in a T20I match. She ended with figures of 4/8. She gave away runs only off the 19th ball that she bowled in the match.

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The UK government has named Indian-origin media executive Dr. Samir Shah as its preferred candidate to take over as the new chairman of BBC. Before formally taking charge, a pre-appointment scrutiny will be conducted in which Dr Shah will be quizzed by cross-party MPs of the House of Commons Media Culture, Media and Sport Select Committee. The 71-year-old was born in Aurangabad and moved to England in 1960. He was previously the head of current affairs and political programmes at the BBC.
Dr. Shah will replace Richard Sharp.
Who is Dr. Samir Shah?
The CEO and owner of Juniper, an independent television and radio production company, Dr. Samir Shah has served as a non-executive director of the BBC between 2007 and 2010. He was honoured with a CBE (Commander of the Most Excellent Order of the British Empire) by Queen Elizabeth II in 2019 for services to television and heritage. More recently, he was named on a three-member panel set up by the government to independently review the unrest that took place in the city of Leicester last year, as community groups clashed in the aftermath of an India-Pakistan cricket match. Role as BBC Chair.
As BBC chairman, he will take on a three-day-a-week role with an annual salary of 160,000 pounds. Shah will be responsible for upholding and protecting the taxpayer-funded licence fee-operated public broadcaster and ensuring it fulfils its mission to “inform, educate and entertain.”

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Premier League clubs spent £2.36 billion in the 2023 summer transfer window, setting a new record. The previous record was set last summer at £1.92bn. As much as £424.8m of this year’s outlay was splurged by Chelsea.
Saudi Public Investment Fund – Newcastle United (£320bn)
The Saudi Public Investment Fund, the financial juggernaut behind Newcastle United, ranks prominently among the wealthiest Premier League club owners. This fund boasts an astonishing net worth of £320 billion, and it has undertaken substantial investments in the club.
Sheikh Mansour – Manchester City (£22.9bn)
With a staggering net worth of £22.9 billion, Sheikh Mansour, the patron of Manchester City, has played a pivotal role in the club’s ascent to becoming one of the most successful clubs in English football. His substantial influence has been instrumental in Manchester City’s triumphs.

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Time magazine names the Midnights singer Taylor Swift the “Person of the Year” for 2023.
The Cruel Summer saw major success these past few months, thanks to her Eras Tour shows and the namesake concert film. Only recently, Swift was crowned as Spotify’s Global Top Artist of 2023. The 33-year-old singer reigned across various charts and emerged as the year’s most-streamed artist. Back in October, following the box office hit of her Eras Tour film, Swift became a billionaire with an estimated net worth of $1.1 billion. This was huge not only for the singer but also for everyone in the music industry because the Shake It Off singer is one of the few artists who hit the billion-dollar club solely on her music career.

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BSE Market Cap (The Magic of Compounding)
1st Trillion in 60 years
Next Trillion in 10 years
Next Trillion in 4 Years
Next Trillion in 2 years
Next Trillion in ?????

The market capitalisation of stocks listed on the BSE surpassed $4 trillion for the first time ever, making India the fifth country after the United States, China, Japan, and Hong Kong to achieve this milestone. The overall market capitalisation on the BSE touched ₹333.29 lakh crore.

In the past three months, India’s overall market capitalisation has gained 8.82%, the highest growth among the top 10 markets. Currently, India contributes 3.61% of the world’s market capitalisation, which has increased from 3.37% at the beginning of the year.
Source: Economic Times, Business Standard, PTI