Current Affairs 2021

Women's Ballon d'Or: Alexia Putellas wins award for being best female footballer in 2021 [30 Nov 2021]

Barcelona captain Alexia Putellas won the Women's Ballon d'Or, awarded to the best female footballer in 2021. Putellas, 27, scored as Barca beat Chelsea 4-0 to secure their first Champions League crown. She ended the 2020-21 season as the highest-scoring midfielder in Europe with 26 goals in all competitions and was also named Uefa's Women's Player of the Year and Midfielder of the Year. Team-mate Jennifer Hermoso came second, with Chelsea striker Sam Kerr third.

Barbados becomes a republic and parts ways with the Queen [30 Nov 2021]

Barbados has officially removed Queen Elizabeth II as its head of state and become the world's newest republic. In an overnight ceremony in the capital, Bridgetown, Dame Sandra Mason was sworn in as president. The Prince of Wales and Barbadian singer Rihanna attended the event, which coincided with the country's 55th anniversary of independence. The new era for Barbados ends Britain's centuries of influence, including more than 200 years when the island was a hub for the transatlantic slave trade. Dame Sandra Mason, 72, the island's governor-general since 2018, was named as president-elect of the nation following a vote in parliament last month. She now replaces the Queen as the head of state.

Magdalena Andersson - Sweden's first female PM [30 Nov 2021]

Sweden's first female prime minister has been reappointed to the top job after political turmoil forced her to resign within hours of taking the post last week. MPs backed Social Democratic Party leader Magdalena Andersson by a narrow margin in a new vote. She will attempt to lead a one-party government until an election in September next year.

Lt Gen Manoj Kumar Mago takes over as NDC Commandant [30 Nov 2021]

Lieutenant General Manoj Kumar Mago took over as the 34th Commandant of National Defence College (NDC), New Delhi from Air Marshal D Choudhury who superannuates on November 30, 2021. Lt Gen Manoj Kumar Mago is an alumnus of the Indian Military Academy, Dehradun. He was commissioned into the elite 7th Battalion Brigade of the GUARDS on December 15, 1984, and later commanded 16 GUARDS.

Kerala based start-up wins two prestigious awards at National level [29 Nov 2021]

A Kerala-based medical technology start-up has been adjudged the winner of Startup India Grand Challenge 2021 in the medical device category of the Government of India. Sascan Meditech, the start-up incubated at the SCTIMST-TIMed the Technology Business Incubator of Sree Chitra Tirunal Institute for MedicalSciences & Technology, Thiruvananthapuram, an autonomous institute of the Department of Science and Technology (DST), received a Cash grant of INR 15,00,000 at the Grand Challenge organized by Department of Pharmaceuticals, Govt of India along with Startup India and Investindia.org. The award was announced by Mr. Amitabh Kant, CEO, NITI Ayog, after a rigorous evaluation process, and “Sascan” was selected from among 310 start-ups that took part in the grand challenge. Sascan Meditech has developed OralScan, a handheld device for early, accurate, and cost-effective detection of pre-cancerous lesions in the mouth. It is a biophotonics technology-based device, and the results of clinical trials have been published in a scientific journal. OralScan was launched in October 2020 and has reached eight states in India.

Vivianne Miedema named BBC Women's Footballer of the Year 2021 [29 Nov 2021]

Netherlands and Arsenal striker Vivianne Miedema has been named BBC Women's Footballer of the Year 2021. Miedema, who came second behind England defender Lucy Bronze for the 2020 award, is both the Netherlands and Women's Super League all-time leading goalscorer. The 25-year-old also broke the record for most goals scored at a single Olympic Games at Tokyo 2020. Australia and Chelsea forward Sam Kerr came second and Spain and Barcelona midfielder Alexia Putellas third.

Ballon d'Or: Lionel Messi wins award as best player in world football for seventh time [29 Nov 2021]

Lionel Messi helped his country win the Copa America, his first international honour, and has scored 40 goals in 2021 - 28 for Barcelona, four for Paris St-Germain and eight for Argentina. Bayern Munich and Poland striker Robert Lewandowski came second, Chelsea and Italy midfielder Jorginho was third and Real Madrid's French striker Karim Benzema finished fourth.

Constitution Day on 26th November celebrated in the Central Hall of Parliament House [26 Nov 2021]

Azadi ka Amrit Mahotsav is an initiative of the Government of India to celebrate and commemorate the 75 years of progressive India and the glorious history of its people, culture, and achievements. As part of this Mahotsav, India is celebrating Constitution Day on 26th November with great fervour and gaiety in the Central Hall of Parliament House.

Prime Minister lays foundation stone of Noida International Greenfield Airport at Jewar, Uttar Pradesh [25 Nov 2021]

Prime Minister Shri Narendra Modi laid the foundation stone of Noida International Greenfield Airport at Jewar, Uttar Pradesh. Noida International Airport is planned in 1334 hectares area at Jewar in the Yamuna Expressway International Development Authority (YEIDA) notified area of district Gautam Budhha Nagar, Uttar Pradesh. The airport will be strategically located at about 72 km from Indira Gandhi International Airport, about 52 kilometers from Noida, about 130 kilometers from Agra, and about 90 kilometers from Multi-Modal Logistics Hub at Dadri. The project will be implemented by Noida International Airport Limited (NIAL), which is a joint-venture company. UP Government will hold a share of 37.5 percent in the company. Other stakeholders are Noida - 37.5 percent, Greater Noida – 12.5 percent, and YEIDA – 12.5 percent. The project will be completed in 4 phases. As per the Concession Agreement, the first phase for 12 million passengers per annum is to be completed and made operational within 1095 days from the appointed date by 29.9.2024. The airport is strategically located with excellent approach roads in all directions. There is a 100 meter wide Yamuna Expressway connecting Greater Noida to Agra. The 100-meter wide Western Peripheral Expressway passes through Yamuna Expressway at Formula-1 Track connecting Palwal, Manesar, Ghaziabad, Baghpat, and Meerut.

Fourth Submarine of Project-75 Ins Vela Commissioned At Naval Dockyard, Mumbai [25 Nov 2021]

INS Vela, the fourth submarine in the series of six submarines of Project-75, was commissioned in the presence of Admiral Karambir Singh, Chief of the Naval Staff. The formal commissioning ceremony took place at the Naval Dockyard in Mumbai. The Scorpene Class submarines are being built in India by the Mazagon Dock Shipbuilders Limited (MDL) Mumbai, under collaboration with M/s Naval Group (earlier DCNS), France. The commissioning of the 4th in a class submarine is a major milestone achieved today. INS Vela would form part of the Western Naval Command’s Submarine fleet and would be another potent part of its arsenal. The Scorpene submarines are extremely potent platforms, they have advanced stealth features and are also equipped with both long-range guided torpedoes as well as anti-ship missiles. These submarines have a state-of-the-art SONAR and sensor suite permitting outstanding operational capabilities. They also have an advanced Permanent Magnetic Synchronous motor (PERMASYN) as its propulsion motor. The delivery of Vela is yet another affirmation of the impetus being given by the Indian Navy towards consolidating its position as a ‘Builder’s Navy’ as also indicative of MDL’s capabilities as a premiership and submarine building yard. The commissioning of the submarine is coinciding with ‘Azaadi ka Amrit Mahotsav’ and ‘Swarnim Vijay Varsh’ celebrations.