RIL becomes first Indian company to hit Rs 10 lakh crore market cap

1.QS World University Rankings for Asia has been released

The National University of Singapore is ranked Asia’s best for the second consecutive year. It is followed by Nanyang Technological University, which has risen from 3rd to 2nd; and the University of Hong Kong.96 Indian institutions rank among 550 for the continent.

India does not yet have a university among the top 30.

The best performing institution from India is IIT Bombay, which drops one place to 34th position. It is followed by IIT Delhi at 43rd place and IIT Madras at 50th.

2.Global Diplomacy Index 2019

The 2019 Global Diplomacy Index was released by Sydney-based Lowy Institute. The index gives the latest statistics and marking about how the world’s diplomatic networks are expanding and, in certain cases, shrinking.The index ranked 61 countries across the world.

China now has more diplomatic posts across the world than United States in 2019. China has overtaken United States with 276 embassies and consulates worldwide, which is 3 more than US (both countries have an equal number of embassies but China has 3 more consulates).

India was ranked 12th among the 61 countries. As of 2019, India has 123 embassies and high commissions and 54 consulates globally.

3.United Nations Development Programme launches Accelerator Lab in India to work on tackling pollution

The project was launched in collaboration with the government’s Atal Innovation Mission and will look to solve issues through innovative solutions.Seeking to address some of the most pressing issues facing India, including air pollution, through innovation, the UNDP launched the country chapter of its Accelerator Lab here.

The laboratory that will be housed in the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) office here has partnered with Indian government’s Atal Innovation Mission to achieve the objectives.

4.Aditya Birla Finance becomes first company to list commercial papers on exchanges

Aditya Birla Finance Ltd. became the first company to list a commercial paper on the National Stock Exchange. The paper will mature in February next year.The move comes after the exchanges — the BSE and the NSE — came out with a framework for listing of commercial papers (CPs), in a bid to broaden investors’ participation in such securities.

ABFL is a well-diversified non-banking finance company (NBFC) with a long-term credit rating of AAA (stable) from both ICRA as well as India Ratings.

Commercial papers can be issued for maturities between a minimum of 7 days and a maximum of up to one year from the date of issue. CP are usually issued at a discount from face value and reflects prevailing market interest rates.

5.RIL becomes first Indian company to hit Rs 10 lakh crore market cap

It became the first India Company to reach the coveted milestone.RIL was also the first company to reach Rs 8 lakh crore mark in August last year. It was also the first company to hit the $100 billion mark in market-cap in 2007, a feat it repeated last July.

6.Incidents of bribery in India reduced by 10% since last year: Survey

Incidents of bribery in the country have reduced by 10 per cent since last year, according to a survey carried out in 20 states.The ‘India Corruption Survey 2019’, which received 1, 90,000 responses from people in 248 districts, also stated that 51 per cent Indians paid bribe in the last 12 months.

Transparency International India (TII) and LocalCircles conducted the survey.

India’s ranking in the Corruption Perception Index 2018, released by TII, has improved three places compared to last year and now, the country’s standing is 78 among 180 nations.

7.NuGen Mobility Summit-2019 being held in Haryana

Union Minister of Road Transport & Highways and Shipping, Nitin Gadkari inaugurated NuGen Mobility Summit-2019 at International Center of Automotive Technology (ICAT) in Manesar, Haryana.This three-day conference will be held from 27 to 29 November 2019.

The conference is the largest automotive technology event in country so far.

The event is being organized by ICAT on relevant topics of Alternate Fuel Systems and e-Mobility.

It is first in a series of conference organized by ICAT.

8.1st International Conference on Landslides Risk Reduction and Resilience

The 1st International Conference on ‘Landslides Risk Reduction and Resilience – 2019’ was held in New Delhi. It was inaugurated by Union Minister of State for Home Affairs, G. Kishan Reddy.

The first of its kind conference was organized by National Institute of Disaster management (NIDM).

9.Particles’ wins the Golden Peacock Award at IFFI 2019

Particles’ directed by Blaise Harrison and produced by Estelle Fialon has won the coveted Golden Peacock Award at the 50th International Film Festival of India (IFFI), which concluded in Goa on November 28, 2019.The Golden Peacock Award carries a cash prize of Rs 40 lakhs to be shared equally between the Director and the Producer, Trophy and the citation.

Seu Jorge gets Best Actor (Male) Award

Usha Jadhav gets Best Actor (Female) Award

10.Asian Championships: Deepika strikes gold, Ankita wins silver in archery

Indian archers Deepika Kumari and Ankita Bhakat won the gold and silver medals respectively in the women’s individual recurve event of the 21st Asian Championships in Bangkok.The Indian trio of Deepika, Ankita and Laishram Bombayala Devi competed under a neutral flag due to the current suspension of the Archery Association of India (AAI), which is in administrative turmoil right now.

The Berlin stage of the 2020 World Cup is the last qualifying event in Archery.