Current Affairs

Yashasvi Jaiswal Joins Elite List Of India Players With First ODI Century

Yashasvi Jaiswal's maiden ODI century trumped Quinton de Kock's 23rd as India clinched the series from South Africa by nine wickets on Saturday. Jaiswal's unbeaten 116, beside Rohit Sharma's 75 and Virat Kohli's unbeaten 65 powered India to the target of 271 with 10.1 overs to spare. They won the series 2-1 after losing the test series 2-0. The teams start a five-match T20I series on Tuesday in Cuttack. Jaiswal also became just the sixth man from India to smash a ton across formats. He joined Suresh Raina, Rohit Sharma, KL Rahul, Virat Kohli and Shubman Gill in the list. Notably, women's team batter Smriti Mandhana has also achieved the feat.

De Kock's 89-ball 106 and captain Temba Bavuma's 48 were South Africa's only substantial innings before it was all out for 270 in 47.5 overs.

Medium-pacer Prasidh Krishna took the sting out of the Proteas with three wickets in three overs, including de Kock, after India ended a string of 20 lost tosses in ODIs since the 2023 Cricket World Cup semifinals.



Frank Gehry, whose designs defied gravity and convention, dies at 96

Swooping, swirling, gleaming, sculpted — Frank Gehry made buildings we'd never seen before. The architect behind the Guggenheim Museum in Spain and the Walt Disney Concert Hall in Los Angeles transformed contemporary architecture. He died Friday at his home in Santa Monica, Calif., after a brief respiratory illness, according to his chief of staff. He was 96.

Gehry won all the top awards — including the Pritzker Prize and the Presidential Medal of Freedom. In 1999, when the American Institute of Architects gave him their Gold Medal, Gehry looked out at an audience that included contemporary gods of building — Philip Johnson, Robert Venturi, Michael Graves — and said, "it's like finding out my big brothers love me after all."



Right to Disconnect Bill 2025

At a time when Infosys co-founder Narayana Murthy says he does not believe in work-life balance and advocates for 72-hour work week, Lok Sabha MP Supriya Sule introduced a private member's Bill in the Lower House on Friday, which seeks to protect employees from after-hours work demands.

Supriya Sule introduced "The Right to Disconnect Bill, 2025" which “aims to foster a better quality of life and a healthier work-life balance by reducing the burnout caused by today's digital culture.”

The Bill was first introduced on October 28, 2019.



RBI announces Rs 1 lakh crore liquidity injection via OMO purchases, $5 billion swap

The Reserve Bank of India (RBI) on Friday announced a two-pronged liquidity injection operation worth over Rs 1.6 lakh crore for the month of December. The move aims to support credit growth and reinforce the transmission of past policy rate cuts into the broader economy.

The central bank will conduct Open Market Operation (OMO) purchases of government securities worth Rs 1,00,000 crore in two equal tranches of Rs 50,000 crore each on December 11 and December 18. Simultaneously, it will undertake a 3-year USD/INR Buy/Sell Swap auction of $5 billion (approximately Rs 61,500 crore at current exchange rates) on December 16. These operations are designed to provide durable liquidity to the system.



SEBI Approves Registration of Raajmarg Infra Investment Trust

National Highways Authority of India (NHAI) today received Securities and Exchange Board of India- SEBI’s approval of registration to Raajmarg Infra Investment Trust. The Ministry of Road Transport and Highways in a statement said that this significant step aims to unlock the monetization potential of the National Highway assets while creating a high-quality, long-term investment instrument primarily targeting retail and domestic investors.

It added that the step will ensure transparency,strong investor protection mechanisms, best-in-class reporting and compliance standards. The ministry said, as part of the process to secure final registration, Raajmarg Infra Investment Trust will be required to meet specific conditions over the next six months which include appointment of directors, submission of requisite financial statements, and compliance with other regulatory requirements.

Raajmarg Infra Investment Trust is a public Infrastructure InvestmentTrust aimed at enabling broad-based public participation in national highway monetisation.



Atal Innovation Mission partners with Hitachi MGRM Net to accelerate nationwide innovation through MStarTM Global AI Connect platform

The Atal Innovation Mission (AIM), NITI Aayog, Government of India, and Hitachi MGRM Net Ltd. (HMN) have, on December 1, 2025, entered into a partnership through the signing of a SoI (Statement of Intent). The purpose of the strategic alignment between these two organizations is the development and use of a single Innovation Platform called, "MStarTM Global AI Connect", which will rely upon Artificial Intelligence (AI) and other innovative technologies to help build a culture of innovation and entrepreneurship throughout India.

The SoI was signed by Dr. Deepak Bagla, AIM Mission Director, NITI Aayog; and Dr. Bharat Kaushal, Executive Chairman, Hitachi India and Managing Director, Hitachi MGRM Net Ltd.

The collaboration between AIM and Hitachi MGRM Net Ltd. will be instrumental in realization of the Hon’ble Prime Minister’s vision for a "Viksit Bharat". It will enable building a federated, national-scale digital backbone that links together schools throughout rural, suburban, and urban areas within India to mentors, research institutions, incubators, accelerators, and industry players. The visionary goal of this initiative is to build out the school-to-startup pipeline, accelerate the lab-to-market translation of Indian innovations, and ensure that Indian innovations are exportable.



Oil India subsidiary Numaligarh Refinery Limited (NRL) is now a Navratna PSU

State-run Numaligarh Refinery Limited (NRL), a subsidiary of Oil India Limited (OIL), has been officially granted "Navratna" status by the Department of Public Enterprises (DPE), Ministry of Finance, said a regulatory filing by OIL on Wednesday. The filing stated, "We would like to inform that Numaligarh Refinery Limited, our Material Subsidiary, has been granted 'Navratna' status by Department of Public Enterprises, Ministry of Finance, Govt. of India".

The "Navratna" status is a recognition accorded to Central Public Sector Enterprises (CPSEs) that enables them greater autonomy in operational and financial matters compared to other CPSEs. This status is granted by the government to PSUs that demonstrate significant financial performance, operational efficiency, and contribute to the national economy. Navratna CPSEs have enhanced powers to make investments and enter joint ventures without requiring government approval up to specified limits.



Gati Shakti cargo terminal freight revenue increases four times in three years, reaching Rs 12,608.05 crore in 2024-25

Indian Railways’ freight operations under the Gati Shakti Multi-Modal Cargo Terminal (GCT) policy have recorded a fourfold increase in revenue over the past three years, reaching ₹12,608.05 crore in 2024-25, according to information shared by Union Railway Minister Ashwini Vaishnaw in the Lok Sabha on Wednesday.

The GCT policy, introduced in 2021 to promote the development of cargo terminals on both private and railway land, has accelerated private participation and multimodal logistics infrastructure. Since its rollout, Indian Railways has approved 306 GCT proposals across the country, of which 118 terminals have already been commissioned. These terminals together offer an estimated freight handling capacity of 192 million tonnes per annum and have attracted private investment worth approximately ₹8,600 crore.

Freight revenue generated through Gati Shakti Multi-Modal Cargo Terminals has risen sharply over the past three years. According to official data, revenue increased from ₹2,901.86 crore in 2022–23 to ₹7,712.36 crore in 2023–24, and further to ₹12,608.05 crore in 2024-25, marking a more than fourfold jump since the introduction of the GCT policy.



India-France conclude 8th edition of bilateral air exercise Garuda 2025

The IAF contingent has returned to India on December 2 after the successful culmination of the 8th edition of Exercise Garuda, a bilateral Indo-French air exercise between the Indian Air Force (IAF) and the French Air and Space Force (FASF) which concluded at Air Base 118, Mont-de-Marsan, France, Defence Ministry said on Thursday.

The exercise between the two forces concluded on November 27.

As per the Ministry of Defence, during the exercise, the IAF participated with Su-30MKI fighters, supported by IL-78 air-to-air refuelling aircraft and C-17 Globemaster III transport aircraft and both air forces conducted a range of complex air operations in a realistic operational environment.



Delhi CM launches pole-mounted mist spray system at ITO for pollution control

Delhi Chief Minister Rekha Gupta on Thursday launched a pole-mounted mist spray system for dust and pollution control in the ITO area in the central parts of the Capital, an official said.

She said that at ITO, nearly 35 poles have been equipped with mist sprayers.

“The government is preparing to install mist sprayers on 305 poles at nine hotspots where pollution is a very serious problem,” said CM Gupta, referring to the constitution of a panel to tackle the city’s pollution.

Each pole has five nozzles, and each nozzle has six tiny holes, enabling 30 spray points per pole. Every pole uses approximately 84 litres of treated water per hour, supported by four 5,000-litre storage tanks. A similar setup has been installed along a 900-metre stretch on Shanti Path and a 500-metre stretch on Lodhi Road.