Appointments & Resigns, Awards & Recognition, November 21st, 2017, Current Affairs PDF Download

Appointments & Resigns

India’s Justice Dalveer Bhandari re-elected as Judge in International Court of Justice 

On 21^st November 2017, India’s nominee to the International Court of Justice (ICJ) Dalveer Bhandari was re-elected to the last seat of the world court.

Dalveer Bhandari re-elected as Judge in ICJ:

i.India’s Dalveer Bhandari, has been re-elected to the International Court of Justice (ICJ), winning the last seat, for which elections were held, after Britain pulled out its candidate Christopher Greenwood before the 12th round of voting.

ii.For 11 rounds, the two were locked in a stalemate with Justice Bhandari getting majority support in the United Nations General Assembly and Justice Greenwood in the UN Security Council.

iii.Dalveer Bhandari received 183-193 votes in the General Assembly and secured all the 15 votes in the Security Council after separate and simultaneous elections were held at the UN headquarters in New York.

About International Court of Justice (ICJ):
Commonly referred to as the World Court
Location – The Hague, Netherlands
President – Ronny Abraham

Professor Quarraisha Abdool Karim named as UNAIDS Special Ambassador
Associate Scientific Director of the Centre for the AIDS Programme of Research in South Africa (Caprisa) Professor Quarraisha Abdool Karim has been appointed UNAIDS Special Ambassador for Adolescents and HIV.

Quarraisha Abdool Karim – UNAIDS Special Ambassador for Adolescents and HIV:

i.The executive director of UNAIDS, Michel Sidibe, made this announcement in Cape Town during the launch of a new report by the body, Right to health.

ii.The Joint United Nations Programme on HIV/AIDS (UNAIDS), leads and inspires the world to achieve its shared vision of zero new HIV infections, zero discrimination and zero AIDS-related deaths.

iii.In 2013, Professor Quarraisha Abdool Karim, was awarded South Africa’s highest honour, the Order of Mapungubwe, for her contribution to the response to HIV.

iv.In her new role, she will focus on adolescents and HIV, while also championing the involvement of young women in science.

About Joint United Nations Programme on HIV and AIDS (UNAIDS):
Mission – to lead, strengthen and support an expanded response to HIV and AIDS
Executive Director – Michel Sidibe

Ira Joshi appointed director general of Doordarshan News

On 20^th November 2017, Ira Joshi was appointed as the Director General of Doordarshan News following the retirement of Veena Jain.

Ira Joshi – Director general of Doordarshan News:

i.Earlier, Ira Joshi was the Press Information Bureau (PIB) director general. PIB Director General Ghanshyam Goel has been made the new Director General of Directorate of Advertising and Visual Publicity (DAVP), replacing Esther Kar, who was put on compulsory wait.

ii.Ministry of Information and Broadcasting has now appointed Ira Joshi as new Director General of Doordarshan News.

About Doordarshan:
Motto – Satyam Shivam Sundaram
Headquarters – New Delhi
Launched in – 1959

Awards & Recognition

Beyonce tops Forbes list of highest-earning women in music
Beyonce has jumped from number 5 last year to clinch the top spot (number 1) in Forbes magazine’s 2017 list for the highest-paid women in music.

Beyonce – highest earning woman in music – 2017:

i.Beyonce’s most praised album “Lemonade,” her sixth No. 1 hit, and her subsequent Formation World Tour accounted for the bulk of the estimated $105 millionshe has earned between June 1, 2016, and June 1, 2017.

ii.This is nearly twice her $54 million last year or her $54.5 million the year before that. English singer Adele has secured the second position for the second year in a row, with an estimated $69 million. Last year’s topper, Taylor Swift, has scored $44 million and reached the 3^rd position.

About Beyonce:
Occupation – Singer, songwriter, dancer, actress, record producer
Age – 36
Genres – R&B, pop