current affairs 30 December 2021

Indian-origin judge appointed to the highest judicial bench of South Africa.

Narendran Jodi Kolapen, who is of Indian origin, has been appointed to the Constitutional Court, the highest judicial bench of South Africa.
President Cyril Ramaphosa announced the appointment of Ramamaka Steven Mathopo and Kolapen to the Constitutional Court after a lengthy public interview.

Japan has launched a communications satellite, Inmarsat-6 F1, from Japan's Tanegashima Space Center.
It is launched via a Mitsubishi Heavy Industries (MHI) H-IIA204 rocket.
It will enter geostationary orbit, about 22,240 miles (35,790 kilometres) above the earth.
It has been developed by London-based company Inmarsat as part of its next generation satellite broadband service.
The satellite weighs 12,060 pounds (5,470 kg) and is the 1st of two I-6 spacecraft.

The Appointments Committee of the Cabinet (ACC) has approved the appointment of UCO Bank MD and CEO Atul Kumar Goel as MD and CEO of Punjab National Bank (PNB) with effect from February 1 next year.
Goel will serve as PNB head till December 31, 2024, which is his retirement age.

Viral Sudhirbhai Desai, an industrialist from Surat, popularly known as the Greenman or Green Man of Gujarat.
He has been honored with the Global Environment and Climate Action Citizen Award 2021.
Viral Desai was the only Indian among 28 celebrities from 11 countries to win the honor for climate change.

Aarti Krishnan has been appointed as a member of the Advisory Committee of the Securities and Exchange Board of India on Mutual Funds.
The committee has advised SEBI on matters relating to mutual fund regulation to ensure investor protection, industry growth and disclosure requirements.
The committee was chaired by Usha Thorat, former deputy governor of the Reserve Bank of India.
The committee comprises 24 members from academia, exchanges, consumer interest groups, fund trustees, rating agencies, distribution firms and the media.