Daily GK Updates - 13th November, 2018

NATIONAL UPDATES:

1. Faizabad and Allahabad renaming approved: The Uttar Pradesh government approved the renaming of Faizabad and Allahabad divisions as Ayodhya and Prayagraj respectively on 13 November 2018. Prayagraj division will comprise Prayagraj, Kaushambi, Fatehpur and Pratapgarh districts. Ayodhya division will include Ayodhya, Ambedkarnagar, Sultanpur, Amethi and Barabanki districts.

2. ‘Water handloom hut’ inaugurated in Manipur: The first ever ‘water handloom hut’ in Manipur was inaugurated at Loktak Lake. Five ‘water handloom huts’ have been built on phumdis (floating biomass) at Loktak Lake in Bishnupur district. The objective of ‘water handloom hut’ is to improve the socio-economic conditions of the weavers residing in the phumdis at Loktak Lake.

3. Dr Debabhuson won the ‘Munin Barkotoki Award’: Dr Debabhuson Borah won the prestigious ‘Munin Barkotoki Literary Award 2018’. He won the award for his book on literary criticism titled ‘Nirbochon’. The award carries a cash prize of Rs 50,000 along with a citation and a plaque. The award was named after the renowned writer, critic, and journalist Munin Barkotoki.

4. ISRO to launch communication satellite GSAT-29: The Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO) will launch ‘GSLV MkIII-D2’ mission on 14 November 2018. The mission will carry India’s high throughput communication satellite ‘GSAT-29’. ‘GSAT-29’ is a multibeam, multi-band communication satellite weighing 3,423 kgs. The satellite will be carried by Geosynchronous Satellite Launch Vehicle (GSLV) Mark III.

INTERNATIONAL UPDATES:

1. Award given to Aung San Suu Kyi revoked: Amnesty International revoked the ‘Ambassador of Conscience Award’ given to Myanmar’s leader Aung San Suu Kyi on 13 November 2018. She received the award in 2009 when she was living under house arrest. The award was revoked because of her failure to speak out for the Rohingya minority. She was also stripped of her honorary Canadian citizenship in October 2018.

2. Sunscreens banned in Palau: Palau is set to become the first country to impose a widespread ban on sunscreen in an effort to protect its vulnerable coral reefs. The government has signed a law that restricts the sale and use of sunscreen and skincare products that contain a list of ten different chemicals. The ban comes into force in 2020.

OTHER UPDATES:

BUSINESS & ECONOMY:

1. Retail inflation softens to 3.31% in October: According to the Central Statistics Office data, India’s retail inflation eased to 3.31% in October 2018 driven by cheaper food items. The retail inflation number is the lowest since September 2017. Vegetable prices declined by 8.06% in October 2018. Retail inflation, measured by Consumer Price Index (CPI), stood at 3.7% in September 2018 and 3.58% in October 2017.

2. MoU signed between ADNOC and ISPRL: Abu Dhabi National Oil Company (ADNOC) has signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with the Indian Strategic Petroleum Reserves Ltd. (ISPRL). Under the MoU, ADNOC is expected to store crude oil in the underground oil storage facility at Padur, Karnataka. ISPRL is an Indian government-owned company mandated to store crude oil for emergency needs.

SCIENCE & TECHNOLOGY:

3. Largest brain-like supercomputer switched on: The world’s largest supercomputer designed to work in the same way as the human brain has been switched on for the first time. The ‘Spiking Neural Network Architecture’ (SpiNNaker) machine is capable of completing more than 200 million actions per second. The SpiNNaker machine has been designed and built in the University of Manchester in the United Kingdom.

DEFENCE:

4. ‘EXERCISE INDRA’ to be conducted from 18 November: The joint military exercise between India and Russia named ‘EXERCISE INDRA 2018’ on combating insurgency will be conducted from 18 November 2018. The exercise is being held under the aegis of United Nations (UN) at Babina Field Firing Ranges in Madhya Pradesh. The aim of the exercise is to practice joint planning and conduct to enhance the interoperability of the two Armies.

5. ‘Samudra Shakti’ exercise inaugurated: Indian and Indonesian Navy’s Bilateral Exercise ‘Samudra Shakti’ is being held from 12 to 18 November 2018.

The aim of the exercise is to strengthen bilateral relations, expand maritime co-operation, enhance interoperability and exchange best practices. INS Rana of the Eastern Fleet based at Visakhapatnam under the Eastern Naval Command is participating in the exercise.

SPORTS:

6. Mountaineer Satyarup climbed Mt Giluwe: Indian mountaineer Satyarup Siddhanta became the first Indian to climb Mt Giluwe. The summit of the mountain is at an elevation of 4,367 metres. He had successfully climbed the Mt Everest in June 2016. Mt Giluwe is the second highest mountain in Papua New Guinea. Mt Wilhelm is the highest mountain of Papua New Guinea.

7. Kento Momota won China Badminton Open: Kento Momota won badminton’s Fuzhou China Open. He defeated Chou Tien-chen of Taiwan in the final match. The Fuzhou China Open is a part of the HSBC world tour events, and is designated as a super 750 level tournament.

8. Lewis Hamilton wins Brazil Grand Prix: Formula One champion Lewis Hamilton won the Brazilian Grand Prix. The win was Hamilton’s 10th of the season and 72nd of his career. Hamilton’s win helped Mercedes secure the constructors’ championship. Verstappen finished second while Ferrari’s Kimi Raikkonen took third.

OBITUARIES:

1. Eminent Odia singer Chitta Jena passed away: Eminent Odia singer Chitta Jena passed away on 13 November 2018 in Cuttack, Odisha. He had made his debut as a playback singer in the movie Mana Akasha in 1974. He was honoured with the prestigious ‘Prafulla Kar Samman’ for his outstanding achievement in the field of music.

2. Comic writer Stan Lee passed away: The comic writer Stan Lee passed away on 12 November 2018. He is the co-creator of iconic characters including Iron Man, the Fantastic Four, Spider-Man, Daredevil and the X-Men. He teamed up with artists like Jack Kirby and Steve Ditko to revitalise the comics industry.