Daily GK Updates - 19th November, 2018

NATIONAL UPDATES:

1.Kundli-Manesar section inaugurated : Prime Minister Narendra Modi inaugurated the Kundli-Manesar section of the Kundli-Manesar-Palwal (KMP) western peripheral expressway on 19 November 2018.The expressway will decongest the road traffic from Delhi, especially reducing the number of trucks entering Delhi.Besides, the project will also provide a high-speed link between northern Haryana and southern districts.

2. New online platform launched by NSE : National Stock Exchange of India (NSE) launched a mobile application and web-based platform named ‘NSE goBID’ 19 November 2018.The platform will allow retail investors to invest in treasury bills (T-Bills) of 91 days, 182 days and 364 days and various government bonds from one year to almost 40 years.It will also allow investors to make payments directly from their bank accounts.

3. Hookah bars permanently banned in Punjab : Hookah bars have been permanently banned in Punjab as President Ram Nath Kovind has given his assent to the Cigarettes and Other Tobacco Products Bill, 2018 to check use of tobacco.Punjab is the third state in the country after Gujarat and Maharashtra where hookah bars or lounges were banned through law. The Punjab assembly had passed the Bill in March 2018.

4.Ustad Amjad Ali Khan given a lifetime award : Sarod master, Ustad Amjad Ali Khan was presented the ‘Sumitra Charat Ram Award for Lifetime Achievement’ on 17 November 2018.He was awarded for his immense contribution to the enrichment and promotion of the Indian classical music.The award was presented to him by former diplomat Lalit Mansingh. He was awarded the Padma Vibhushan in 2001.

5. AB Pandey appointed as new Revenue Secretary : The central government appointed UIDAI CEO Ajay Bhushan Pandey as new Secretary Revenue.He will replace Hasmukh Adhia, who will retire on 30 November 2018.He will continue to hold additional charge of CEO of UIDAI and also Chairman of GST Network.

6. CSE won Indira Gandhi peace prize : ‘Centre for Science and Environment’ (CSE) has won Indira Gandhi Prize for Peace, Disarmament and Development 2018.The award is conferred by Indira Gandhi Trust every year on the late Indira Gandhi’s birth anniversary.The international jury for the awards was headed by former President Pranab Mukherjee.

INTERNATIONAL UPDATES:

1. Two new satellites to BeiDou Navigation System : China has added two more satellites to its BeiDou Navigation Satellite System (BDS).The satellites were launched into space on a ‘Long March-3B’ rocket carrier.With the successful launch, the basic BDS constellation deployment is complete.It will be the fourth global satellite navigation system after the US GPS system, Russia’s GLONASS and the European Union’s Galileo.

2. Definition of kilogram changed : The world’s standard definition of the kilogram, the ampere, the kelvin and the mole has been changed.The definition of the kilogram is based on the International Prototype of the Kilogram (IPK), a cylinder of a platinum alloy stored at the International Bureau of Weights and Measures (BIPM) in France.The new definition of Kilogram will be replaced by the Planck constant.

OTHER UPDATES:

SPORTS:

1. Shubhankar won ‘Rookie of the year’ honours : Indian golfer Shubhankar Sharma became the first Indian to emerge as the ‘Sir Henry Cotton Rookie of the Year 2018’ on the European Tour.He follows Jon Rahm (2017), Wang Jeunghun (2016), Byeong Hun An (2015) and Brooks Koepka (2014) who have been the four Rookies before him.He is the third Asian in last four years to get this honour, after Byeong Hun An (2015) and Wang Jeunghun (2016).

2. Lakshya won bronze medal in badminton : India’s Lakshya Sen settled for a bronze medal in the World Junior Badminton Championship on 17 November 2018.He was defeated by Kunlavut Vitidsarn of Thailand in the men’s singles semifinals. Saina Nehwal is the only Indian to have won a gold in the ‘World Junior Badminton Championship’ during the 2008 Pune edition.