Daily GK Updates - 6th November. 2018

NATIONAL UPDATES:

1. Naidu launched ‘Jaipur Foot’ camp in Malawi : Vice President M Venkaiah Naidu inaugurated a ‘Jaipur Foot’ camp in Malawi.The camp was launched under the ‘India for Humanity’ programme, which honours Mahatma Gandhi’s service to humanity.The Indian government partnered with Bhagwan Mahavir Viklang Sahayta Samiti for ‘India for Humanity initiative’.The ‘India for Humanity’ was launched on 2 October 2018.

2. Lucknow stadium renamed after Vajpayee : The newly-built ‘Ekana International Stadium’ has been renamed after former prime minister Atal Bihari Vajpayee in Lucknow.The stadium will now be known as ‘Bharat Ratna Atal Bihari Vajpayee International Cricket Stadium’.UP Governor Ram Naik has approved the government proposal to this effect. 

3. Jayant Sawarkar to get Maha lifetime award : Noted Marathi actor Jayant Sawarkar will be honoured with the Maharashtra government’s ‘Natvarya Prabhakar Panshikar Lifetime Achievement’ award in the field of theatre.The ‘Sangeetacharya Annasaheb Kirloskar Lifetime Achievement’ award will be given to tabla artist Vinayak Thorat.Both awards comprise cash prizes of Rs 5 lakh, citation and memento each.

4. Anupam Kher got ‘Distinguished Fellow’ award : Anupam Kher was honoured as a ‘Distinguished Fellow’ by IndiaGlobal – a leading think-tank that works on issues concerning non-resident Indians.The actor was given a fellowship on November 3, 2018 at the 3rd IndiaGlobal Summit.The event was held at the prestigious MIT Sloan School of Management in Boston, and was facilitated by MIT Sloan India Business Club.

5. Ram Mohan Roy award for N. Ram : Veteran journalist and The Hindu Publishing Group Chairman N. Ram has been chosen for the prestigious Raja Ram Mohan Roy Award 2018.The award is presented by the Press Council of India (PCI) for his outstanding contribution to journalism.Ruby Sarkar, the chief correspondent of Deshbandhu, and Rajesh Parshuram Joshte of Daily Pudhari, have been named joint winners for ‘Rural Journalism’.

6. Guidelines for ‘Operation Greens’ issued : Ministry of Food Processing Industries (MoFPI) has approved the operationalisation strategy for Operation Greens.Operation Greens was announced in the Budget speech of 2018-19 with an outlay of Rs 500 crores.It was launched to stabilise the supply of Tomato, Onion and Potato (TOP) crops and to ensure availability of TOP crops throughout the country round the year without price volatility.

INTERNATIONAL UPDATES:

1. Earth’s ozone layer is finally healing : According to a new United Nations report, earth’s protective ozone layer is finally healing from the damage caused by aerosol sprays and coolants.The upper ozone layer above the northern hemisphere should be completely repaired in the 2030s and the gaping Antarctic ozone hole should disappear in the 2060s.The ozone layer had been thinning since the late 1970s.

2. UN Pledging Conference held : The 2018 ‘United Nations Pledging Conference for Development Activities’ was held on 5 November 2018.About 19 countries pledged a total of USD 425.69 million at the Pledging Conference.India pledged contributions of USD 13.36 million for the various UN agenciesIndia’s pledged contributions include $4.5 million to the UN Development Programme.

3. ‘Preventing the environment from War’ observed : The ‘International Day for Preventing the Exploitation of the Environment in War and Armed Conflict’ is observed every year on 6 November.The aim is to educate people about the damaging effects of war and armed conflict on the environment.The day was declared by the United Nations on 5 November 2001.

4. India allowed to buy Iranian oil-US : India is one of the eight countries to receive temporary exemptions from U.S. sanctions on Iran that came into effect on 5 November 2018.The other countries that have been exempted are China, Italy, Greece, Japan, South Korea, Taiwan and Turkey.U.S. said that each country on the list had demonstrated ‘significant reductions’ of the purchase of Iranian crude over the past six months.

5. MoU signed between India & South Korea : A Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) was signed between the Ministry of Youth Affairs and Sports of India and the Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism of the Republic of Korea on 5 November 2018.The MoU was signed in the field of sports cooperation.The cooperation under this MoU may include areas like exchange of coaches, athletes, and experts.

OTHER UPDATES:

BANKING/FINANCE:

1. RBI imposed Rs 1 cr fine on Fino Payments Bank : The Reserve Bank of India (RBI) imposed a fine of Rs 1 crore on Fino Payments Bank for opening new accounts despite directions not to do so until further order on 5 November 2018.This penalty has been imposed in exercise of powers vested in RBI under the provisions of the Banking Regulation Act, 1949.Fino Payments Bank started its operations in June 2017.

DEFENCE:

1. INS Arihant completes Nuclear Triad : INS Arihant, India’s first nuclear-powered submarine, successfully completed its first deterrence patrol.This means that INS Arihant is now prowling the deep seas carrying ballistic missiles.Ship Submersible Ballistic Nuclear (SSBN) submarine is part of Indian Navy’s Eastern Naval Command.The vessel has been designed by the Indian Navy’s Submarine Design Bureau

SPORTS:

1. Elavenil Valarivan won bronze medal : Elavenil Valarivan won the bronze medal at the 11th Asian Shooting Championship in Kuwait on 6 November 2018.Elavenil shot 227.9 in the corresponding Women’s event to claim the bronze medal.Shi Mengyao of China won the gold medal while Xu Hong won the silver medal at the event. 

2. Divyansh won silver medal in men’s shooting : India’s junior shooter Divyansh Singh Panwar won a silver medal in the 11th Asian Shooting Championship in Kuwait city on 6 November 2018.Divyansh shot 251.4 in the final of 10m Air Rifle Junior Men’s event.Wang Yuefeng from China won the gold medal, who shot a Junior World and Asian record score of 252.

3. Gafur Rakhimov elected president of AIBA : Uzbek businessman Gafur Rakhimov was elected president of the International Boxing Association (AIBA) Rakhimov beat his only opponent, former boxer Serik Konakbayev of Kazakhstan.The International Boxing Association (AIBA) is a sports organisation that sanctions amateur (Olympic-style) boxing matches and awards world and subordinate championships.