Daily GK Updates - 8th November, 2018

NATIONAL UPDATES:

1. LS Secretary General got one-year extension : The tenure of Snehlata Shrivastava has been extended by Speaker Sumitra Mahajan for one year.She was scheduled to retire on 30 November 2018 but after the extension, she will retire in  30 November 2019.She is the first woman Secretary General of the Lok Sabha.She has served as Secretary in the Ministry of Law and Justice and as Special/Additional Secretary in the Ministry of Finance.

2. Proposed Ganga bill bans ports, jetties : According to a proposed ‘Ganga Act’, the government has banned the construction of jetties, ports or ‘permanent hydraulic structures’ in the Ganga river.The Bill lays down a host of restrictions to ensure the ‘uninterrupted, ecological flow’ of the river. The proposed act is formally called the National River Ganga (Rejuvenation, Conservation and Management) Bill, 2018.

3. New record created in Ayodhya : A new world record was set in Ayodhya on 7 November 2018 with over three lakh ‘diya’ lit up simultaneously.A total of 3,01,152 diyas were lit up simultaneously for five minutes.The record was created at the Deepotsav event on the banks of the Sarayu river.The target was to illuminate a total of 3.35 lakh diya on both sides of the ghats at Ram Ki Paidi.

4. JNPT planning to host edible oil refinery : Jawaharlal Nehru Port Trust (JNPT) is planning to host an edible oil refinery to maximise revenue and ensure captive cargo.The raw material for the refinery will be imported from abroad and a considerable part of the finished products will be sent out through the sea.The port already has a liquid cargo terminal in addition to the 4 container terminals.The port is situated in Maharashtra

5. ‘Bhubaneswar Me Wi-Fi’ launched  : Odisha Government launched the ‘Bhubaneswar Me Wi-Fi’ project in Bhubaneswar on 5 November 2018.The project is implemented by Bhubaneswar Smart City Limited (BSCL).It will initially have 100 hotspots enabled locations with 275 access points.One wi-fi hotspot would be able to handle 150 users at a given point of timeBSCL is a Special Purpose Vehicle incorporated by Odisha Government.

6. Mo bus’ service launched in Odisha : Odisha Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik launched the ‘Mo bus’ service in Bhubaneswar on 6 November 2018.The newly-launched buses feature free Wi-Fi, CCTV surveillance, public information display system and on board announcements.The bus service will come up with ‘Mo Bus’ mobile app through which citizens can book their tickets and also get to know the locations of the vehicle.

7. West Bengal to observe ‘Rosogolla Day’ : The West Bengal government will observe ‘Rosogolla Day’ on November 14.The day will be observed to commemorate the first anniversary of the State’s famous sweet getting Geographical Indication (GI) tag as ‘Bengal’s Rosogolla’.On 14 November 2017, West Bengal got the GI tag for ‘Bengal’s Rosogolla’.The GI tag is a sign that identifies a product as originating from a particular place.

INTERNATIONAL UPDATES:

1. European defence coalition launched in Paris : Defence ministers from European countries met in Paris on 7 November 2018 and launched a jointmilitary force known as the ‘European Intervention Initiative’ or EI2.The military force could rapidly be deployed in response to a conflict or natural disaster.Germany, Spain, the Netherlands, Belgium, Denmark, Estonia, Portugal, Britain and Finland are part of this initiative.

2. India loses row over safeguard duty at WTO : India lost a major trade dispute at the World Trade Organization (WTO) on 6 November 2018.A dispute settlement panel upheld Japan’s complaint that India’s imposition of safeguard duty on imports of hot-rolled steel flat products during September 2015 and March 2018 violated core global trade rules.Japan launched the dispute settlement proceedings against India in 2017.

3. ASEAN member countries offer concession : Several Asian member countries of the proposed Regional Comprehensive Economic Partnership (RCEP) have offered India a concession on the extent to which it needs to open up its markets.India can now open up 83% of its market against the earlier 92%.The RCEP is a proposed trade agreement between the ASEAN countries and the six free trade agreement partners.

4. Tesla names new chair to replace Elon Musk : Electric carmaker Tesla has appointed Robyn Denholm as the Chairman of the company’s board of directors, replacing Elon Musk.She will also be leaving her role as CFO and Head of Strategy at Telstra, Australia’s largest telecommunications company.She has been on the Tesla board as an independent director since 2014.Elon Musk will remain the Chief Executive Officer (CEO) of Tesla.

OTHER UPDATES:

BANKING/FINANCE:

1. ECB norms for infra firms eased : The Reserve Bank of India has liberalised the norms governing external commercial borrowings (ECBs) for infrastructure creation.

The minimum average maturity requirement for ECB in the infrastructure sector has been reduced to three years from earlier five years.Additionally, the average maturity requirement for mandatory hedging has been reduced to five years from earlier ten years.

SCIENCE AND TECHNOLOGY:

1. Study finds that 3 moons orbit the Earth : A team of astronomers and physicists has confirmed that the dust clouds orbit the Earth.These dust clouds move with the Earth and Moon at a stable 4,00,000 kilometres from the Earth.The dust clouds is also known as ‘Kordylewski’ clouds. The first glimpse of the clouds was seen only in 1961 by Polish astronomer Kazimierz Kordylewski.