NATIONAL
UPDATES:
1.
WB inked $172 million agreement with AP : The
Central and Andhra Pradesh governments and the World Bank have signed the
$172.20 million loan agreement for an agriculture project.The project
will enhance the agricultural productivity, profitability, and climate
resilience of poor and marginalised farmers in Andhra Pradesh.The projects
seeks to ensure that farming continues to remain a financially viable activity.
2.PM to inaugurate various
projects in Varanasi : Prime Minister Narendra Modi will
inaugurate the Ring Road Phase-I and Babatpur-Varanasi road in Varanasi on
12 November 2018.The Prime Minister will also launch inland waterways terminal
on river Ganga.It is the first of the four multi-modal terminals being
constructed on NW-I (River Ganga) as part of the World Bank-aided Jal Marg
Vikas project.
3.
Namrata Ahuja bagged IPI-India Award : The
prestigious 2018 IPI India Award for excellence in journalism has been given to
Namrata Ahuja of ‘The Week’ magazine.She received the award for
her exclusive story on Naga underground camps.The award comprises a cash prize
of Rs 2 lakh, a trophy and a citation.The International Press Institute
(IPI) is a forum of editors, publishers and senior executives of newspapers and
magazines.
4.
Meghalaya announces Aqua Mission 2.0 : The
Meghalaya Government announced `378 crore investment in the State’s flagship
aquaculture mission named ‘Meghalaya State Aqua Mission 2.0’.The aim of the
mission is to cut down fish imports into the State.Under the mission,
willing partners will need to contribute only 15% while another 25% will
be credit linkages and the rest 60% Government assistance.
5.
First Chairperson of Lokayukta sworn in : Retired
Gauhati High Court judge Pranoy Kumar Musahary was sworn in as the first
Chairperson of Meghalaya Lokayukta on 6 November 2018.Meghalaya Governor
Tathagata Roy administered the oath of office to Justice (retd) Musahary.The
Lokayukta is empowered to probe allegations of corruption against public
functionaries such as the Chief Minister, Speaker and Deputy Speaker of
Assembly.
6.
Separate High Court for Andhra Pradesh : The
Supreme Court has given nod for a separate High Court for Andhra Pradesh.It
will start functioning from 1 January 2019 in Amravati.The new court will be
the 25th High Court in the country.Presently, Andhra Pradesh and Telangana have
a common High Court situated at Hyderabad.The existing court will from 2019 be
known as the Telangana High Court.
INTERNATIONAL
UPDATES:
1. Pakistan-China
luxury bus service launched : Pakistan and China have launched
a luxury bus service passing from Lahore to Kashgar city in China on 5 November
2018.
It is part of an initiative to
connect the two countries via road under the US$ 60 billion China-Pakistan
Economic Corridor (CPEC).The bus will take 36 hours from Lahore to reach the
Xinjiang province in China’s far west
2. China
unveils replica of its space station : China has unveiled a replica of
its first permanently crewed space station.The Chinese space station would
replace the international community’s orbiting laboratory, International Space
Station (ISS).The station assembly is expected
to be completed around 2022 and would have a lifespan of around 10 years.The
ISS has been in operation since 1998 but is due to be retired in
2024.
3. S. Korea,
U.S. resumed marine drills : South Korea and the United States
resumed their combined marine drills on 5 November 2018.The Korea Marine
Exercise Program (KMEP) exercise has been suspended for six months since May
2018 as the two countries engaged in diplomacy with North Korea.The two-week
KMEP involves some 500 troops, including U.S. Marines from Okinawa, Japan, and
military equipment.
4. Dharmendra
appointed Ambassador to Iran : Senior diplomat Gaddam Dharmendra
has been appointed India’s Ambassador to Iran.Dharmendra is a 1990-batch Indian
Foreign Service officer.At present, he is the Additional Secretary in the
Ministry of External Affairs.He replaced Saurabh Kumar, who was appointed
India’s ambassador to Myanmar in October 2018.
5. India
elected as a Member of the ITU Council : India has been elected as
a Member of the International Telecommunications Union (ITU) Council for
another 4-year term (2019-2022).The elections to the council were held during
the ongoing ITU Plenipotentiary Conference 2018 at Dubai, UAE.The ITU is a
specialised agency of the United Nations (UN) that is responsible for issues
that concern information and communication technologies.
OTHER
UPDATES:
BUSINESS/ECONOMY:
1. MoU signed between NMCG & HCL foundation : The National Mission for Clean Ganga (NMCG) has
signed a MoU with the HCL Foundation to work on tributaries of Ganga- Hindon
and Yamuna and to increase forest cover in Uttarakhand and Uttar Pradesh.The
two organisations will work for sensitisation and awareness programs on forest
and environment conservation.The organisations will also try to ensure
plantation success rate of 60% to 70%.
SPORTS:
1. Book on history of women’s cricket to be out : A book on history of women’s cricket in India will
be released on 30 November 2018.The book, titled ‘The Fire Burns Blue: A
History of Women’s Cricket in India’, is co-authored by sports journalists
Karunya Keshav and Sidhanta Pathak.The book explores the biggest moments
for the game in the country.
2. Elavenil-Hriday won gold in shooting : India’s Air Rifle mixed team junior pairing of
Elavenil Valarivan and Hriday Hazarika won the gold medal at the 11th Asian
Championship in Kuwait City on 6 November 2018.A second Indian pair of Mehuli
Ghosh and Arjun Babuta also won bronze in the same event.The silver medal was
won Chinese pair of Shi Mengyao and Wang Yuefeng.
3. Angad Vir Singh won gold medal in shooting : Angad Vir Singh Bajwa won the gold medal in the
men’s skeet final of the 8th Asian Shotgun Championship on 6 November 2018.He
became the first Indian skeet shooter to win a gold medal at any continental or
world level event.Di Jin of China won the silver medal while Saeed Al Maktoum
of UAE won the bronze medal.
