Daily updates 14 November 2019

International News

1. Sri Lanka becomes 1st South Asian country to call match fixing a crime

• Sri Lanka has become the first South Asian nation to bring match-fixing cases to the category of crime as its parliament passed a bill related to ‘Prevention of Offences Related to Sports’.
• This new legislation related to match-fixing and corruption will apply to all sports & if a person is found guilty of corruption in the game, he can be punished for up to 10 years and also be required to pay other fines.

Static/Current Takeaways Important For RRB NTPC/SSC CGL:

• Sri Lanka Capitals: Sri Jayawardenepura Kotte.
• Currency: Sri Lankan rupee.
• Prime minister: Ranil Wickremesinghe; President: Maithripala Sirisena.

State News

2. "Bali Yatra" festival begins in Cuttack, Odisha

• The festival 'Bali Yatra' which is organised every year in memory of the rich maritime history of the state, was inaugurated in Cuttack, Odisha.
• The festival is organised at the bank of Mahanadi River every year to mark the day when ancient mariners from the state would set sail to the distant land of Bali, Sumatra, Java (Jawa) in Indonesia, Borneo and Sri Lanka, for the expansion of trade and Culture.

Static/Current Takeaways Important For RRB NTPC/SSC CGL:

• Utkal Divas or Odisha Day falls every year on 01st April.
• Governor of Odisha: Ganeshi Lal; Chief Minister: Naveen Patnaik.

3. UP govt launches e-Ganna app, web portal

• Uttar Pradesh government has launched a dedicated web portal and a mobile application, e-Ganna App, for sugarcane farmers of the state.
• The portal and the App will ensure transparency in the process of getting slips, and facilitate sugarcane supply by farmers to mills and check irregularities.

Static/Current Takeaways Important For IBPS SO 2019:

• Uttar Pradesh CM: Yogi Adityanath, Governor: Anandiben Patel.

Appointments

4. Unilever appoints Nils Andersen as new Chairman

• British-Dutch consumer goods company Unilever named non-executive director Nils Andersen as its new chairman to utilise his deep experience across consumer goods and logistics industries.
• Andersen will replace Marijn Dekkers, who is standing down after more than three years as chairman, to focus on his responsibilities as founder and chairman of investment and advisory firm Novalis LifeSciences.

Static/Current Takeaways Important For IBPS SO 2019:

• Chief Executive Officer(CEO) of Unilever: Alan Jope.
• Founded: 2 September 1929.
• Headquarters: London, United Kingdom(UK) and Netherlands.

5. ITDC appoints Kamala Vardhana Rao as its new Chairman and MD

• India Tourism Development Corporation (ITDC) has appointed G Kamala Vardhana Rao as the new Chairman and Managing Director.
• Prior to this, an IAS officer 1990 batch from Kerala Cadre, was the Principal Secretary, Kerala government. He has also served as the Secretary of Kerala Tourism in 2014-15.
• He has also served multiple positions including Chairman of Indian Tobacco Board, Director of Fisheries Department, Director, Department of Tourism and Culture, Andhra Pradesh government.

Static/Current Takeaways Important For RRB NTPC/SSC CGL:

• India Tourism Development Corporation (ITDC) Founded: October 1966.

6. Prakash Javadekar takes charge as Minister of Heavy Industries and Public Enterprises

• Prakash Javadekar took charge as the Union Minister of Heavy Industries and Public Enterprises. This decision was taken after Shiv Sena leader Arvind Sawant resigned from the Union Cabinet.
• Javadekar also holds information & broadcasting, and environment, forest and climate change portfolios.

7. Justice Muhammad Raffiq takes oath as Chief Justice of Meghalaya HC

• Justice Muhammad Raffiq took oath as Chief Justice of Meghalaya High Court. He succeeds Ajay Kumar Mittal who is now the Chief Justice of Madhya Pradesh High Court.
• Mh. Raffiq will be the 8th Chief Justice of the Meghalaya High Court. Justice Raffiq started his law practice in 1984. He practised exclusively in Rajasthan High Court in almost all branches of law.
• He has been recognized as an expert on the Indian Constitution, service, land acquisition, tax and company law cases.
• In 2008, he was appointed as Justice at the Rajasthan High Court. He also served as acting Chief Justice of the Rajasthan High Court twice.

Static/Current Takeaways Important For RRB NTPC/SSC CGL:

• Meghalaya Capital: Shillong; Chief Minister: Conrad Sangma; Governor: Tathagata Roy.

Science and Technology

8. NASA renames Ultima thule to Arrokoth after Nazi controversy

• National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) has renamed a distant space rock Ultima Thule, to Arrokoth.
• It is the farthest cosmic body ever visited by a spacecraft, Arrokoth or “sky” is a name of the Native American Powhatan language following a significant backlash over the old name’s Nazi connotations.
• The name portrait the co-operation with Powhatan Tribal elders.

Static/Current Takeaways Important For IBPS SO 2019:

• Headquarters of NASA: Washington, D.C.
• Established: July 29,1958.

Summit and Conferences

9. India-ASEAN Business Summit 2019

• The Union Minister of State (I/C) Development of North Eastern Region (DoNER), has addressed the India-ASEAN (Association of Southeast Asian Nations) Business Summit 2019 in New Delhi.
• The India- ASEAN Business Summit on the theme: “Today, Tomorrow, Together” is being organised to strengthen trade & investment flows with ASEAN Economies.
• The objective of the conference is to enhance the trade trajectory between India and ASEAN nations to new highs. Senior government officials from India and the ASEAN Nations are interacting with the Business community of India and ASEAN for the promotion of bilateral trade and investments.

Static/Current Takeaways Important For IBPS SO 2019:

• 10 ASEAN member countries: Indonesia, Thailand, Singapore, Philippines, Malaysia, Vietnam, Brunei, Cambodia, Myanmar (Burma), Laos.

10. 27th Conference of COCSSO inaugurated at Kolkata, West Bengal

• National Statistical Commission inaugurated the 27th Conference of Central and State Statistical Organizations (COCSSO) at Kolkata, West Bengal. 27th COCSSO is a Conference organized by MoSPI, Government of India every year.
• COCSSO is a major national forum for coordination between the Central and State Statistical Agencies with the objectives of putting in coordinated efforts for making available reliable and timely statistics to planners and policymakers. The theme of this conference was “Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs)” which highlights the actions taken by the Ministry of Statistics and Programme Implementation (MoSPI) for a strong observing mechanism for Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs).

Static/Current Takeaways Important For RRB NTPC/SSC CGL:

• Chairman of National statistical commission: Prof. Bimal K Roy.

11. International Conference on Yoga for Heart care to be organised at Karnataka

• Ministry of AYUSH is organizing the International Conference on Yoga on 15-16 November 2019 at Mysuru, Karnataka.
• The theme of the conference is ‘Yoga for Heart Care’. This conference is 5th in the series to commemorate the unanimous adoption of Resolution by the United Nations General Assembly during its 69th Session for observing 21st June as International Day of Yoga.
• After the UN declaration of International Day of Yoga since 2014, overwhelming interest towards Yoga has been witnessed from the international communities across the globe.

Static/Current Takeaways Important For IBPS SO 2019:

• Minister of State (Independent Charge) of the Ministry of Ayurveda, Yoga and Naturopathy, Unani, Siddha and Homoeopathy (AYUSH): Shripad Yesso Naik.

Sports

12. FIFA bans three football officials for life for corruption

• FIFA (Fédération Internationale de Football Association) has banned 3 South American football officials for a lifetime for connection with a 2015 corruption scandal in football.
• The three officials who were banned were Former Peru Football Federation Manuel Burga and Argentinian officials Eduardo Deluca and Jose Luis Meiszner.

Static/Current Takeaways Important For IBPS SO 2019:

• President of FIFA: Gianni Infantino; Founded: 21 May 1904.
• Headquarters: Zürich, Switzerland.

Important Days

13. World Diabetes Day: 14 November

• The World Diabetes Day (WDD) was observed globally on 14 November.
• The theme for diabetes awareness month and World Diabetes Day 2019 "Family and Diabetes". World Diabetes Day (WDD) was created in 1991 by the International Diabetes Federation (IDF) and the World Health Organization in response to growing concerns about the escalating health threat posed by diabetes.
• World Diabetes Day became an official United Nations Day in 2006. It is marked every year on 14 November, the birthday of Sir Frederick Banting, who co-discovered insulin along with Charles Best in 1922.

14. Children’s Day: 14th November

• On 14th November, Children’s Day is celebrated every year to mark the birth anniversary of our first Prime Minister Pt. Jawaharlal Nehru.
• Pandit Nehru had a great love for children. He wanted to be among them, talk to them and play with them.
• The children also loved and respected him and called him CHACHA NEHRU. Children's Day is celebrated across India to increase awareness of the rights, care and education of children.

Miscellaneous

15. Nita Ambani to join board of Metropolitan Museum of Art

• Chairperson of the Reliance Foundation, Nita Ambani has been named an honorary trustee of "The Metropolitan Museum of Art".
• This decision was taken due to her commitment to preserve and encourage Indian art and culture. She is the first Indian to be so honoured.
• In 2017, the museum honoured her at The Met Winter Party, an event celebrating the achievements of those who foster greater diversity and inclusion in the world of art.
• In 2017, Nita Ambani received the prestigious Rashtriya Khel Protsahan Award from the President of India for the work of Reliance Foundation in the area of sports for development. In 2016, Forbes listed her as one of the 50 most powerful businesswomen in Asia.
• She is a member of the International Olympic Committee and is the first Indian woman to serve in that role.

Static/Current Takeaways Important For RRB NTPC/SSC CGL:

• Chairman of Metropolitan Museum of Art: Mr Daniel Brodsky
• Established: April 13, 1870.
• President & CEO: Daniel Weiss.

16. 50th International Film Festival of India (IFFI) Theme song unveiled

• The Information and Broadcasting Ministry launched the official anthem and radio jingle for the golden jubilee edition of International Film Festival of India (IFFI), scheduled to take place in Goa from November 20 to 28.
• The anthem, inspired by the 9 'rasas' (emotions) of the Natya Shashtra and an amalgamation of scenes from prominent movies and dance 'mudras', has been developed by noted dancer Geeta Chandran and Grammy Award-winning composer Ricky Cage.
• The audio-visuals of the anthem have been directed and produced by National Film Development Corporation of India (NFDC) under the guidance of the I&B Ministry and the Directorate of Film Festivals (DFF).
• The 50th International Film Festival of India, 2019 will witness over 200 films from 76 countries. With the screening of 26 feature films and 15 non-feature films in the Indian panorama section, around 10,000 people and film lovers are expected to attend and participate in the golden jubilee edition.

Static/Current Takeaways Important For IBPS SO 2019:

• Minister of Information and Broadcasting: Prakash Javadekar.

Daily updates 13 November 2019

National

1.Chief Justice’s office comes under RTI, rules Supreme Court

• The Supreme Court ruled that the office of Chief Justice comes under the transparency law, the Right to Information (RTI) Act.
• The decision by the five-judge bench of the Supreme Court, led Chief Justice Ranjan Gogoi, who retires on November 17, comes on a petition filed by Central Public Information Officer of the Supreme Court against a Delhi high court ruling of 2010 that held the office of the CJI was a public authority and directed the secretary-general of the top court to disclose details of the assets of judges sought by RTI activist SC Agarwal.

2. Dr Harsh Vardhan inaugurates exhibition of Technologies in Food Processing

• Union Minister for Science and Technology  Harsh Vardhan inaugurated an exhibition of Technologies in Food Processing developed by Council of Scientific and Industrial Research.
• The exhibition organized in New Delhi showcases CSIR technologies in the food sector to the industries and MSMEs.
• It also highlights the latest research and development being done in the food processing sector in the country. The products developed through these technologies and innovations are cost-effective and healthier for people.

Static/Current Takeaways Important For IBPS SO 2019:

• Director-General of  CSIR: Shekhar C. Mande.

3. Swachh-Nirmal Tat Abhiyaan

• Union Ministry of Environment, Forest and Climate Change is undertaking a mass cleanliness-cum-awareness drive in 50 identified beaches under the programme called ‘Swachh- Nirmal Tat Abhiyaan’, from 11 -17 November 2019.
• The Objective of Swachh-Nirmal Tat Abhiyaan to strive to make coastal areas across the country clean and to create awareness amongst citizens about the importance of coastal ecosystems so as to save marine creatures from plastic waste, industrial effluents and other harmful substances.

Static/Current Takeaways Important For RRB NTPC/SSC CGL:

• Minister of Environment, Forest and Climate Change: Prakash Javadekar.

4. 39th India International Trade Fair 2019

• 39th India International Trade Fair 2019 begins in New Delhi.
• The theme for the 39th edition of the fair is 'Ease of Doing Business' inspired by India's unique achievement of rising to 63rd rank on the World Bank's Ease of Doing Business Index from 142nd rank in the year 2014.
• The fair will be inaugurated by Minister of Micro, Small and Medium Enterprises (MSME) Nitin Gadkari.
• This year the status of 'Partner Country' has been accorded to 'The Islamic Republic of Afghanistan' and 'The Republic of Korea' will be the 'Focus Country'. Bihar and Jharkhand will be the focus states in this edition of the fair.

5. Union Cabinet recommends President's rule in Maharashtra

• President Ram Nath Kovind has signed the proclamation imposing President's rule in Maharashtra.
• The Union Cabinet has recommended the President rule on the report of the Governor invoking Article 356 of the constitution in the state.
• Article 356, commonly known as President's rule, deals with 'failure of constitutional machinery in the state'
• The Governor's office stated that the government cannot be carried on in accordance with the Constitution, and submitted a report as contemplated by the provision of Article 356 of the Constitution.

International

6. Pravind Jugnauth sworn in as Mauritius PM

• Mauritius's incumbent Prime Minister Pravind Jugnauth was sworn in for a five-year term after elections in which his coalition consolidated its grip on parliament.
• Jugnauth took over from his father in 2017 without going through a vote, and the decisive victory of his centre-right Morisian Alliance in the November 7 elections have strengthened his legitimacy.
• Since attaining independence from Britain in 1968, Mauritius has become one of the most stable democracies in Africa.

Static/Current Takeaways Important For RRB NTPC/SSC CGL:

• Mauritius Capital: Port Louis; Currency; Mauritian rupee.

7. Iran discovers new oil field with 53 Bn barrels of reserves

• Iran has discovered a new oilfield with 53 billion barrels of crude oil in Khuzestan province, home to Iran’s Khuzestan’s crucial oil industry.
• The announcement, however, did not reveal how much oil could be produced from the reservoir but the find could boost the country’s battered economy amid stringent US sanctions.
• The new oil field discovered is 2,400 square kilometres (925 square miles), with the deposit some 80 metres (260 feet) deep.

Static/Current Takeaways Important For IBPS SO 2019:

• Iran Capital: Tehran; Currency: Rial; President: Hassan Rouhani.

State News

8. Sishu Suraksha APP to be launched in Assam

• The Assam State Commission for Protection of Child Rights is going to launch a mobile app Sishu Suraksha on the occasion of Children’s Day.
• The purpose of the app is to empower citizens to take moral responsibility for protecting future generations.
• The app can be used by anyone in the state to lodge a complaint which will be directly registered at Commission.

Static/Current Takeaways Important For RRB NTPC/SSC CGL:

• Assam Capital: Dispur; CM: Sarbananda Sonowal; Governor: Jagdish Mukhi.

Appointments

9. Mohammad Imran appointed Bangladesh High Commissioner to India

• Mohammad Imran has been appointed as the new High Commissioner of Bangladesh to India.
• He is currently Bangladesh's Ambassador to the United Arab Emirates. He succeeds Syed Muazzem Ali.
• The announcement was made by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Bangladesh.

Static/Current Takeaways Important For IBPS SO 2019:

• Bangladesh Capital: Dhaka; Currency: Taka; PM: Sheikh Hasina.

Agreements

10. FICCI signed MoU with Singapore Fintech Association

• Federation of Indian Chambers of Commerce and Industry (Ficci) signed a memorandum of understanding with Singapore Fintech Association (SFA) as part of the growing Singapore-India fintech ecosystems.
• The MoU was signed during the Fourth edition of Singapore Fintech Festival, the world’s largest financial technology platform along with Singapore Week of Innovation and Technology conducted from November 11-13, 2019.

Static/Current Takeaways Important For RRB NTPC/SSC CGL:

• FICCI of Founded: 1927; Headquarters; New Delhi.

Banking

11. SBI’s economic research team revised India’s FY20 GDP forecast to 5%

• The economic research team from the State Bank of India (SBI) has revised India’s Gross Domestic Product(GDP) to 5% from its earlier estimate of 6.1% for the Fiscal Year 2020 (FY20).
• This downgrade was due to global slowdown in the index of industrial production (IIP).
• The SBI economic research team group has projected the second quarter (July-September) GDP growth at 4.2% in their report titled “EcoWrap”.
• It expects the growth rate to pick up in FY2021 to 6.2%.

Static/Current Takeaways Important For IBPS SO 2019:

• Chairman of SBI: Rajnish Kumar; Formed: 1 July 1955.
• Headquarters: Mumbai, Maharashtra.

Summit and Conferences

12. Air Chief to inaugurate ISAM Conference in Bengaluru

• Air Chief Marshal RKS Bhadauria will inaugurate the 58th Indian Society of Aerospace Medicine (ISAM) Annual Conference.
• The aims of the conference to address contemporary issues and applications in the subject of aerospace medicine.
• The theme for this year's conference is 'Changing Paradigms in Aerospace Healthcare'.
• The event will take place at the Institute of Aerospace Medicine, Indian Air Force, Bengaluru from November 14-16.

13. India to host 19th council of heads of government of SCO 2020

• India will host the 19th council of heads of government of the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation 2020.
• The first such high-level meeting of the 8-member grouping to be organised by New Delhi after its admission into the grouping in 2017.
• The SCO is a China-led eight-member economic and security bloc in which India and Pakistan were admitted as full members in 2017.
• Its founding members included China, Russia, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan and Uzbekistan.
• The latest Summit of heads of government was held in Tashkent in November 2019.
• It was proposed in Tashkent Summit that India would take the initiative to hold the 2020 meetings of the Heads of Government.

Static/Current Takeaways Important For IBPS SO 2019:

•  SCO Secretary-General: Vladimir Norov.

Important Days

14. World Kindness Day: 13 November

• November 13 is celebrated as the World Kindness Day.
• World Kindness Day is to highlight good deeds in the community focusing on the positive power and the common thread of kindness which binds us. Kindness is a fundamental part of the human circumstances which bridges the divides of race religion, politics, gender and zip codes.
• The Theme of 2019 for this World Kindness Day 2019 is empathy, encouraging people across the globe to better understand "the pains of others" and touch their lives "positively".
• World Kindness Day was first introduced in 1998 by The World Kindness Movement, an organisation formed at a 1997 Tokyo conference by the like-minded kindness organisations from around the world.
• In 2019, the organization was registered as an official NGO under Swiss law.
• There are currently over 28 nations involved in The World Kindness Movement which is not affiliated with any religion or political movement.

15. World Pneumonia Day: 12 November

• World Pneumonia Day, marked every year on November 12. The year 2019 marked the 10 anniversary of World Pneumonia Day to fight against pneumonia.
• The theme for the year 2019 is “Healthy lungs for all”.
• It was organized by the Global Coalition against Child Pneumonia in 2009.
• This day makes an awareness about pneumonia, how it is caused, treatment and prevention.
• Pneumonia is an infectious disease that causes infection in one or both lungs. It can be serious and life-threatening.

Miscellaneous

16. Suranga Bawadi selected as World Monument Watch list for 2020

• Suranga Bawadi in Bijapur, Karnataka was selected as the World Monument Watch List for 2020, by the New York-based non-governmental organisation.
• Suranga Bawadi was selected under the category of “Ancient Water System of the Deccan Plateau” along with 24 monuments across the world.
• It is one of the integral parts of the ancient Karez system of supplying water through subterranean tunnels, is now set to get funding for restoration.
• It was built in the 16th century of Adil Shahi-I in Vijayapura.

Daily updates 12 November 2019

National

1.Dharmendra Pradhan inaugurates the India Pavilion at the ADIPEC

• Union Minister of Petroleum & Natural Gas and Steel Dharmendra Pradhan inaugurated the India Pavilion at the Abu Dhabi International Petroleum Exhibition and Conference (ADIPEC).
• The India Pavilion has been set up by 9 Indian Oil & Gas companies from the upstream, midstream, downstream and engineering segments, along with Federation of Indian Petroleum Industry (FIPI), Directorate General of Hydrocarbons (DGH) and Confederation of Indian Industry (CII).

2. Centre approves to set up four medical device parks

• The government of India has given approval for setting up four medical device parks with a view to support Make in India initiative and provide world-class products at an affordable price for treatment.
• The four parks will be set up in Andhra Pradesh, Telangana, Tamil Nadu and Kerala.
• These parks will provide the necessary infrastructure, where companies can easily plug and play.
• This will not only cut import bill but will also help in easy access to standard testing facilities and reduce the cost of production.
• The project of Andhra Pradesh Medtech Zone for creation of Common Facility Centre (CFC) for Superconducting Magnetic Coil Testing and Research was given in-principle approval recently.
• The scheme proposes to provide Rs. 25 crores or 70% of the project cost of setting up CFCs, whichever is less, for the creation of common facilities in any upcoming park.

 

State News

3. Gujarat Govt gives approval to world’s first CNG terminal at Bhavnagar port

• Gujarat Government has given approval to the world’s first CNG terminal at Bhavnagar port, Gujarat.
• The joint venture of United Kingdom-based Foresight Group and Mumbai-based Padmanabh Mafatlal Group will invest 1,900 crore rupees to set up a CNG terminal at Bhavnagar port.
• For this, a Memorandum of Understanding between Gujarat Maritime Board and London-based Foresight Group was signed during the Vibrant Gujarat Summit earlier this year.

Static/Current Takeaways Important For IBPS SO 2019:

• Gujarat CM: Vijay Rupani; Governor: Acharya Dev Vrat; Capital: Gandhinagar.

Appointments

4. Justice AP Sahi sworn-in as Chief Justice of Madras High Court

• Justice Amreshwar Pratap Sahi was sworn-in as Chief Justice of the Madras High Court.
• Tamil Nadu Governor Banwarilal Purohit administered the oath of office to Justice Sahi. Justice Sahi replaces Justice VK Tahilramani, who quit on September 6.
• Prior to this appointment, Justice Sahi was Chief Justice of the Patna High Court from November 17, 2018.

Awards

5. George Schaller lifetime award for wildlife biologist K. Ullas Karanth

• Wildlife biologist K. Ullas Karanth, Director, Centre for Wildlife Studies, Bengaluru, was awarded the George Schaller Lifetime Award in Wildlife Conservation Science for his contribution to the field of conservation.
• He is the first recipient of the award instituted by the Wildlife Conservation Society (WCS), New York, in honour of Dr George Schaller, who is considered one of the greatest wildlife scientists and conservationists globally.
• K. Ullas Karanth was honoured with various awards, which includes Padma Shri award (2012), Karnataka Government’s Rajyothsava Award (2010) etc.
• WCS George Schaller Lifetime Award has been created to honour members of WCS for their outstanding contributions in conserving wildlife and wild places.

Static/Current Takeaways Important For RRB NTPC/SSC CGL:

• Formation of Wildlife Conservation Society: April 26, 1895.
• Headquarters: New York,  United States.

Science and Technology

6. NASA detects huge X-ray burst from outer space

• NASA has detected a massive thermonuclear explosion coming from outer space, caused by a massive thermonuclear flash on the surface of a pulsar.
• The crushed remains of a star that long ago exploded as a supernova. The explosion released as much energy in 20 seconds as the Sun does in nearly 10 days.
• NASA's Neutron Star Interior Composition Explorer (NICER) telescope on the International Space Station (ISS) detected a sudden spike of X-rays on August 20, reports the US space agency.
• The X-ray burst, the brightest seen by NICER so far, came from an object named "J1808".
• The observations reveal many phenomena that have never been seen together in a single burst.

Static/Current Takeaways Important For RRB NTPC/SSC CGL:

• NASA Administrator: Jim Bridenstine.
• NASA established: 29 July 1958.

7. NASA unveils its first electric airplane

• NASA (National Aeronautics and Space Administration) has launched its 1st all-electric experimental aircraft named the X-57 “Maxwell”.
• It is NASA’s 1st crewed X-plane (experimental plane) in nearly 2 decades adapted from Italian Tecnam P2006T aircraft.
• The first delivery of the all-electric experimental aircraft was taken from Empirical Systems Aerospace (ESAero) in California, United States(US).
• The aircraft is expected to be operational by late 2020.

Static/Current Takeaways Important For IBPS SO 2019:

• NASA Administrator: Jim Bridenstine.
• NASA established: 29 July 1958.

Summit and Conferences

8. “National Capital Region -2041” conclave held in Delhi

• Ministry of Housing and Urban Affairs, Government of India, chaired the inaugural conclave on “National Capital Region -2041” in Delhi.
• This conclave is organized by the National Capital Region Planning Board (NCRPB).
• The theme of the conclave was “Planning for Tomorrow’s Greatest Capital Region”.
• The Regional Plan-2041 should be a citizen-centric plan, with liveability as the hallmark, to ensure ease of living.

Static/Current Takeaways Important For IBPS SO 2019:

• Minister of State (Independent Charge) of the Ministry of Housing and Urban Affairs: Hardeep Singh Puri.

Schemes and Committees

9. Dal Lake of J&K to be declared Eco-Sensitive Zone

• The Jammu and Kashmir government has set up a 10-member committee to declare Srinagar’s famous Dal Lake and its surrounding areas as an eco-sensitive zone (ESZ), following concerns over its shrinking size.
• Pollution and encroachments have resulted in the Dal Lake shrinking from its original area of 22 square kilometres to about 10 square kilometres, according to an assessment by the Dredging Corporation of India (DCI) in 2017.
• The capacity of the lake has shrunk to 40%. The depth of the lake has reduced in many places due to the absence of desilting.
• The Eco-Sensitive Zone is called Ecologically Fragile Areas. A region or territory is notified as ESZ by the Ministry of Environment, Forest and Climate change.
• In General, the regions are around wildlife sanctuaries, protected areas and National Parks.

Static/Current Takeaways Important For IBPS SO 2019:

• Lieutenant Governor of Jammu and Kashmir: Girish Chandra Murmu.

Sports

10. Thomas Dennerby takes charge as Indian Head Coach in FIFA U-17 Women's WC

• All India Football Federation (AIFF) has announced the appointment of Thomas Dennerby (Sweden) as the Indian head coach of the Women’s U-17 football team.
• The FIFA (Fédération Internationale de Football Association) U-17(under 17) women’s football World Cup 2020 will be hosted by India.
• Thomas led the Sweden Women’s national team to finish third in the FIFA World Cup in 2011.
• He previously worked as coach of Super Falcons, the Nigerian women’s national team to the 2019 FIFA World Cup in France.
• He was also awarded the coach of the year for 2018 in Nigeria.

Static/Current Takeaways Important For RRB NTPC/SSC CGL:

• President of All India Football Federation: Praful Patel; Founded: 23 June 1937.
• Headquarters: New Delhi.

11. Saurabh Chaudhary wins silver medal in Men's 10m air pistol event at Asian Championship

• Saurabh Chaudhary claimed the silver medal in men's 10m air pistol event to continue India's surge at the 14th Asian Championship in Doha, Qatar.
• World Cup and Asian Games gold-medallist shot 244.5 to finish second on the podium behind North Korea's Kim Song Guk, who won the top prize with a world record 246.5. Iran's Foroughi Javed bagged the bronze.

12. Javelin thrower Sundar Singh wins gold in World Para Athletics Championships

• Javelin thrower Sundar Singh Gurjar has won India's second gold and defending his World Para Athletics Championships title in the men's F46 javelin throw event in Dubai.
• With this, India has secured three Tokyo Paralympic Games quota, along with the bronze winner Ajeet Singh and Rinku.

Important Days

13. Public Service Broadcasting Day: 12 November

• Public Service Broadcasting Day is celebrated on 12 November every year.
• The day is celebrated every year to commemorate the first and last visit of the Father of the Nation, Mahatma Gandhi to the studio of All India Radio, Delhi in 1947.
• The Father of the Nation addressed the displaced people, who had temporarily settled at Kurukshetra in Haryana after partition.

Miscellaneous

14. Newly discovered species of spider named after Sachin Tendulkar

• Dhruv Prajapati, a research scholar from the Gujarat Ecological Education & Research (GEER) Foundation, has discovered two new spider species in Kerala, TamilNadu and Gujarat.
• One spider species was named after Indian cricketer Sachin Tendulkar as “Marengo Sachin Tendulkar” while the other was named as “Indomarengo chavarapater” after Saint Kuriakose Elias Chavara, who played a key role in creating awareness on education in the state of Kerala.