Daily updates 17 November 2019

International News

1. Gotabaya Rajapaksa wins Sri Lanka Presidential election

• Sri Lanka's former Defence Secretary Gotabaya Rajapaksa has won the Presidential election. He is the brother of former President Mahinda Rajapaksa.
• Gotabaya got 52.25 per cent of the total valid votes. According to the final vote count released by the country’s Election commission, he received around 6.9 million votes against his main rival, Sajith Premadasa who got around 5.56 million votes.
• Gotabaya served as the Defence Secretary during the end of the LTTE War.

Static/Current Takeaways Important For IBPS SO 2019:

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

State News

2. Yogi Adityanath inaugurates North India's 1st sugar mill which will produce ethanol

• Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath has inaugurated North India's first sugar mill which will produce ethanol direct from sugarcane.
• The mill was inaugurated in Pipraich area of Gorakhpur, which is a unit of Uttar Pradesh Sugar and Sugarcane Development Corporation Limited.
• The mills, which previously produced around 8,000 quintals of sugar, will now produce more than 50,000 quintals of sugar every day.

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

• Governor of Uttar Pradesh: Anandiben Patel.

3. Defence Minister inaugurates Sisseri Bridge built by BRO

• Defence Minister Rajnath Singh inaugurated Sisseri Bridge, built by the Border Road Organisation (BRO) on Pasighat-Bomjir Highway, Arunachal Pradesh.
• The 200-metre long bridge between Jonai-Pasighat-Ranaghat-Roing road will provide connectivity between Dibang Valley and Siang to meet the long-pending demand of the people of Arunachal Pradesh.

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

• Director-General of BRO: Lt. Gen.Harpal Singh; Headquarters: New Delhi.
• Founder of BRO: Jawaharlal Nehru.

Awards

4. Veteran actors Sridevi and Rekha conferred with ANR National Award

• The veteran actors Sridevi and Rekha were conferred with the Akkineni Nageswara Rao National Award for 2018 and 2019 respectively.
• The award was presented by renowned Telugu actor Chiranjeevi.
• The award is instituted by the Akkineni International Foundation and honours those who have made a lasting impact on Indian cinema.

5. Rezwana Choudhury Bannya gets ICCR Alumni award in Dhaka

• Renowned Rabindra Sangeet exponent from Bangladesh Rezwana Choudhury Bannya has conferred the ICCR distinguished alumni award in Dhaka, Bangladesh.
• The award was given away by the High Commissioner of India to Bangladesh Riva Ganguly Das in a musical function organised by the Indira Gandhi Cultural Centre (IGCC).
• Rezwana Choudhury Bannya is widely recognised as a great exponent of Rabindra Sangeet.
• She is known for her distinctive style of singing. She has established a musical school 'Shurer Dhara' in Bangladesh to carry forward the Guru-Shishya tradition as practised in Shantiniketan.
• Distinguished Alumni Award was instituted in 2015 to recognise foreign students who have studied in various Indian Universities under the ICCR sponsored scholarship schemes and made an exemplary contribution in varied fields.

Appointments

6. Justice Dr Ravi Ranjan takes oath as Chief Justice of Jharkhand HC

• Justice Dr Ravi Ranjan took oath as the Chief Justice of Jharkhand High Court.
• Justice Ranjan has been appointed as the 13th Chief Justice of the Jharkhand High Court.
• The post was lying vacant since May this year after the former Chief Justice, Anirudh Bose was appointed as a judge of the Supreme Court.
• Justice Dr Ravi Ranjan was a judge in the Punjab and Haryana High Court.
• He was elevated to Additional Judge of the Patna High Court on July 14, 2008.
• Later, he was appointed as a permanent judge on January 16, 2010.
• He also served as the Acting Chief Justice of the Patna High Court for a brief period last year.

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

• Governor of Jharkhand: Draupadi Murmi; Chief Minister: Raghuwar Das.

7. Justice Akil Abdulhamid Kureshi sworn in as Chief Justice of Tripura High Court

• Justice Akil Abdulhamid Kureshi was sworn in as the new Chief Justice of the High Court of Tripura.
• Justice Kureshi was serving as a judge of the Bombay High Court before his transfer to Tripura.
• The Supreme Court collegium headed by Chief Justice of India Ranjan Gogoi had recommended Justice Kureshi’s elevation as Chief Justice of the Madhya Pradesh High Court, but the recommendation was not approved by the Department of Justice.

Defence

8. First night trial of Agni II missile conducted successfully

• India has successfully conducted the first night trial of Agni-II, its versatile surface-to-surface medium-range nuclear-capable missile from Dr Abdul Kalam Island off Odisha coast.
• Agni-II, an intermediate-range ballistic missile (IRBM), has already been inducted into the armed forces.
• The entire trajectory of the trial was tracked by a battery of sophisticated radars, telemetry observation stations, electro-optic instruments and two naval ships located near the impact point in the down-range area of Bay of Bengal.
• The test was carried out by the specially formed Strategic Forces Command (SFC) of the Army with logistic support from the Defence Research and Development Organisation (DRDO).
• The two-stage ballistic missile can carry a payload of 1000 kg over a distance of 2000 km.

Summit and Conferences

9. 8th International Conference on Agricultural Statistics to be held in India

• The Ministry of Agriculture will organize the 8th International Conference on Agricultural Statistics (ICAS-VIII) in New Delhi.
• The Union Minister for Agriculture & Farmers Welfare Shri Narendra Singh Tomar will inaugurated the conference and Bill Gates will be the Chief Guest at the Conference.
• The conference will be held with the theme of ‘Statistics for Transformation of Agriculture to Achieve the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs)’.

Banking

10. New rules framed under IBC for rescue of non-bank lenders

• The Government of India has issued fresh rules under the Insolvency and Bankruptcy Code (IBC) to govern the rescue of non-bank lenders.
• The new rules are likely to help out distressed shadow banks and housing financiers, which have been battling a liquidity crunch for a year.
• These entities will be covered by a special window under the bankruptcy code, which will be notified from time to time.
• Reserve Bank of India has been given the authority to decide which companies will be taken up to a bankruptcy tribunal under these rules.
• The bankruptcy tribunal will appoint an administrator who will be nominated by the regulator, will try to stitch together a turnaround plan.
• In case a turnaround of the financial institution is not possible, the tribunal will gather the views of the regulator before deciding to liquidate it.

Sports

11. Korea's Kim Joo Hyung wins Panasonic Open

• South Korea's Kim Joo Hyung has won the Panasonic Open held at the Classic Golf and Country Club in Gurugram, India.
• India's Shiv Kapur finished tied runner-up with S. Chikkarangappa.
• The victory has made Hyung the second-youngest winner behind Thailand’s Chinnarat Phadugsil on the Tour at 17 years and 149 days.

12. IAAF officially changes its name to "World Athletics"

• The International Association of Athletics Federations (IAAF) has officially changed its name and will now be known as "World Athletics".
• The name has been changed in a bid to make the sport more accessible.
• The IAAF was founded in 1912 as the International Amateur Athletic Federation and changed its name to the "International Association of Athletics Federations" in 2001.

13. Spain's striker David Villa retires from football

• Spain's striker David Villa has announced his retirement from football.
• He represented Spain in three World Cups and was also a member of the Spanish side that lifted the trophy in 2010, and won the European Championships in 2008.
• He netted 59 times for Spain which is a national record.
• His achievements also includes a Champions League title with Barcelona, as well as two La Liga wins and a World Club Cup medal.

14. Harmeet Desai claims Indonesia Open TT Championship

• Indian paddler Harmeet Desai  wins men’s singles title at International Table Tennis Federation (ITTF) Challenge Indonesia Open 2019 Table Tennis tournament held at Batam, Indonesia.
• Harmeet had defeated compatriot Amalraj Anthony by 11-9, 9-11, 11-9, 11-9, 10-12, 11-9 score.

15. Sarita Devi elected as member of AIBA athletes commission

• Laishram Sarita Devi (Manipur) is among the 6 boxers from 5 continents who were elected as members of AIBA Athletes Commission.
• She was inspired by Muhammad Ali's achievements and turned professional in boxing in the year 2000. She is DSP in Manipur Police.
• The election of the Athletes Commission members was organized during AIBA Men and Women World Boxing Championships 2019 in Russia.
• Boxers from all over the world voted for new members - one per continent, except Europe which has two representatives.

Static/Current Takeaways Important For IBPS SO 2019:

• International Boxing Association Headquarters: Lausanne, Switzerland.

Important Days

16. The World Day of Remembrance for Road Traffic Victims: 17 November

• The United Nations observes "World Day of Remembrance for Road Traffic Victims" on 17 November every year.
• The day has become an important tool in global efforts to reduce road casualties.
• It offers an opportunity for drawing attention to the scale of emotional and economic devastation caused by road crashes and for giving recognition to the suffering of road crash victims and the work of support and rescue services.
• The theme is based on Pillar 3 of the Global Plan for the Decade of Action for Road Safety – Safer vehicles.

Static/Current Takeaways Important For IBPS PO Mains:

• Headquarters of United Nations: New York, USA; Founded: 24 October 1945.
• Secretary-General of the United Nations: Antonio Guterres.

Daily updates 16 November 2109

National News

1. India to contribute $13.5 mn for UN development activities for 2020

• India will contribute USD 13.5 million for various operational activities of development across the UN agencies for the year 2020.
• The contribution was announced at the UN General Assembly Pledging Conference for Development Activities. The contribution is in line with the country’s long-standing tradition of supporting development activities across the UN system.
• About 16 countries pledged a total of USD 516 million at the 2019 United Nations Pledging Conference for Development Activities.

Awards

2. Movie "Bhonsle" Wins awards at Asian Film Festival Barcelona

• The Critically acclaimed movie "Bhonsle" has won prestigious awards at the Asian Film Festival Barcelona.
• The film has bagged two awards in the ‘Best Screenplay’ and ‘Best Director’ categories at the festival. The film is directed by Devashish Makhija.
• Bhonsle revolves around a police constable played by Manoj Bajpayee, who tries to help in the struggles of migrants and their battles with the local politicians.

3. Tobacco Board of India wins Golden Leaf Award

• The Tobacco Board of India, Guntur, has been awarded the Golden Leaf Award at Tab Expo 2019 event in Amsterdam, Netherlands.
• Executive Director of Tobacco Board, K. Sunitha, was presented the award. The award was presented to the board for its efforts to initiate various sustainability (green) initiatives in Flue-Cured Virginia (FCV) tobacco cultivation in India.
• The award was given in the most impressive public service initiative category for the year 2019.
• This is the 2nd time the board has bagged the award. In the year 2014, the board bagged the award for its implementation of an electronic auction system, which has made the marketing of flue-cured tobacco in India more transparent and accountable.

Summit and Conferences

4. Conference on “Replication of Good Governance Practices in Union Territories of J&K and Ladakh” begins

• Regional Conference on the theme “Replication of Good Governance Practices in Union Territories of J&K and Ladakh” begins in Jammu.
• The Conference is being organised by the Department of Administrative Reforms and Public Grievances, Government of India in collaboration with the Government of Jammu & Kashmir and Ladakh.
• The Conference aims to bring national and state-level organizations on a common platform and to share experiences in Digital Governance, Citizen-Centric Governance, and Capacity Building and Personnel Administration etc. Delegates from 19 states and 4 Union Territories are participating in the Conference.

Schemes and Committees

5. National Mission 'NISHTHA' launched in J&K

• National Initiative for School Heads’ and Teachers’ Holistic Advancement (NISHTHA) has been launched in the Union Territory of Jammu and Kashmir.
• NISHTHA is aimed at improving learning outcomes at Elementary level through integrated Teacher Trainings.
• NISHTHA is a pioneer scheme being launched across the country, with a total of 86000 Elementary teachers of Government Schools being trained in J&K under the programme.

Important Days

6. International Day for Tolerance: 16 November

• The United Nations observes "International Day for Tolerance" on 16th November every year. The United Nations is committed to strengthening tolerance by fostering mutual understanding among cultures and peoples.
• In 1995, to mark the United Nations Year for Tolerance and the 125th anniversary of the birth of Mahatma Gandhi, UNESCO created a prize for the promotion of tolerance and non-violence.
• The UNESCO-Madanjeet Singh Prize for the Promotion of Tolerance and Non-Violence rewards significant activities in the scientific, artistic, cultural or communication fields aimed at the promotion of a spirit of tolerance and non-violence.
• The prize is awarded every two years on the International Day for Tolerance, 16 November.

7. National Press Day: 16th November

• India celebrates "National Press Day" on 16th November every year. The day is symbolic of a free and responsible press.
• On this day the Press Council of India started functioning as a moral watchdog to ensure that the press maintains high standards and is not constrained by any influence or threats.
• To celebrate the day, Vice President M. Venkaiah Naidu will confer excellence in journalism awards.

Miscellaneous

8. National Tribal Festival Aadi Mahotsav to begin in New Delhi

• Union Home Minister Amit Shah will inaugurate the National Tribal Festival "Aadi Mahotsav" in New Delhi.
• The theme of the 15-day Mahotsav is celebration of the Spirit of Tribal Culture, Craft, Cuisine and Commerce. It will be held at Dilli Haat in INA, New Delhi.
• The tribal textiles manufactured by master tribal craftsmen from Jammu & Kashmir in the North to Tamil Nadu in the South and from Gujarat in the West to Nagaland/Sikkim in the East will be the main attractions.

Daily updates 15 November 2019

National News

1.Nitin Gadkari Inaugurates Khadi Pavilion at I.I.T.F

• Union Minister of MSME and Road Transport & Highways Nitin Gadkari inaugurated the Khadi Pavilion at the India International Trade Fair (IITF) in New Delhi.
• The Pavilion entrance has been themed upon Sabarmati Ashram, with melodious Shehnai celebrating the ‘spirit of Indianness’.
• A wide range of products which includes food, handicrafts, leather, textiles and hosiery, readymade garments, wooden toys, cosmetics and herbal products offering a discount of up to 20% are being displayed in the Khadi Pavilion at IITF 2019.

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

• Chairman of the Khadi and Village Industries Commission: Vinai Kumar Saxena.

State News

2. Andhra Pradesh government launches ‘Nadu-Nedu’ scheme

• Andhra Pradesh government has launched the ‘Nadu-Nedu’ programme.
• The programme aims to introduce English medium from classes 1 to 6 in state-run schools.
• The scheme will be implemented in 15,715 schools in the first phase.
• It will cover all schools in three years' time with a budget of Rs 12,000 crores.
• The decision to switch over to the English medium in government schools has been taken to uplift the marginalised section of society.

Static/Current Takeaways Important For IBPS PO Mains:

• CM of Andhra Pradesh: YS Jaganmohan Reddy; Governor: Biswa Bhusan Harichandan.

Appointments

3. FIFA names Arsene Wenger as global football development chief

• Veteran coach Arsene Wenger has been named FIFA's Chief of global football development.
• The former Arsenal and Monaco coach would be responsible for the growth of the game for both men and women around the world and would also be the leading authority on technical matters, including potential changes to the sport's laws.
• Wenger made the English Club Arsenal one of the strongest football clubs in Europe, winning three Premier League titles and seven FA Cups and taking his team to the 2006 Champions League final.
• He also won the French league in 1987 with Monaco, adding the French Cup four years later before departing for Japan in 1995.

Static/Current Takeaways Important For IBPS SO 2019:

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

4. Nilam Sawhney appointed as Andhra Pradesh Chief Secretary

• Senior IAS officer Nilam Sawhney has been appointed as the Chief Secretary of Andhra Pradesh.
• She has become the first woman Chief Secretary of Andhra Pradesh.
• She belongs to the 1984 batch of the IAS and from AP Cadre.
• She will replace Neerabh Kumar who is holding the additional charge as the Chief Secretary of Andhra Pradesh.

Static/Current Takeaways Important For IBPS PO Mains:

• CM of Andhra Pradesh: YS Jaganmohan Reddy; Governor: Biswa Bhusan Harichandan.

Agreements

5. CCI approves merger of the BNP Paribas (BNPP) and the Baroda (BOB) Mutual Fund

• The Competition Commission of India (CCI) approves the merger of the BNP Paribas (BNPP) Mutual Fund and the Baroda (BOB) Mutual Fund, under Section 31(1) of the Competition Act, 2002.
• The Proposed Combination relates to the merger of the BNP Paribas Mutual Fund and the BOB Mutual Fund.
• The Parties propose to amalgamate (i) BOB Asset Management Company (AMC) into BNPP AMC; (ii) BNPP Trustee Company (TC) into BOB TC; (iii) After the merger, BNPP AMC and BOB TC will be the surviving entities.

Static/Current Takeaways Important For IBPS SO 2019:

• Chairman of CCI: Ashok Kumar Gupta; Headquarters of CCI: New Delhi.
• Founded: 14 October 2003.

6. CSIR-IMTECH signs MOU with IIT Bombay for collaborative research

• Council of Scientific & Industrial Research(CSIR)-Institute of Microbial Technology (IMTECH), Chandigarh signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with Indian Institute of Technology (IIT) Bombay to promote collaborative research.
• The MoU will facilitate the exchange of ideas, development of new knowledge and enhance high-quality research acumen between the researchers and faculty of both the institutes.
• The objective of this collaboration is to carry out state of the art research in areas of healthcare especially in projects and mission where both the institutes can significantly complement each other.
• Both the institutes shall benefit immensely through this partnership as it will facilitate the exchange of faculty and students for the purpose of research, teaching, development and implementation of collaborative research projects, professional development programs, and capacity-building efforts.

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

• President: Prime Minister of India Narendra Modi.
• Established: 26 September 1942; Headquarters: New Delhi.

Awards

7. Indian Scholar Ravi Prakash won BRICS-Young Innovator Prize 2019

• Ravi Prakash, an Indian PhD scholar has won the BRICS-Young Innovator Prize for inventing an affordable indigenous milk chilling unit for smaller and marginal rural dairy farmers.
• Prakash, PhD scholar of ICAR-National Dairy Research Institute (NDRI), Bangalore, was a part of a 21-member delegation sent to Brazil by the Department of Science and Technology for the 4th BRICS-Young Scientist Forum (YSF), 2019.
• The theme for 4th BRICS-YSF was “Cybersecurity and Bio-economy” it highlights the important strategy of science, technology and innovation as the key drivers of youth entrepreneurship and leadership.
• The technology can be used for chilling milk from the point of production by bringing down the temperature of raw milk from 37C to 7C within 30 minutes using nano-fluid based phase change materials.

8. Robert De Niro to be conferred with SAG Life Achievement award

• Hollywood veteran and double Oscar winner Robert De Niro will receive the SAG-AFTRA's highest tribute: the SAG Life Achievement Award for career achievement and humanitarian accomplishment, at the 26th edition of the ceremony 2019.
• The SAG Life Achievement Award is given annually to an actor who fosters the "finest ideals of the acting profession".

Economy

9. Moody lowers India's GDP growth forecast to 5.6 per cent for 2019

• Moody's Investors Service has slashed India's economic growth forecast to 5.6% for the fiscal year 2019.
• It stated that the government measures do not address the widespread weakness in consumption demand, as a reason for lowering the growth forecast.
• It also stated that the economic activity in India will pick up in 2020 and 2021 to 6.6 % and 6.7 % respectively.

Ranks and Reports

10. Bangladesh tops business bribery risk in South Asia

• Bangladesh has topped the business bribery risk in South Asia according to the Trace Bribery Matrix.
• Bangladesh has the highest business bribery risk among South Asian courtiers according to the annual ranking for 200 countries.
• Bangladesh has been placed at 178th position among 200 countries in terms of business bribery risk. Overall, New Zealand, Norway, Denmark, Sweden, and Finland presented the lowest bribery risk.
• TRACE is a US-based organisation which provides ranking to various countries in terms of the risk of bribery companies face in doing business in those countries.
• The Trace Bribery Matrix evaluates the countries under 4 parameters i.e. business interaction with the government, anti-bribery deterrence, transparency and civil society oversight.

Defence

11. India-U.S. tri-services exercise Tiger Triumph begins

• The India-U.S. tri-services amphibious exercise "Tiger Triumph" has begun in Visakhapatnam, Andhra Pradesh.
• Tiger Triumph will go on for 9 days off the Visakhapatnam and Kakinada coasts.
• The training events will enhance U.S.-India military-to-military relations and hone individual and small-unit skills in humanitarian assistance and disaster response.
• This kind of training is expected to build the capacity of both the U.S. and Indian participants as well as improving their ability to operate together.

12. Lt. Cdr. Karabi Gogoi posted as Assistant Naval Attache in Moscow

• Lt. Cdr. Karabi Gogoi has been posted as the Assistant Naval Attache at the Indian embassy in Moscow.
• She will become the first woman officer from the Indian Navy to be posted as a Defence Attache at an Indian mission abroad.
• Lt. Cdr. Gogoi was commissioned into the Navy in 2010 and is currently posted at Karwar.
• India has over 100 Defence Attaches or Defence Advisors posted at missions across the world with all three Service Attaches posted at important missions.

Sports

13. India set to host World Kabaddi cup 2019 in Punjab

• The 2019 World Kabaddi Cup will take place from December 1 to 9 and will be organised by the Punjab government in Punjab.
• This year’s tournament will be dedicated to the 550th birth anniversary of Sikh guru, Guru Nanak Dev Ji.
• Nine teams: India, USA, Australia, England, Sri Lanka, Kenya, New Zealand, Pakistan and Canada are expected to take part in the tournament.

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

• Punjab CM: Amarinder Singh; Governor: VP Singh Badnore.

Obituaries

14. Renowned mathematician Vashishtha Narayan Singh passes away

• Renowned mathematician Vashishtha Narayan Singh passed away. He was born in 1942 in Basantpur village of the Bhojpur district in Bihar, Narayan Singh was said to have challenged Einstein’s theory of relativity.
• He completed his PhD on cycle vector space theory in 1969 and served as a professor at the Indian Institute of Technology, Kanpur(IITK) and the Indian Statistical Institute(ISI), Kolkata.
• He was also a visiting professor at Bhupendra Narayan Mandal University, Madhepura, Bihar.

Miscellaneous

15. Jair Bolsonaro to be chief guest at Republic Day 2020

• Brazilian President Jair Bolsonaro will be the chief guest at Republic Day 2020 celebrations.
• He has accepted the Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s invitation to be the chief guest at India’s Republic Day celebrations next year.

Static/Current Takeaways Important For IBPS PO Mains:

• Capital of Brazil: Brasilia; Currency: Brazilian real.

16. New signal fish discovered off Kerala coast

• The new signal fish was found in Lakshadweep sea off Kerala coast, which is the home for unusual species like fish with a unique color.
• The name of the species is “Pteropsaron Indicum”, was collected by trawlers at a depth of 70 meters during a marine biodiversity survey.
• Scientists from the University of Kerala and the Ocean Science Foundation, United State of America (USA) have described the discovery of the new species of signal fish, was the first one of the genus recorded in Indian waters.