Introduction
The article CA November 2018 One Liners includes One Liners with an explanation, analysis and issues of current events, including political or industrial controversy or public policy issues in the month of November.
Nov 2018
1. International News:
- On 27th and 28th November 2018, the two day Second edition of India-UAE Strategic Conclave organized by Economic Times, India was held in the Capital of United Arab Emirates (UAE), Abu Dhabi.
- UN Environment released the 3rd edition of ‘Inclusive Wealth Report 2018’ and an Inclusive Wealth Index on margins of UN Environment Finance Initiative Global Roundtable in Paris, France.
- On November 29, 2018, according to the latest edition of Global Water Monitor & Forecast Watch List (November 2018), released by IScience (US based limited liability Corporation), Water deficits will increase and intensify in India in 2019.
- Slovenia became the first North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO) Country with the female Army Chief after appointment of Major General Alenka Ermenc to the post of Head of its Army.
- The European Union’s executive branch proposed that the bloc should cut its emissions of greenhouse gases to net zero by 2050.
- Jamaican reggae, Georgian wrestling and Japanese rituals are among the six new elements added by UN cultural agency UNESCO to its list of “intangible heritage” for the world to treasure.
- India and Indonesia will hold a business forum to facilitate the commercial and people-to-people linkages between the Andaman and Nicobar Islands with Aceh and North Sumatra Provinces of Indonesia in Port Blair.
- India will chair the Kimberley Process (KP), a global initiative to remove conflict diamonds from the global supply chain, from January next year, the Commerce Ministry said.
- The air forces of the United States and India are scheduled to participate in a 12-day- long joint exercise ‘Cope India 2019’ at two air force stations in West Bengal in December 2018.
- Housing and Urban Affairs Ministry has approved the construction of over 2 lakh more affordable houses for the benefit of urban poor under Pradhan Mantri Awas Yojana (Urban).
- The central ministry is planning to set up a Ganga Exhibition and a Ganga Museum to showcase the history and mythology and the importance of the sacred river in the livelihood of the people living around it.
- The government has launched a unique initiative called Bhasha Sangam to introduce school students to 22 Indian languages.
- The India Rivers Week 2018 was held in New Delhi with ‘Can India Rejuvenate Ganga’ as the theme. During the event, environmentalists claimed that as many as 940 dams, barrages and weirs have been built on the Ganga river.
- Total credit flow from banks to the commercial sector grew at 15.6 per cent year-on-year at Rs 97.32 trillion, the highest growth since demonetization, according to an RBI data.
- India’s latest Gross Domestic Product (GDP) growth figures came as a disappointment after it came down from 8.2%, registered in the first quarter (April-June) of the year 2018, to 7.1% in the second quarter (July-September).
- Indian economy is projected to grow at 7-7.4 per cent in the current fiscal, economic policy think-tank NCAER said.
- The Securities and Exchange Board of India (SEBI) issued norms for interoperability among clearing corporation which is expected to bring down the compliance costs for market intermediaries and thereby the trading costs as well.
- Telangana teenager Esha Singh prevailed over big names such as Manu Bhaker and Heena Sidhu to win 3 gold at the 62nd National Shooting Championships in Thiruvananthapuram.
- Top-seed Manav Thakkar finished the ITTF World Junior Circuit on a high as he claimed the Junior Boys Singles and doubles gold at the 2018 Portugal Junior and Cadet Open in Guimaraes, Portugal.
- Norway’s Magnus Carlsen retained his title as World Chess Champion beating US opponent Fabiano Caruana in a tie-breaker event at the World Chess Championship held in London on 28th November 2018.
- Indian actor Nawazuddin Siddiqui and filmmaker Nandita Das have been awarded at the 12th Asia Pacific Screen Awards (APSA) in Brisbane, Australia.
- On November 28, 2018, the nine day long 49th International Film Festival of India (IFFI) 2018 concluded in Panaji, Goa.
- Uttarakhand is adjudged as Best State and Himachal Pradesh is awarded with Second Position and holds the Silver Medal. at India International Trade Fair, New Delhi
- Renowned flautist Pandit Keshav Ginde has been selected as the recipient of 2018 Bharat Ratna Pandit Bhimsen Joshi Lifetime Achievement Award for Classical Music.
- Georgia has elected ruling party candidate Salome Zurabishvili as its first woman president. The French-born ex-diplomat had taken 59.61 per cent of the vote while her rival Grigol Vashadze.
- Unique Identification Authority of India (UIDAI) CEO Ajay Bhushan Pandey took over as the Union Revenue Secretary.
- K Krishnankutty sworn in as the new Water Resources Minister in the Pinarayi Vijayan cabinet of Kerala. He replaced Matthew T. Thomas who resigned from the position.
- The book ‘Modiraj Main Kisan, Double Aamad Ya Double afat’ is authored by Swaraj India President Yogendra Yadav.
- Senior Hindi News Reader of All India Radio, Ashutosh Jain passed away in New Delhi. He was 60. Ashutosh Jain, who joined the AIR in 1989 in Chandigarh retired from Delhi in April this year.
1. International News:
- External Affairs Minister of India, Smt. Sushma Swaraj, paid a 2-day Official Visit to Lao People’s Democratic Republic (Lao PDR).
- The International Gita Festival, 2018, will be organised in Kurukshetra in Haryana from December 7-23, in which Mauritius will be the partner country and Gujarat the partner state.
- A protocol on hygiene and inspection requirements for the exports was signed in New Delhi during the visit of Chinese Vice Minister, General Administration of Customs of China Hu Wei who is leading a six-member delegation to India.
- Himachal Pradesh became the first Indian state to launch a single emergency number “112” which will connect to police, fire, health and other helplines through an Emergency Response Centre (ERC) in the state.
- Odisha Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik launched a public bicycle sharing project and a mobile app ‘Mo Cycle’ to reduce traffic congestion, enhance space efficiency, and improve air quality in the city.
- Naval cooperation between India and the United Kingdom is based on the long term strategic relationship between both countries.
- Housing and Urban Affairs Ministry has approved the construction of over two lakh more affordable houses for the benefit of urban poor under Pradhan Mantri Awas Yojana (Urban).
- A unique initiative called Bhasha Sangam launched by government to introduce school students to 22 Indian languages.
- State Bank of India (SBI), the largest lender of the country, revised its Fixed Deposit (FD) interest rates on select maturities.
- The Reserve Bank of India launched a Survey on India’s startup sector (SISS) to create a profile of the startup sector in India consisting of dimensions relating to turnover, profitability and workforce.
- According to the ‘SBI Ecowrap’ report released by the State Bank of India, the GDP growth in the September quarter (which is the 2nd quarter) is expected to decelerate to 7.5-7.6 per cent over the previous three-month period.
- India’s Manav Thakkar settled for a bronze medal in the U-21 Men’s singles category in the International Table Tennis Federation (ITTF)Challenge Belgosstrakh Belarus Open held in Minsk, Belarus.
- Hockey Men’s World Cup kicked off with a grand opening ceremony at the Kalinga Stadium in Bhubaneshwar, Odisha.
- Croatia dethroned holders France to win the Davis Cup for the second time as Marin Cilic beat Lucas Pouille in straight sets to seal the victory.
- Donbass’ directed by Sergei Loznitsa has won the coveted Golden Peacock Award at the 49th International Film Festival of India (IFFI), which concluded in Goa.
- The Government of India conferred the National Projects Construction Corporation Limited (NPCC) with the status of Miniratna: Category –I. This status will empower the company to take speedy decisions.
- IT czar and philanthropist Azim Premji was bestowed with the highest French civilian distinction Chevalier de la Legion d’Honneur (Knight of the Legion of Honour).
- Renowned scientist Nageshwara Rao Guntur has been appointed as chairperson of the Atomic Energy Regulatory Board (AERB) by the Ministry of Personnel and Training for the period of three years.
- 1991-Batch IAS Officer, Ranbir Singh who had earlier served as the commissioner of East Delhi Municipal Corporation was appointed as the Chief Electoral Officer (CEO) of Delhi.
- The President has appointed Shri Arvind Saxena as UPSC (Union Public Service Commission) Chairman .Prior to joining UPSC as Member, Shri Saxena was working as Director of the Aviation Research Centre (ARC).
- Elysium Capital Advisory, a real estate-focused investment bank, has appointed Sachin Khandelwal as a strategic advisor and mentor.
- Shri A.M. Naik has been appointed as Chairman of National Skill Development Corporation (NSDC) by the Ministry of Skill Development and Entrepreneurship.
- Researchers at Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) and European space agency along with Sanitation Specialists have developed Smart toilet named “FitLoo”
- Graduates of Indian Institute of Technology – Bombay (IIT-B) who are Co-founders of a start-up called Emotix have launched India’s first advanced personal robot Miko 2 for Kids.
- ISRO is all set to launch its workhorse rocket PSLV-C43 carrying India’s earth observation satellite HysIS and 30 co-passenger satellites, including 23 from the US, from Sriharikota.
- President of India Receives the First Copy of the book “Making of New India:Transformation under Modi Government” Released by Finance Minister Arun Jaitley
- Former Prime Minister of India, Shri Manmohan Singh launched a book authored by his former Cabinet colleague Manish Tewari “Fables of Fractured Times”. Former Jammu and Kashmir Chief Minister Farooq Abdullah was also present during the launch of Manish Tewari’s Book.
- SpongeBob SquarePants creator Stephen Hillenburg passed away due to Motor Neuron Disease also known as ALS, a disease he had been diagnosed with in 2017.
1. Important Days:
- Union Minister of State for Home Affairs, Shri Kiren Rijiju inaugurated the 14th Formation day of National Disaster Management Authority (NDMA). This Year’s theme was “Early Warning for Disasters”.
- National Organ and Tissue Transplant Organization (NOTTO) organized 9th Indian Organ Donation Day in Delhi.
- Ukraine's parliament has imposed martial law in the country to fight what its president called "growing aggression" from Moscow after a weekend naval confrontation off the disputed Crimean Peninsula in which Russia.
- The Minister was speaking at the Sustainable Blue Economy Conference in Nairobi today. Kenya is hosting the two day conference with Canada and Japan as co-hosts.
- Saudi-India Business meeting was held in Riyadh with focus on infrastructure projects which is part of the mega development project ‘Vision 2030’.
- Here's a prime spot for tourists who stopped mining for up to 12 months on the country in which the iridescent mountain Peru
- United Nations, in the food and other sectors of the country facing economic and political crisis. has nearly released emergency funds of Rs 65 crore Venezuela .
- The Union Home Minister Shri Rajnath Singh launched Emergency Response Support System (ERSS) for Himachal Pradesh at Mandi.
- Himachal Pradesh is the first state to launch pan-India single emergency number ‘112’ under ERSS.
- Maharashtra government withdrawn the Maharashtra Agricultural Produce Marketing Development and Regulation Act Ordinance which was passed in lower house.
- Shri Hardeep Singh Puri, Minister of State (I/C) Housing & Urban Affairs will be reviewing the progress of Urban Missions in the eight States of North-Eastern region on 1st Dec 2018.
- The Indian Railway announced that it would transport relief material free of cost to cyclone-affected districts of Tamil Nadu till 10th of December.
- The Asian Development Bank ADB will provide a 75 million dollar loan for a water supply project in four coastal towns of Karnataka.
- According to the report of Barclays in 2017-18, this company has become the biggest e-commerce company for the first time flipping down Flipkart Amazon India
- Markets regulator SEBI (Securities and Exchange Board of India) has fined brokerage house Anand Rathi Rs 1 lakh for violating stock broker norms by transferring funds from the client's account to own account and vice versa on several occasions.
- The Reserve Bank has launched a survey to gauge their scope with respect to turnover, profitability, and workforce with an aim to create a profile of India’s startup sector.
- Odisha is hosting the Hockey World Cup 2018. The opening ceremony of Men's Hockey World Cup took place at Kalinga Stadium, Bhubaneswar.
- Chess World Championship title to be decided by speedy tiebreaker games in London, between Magnus Carlsen and Fabiano Caruana.
- The Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) has announced a minimum of two-year suspension for players found guilty of age fraud.
- India’s 25 year old Dipa Karmakar won Bronze medal in the Vault event of Artistic Gymnastics World Cup organized by Federation Internationale de Gymnastique (FIG) held in Cottbus, Germany after returning from an injury she suffered in the 2018 Asian Games.
- Croatia defeated the defending champion France in the final of 2018 Davis Cup organized by BNP Paribas (Banque Nationale de Paris) for securing the title second time after 13 years.
- 14 scientists have been selected for the prestigious Swarnajayanti fellowship award instituted by the Department of Science and Technology, for the year 2017-18.
- Sanjay Kumar, Founder and CEO of Geospatial Media & Communications, was conferred the ‘Global Geospatial Industry Ambassador’ Award at the United Nations World Geospatial Information Congress held at Deqing city in China.
- Sunil Arora, who is the senior-most commissioner in the poll panel, has been appointed as the new Chief Election Commissioner (CEC) by President Ram Nath Kovind. The Central Board of Direct Taxes (CBDT) member Akhilesh Ranjan was appointed as convenor of New Direct Tax Law Task Force, the committee which is drafting a new tax law and was constituted by the Government of India.
- Hospitality startup OYO has appointed Max Healthcare Executive Director Rohit Kapoor as the CEO of its new real estate business.
- Congress Rajya Sabha MP Rajeev Gowda released a book on Telangana Chief Minister K. Chandrashekar Rao titled ‘The Betrayer of Telangana’.
- The President of India, Shri Ram Nath Kovind, received the first copy of the book “Making of New India: Transformation under Modi Government”, from Shri Arun Jaitley, Union Minister for Finance and Corporate Affairs.
- Multi award winner Italian Director Bernardo Bertolucci died after Cancer. He had won Oscar for the best director for the Movie “The Last Emperor”.
- 88 years old One of the world’s leading Scholar on Indus Valley and Tamil Brahmi scripts, Iravatham Mahadevan passed away after a brief illness in Chennai.
1. Important Days:
- 69th Constitution Day observed across India On 26th November 2018, Constitution day which is also known as the Samvidhan Divas was celebrated across the country to mark the day on which the Constitution of India was adopted.
- ‘9th Indian Organ Donation Day’ was organized by the National Organ and Tissue Transplant Organization (NOTTO) in Delhi.
- The Minister of State for Home Affairs Kiren Rijiju has inaugurated the 14th Formation Day of National Disaster Management Authority (NDMA) on 27th November 2018 in New Delhi.
- The President of India Shri Ram Nath Kovind, along with the first Lady Savita Kovind and other dignitaries, concluded his 7-day maiden official visit to ASEAN country of Vietnam and Australia.
- World’s first ever underground luxury hotel named- The Inter Continental Shanghai Wonderland opened in Songjiang district, southwest of Shanghai, China.
- India and the country signed an amendment to the Agreement on Avoiding Double Taxation on November 26, 2018 China
- Nepal government has launched a Social Security Scheme for formal sector workers of the country. Prime Minister K.P.Sharma Oli said a new era of social security has begun in Nepal.
- The country whose leg-spinner Yasir Shah has become the first bowler to bowl 10 wickets in one day of Test match after former Indian captain Anil Kumble (1999) Pakistan
- According to Centre for Digital Financial Inclusion (CDFI), the government had transferred over Rs 1,600 crore to 48.5 lakh mothers under Pradhan Mantri Matru Vandana Yojana through direct benefit transfer.
- The United Nations selected Noida and Greater Noida, twin cities in Gautam Buddh Nagar district of Uttar Pradesh, adjoining NewDelhi to participate in its Global Sustainable Cities 2025.
- The National Health Agency, after 2 months of launch of Ayushman Bharat-Pradhan Mantri Jan Arogya Yojana, Gujarat has emerged as the top performer among the states under the scheme.
- Telangana Chief Electoral Officer Dr Rajat Kumar inaugurated a five-day exhibition on “Our Vote- Our Future” in Hyderabad.
- The Reserve Bank has relaxed norms for External Commercial Borrowings (ECBs) by reducing the mandatory hedging provision to 70% from the current 100%.
- Government of India and Asian Development Bank (ADB) Signs $75 Million Loan to Improve Urban Services in 4 Karnataka Towns.
- The 19th edition of the prestigious Laureus World Sports Awards will be held in Monaco on February 2019.
- Badminton World Federation (BWF) Organized Syed Modi International Badminton Championship at the Babu Banaras Das Indoor Stadium in Lucknow, India.
- International Cricket Council (ICC) banned West Indies fast bowler Shannon Gabriel for the second test match against Bangladesh when he was found guilty of shoulder barging against Bangladesh’s Imrul Kayes.
- Lewis Hamilton signed off the season in style and kept the Mercedes dominance by winning at the Abu Dhabi Grand Prix — the 21st and final race of the 2018 F1 calendar at the Yas Marina Circuit, Abu Dhabi.
- The Vice President of India Shri M Venkaiah Naidu, presented the 3rd Sri Sathya Sai Award for Human Excellence that recognizes individuals, who are doing tremendous work to uplift the society in various parts of the world, at a gathering in the event World Youth Meet held in Bangalore.
- Bharat Electronics Ltd (BEL) won the CII-Exim Bank Business Excellence Award, for being a role-model organization, at the Quality Summit held in Bengaluru.
- Bollywood actor and fitness enthusiast Shilpa Shetty Kundra led India to achieve a new title on the Guinness World Records as 2,353 people held the abdominal plank position for 60 seconds simultaneously at the Armed Forces Medical College ground in Pune.
- WhatsApp's Chief Business Officer Neeraj Arora has resigned from the post after 7-years in the company.
- Sunil Arora has been appointed as the new Chief Election Commissioner of India. He succeeds Om Prakash Rawat.
- Italian filmmaker Bernardo Bertolucci, who won Oscars with “The Last Emperor” and whose erotic drama “Last Tango in Paris”
1. Important Days:
- Constitution Day (National Law Day), also known as Samvidhan Divas, is celebrated in India on 26 November every year to commemorate the adoption of Constitution of India.
- Back in 2014, all the dairy majors of India, along with the Indian Dairy Association, decided to observe the birthday of Verghese Kurien, on November 26, as National Milk Day.
- The week-long celebrations for the 70th National Cadet Corps (NCC) Day kicked off with a “Run for Fun” marathon in Lucknow.
- On November 24, 2018, the 2-day 21st round of India-China Special Representatives border talks concluded at Dujiangyan near southwest China’s Chengdu city.
- On the 10th anniversary of the Mumbai terror attack, U.S. announces $5 million reward for information leading to the arrest or conviction of any individual who was involved in planning or facilitating the 2008 Mumbai attack.
- THE UK and the EU are now on a countdown to B-day with both sides trying to reach a Brexit deal before the clock strikes midnight on March 29 next year.
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3. National News:
- China Capital: Beijing.
- Currency: Renminbi.
- The United Nations selected Uttar Pradesh’s Noida and Greater Noida to participate in its Global Sustainable Cities 2025 initiative.
- Uttar Pradesh government will install a 221-metre bronze statue of Lord Ram in Ayodhya, Uttar Pradesh principal secretary (information) Avanish Awasthi said.
- Bihar Chief Minister Nitish Kumar unveiled a 70-feet tall statue of Lord Buddha at Rajgir in Nalanda district. It is the second tallest statue of Buddha in the country.
- The government will infuse Rs 42,000 crore in the state-owned banks by March-end and the next tranche would be released by mid-December.
- Ahead of the official release of the second-quarter GDP figures, State Bank of India (SBI) estimated the country’s economy to expand by 7.5-7.6 per cent.
- The Indian government and the Asian Development Bank (ADB) signed a $200-million loan agreement for improving Bihar’s state highways.
- Further easing the External Commercial Borrowing (ECB) norms, the Reserve Bank of India (RBI) reduced the mandatory hedging provision to 70 per cent from 100 per cent.
- The Netherlands outclassed Australia 5-1 to win its seventh Women’s Hockey Champions Trophy at the Wujin Hockey Stadium in Changzhou China.
- Manu Bhaker of Haryana won a double gold in junior sport pistol while Ravi Kumar and Rahi Sarnobat were crowned national champions in the men and women’s events respectively in Thiruvananthapuram.
- World champion Lewis Hamilton recorded his 11th win of the season as the F1 season came to an entertaining close in Abu Dhabi.
- India’s Sameer Verma defeated Lu Guangzu of China in the men’s singles final to successfully defend and win the Syed Modi International Championships in Lucknow.
- Former Railway Minister and 7 times MP, CK Jaffer Sharief, passed away in Bengaluru at 85 On November 25, 2018.
1. Important Days:
- The United Nations General Assembly has designated November 25 as the International Day for the Elimination of Violence Against Women.
- The Embassy of India in Nepal celebrated Indian Technical & Economic Cooperation (ITEC) Day and 130th birth anniversary of Bharat Ratna Maulana Abdul Kalam Azad.
- The ‘Oscars of sports’, the Laureus World Sports Awards 2019 will be held in Monaco on February 18 next year. Sport’s premier global awards ceremony will celebrate the best of 2018.
- Foreign Minister of the Maldives Abdulla Shahid will arrive today on a four-day visit, with an aim to repair the bilateral ties which came under severe strain during the previous government in the island nation.
- Voters in Taiwan have rejected legalising same-sex marriages in a series of referendums on Saturday. The government has said it will still press on with new laws but they may now be weaker.
- Romania’s Minister of Foreign Affairs Teodor Melescanu arrived in New Delhi on a four-day official visit to the country. His visit coincides with India and Romania completing 70 years of diplomatic relations.
- Lupin announced the launch of a chat bot named ‘ANYA‘ specially designed to provide medically verified information for health-related queries. ANYA is the first bot of its kind to be launched in India for disease awareness.
- India has achieved a new spot on the Guinness World Records as 2,353 people, led by Bollywood actress and fitness enthusiast Shilpa Shetty Kundra, in Pune held the abdominal plank position for 60 seconds simultaneously.
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4. Banking and Economy:
- Romania Capital: Bucharest
- Currency: Romanian leu
- India ’s economic growth will slow down somewhat but remain robust, at close to 7.50% in 2019 and 2020, the Organisation for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD) has said in its 2018 Economic Outlook.
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5. Sports:
- OECD Headquarters: Paris, France
- Founded: 30 September 1961
- Australia bagged their fourth Women’s World Twenty20 crown after a thumping eight wicket victory over England at the Sir Vivian Richards Stadium in North Sound, Antigua and Barbuda.
- India’s C.A. Bhavani Devi won the gold medal in the Sabre event in the Senior Commonwealth Fencing Championship 2018 held in Canberra, Australia.
- Pravin Tambe registered history in the T10 cricket league, where he stunned Kerala Knights with a five-wicket haul, including a hat-trick.
- State-run Bharat Electronics Ltd (BEL) won the Confederation of Indian Industry (CII)-Exim Bank Business Excellence Award and the jury’s commendation for being a role-model organisation.
- On November 24, 2018, senior artist Mr. A. N. Patil was announced to be the recipient of the Kuncha Kala Tapasvi Award, in the category of Lifetime Achievement.
- On November 24, 2018, Food Delivery Platform Uber Eats announced the appointment of actress Alia Bhatt as its brand ambassador.
- Magician Ricky Jay, who also acted in films and TV shows such as “Boogie Nights”, “House of Games” and “Deadwood”, is dead at 72. Jay was also known for his card tricks and memory feats.
- Veteran Kannada films rebel actor M.H. Ambareesh passed away at a private hospital in Bengaluru. He was 66. He was former cabinet minister in the previous Congress government.
1. Important Days:
- Communal Harmony Campaign Week & Flag Day being observed by National Foundation for Communal Harmony (NFCH) from 19th to 25th November
- On November 23, 2018, 549th Guru Nanak Jayanti or Gurpurab and Kartik Purnima was celebrated all over the country.
- On November 21, 2018, 4-day 12th biennial World Congress on Mountain Medicine commenced in Kathmandu, Nepal.
- On November 22 to 24th November, 2018, the Embassy of India in Nepal and Confederation of Indian Industry (CII) organized a 3-day exhibition of construction equipment and technology-ConMac 2018 in Bhaktapur near Kathmandu, Nepal.
- The Government has decided to set up a domestic Gold Council in India. Commerce and Industry Minister Suresh Prabhu said this while inaugurating the 2nd Edition of India Gold and Jewellery Summit in New Delhi.
- Odisha Finance and Excise minister Sashi Bhusan Behera, in the presence of three of his cabinet colleagues, inaugurated the Baliyatra festival in Cuttak.
- Jammu and Kashmir Governor Satya Pal Malik inaugurated a week long ‘Jhiri Mela’ at village Jhiri in Jammu district.
- Prime Minister, Shri Narendra Modi laid the foundation stone for City Gas Distribution(CGD) in 129 districts of 18 states under the 9th CGD bidding round.
- India and Nepal decided to set up a hotline to ensure effective coordination to combat smuggling, improve border management and facilitate trade.
- The European Investment Bank and State Bank of India have formally agreed to finance the renewable energy sector by providing new support for wind energy projects across India.
- HDFC ERGO General Insurance set up a remote sensing lab for crop insurance. This will help in early detection of information and will be used to alert the farmers.
- On November 23, 2018, as per the Chief Vigilance Commissioner (CVC) guidelines and the State Legislature, the Jammu and Kashmir bank was brought under the purview of the Right to Information (RTI) act.
- Securities and Exchange Board of India (SEBI) released the amended Securities and Exchange Board of India (Listing Obligations and Disclosure Requirements)(Sixth Amendment) Regulations, 2018 .
- On 21st November 2018, 40 years old Former Chelsea striker Didier Drogba announced his retirement after a career of 20 years. He began his career at French side Le Mans in 1998.
- Legendary boxer Mary Kom scripted history, becoming India’s only six-time world boxing champion after defeating Hanna Okhota of Ukraine.
- Odisha Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik released Men’s Hockey World Cup anthem composed by renowned music director and composer A.R. Rahman and penned by veteran lyricist Gulzar.
- The International Cricket Council (ICC) renamed the World Twenty20 championships as the Twenty20 World Cup, with an aim to enhance the profile of the prestigious event and ensure that its status is at par with the pinnacle events of the One-Day Internationals (ODI) and Test formats.
- Filmmaker Nandita Das will be honoured with the International Federation of Film Producers Associations( FIAPF) Award at the 12th Asia Pacific Screen Awards (APSA) in Brisbane on 29 November.
- United Nation Environment Awarded Wildlife Crime Control Bureau (WCCB), Ministry of Environment, Forest and Climate Change, Government of India with the 3rd Asia Environment Enforcement Awards, 2018 for combating transboundary environmental crime.
- On November 23, 2018, the 8th Forbes India Leadership Awards (FILA) was released in Mumbai. The award has 9 categories to acknowledge the outstanding contributions of CEOs, entrepreneurs and business leaders of diverse backgrounds.
- Honorable Vice President of India, Shri M. Venkaiah Naidu, distributed the 12th National Academy of Sciences, India (NASI)-Scopus Young Scientist Awards 2018.
- Popular Assamese singer, Nahid Afrin was appointed as the first ‘Youth Advocate’ of the north eastern region by the United Nations Children’s Fund, (UNICEF) to fight for child rights at an event held in Guwahati.
- State Bank of Mauritius (SBM) has appointed Sidharth Rath as the Managing Director & CEO of SBM Bank (India).
- The Committee of Administrators (CoA) appointed three-member probe panel cleared Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) CEO Rahul Johri of allegations of sexual harassment.
- On 22nd November, 2018, leading tyre maker Apollo Tyres has roped in the cricketing icon Sachin Tendulkar as its brand ambassador for the period of 5 years.
- Former Indian hockey player, Sandeep Michael, who captained the Indian junior team to a gold at the Asia Cup 2003, died at the age of 33 after battling an unspecified neurological problem.
- Classical music stalwart Ustad Imrat Khan, who dedicated his life to propagating the Sitar and the surbahar worldwide, has died in the US after a brief illness.
1. Important Days:
- November 20, 2018 was celebrated as the “Africa Industrialization Day” by the United Nations General Assembly.
- Expedia Vacation Deprivation Report 2018 stated that India is among the most vacation deprived nation in the world ranking 5th among the 19 surveyed countries.
- Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates (UAE), announced $500 million in aid to the war torn Yemen in response to the dismal humanitarian conditions.
- Australia and Poland refused to sign a UN pact on migration because the agreement would undermine their existing immigration policies.
- Prime Minister Shri Narendra Modi approved the extension of the term of the Commission examining the issue of Sub-categorization of Other Backward Classes (in the Central List) for six months beyond 30th November, 2018 and till 31st May 2019.
- Union Cabinet chaired by Prime Minister Shri Narendra Modi approved Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) between India and Tajikistan on Cooperation on Youth Matters valid for a period of five (5) years.
- Indian Chamber of Commerce (ICC) signed a memorandum of understanding with the IIM Calcutta Innovation Park to help facilitate incubation of start-ups primarily in the Eastern and North Eastern states.
- Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath launched month-long Nari Sashaktikaran Sankalp Abhiyan or Women Empowerment campaign in Lucknow.
- Ujjivan Small Finance Bank, a wholly owned subsidiary of Ujjivan Financial Services Limited, launched personal loan facility for salaried professionals making it the first small finance bank in India to offer this.
- Softbank-backed, digital payments service provider, Paytm (One 97 Communications Limited) has partnered with the Life Insurance Corporation of India (LIC) to offer online insurance premium payments on its platform.
- Bollywood superstar Amitabh Bachchan was awarded the third Sayaji Ratna Award, established in the memory of erstwhile Baroda ruler Sayajirao Gaekwad III.
- JNU's Hispanic Studies professor Shyama Prasad Ganguly has won Mexico's highest civilian honor “Orden Mexicana del Águila Azteca” (Mexican Order of the Aztec Eagle) accorded to foreign nationals.
- United Nation Environment has awarded Wildlife Crime Control Bureau (WCCB), Ministry of Environment, Forest and Climate Change, Government of India with Asia Environment Enforcement Awards, 2018.
- Azim Premji, chairman of Wipro, has won Forbes India Leadership Awards 2018, Lifetime Achievement. Wipro is India’s fourth-biggest software services company by revenue and Ajim Premji is the second richest Indian.
- Tanzanian biologist Joyce Msuya has been appointed as acting Executive Director of United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP) after the resignation of Erik Solheim.
- Facebook Inc.-owned messaging service WhatsApp on it has appointed Abhijit Bose as head of WhatsApp India the local entity that is expected to begin operations next year amid calls to check the spread of fake messages.
- Indian men’s hockey team Captain Manpreet Singh inked pact with Adidas. This happened ahead of the season-ending World Cup to be played in Bhubaneswar from November 28 to December 16.
- United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP) Executive Director Erik Solheim resigned following an internal audit report that said he had gobbled up $500,000 in unnecessary and budgeted travel expenses in just 22 months.
1. Important Days:
- November 21, 2018 is the 46th annual World Hello Day. Anyone can participate in World Hello Day simply by greeting ten people. This demonstrates the importance of personal communication for preserving peace.
- On the second day of this three-day visit to Australia, President Ramnath Kovind unveiled a statue of Mahatma Gandhi at the Jubilee Park in the town of Parramatta, which is a bustling suburb of Sydney.
- 12th World Congress on Mountain Medicine started in Kathmandu, the capital of Nepal. The theme of 4 day congress is “Mountain Medicine in the Heart of the Himalayas”.
- Nepal’s largest exhibition on construction equipment and technology “ConMac 2018” has started in Bhaktapur near Kathmandu.
- The 50th Union World Conference on Lung Health will be held in Hyderabad next year. The conference ‘Ending the Emergency: Science, Leadership, Action’
- India is now the second-fastest growing innovator after China among major Asian countries, a new report said. “India Innovation Report” by Philadelphia-headquartered Clarivate Analytics.
- India recorded nearly 24% decline in cases in a year between 2016 and 2017, the only one among the 11 highest-burden countries to achieve so, says the latest World Malaria Report published by World Health Organisation.
- Manipur Tourism is once again returning with one of their most important yearly event, the Manipur Sangai Festival. Celebrated each year, this is one of the most popular festivals of India.
- Known for its hand-woven carpets around the world, Bhadohi received a major boost as the government has extended the ‘export excellence’ tag to it.
- IT capital Bengaluru pays the highest salaries followed by Mumbai and Delhi in India. The report is based on a salary study done by LinkedIn.
- RBI board to set up panel to examine Economic Capital Framework; to work jointly with Govt for transfer of funds worth Rs 3.6 lakh crore.
- State-run Airports Authority of India (AAI) partnered up with the US Trade and Development Agency (USTDA) to develop a roadmap for modernisation of its air traffic services.
- Russian defence major Rosoboronexport emerged as the lowest bidder in the Indian Army’s tender for procurement of a batch of Igla-S, very short range air defence or VSHORAD program missile system, worth $1.47 billion.
- India and Russia confirmed a USD 500 million deal for construction of two Talvar-class missile frigates in Goa for the Indian Navy.
- UK India Business Council (UKIBC) released its ‘4th Annual Ease of Doing Business in India Report: The UK Perspective’.
- The finals of the 59th edition of Subroto Cup International Football Tournament (Junior Boys category) was won by Bangladesh’s Krida Shiksha Prothishtan (BKSP) by defeating Amini School of Afghanistan.
- The two day event of FIG Acrobatic Gymnastics world cup was held at National Gymnastic Arena in Baku for the first time in which India wins two bronze medals in the men’s and women’s group events.
- Fielding coach Nic Pothas has been appointed interim head coach of West Indies for the tour of Bangladesh. He replaces Stuart Law. Nic Pothas will be in charge during the tour of Bangladesh.
- The Wildlife Crime Control Bureau (WCCB) has been selected among the winners of the Asia Environment Enforcement Awards for its work in combating trans-boundary environmental crime, Union Environment Minister Harsh Vardhan said.
- French Government has awarded French Legion of Honor to 100-year-old Retired Col. William Pollard during a ceremony at the Kentucky Capitol.
- Prime Minister Voreqe Bainimarama was re-elected for a second term after his ruling Fiji first Party won this year’s general election.
- Millie Bobby Brown, actor of Netflix sci-fi drama ‘Stranger Things’ has been appointed as UNICEF’s latest Goodwill Ambassador.
- Interpol’s 94 member states elected South Korea’s Kim Jong-yang as Interpol’s next president in Dubai. Prior to this, he had been serving as Interpol’s acting president since Meng resigned and was a vice-president representing Asia.
- Medical education Ministry of the Maharashtra government has appointed Dr Jagannath Dixit as the brand ambassador of its anti-obesity campaign.
- Baishnab Parida, a former Member of Parliament (MP) and eminent Odiya writer, passed away at a private hospital in Bhubaneswar. He was 77. Parida served as the Rajya Sabha MP from 2010 to 2016.
- Noted India-born Pakistani poet and human rights activist Fahmida Riaz has passed away following a prolonged illness in Lahore, Pakistan. She was 73.
1. Important Days:
- World Fisheries Day is celebrated every year on November 21 to highlight the importance of healthy oceans ecosystems and to ensure sustainable stocks of fisheries in the world.
- World Television Day is being celebrated on November 21 around the world and was first proclaimed by the United Nations General Assembly in December 1996.
- United Nations Universal Children’s Day was established in 1954 and is celebrated on November 20th each year to promote international togetherness, awareness among children worldwide, and improving children's welfare.
- UN environment chief Erik Solheim has resigned after an audit report found he had spent over $488,000 on excessive travel.
- The 26th meeting of the General Conference on Weights and Measures (CGPM) was held at Versailles(Paris), France. The members have voted for the redefinition of 130 years old “Le grand K – the SI unit of kg” in terms of the fundamental Planck’s constant(h).
- India and the country signed a deal worth Rs 3,570 crore for the construction of two warships for the Indian Navy under the Technology Transfer Model Russia.
- Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates, which lead a military coalition against the Huthi rebels in Yemen, announced USD 500 million in aid to the country on the brink of famine.
- Switzerland has topped the list of the IMD World Talent Ranking 2018 for the fifth year in a row, followed by Denmark (2nd) and Norway (3rd).
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3. National News:
- Yemen Capital: Sana'a
- Currency: Yemeni rial.
- The 27th BASIC Ministerial Meeting on Climate Change has urged the advanced countries to enhance their support to the developing nations in effectively implementing the Paris Agreement to combat climate change.
- India slipped two positions to rank at 53rd position in a global survey released by IMD Business School Switzerland on fostering and attracting talent. In 2017, India was ranked at 55th position.
- Andhra Pradesh is building a world-class and India’s first ‘Justice City’ within its new capital Amaravati with the vision to provide a state-of-the-art ecosystem built on latest technology for supporting the judicial system in the state.
- The West Bengal Assembly unanimously passed a Bill to give land rights to enclave dwellers in north Bengal, ending an era of uncertain future for the people residing in those enclaves.
- The Himachal Pradesh government in the cabinet meeting accorded its approval to implement Sashakt Mahila Yojna in the state with a vision to empower rural women by providing them an interface for organisation and socio-economic development.
- The First International Public Art Symposium (IPAS), jointly organised by the Artist Network Promoting Indian Culture (ANPIC).
- Prime Minister Narendra Modi laid the foundation stone of Vishwakarma Skill University at village Dudhola in Palwal from Sultanpur village in Gurugram district.
- Union Human Resource Development Minister Prakash Javadekar launched the Institution’s Innovation Cell (IIC) in New Delhi at the All India Council of Technical Education (AICTE).
- Neighbourly, which is specifically designed for the Indian market, will give hyper local information on neighborhood. This will be user generated content, similar to Quora.
- National Stock Exchange of India (NSE) has launched a mobile application and web-based platform for retail investors to buy government securities. The new app - NSE goBID, was launched by Sebi chairman Ajay Tyagi.
- The central government and the World Bank Signed the loan agreement of $ 200 million for the Jharkhand Electricity System Correction project in New Delhi on November 20, 2018 $ 310 million
- Bangladesh Krida Shiksha Prothishtan held their nerves in a tense final and overcame Amini School, Afghanistan, 1-0 to clinch the 59th edition of the Subroto Cup International Football Tournament (Junior Boys category).
- India’s Mary Kom defeated China’s Wu Yu 5-0 in the 48kg quarterfinals of the Women’s World Boxing Championships in New Delhi.
- Young golfer Shubhankar Sharma capped a dream season on the European Tour by becoming the first Indian to win the tour’s ‘Sir Henry Cotton Rookie of the Year’ award.
- Bollywood superstar Amitabh Bachchan was awarded the third Sayaji Ratna Award, established in the memory of erstwhile Baroda ruler Sayajirao Gaekwad III.
- The International Criminal Police Organisation (INTERPOL) elected South Korean Kim Jong Yang as its new President at the 87th session of the INTERPOL General Assembly in Dubai. Kim will hold the post till 2020.
- Instant messaging service WhatsApp announced the appointment of Abhijit Bose as its India head. Bose will join WhatsApp in early 2019.
- The UN’s environment chief, Erik Solheim, has resigned following severe criticism of his global travels and internal rule-breaking which led some nations to withhold their funding.
- R. Chandrashekhar, an independent director at Yes Bank Ltd resigned saying he was concerned about recent events at the company.
- Minister of State for Development of North Eastern Region (I/C) Dr Jitendra Singh released a book titled 'Radio Kashmir-In Times of Peace & War' written by Dr Rajesh Bhat.
- The Oscar-winning screenwriter and best-selling author William Goldman, known for "Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid" and "All The President's Men", passes away.
1. Important Days:
- The United Nations’ (UN) Universal Children’s Day, which was established in 1954, is celebrated on November 20 each year to promote international togetherness and awareness among children worldwide.
- The purpose of Africa Industrialization Day (AID), marked each year on 20 November, is to raise global awareness of the challenges faced by the continent with regard to industrialization.
- The world’s standard definition of the kilogram, the ampere, the kelvin and the mole has been changed, after representatives from 60 countries voted to redefine the International System of Units (SI) for weight, current, temperature and amount of chemical substance.
- The Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) summit was held in Port Moresby, Papua New Guinean capital. This is the first time Papua New Guinea (PNG), the poorest of the 21 countries in APEC, has hosted the summit.
- The Maldives cabinet has approved to rejoin the Commonwealth, two years after withdrawing from the 53-nation grouping. The announcement was made by New President of Maldives Ibrahim Mohamed Solih.
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3. National News:
- Papua New Guinea Capital: Port Moresby
- Currency: Papua New Guinean kina
- Maldives Capital: Male
- Currency: Maldivian rufiyaa.
- The 14th edition of international children’s theatre festival, ‘JashneBachpan’, was inaugurated in New Delhi with folk dance performances from Assam, Rajasthan, Punjab, Manipur among other states.
- The Reserve Bank of India’s (RBI) Central Board decided to constitute a Board for Financial Supervision (BFS) of the Central bank to examine the framework for banks under Prompt Corrective Action (PCA).
- The 12-day long joint military exercise between India and the United States known as ‘Vajra Prahar’ commenced in Jaipur.
- The World Health Organisation (WHO) in a report stated that India is the only country to have recorded a substantial decline in malaria cases in 2017 out of the 11 highest burden countries worldwide.
- Prime Minister Narendra Modi constituted a National Implementation Committee (NIC), under the Chairmanship of Union Home Minister Rajnath Singh with Finance Minister Arun Jaitley.
- The Ministry of Civil Aviation has introduced the upgraded version of AirSewa 2.0 web portal and mobile app to provide superior user experience with enhanced functionalities to air travellers.
- The Centre and the Jharkhand government signed a pact with the World Bank under which the multilateral agency will advance a loan of $310 million to boost the state’s power system, mainly transmission infrastructure.
- Andhra Pradesh Chief Minister Chandrababu Naidu launched Bhu-Seva programme. Under the programme, each land in the state would be allotted a unique 11 digit identity number, which would be called ‘Bhudhar’.
- Hookah bars have been permanently banned in Punjab as President Ram Nath Kovind has given assent to a Bill from the state to check use of tobacco.
- SBICAP Ventures (SVL), an alternative asset manager and a wholly owned subsidiary of SBI Capital Markets has launched two funds for the small and medium enterprises (SMEs) and affordable housing sectors.
- The RBI board decided to set up a high-powered committee to examine issues related to the surplus capital of Rs 9.69 lakh crore with the central bank and advised it to consider a scheme for restructuring stressed assets in the MSME sector.
- National Stock Exchange of India (NSE) launched a mobile application and web-based platform for retail investors to buy government securities. The new app NSE goBID, was launched by Sebi chairman Ajay Tyagi.
- The Maldives cabinet has approved to rejoin the Commonwealth, two years after withdrawing from the 53-nation grouping.
- India’s top junior shuttler Lakshya Sen (17 years old) won bronze medal at Li Ning BWF World Junior Badminton Championships 2018 held at Markham, Canada.
- From 11th November to 18th November,2018, ATP Finals held in London.The total Prize of the event is USD 8,500,000.
- Global internet Body The Internet Corporation for Assigned Names and Numbers (ICANN) supported Universal Acceptance Steering Group (UASG) conferred “Universal Acceptance Thought Leader award” on Rajasthan Chief Minister Vasundhara Raje.
- Professor S.P. Ganguly, a well-known Hispanist who headed the Centre for Spanish and Latin American Studies at the Jawaharlal Nehru University in New Delhi, has been awarded the Mexican Order of the Aztec Eagle, the highest civilian honour given to a foreigner by Mexico.
- Centre for Science and Environment (CSE) was awarded this year’s Indira Gandhi Prize for Peace, Disarmament and Development for its pioneering work in the field of environmental education and protection.
- Fijian Prime Minister Voreqe Bainimarama was sworn in for a second term after his ruling Fiji First party won this year’s general elections.
- Prime Minister Narendra Modi headed Appointments Committee of the Cabinet (ACC) appointed IRS officer Sanjay Kumar Mishra as the full-time chief of the Enforcement Directorate (ED) for 2 years.
- The Appointments Committee of the Cabinet headed by Prime Minister Narendra Modi named 1985-batch IAS from West Bengal cadre Sumanta Chaudhuri as the new Coal Secretary.
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8. Obituary:
- Fiji Capital: Suva
- Currency: Fijian dollar
- Padma Shri awardee and revered saint Narayan Das Maharaj of Triveni dham near Jaipur passed away. The nonagenarian breathed his last at the ashram. He was awarded the Padam Shri in January this year for social service.
1. Important Days:
- Every year, November 19 is celebrated as the World Toilet Day to tackle the problem of open defecation across the globe.
- The World Day of Remembrance for Road Traffic Victims takes place on the Third Sunday in November every year as the appropriate acknowledgment of victims of road traffic crashes and their families.
- The country Whose satellite photo shows it shows that The Statue of Unity also looks clean from space America.
- French President Emmanuel Macron and Morocco’s King Mohammed VI have inaugurated Morocco’s first high-speed rail line, the first ever such line in Africa.
- India and Russia will hold joint military exercises in Jhansi in Uttar Pradesh from November 18. “Exercise Indra 2018” will begin at the Babina Field Firing Ranges.
- The Kerala Infrastructure and Technology for Education (KITE) has rolled out KOOL, its Online Open Learning training platform. The platform can be used to train teachers, students and the general public.
- Qaumi Ekta Week will be observed across the country from 19 November to foster and reinforce the spirit of communal harmony and national integration.
- Karnataka Bank has launched Current & Savings Accounts campaign (CASA) of FY 2018-19 and introduced a new SB scheme ‘KBL SB – TASC’ a specialized product for Trusts/Associates/Societies/Clubs.
- Online fashion retailer Myntra said it will completely integrate its sister company Jabong, which will continue to operate as a separate brand. Myntra Chief Executive Officer Ananth Narayanan will lead the Myntra-Jabong team.
- The Winter session of Lok Sabha will commence on 11th of December. Lok Sabha Secretariat said in a statement said that the Session will conclude on 8th January next year.
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5. Sports:
- Karnataka Bank Headquarters: Mangalore
- CEO: Mahabaleshwara M S
- Alexander Zverev defeated World No. 1 Novak Djokovic in London to win the ATP Finals championship and claim the most important title of his budding career.
- 8th Asian Shotgun Championship held from 3rd November to 11th November in Kuwait. Angad Vir Singh Bajwa has became the first Indian skeet shooter to win a gold. He set a world record with a shot of perfect 60 out of 60 in final round.
- Prajnesh Gunneswaran won the Bengaluru Open ATP (Association of Tennis Professionals) Challenger title in Bengaluru.
- Young golfer Shubhankar Sharma capped a dream season on the European Tour by becoming the first Indian to win the tours Sir Henry Cotton Rookie of the Year award.
- One of India’s greatest Sarod Master Ustad Amjad Ali Khan was presented “Sumitra Charat Ram Award for Lifetime Achievement” at Kamani Auditorium, New Delhi.
- Eminent breast cancer surgeon Raghu Ram who is also the director of KIMS Ushalakshmi Centre for breast diseases has been elected the President of Association of Surgeons of India (ASI) by defeating Tamonas Chaudhuri from Kolkata.
- Appointments Committee of the Cabinet appointed Ajay Bhushan Pandey as the new Secretary in Department of Revenue. He would replace Hasmukh Adhia — the Gujarat-cadre IAS officer who is set to retire on November 30.
- Retired Calcutta High Court judge Asim Kumar Roy was appointed the Lokayukta of West Bengal for a period of three years. Justice Roy is presently serving as the chairperson of the West Bengal Clinical Establishment Regulatory Commission.
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8. Obituaries:
- West Bengal Chief Minister: Mamata Banerjee.
- Governor: Kesari Nath Tripathi.
- Asia’s first woman neurosurgeon, T.S. Kanaka, passed away in Chennai after a brief illness. She was 86. She was known to have inspired many women to take to the field of neurosurgery in the country.
- Eminent Mardal maestro Guru Banamali Moharana passed away while undergoing treatment at a private hospital in Bhubaneswar.
1. Important Days:
- The AYUSH Ministry is celebrating its first Naturopathy Day across the country on 18 November. The Central Council for Research in Yoga and Naturopathy is organising health camps.
- A team of scientists from Chengdu’s Micro Research Electronics System Research Institute (CASC) in China had developed an “artificial sun” eight times brighter than the natural sun to replace the country’s streetlights by 2020.
- India and Morocco signed extradition, mutual legal assistance and defence cooperation treaties to jointly fight threats from ISIS under their counter-terror partnership.
- 9th Annual Defence and Security Dialogue in Beijing, China. Defence secretary Sanjay Mitra and Li Zuocheng, China’s deputy chief of Joint Staff Department of the Central Military Commission.
- Three educational institutions that have been built by India were inaugurated in Nepal. The Shree Saraswati Tika Higher Secondary School has been built with an Indian assistance of 37.10 million Nepalese Rupees.
- The Centre has set up a tribunal, headed by Delhi High Court Judge Justice Suresh Kait, for adjudicating whether or not two Tripura-based militant outfits should be declared banned organisations under the law.
- The government will give employers the salaries for 7 of the 26 weeks of maternity leave for women earning more than Rs 15,000 a month, the Women and Child Development ministry announced.
- The government will set up Animation, Gaming and Visual effects Institute in Mumbai to encourage youth participation in the field of film and cinematography. Information and Broadcasting Minister Rajyavardhan Rathore.
- Asian Development Bank (ADB) and the Government of India signed a $300 million Loan Agreement to support lending by India Infrastructure Finance Company Limited (IIFCL) in New Delhi.
- The Asian Development Bank (ADB) and the Government of India signed a $105 million loan to continue financing the transmission system upgrades in Himachal Pradesh.
- Credit Rating Agency Fitch affirmed India’s “Long term Foreign-currency Issuer Default Rating (IDR)” at ‘BBB-‘with a stable outlook.Fitch kept India’s Credit rating unchanged for the 12th year in a row.
- Twins of Ireland cricket team, Isobel Joyce and Cecelia Joyce, have announced their retirement from the international cricket following their eight-wicket loss at the hands of New Zealand.
- Educationist Dr. Saroj Suman Gulati has been conferred the Global Education Leaders Award 2018 at the 2nd edition of India-UAE Partnership Summit (IUPS), held at The Atlantis, Dubai, on 30th and 31st October 2018.
- One of India's greatest sarod masters, Ustad Amjad Ali Khan, was presented the 'Sumitra Charat Ram Award for Lifetime Achievement' at the Kamani Auditorium, New Delhi.
- Stephen Barclay, Junior Health Minister who voted to leave European Union in the 2016 referendum has been appointed as the new Brexit Secretary by British Prime Minister Theresa May.
- Indian-American Thomas Kurian, former Oracle President of product development and technologist, will become the Chief Executive Officer (CEO) of Google Cloud in early 2019.
- Budget hospitality chain OYO Hotels appointed Aditya Ghosh as Chief Executive Officer (CEO) for its India and South Asia operations with effect from December 1, 2018.
- Former SBI chairman O P Bhatt resigned from the External Expert on the Search and Selection Committee (S&SC) panel due to potential conflict of interest.
- Oxford Dictionary announced ‘Toxic’ as the Word of the year 2018. The sheer scope of its application that has made it the standout choice as there has been a 45% increase in the number of times people have looked up the word on its website.
1. International News:
- The United Nations Security Council has unanimously agreed to lift sanctions against Eritrea after nine years. The resolution, drafted by the UK, was backed by the US and its allies.
- India-Taiwan SME Development Forum was held in Taipei, Taiwan. Secretary, Ministry of Micro, Small & Medium Enterprises (MSME), Dr.Arun Kumar Panda, led the Indian Delegation.
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2. National News:
- Eritrea Capital: Asmara
- Currency: Eritrean nakfa
- The Asian Development Bank (ADB) signed three loan agreements with the government to provide debt of $574 million for on-lending, electricity transmission and water supply infrastructure projects.
- The 9th Session of the India-Kyrgyz Inter-Governmental Commission on Trade, Economic, Scientific and Technological Cooperation (IK-IGC) was held in New Delhi.
- The 26th edition of Central and State Statistical Organizations(COCSSO) Conference was organized by the Ministry of Statistics and Programme Implementation (MoSPI).
- The Odisha government announced a new Biotechnology Policy 2018 to attract investments in the sector at the concluding day of the Make in Odisha Conclave, held in Bhubaneswar.
- Kerala Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan launched the 'Cow Samridhi Plus Scheme' to provide insurance coverage to dairy farmers in the state.
- Nongkrem dance festival, an annual event during which prayers are offered for good harvest, peace, and prosperity of the community was celebrated with great zeal and enthusiasm by the inhabitants of the Khasi Hills in Shillong, Meghalaya.
- India and ADB have signed 3 important loan agreements in various fields/projects in New Delhi. A $300 million Loan Agreement to support lending by India Infrastructure Finance Company Limited (IIFCL).
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3. Banking and Economy:
- Meghalaya CM: Conrad Sangma
- Governor: Tathagata Roy
- Kerala CM: Pinarayi Vijayan
- Governor: Palaniswamy Sathasivam
- Odisha CM: Naveen Patnaik
- Governor: Prof. Ganeshi Lal
- Kyrgyzstan Capital: Bishkek
- Currency: Kyrgyzstani som.
- IndusInd Bank has announced the launch of IndusInd Bank Nexxt Credit Card, which empowers customers with a choice of payment options such as EMI, Reward Points or Credit at the push of a button, on the card, at the point of sale (POS).
- Sunil Mehta, the chairman of a bankers’ panel working on faster resolution of stressed assets in public sector banks, said an Asset Management Company (AMC).
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4. Sports:
- IndusInd Bank MD and CEO: Romesh Sobti,
- Headquarters: Mumbai.
- India’s ace cueist Pankaj Advani won his third straight IBSF billiards crown in the 150-up format, taking his overall tally of world titles to 20. Advani overcame Nay Thway Oo of Myanmar in the final.
- Fourth seed Prajnesh Gunneswaran brushed aside wild card entrant Saketh Myneni in straight sets to win the $ 150,000 Bengaluru Open ATP Challenger in Bengaluru.
- Fourth seed Prajnesh Gunneswaran brushed aside wild card entrant Saketh Myneni in straight sets to win the $ 150,000 Bengaluru Open ATP Challenger in Bengaluru.
- Viswanathan Anand won the inaugural Chess India Blitz Tournament by beating overnight leader Hikaru Nakamura in the play-off in Kolkata.
- One of India’s greatest sarod masters, Ustad Amjad Ali Khan, was presented the ‘Sumitra Charat Ram Award for Lifetime Achievement‘ at the Kamani Auditorium.
- UIDAI CEO Ajay Bhushan Pandey will be the new Finance Secretary, replacing Hasmukh Adhia, the Gujarat-cadre IAS officer who is set to retire on November 30.
- Asian Games gold-medallist sprinter Hima Das was appointed as the first ever youth ambassador of United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF) India.
- Ms Nina Tshering La was appointed the next Ambassador of India to the Republic of Congo. present Nina Tshering La is the Ambassador of India to the Democratic Republic of Congo.
- A book written on the life of Swami Bhoomananda Tirtha, Kerala’s saint, is an outcome of the fundamental principle of ‘guru-shishya parampara’ and the spiritual ‘saadhana’ of the author.
- Eminent percussionist Banamali Maharana passed away at a private hospital. He was 77. Maharana earned accolades for playing ‘mardala’ in Odissi music and dance across the globe.
- Decorated war veteran Brigadier Kuldip Singh Chandpuri passed away in a private hospital in Mohali. He was 78. Chandpuri, who was an Army Major during the 1971 India-Pakistan war.
- Veteran actor, theatre personality and advertising guru Alyque Padamsee passed away in Mumbai.
1. Important Days:
- The World Tolerance Summit (WTS) 2018 was inaugurated on November 16 in Dubai, UAE. The theme of the summit was ‘Prospering from Pluralism: Embracing Diversity through Innovation and Collaboration’.
- National Press Day is celebrated on November 16 to commemorate the establishment of the Press Council of India. Formed in 1966, the Press Council keeps a check on the quality of reportage provided by the Indian press.
- The 5-Day long India- Taiwan SME Development Forum was held at Taipei, Taiwan. The Indian Delegation was led by Secretary MSME Dr. Arun Kumar Panda.
- Oxford Dictionary has declared the adjective ‘toxic‘ as the Word of the Year for what it says reflects the ethos, mood, or preoccupations in 2018. The adjective toxic is defined as ‘poisonous’.
- NITI Aayog has constituted the ‘Himalayan State Regional Council’ to ensure sustainable development of the Himalayan region.
- Leveraging its parcel business network, India Post announced the soft launch of its e-commerce portal. The Department of Posts has been focusing on e-commerce sector to increase its revenue receipts.
- India and Asian Development Bank (ADB) signed a 105 million dollar loan agreement to continue financing the transmission system upgrades in Himachal Pradesh for increased supply of hydropower.
- The 6th Indian Social Work Congress was held in New Delhi. It was joinly organized by National Association of Professional Social Workers in India (NAPSWI) and Department of Social Work (Delhi School of Social Work), University of Delhi.
- India’s first specialized hospital for elephants was formally opened by Agra Divisional Commissioner Anil Kumar at Farah block’s Churmura village.
- Nongkrem dance festival, an annual event during which prayers are offered for good harvest, peace, and prosperity of the community was celebrated with great zeal and enthusiasm by the inhabitants of the Khasi Hills, Meghalaya recently.
- The third edition of the India International Cherry Blossom Festival 2018 got underway at Polo 5th Ground, Shillong. It was inaugurated by the Chief Minister Conrad K Sangma.
- Credit rating agency Fitch affirmed India’s ‘Long-Term Foreign-Currency Issuer Default Rating’ (IDR) at ‘BBB-‘ with a stable outlook.
- Microsoft has announced to acquire a conversational Artificial Intelligence (AI) and bot development company XOXCO for an undisclosed sum.
- India and the Asian Development Bank (ADB) signed a $300-million loan agreement to support state-run India Infrastructure Finance Company Ltd (IIFCL) that provides long-term finance to infrastructure projects.
- Former Australia all-rounder John Hastings has retired from all cricket. The 33-year-old, whose final international was a one-day match against New Zealand in 2017, stopped playing recently.
- Aabid Hameed, a 15-year-old Kashmiri, was the shining light at the recently concluded World Kickboxing Championship in Argentina when he became the lone gold medal winner (junior category, 55 kg) for India.
- Dr. Saroj Suman Gulati, Director, Blue Bells Group of Schools has been conferred with the coveted Global Education Leaders Award 2018 by His Highness Nahyan Bin Mubarak Al Nahyan, member of the Cabinet and Minister of State for Tolerance, UAE.
- Finance Minister Arun Jaitley inaugurated National Press Day (16 November) celebrations in New Delhi. The winners of National Awards for Excellence in Journalism were honored on the occasion.
- The United Nations Children's Fund-India (UNICEF) has appointed Asian Games gold-medalist sprinter Hima Das as India’s first ever Youth Ambassador.
1. Important Days:
- World Philosophy Day was proclaimed by UNESCO to be celebrated every 3rd Thursday of November. It was first celebrated on 21 November 2002.
- West Bengal government has decided to observe ‘Rosogolla Day’ on November 14, to commemorate the first anniversary of the state’s famous sweet getting Geographical Indication or GI tag as ‘Bengal’s Rosogolla’.
- The United Nations Security Council (UNSC) has unanimously agreed to lift sanctions against Eritrea after nine years.
- Prime Minister Narendra Modi attended the 13th East Asia Summit in Singapore. The summit is a regional forum held annually by leaders of 18 countries in the East Asian, Southeast Asian and South Asian regions, including Russia and the United States.
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3. National News:
- Eritrea Capital: Asmara
- Continent: Africa
- Currency: Eritrean nakfa.
- Prime Minister Narendra Modi is scheduled to take part in the 16th Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN)-India Breakfast Summit, followed by the 13th East Asia Summit in Singapore.
- The government will release a Rs 75 coin to commemorate the 75th anniversary of Netaji Subhash Chandra Bose hoisting the Tricolour for the first time at Port Blair.
- India will overtake the US to become the world’s Second-Biggest Emitter of carbon dioxide from the power sector before 2030.
- World Customs Organisation began in Jaipur with representatives of 33 member countries of Asia attending it. The meeting is slated to deliberate upon various issues including the steps required for the capacity building and reforms in customs.
- Indian Agriculture Minister Shri Radha Mohan Singh launched a-Rs 1000 crore start-up scheme to encourage the young generation to join cooperative business ventures in agriculture and related sectors.
- A unique initiative of online professional development of 15 lakh higher education faculty using the Massive Open Online Courses (MOOCs) platform SWAYAM, Annual Refresher Programme in Teaching (ARPIT) was launched recently.
- The Andhra Pradesh government has finalised its new emblem for official use, five years after the state’s bifurcation in 2014.
- The Reserve Bank said it has imposed a penalty of over Rs 3 crore on Deutsche Bank for non-compliance of various norms, including asset classification and KYC.
- Ashok Chawla, Yes Bank’s non-executive chairman, stepped down with immediate effect. Yes Bank, the fourth largest private sector bank, has been in amidst of a transition as it is looking to find a successor to promoter-cum chief executive Rana Kapoor.
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5. Sports:
- Yes Bank Headquarters: Mumbai
- CEO: Rana Kapoor
- Tagline: Experience our Expertise.
- The Women’s World Boxing Championships begin in Delhi. This tenth edition of the tournament is set to be the biggest ever as more than 300 boxers from 72 countries will be taking part.
- Former India fast bowler Munaf Patel has decided to announce his retirement from all forms of the game after 15 years of competitive cricket. He was a part of the 2011 World Cup winning side that lifted the trophy Mumbai.
- Former England midfielder Joe Cole announced his retirement after making more than 700 appearances for seven clubs including West Ham and Chelsea.
- Barcelona star Lionel Messi was named FIFA World Player of the Year, adding one more title to his abundant collection of soccer’s great honours. Messi lifted the prestigious award at FIFA’s Gala Ceremony in Zurich.
- Apple has appointed Ashish Chowdhary, Chief Customer Operations Officer at Nokia Networks, as its India operation head. Chowdhary will join as Apple India head from January next year.
- Ashok Chawla, chairman of Yes Bank Ltd, resigned with immediate effect from the lender’s board after being named in a corruption charge sheet by the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI).
1. Important Days:
- The World Diabetes Day is organized on 14 November throughout the world. The theme for World Diabetes Day 2018 and 2019 is 'The Family and Diabetes'.
- Prime Minister Narendra Modi addressed the world’s largest financial technology festival Fintech in Singapore. Mr Modi is the first Head of Government to deliver his address at Singapore in the event.
- The two-day annual meeting of World Economic Forum’s (WEF) Global Future Councils was held in Dubai, the UAE. Vice President and Prime Minister of the UAE and Ruler of Dubai Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum attended the opening session.
- consultancy firm KPMG, the country whose companies have invested Rs 14,500 crore in the startups of India China
- World Economic Fund according to a report it is the safest country in the world for a country walk Iceland
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3. National News:
- Singapore President: Halimah Yacob.
- Currency: Singapore dollar.
- UAE Capital: Abu Dhabi
- Currency: United Arab Emirates dirham.
- The 38th India International Trade Fair (IITF) has begun at Pragati Maidan in New Delhi. The 14-day annual event will continue till 27th of November. This year the theme of the fair is 'Rural Enterprises in India'.
- The Government has set up a state of -the- art National Data Repository. At the DG Carbons Roadshow programme in Abu Dhabi
- The Uttar Pradesh government has approved renaming of Faizabad and Allahabad divisions as Ayodhya and Prayagraj respectively.
- As part of the European Union (EU) project ‘International Urban Cooperation’, Kochi Corporation and Vilnius, Lithuania, have signed an MoU.
- Czech Republic won the 2018 Fed Cup Trophy for the 6th time in eight years, in Czech Republic. Czech Republic defeated defending champion United States 3-0 in the final and won the 2018 Fed Cup.
- Late Dr. Martha Farrell has been honoured with the "Lifetime Achievement Award" at the 6th Indian Social Work Congress in New Delhi.
- Union Minister Ananth Kumar, Union Minister DV Sadananda Gowda has got the additional charge of the Ministry of Chemicals & Fertilizers and Narendra Singh Tomar was assigned the Ministry of Parliamentary Affairs.
- The Bank for International Settlements (BIS) announced a new addition to its team, with Siddharth Tiwari joining as the Chief Representative for Asia and the Pacific.
- Indian Revenue Service officer Sanjay Mishra was appointed as the new Enforcement Directorate Director (ED) in an additional capacity for three months.
- GSAT-29 Communication Satellite, which is being carried by Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO)'s Geosynchronous Satellite Launch Vehicle (GSLV-Mk III) was launched into space from the Satish Dhawan Space Centre in Sriharikota.
1. International News:
- The 17th ASEAN Economic Community (AEC) Council Meeting was held in Singapore as part of the 33rd ASEAN Summit and Related Summit Meetings.
- The inaugural edition of Indian Navy -Indonesian Navy Bilateral Exercise ‘Samudra Shakti’ began at Surabaya, Indonesia.
- The Union Minister for Commerce & Industry and Civil Aviation, Suresh Prabhu, led the Indian delegation to the 7th RCEP Inter-Sessional Ministerial Meeting in Singapore.
- India and Morocco have signed an agreement on mutual legal assistance in criminal matters. Minister of State for Home Kiren Rijiju and Morocco Minister of Justice, Mohamed Aujjar in New Delhi.
- Prime Minister Narendra Modi dedicated to the nation several projects including two National Highways and an Inland Waterways Terminal on River Ganga at Varanasi in Uttar Pradesh.
- Indian Strategic Petroleum Reserves Ltd (ISPRL) signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) in Abu Dhabi with the Abu Dhabi National Oil Company (ADNOC).
- Mr R K Singh, Union Minister of State (IC) for Power and New & Renewable Energy inaugurated the International Symposium to Promote Innovation & Research in Energy Efficiency (INSPIRE 2018) in New Delhi.
- Indian mountaineer Satyarup Siddhanta became the first Indian to climb Mt Giluwe, the second highest mountain in Papua New Guinea.
- Morroco & India signed an agreement to further mutual legal assistance in Civil & Commercial Courts. Union Minister of Law & Justice and Electronics & IT
- Lewis Hamilton (Mercedes) won the Brazilian Grand Prix after Red Bull’s Max Verstappen lost the lead in a collision with backmarker Esteban Ocon (Force India).
- The 2018 Fuzhou China Open was the 23rd tournament of the 2018 BWF Badminton World Federation World Tour. The tournament was organized by Chinese Badminton Association. It was sanctioned by BWF.
- The prestigious Munin Barkotoki Literary Award 2018 in Assam has been given to young writer-critic Dr Debabhuson Borah for his book on literary criticism titled 'Nirbochon'.
- Co-founder Binny Bansal has resigned as CEO of Flipkart Group. This was announced by Walmart, the new owner of the e-commerce company.
- American comic-book writer and Marvel Comics co-creator Stan Lee passed away aged 95. Born as Stanley Martin Lieber in Manhattan,
1. International News:
- The 33rd edition of the ASEAN Summit begun in Singapore. Prime Minister of Singapore Lee Hsien Loong is the Chairman of the Summit.
- The United States is halting refueling of aircraft from the Saudi-led coalition engaged in Yemen, the United States and Saudi Arabia .
- Prime Minister Narendra Modi dedicated first multi-modal terminal constructed on river Ganga in his Lok Sabha constituency Varanasi.
- The 24th Kolkata International Film Festival (KIFF) began at the Netaji Indoor Stadium, Kolkata, West Bengal. It was jointly inaugurated by West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee.
- Jammu and Kashmir Police arrested a female Over - Ground Worker (OGW) carrying ammunition including grenades and live rounds.
- Global professional services company Accenture has announced that it has acquired Systems, Applications and Products (SAP)-based provider Intrigo Systems for an undisclosed sum.
- Britain’s five-time world Formula 1 champion Lewis Hamilton has won the Brazilian Grand Prix, the penultimate race of the 2018 F1 season.
- The just-released autobiography of one of the most celebrated authors of our times, Shashi Deshpande, provides a deep and personal account that elaborates on the shaping of a writers sensibility.
- Famous yoga exponent and author, Mansi Gulati launched her book, ‘Yoga and Mindfulness’ yesterday. The book was launched by the Vice President of India. It explored the linkage between physical exercises and mindfulness.
- Union Minister Ananth Kumar passed away in the wee hours of Monday in Bengaluru. The 59-year-old political leader of the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) had not been keeping well for the past few months.
1. Important Days:
- National Education Day is an annual observance in India to commemorate the birth anniversary of Maulana Abul Kalam Azad,the first education minister of independent India.
- China will hold the fifth World Internet Conference (WIC) in its river town of Wuzhen. This year’s WIC will be held in China.
- China’s Xinhua news agency unveiled the world’s first AI anchor that can read news in English and Chinese. Xinhua in collaboration with search engine operator Sogou unveiled the new technology at the World Internet Conference in Wuzhen, China.
- The Western Pacific nation of Palau has become the first country to ban many kinds of sunscreen, in a move to protect its coral reefs from chemicals that scientists say cause significant damage.
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3. National News:
- Palau Capital: Ngerulmud
- Currency: US Dollar
- The Asian Development Bank (ADB) would grant $13 million to the government-owned Energy Efficiency Services Ltd (EESL) to set up an energy efficiency revolving fund (EERF).
- China is roping in India as a niche digital partner, as part of Beijing’s drive to cyber-connect with Eurasia, its new frontier for trade and investments.
- The Election Commission has set up ‘Sangwari’ polling booths in various constituencies of Chhattisgarh to encourage women voters to exercise their franchise in the Assembly elections.
- Bengaluru is the country’s most congested and second slowest city. A research paper, ‘Mobility and congestion in urban India’, published by US-based National Bureau of Economic Research (NBER).
- The Supreme Court has given nod for a separate High Court for Andhra Pradesh and it will start functioning from January 1 next year.
- Enforcement Directorate (ED) flagged the RBI about the activities of a Karnataka-based firm charging it with running a ponzi scheme “In the name of Islamic Banking or Halal Investment”.
- According to a report by research firm Canalys, India overtook US as the 2nd largest smartphone market after China.
- Saurabh Netravalkar, a former Mumbai medium pacer and India U-19 cricketer, has been appointed captain of the United States national cricket team.
- Noted Marathi actor and theatre personality Lalan Sarang passed away due to age-related ailments at a private hospital in Pune.
1. Important Days:
- World Science Day for Peace and Development highlights the important role that science has in society and is celebrated each year on November 10.
- Vice President Venkaiah Naidu said that India contributed immensely to the war effort during the World War I as he inaugurated the Indian War Memorial at Villers Guislain in France.
- The Kerala government has initiated a scheme to provide free education and vocational training to the children of those fishermen who died or went missing in the 2017 Ockhi Cyclonic Storm.
- The Bihar cabinet approved a proposal to pay Rs 25,000 to every girl graduating in 2018 and on wards. The cabinet allotted Rs 300 crore.
- The Union Cabinet approved strategic sale of government stake in Dredging Corporation of India to consortium of four ports. The government currently holds 73.44 per cent in Dredging Corporation of India Ltd (DCIL).
- Star Indian wrestler Bajrang Punia touched a new high in his career by achieving the number one rank in the world in the 65kg category.
- Saurabh Chaudhary added yet another feather to his cap as he beat compatriot Arjun Singh Cheema by 2.1 points to win the junior men’s air pistol gold in the 11th Asian Air Gun Championship in Kuwait.
- The 34th National Junior Athletic Championship was held at Ranchi. With 35 medals including nine gold medals, Tamil Nadu recorded one of its best performances in recent years in the recently concluded 34th National Junior Athletic Championship at Ranchi.
- Restoration of an aristocratic house from a state of partial ruin in Ladakh has won an UNESCO Asia-Pacific award for conservation.
- Jawahar Lal Sarin, president of the Alliance franaise de Delhi’s governing body, was presented with the Chevalier de la Lgion d’Honneur, France’s highest civilian honour.
- The Union government has awarded the Assam Police for “good practices” under the Crime and Criminal Tracking Network & Systems (CCTNS), an e-governance project.
- Journalist Swati Chaturvedi was awarded the Reporters Without Borders (RSF) Press Freedom Award for Courage. Chaturvedi, who works as a freelance journalist, won the award for her book I Am a Troll.
- The tenure of the Lok Sabha Secretary General, Snehlata Shrivastava, has been extended by Speaker Sumitra Mahajan for one year.
- Actress Manisha Koirala unveiled her book “Healed”, her personal story of a battle against ovarian cancer. Penned by the “1942: A Love Story” actress with Neelam Kumar, the book is subtitled “How cancer gave me a new life”.
- Dr Murali Mohan Chuntharu, a Dental Surgeon and also DK Home Guard Commandant has written a book named “Arivu”, which explains about Mouth Cancer and prevention of the disease.
1. Important Days:
- The International Day of Radiology (IDoR) is an annual event promoting the role of medical imaging in modern healthcare.
- National Cancer Awareness Day will be observed across the country on November 7 every year, Union Health Minister Harsh Vardhan announced.
- The United States will no longer allow people who enter the country illegally to claim asylum, officials has said, unveiling a controversial new crackdown on immigration.
- “World first”, Xinhua news agency debuted a pair of virtual news anchors of advanced technologies such as Artificial Intelligence (AI).
- The 25th edition of the Singapore-India Maritime Bilateral Exercise (SIMBEX) kicked off with gusto as front line ships of the Eastern Fleet of the Indian Navy and those of the Republic of Singapore Navy (RSN).
- The ‘Central Tribal University of Andhra Pradesh’ will be set up in Relli village of Vizianagaram district as provided under the 13th schedule to the Andhra Pradesh Reorganisation Act, 2014.
- The Reserve Bank of India is likely to establish an ombudsman for digital payments by March to take the load off the increasing number of complaints currently being handled by the banking ombudsman.
- Unemployment rate in the country rose to 6.9% in October, the highest in two years, according to the Centre for Monitoring Indian Economy.
- The UN World Food Programme and Chinese e-commerce giant Alibaba Group have formed a strategic partnership to support efforts eliminate hunger globally by 2030.
- India’s teenage shooting sensation Saurabh Chaudhary and Manu Bhaker clinched the gold medal at the 10m Air Pistol mixed team event on the last day of the Asian Airgun Championships in Kuwait.
- Indian captain Harmanpreet Kaur slammed her maiden T20 century during India’s opening match of Group B in the ICC Women’s World T20 2018 against New Zealand in Providence Stadium, Guyana.
- Indian opener Rohit Sharma became the first batsman to hit four centuries in T20 Internationals during the Lucknow clash against the West Indies, overtaking New Zealand cricketer Colin Munro, who has scored three centuries.
- India’s biggest social media summit, ‘Social Media Summit and Awards-2018’, kicked off in Vijayawada. The Department of Tourism, Andhra Pradesh, has been organised by Vibri Media.
- Mathematician and Super 30 founder Anand Kumar will be awarded for his “pioneering”, contributions to the field of education and illuminating the lives of many talented students.
- Arunima Sinha, the Indian mountaineer who became the world’s first woman amputee to climb Mount Everest in 2013, has been awarded an honorary doctorate by a prestigious UK university for her inspirational achievements.
- The Competition Commission of India (CCI) said Ashok Kumar Gupta, a retired IAS officer of the 1981-batch Tamil Nadu cadre, has been appointed as its new Chairperson, replacing Sudhir Mital.
- K P S Srivastava, a veteran PTI journalist, passed away after a brief illness. He was 93. Srivastava worked his way up from a reporter at Lucknow PTI to become its Editor in the 1980s.
1. Important Days:
- The West Bengal government has decided to observe ‘Rosogolla Day’ on November 14, to commemorate the first anniversary of the State’s famous sweet getting Geographical Indication (GI) tag as ‘Bengal’s Rosogolla’.
- US President Donald Trump said Attorney General Jeff Sessions chief of staff, Matthew Whitaker, will be acting attorney general.
- Odisha Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik launched the technology-driven and citizen-friendly Mo bus service featuring free wi-fi, CCTV surveillance, public information display system and on board announcements in the city.
- Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik launched the much awaited ‘Bhubaneswar Me WiFi’ project to make Capital a fully Wifi enabled city ahead of World Cup Hockey.
- State-run Allahabad Bank said the Centre is infusing Rs 3,054 crore into it during the current fiscal. The government owned a 71.81 per cent stake in Allahabad Bank at the end of first quarter of FY19.
- India pledged contributions of $13.36 million for the various UN agencies and development activities. India’s pledged contributions include $4.5 million to the UN Development Programme, $5 million to the UN Relief and Works Agency.
- The Indian economy will expand 7.4 per cent in 2018, but the growth will slow down to 7.3 per cent in the next year as domestic demand tapers on higher borrowing cost due to rising interest rates, Moody’s Investors Service said.
1. International News:
- China has unveiled its new-generation stealth combat Unmanned Aerial Vehicle (UAV), stated to be the most advanced drone developed so far by the country.
- The UN Postal System has issued two stamps with diyas in celebration of Diwali as “The Quest for the Triumph of Good Over Evil”.
- India has been elected as a member of the International Telecommunications Union Council (ITU) for another 4-year term – from 2019 to 2022.
- Prime Minister Narendra Modi will inaugurate two important national highways in Varanasi on November 12, having a total length of 34 kilometres and constructed at a cost of Rs 1,571.95 crore.
- The Women and Child Development Ministry has set up an online marketing portal for unique organic products of the women farmers and entrepreneurs from across the country, besides serving as an e-platform .
- Andhra Pradesh got around Rs 1,255 crore World Bank loan assistance for a project aiming at enhancing agricultural productivity.
- India’s 10m rifle mixed team pairing of Elavenil Valarivan and Hriday Hazarika struck gold at the 11th Asian Championship with a junior world record score in the final in Kuwait city.
- Angad Vir Singh Bajwa shot to gold with a world record score in the men’s skeet final of the 8th Asian Shotgun Championship, becoming the first Indian skeet shooter to win a continental or world level event.
- Indian opener Rohit Sharma overtook skipper Virat Kohli to become India’s highest run-getter in Twenty20 Internationals during the second match of the three-match series against the West Indies at the Atal Bihari Vajpayee International Stadium in Lucknow.
- A book on history of women’s cricket in India will hit the stands on November 30. 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.
- Author Ravi Subramanian, whose stories are set against the backdrop of the financial services industry, writes among other things the relations between the RBI and the finance ministry in his new book.
1. Important Days:
- The World Tsunami Awareness Day is observed every year across the world on 5 November to spread awareness among people across the world about Tsunami.
- The Union Cabinet has approved MoU on agriculture and related fields between India and this nation Philippines
- President Rodrigo Duterte on Tuesday, November 14, turned over the chairmanship of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) to Singapore Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong.
- Union Cabinet has approved agreement for Avoidance of Double Taxation and the Prevention of Fiscal Evasion with respect to taxes on income between India and this region Hong Kong
- Union cabinet has approved the protocol amending the agreement between India and this nation for the avoidance of double taxation Kyrgyzstan
- South Korean first lady Kim-Jung Sook and Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath inaugurated the Queen Huh Memorial at Queen Huh Park in Ayodhya.
- Uttar Pradesh’s Faizabad district will be known as Ayodhya after the temple town that is home to the Ram temple, said Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath.
- Yogi Adityanath-led Uttar Pradesh government renamed the newly-constructed Ekana International Stadium in Lucknow after former prime minister Atal Bihari Vajpayee.
- India and Malawi signed three MoUs on extradition, cooperation in atomic energy and visa waiver for diplomats and officials as Vice President Venkaiah Naidu met Malawian President Arthur Peter Mutharika.
- India and South Korea signed a Memorandum of Understanding on cooperation in sports in New Delhi. Sports Minister Col. Rajyavardhan Rathore and Minister of Culture, Sports and Tourism of South Korea Do Jong-hwan signed the MoU.
- The first Russia-India Strategic Dialogue will take place in the Russian city of St Petersburg on November 25 and 26. The key event of the business program will be a plenary session featuring Russian Economic Development Minister Maxim Oreshkin.
- Delhi‘s long-awaited “Signature Bridge”,the first asymmetrical cable-stayed bridge in India was opened for the public. The 575-metre bridge was inaugurated by Delhi chief minister Arvind Kejriwal.
- The Odisha government formed an inter-ministerial committee to resolve the issues raised by the agitating farmers in the ongoing protest in the state.
- Filmmaker Rakeysh Omprakash Mehra’s upcoming film ‘Mere Pyaare Prime Minister’ has been creating waves worldwide even before the release.
- The Bihar cabinet gave its nod for the redevelopment of Patna Medical College and Hospital (PMCH) into a world’s largest 5462-bed hospital at an estimated cost of Rs 5540.07 crore.
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3. Banking and Economy:
- Malawi Capital: Lilongwe
- Currency: Malawian kwacha
- The Reserve Bank of India has initiated the process to set up a digital Public Credit Registry (PCR) to capture all the details of borrowers, including wilful defaulters and also the pending legal suits in order to check financial delinquencies.</li
- The Reserve Bank has initiated steps to set up a wide-based digital Public Credit Registry (PCR) to capture details of all borrowers, including wilful defaulters and also the pending legal suits in order to check financial delinquencies.
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5. Awards and Honors:
- Urjit Patel: 24th Governor of RBI
- Headquarters: Mumbai
- Established: 1st April 1935, in Kolkata.
- Veteran actor Anupam Kher was honoured as a ‘Distinguished Fellow’ by India Global – a leading think-tank that works on issues concerning non-resident Indians.
- Veteran journalist and the Hindu Group of Publications Chairman N Ram has been chosen for the prestigious Raja Ram Mohan Roy Award, presented by the Press Council of India, for his outstanding contribution towards journalism.
- The prestigious International Press Institute IPI India Award for excellence in journalism has been given to Namrata Biji Ahuja of The Week magazine this year. The award comprises a cash prize of Rs 2 lakh, a trophy and a citation.
- A Lata Mangeshkar fan from Argentina, Santiago Lopez, who is a florist by profession, has named a rose in honour of the veteran playback singer.
- Uzbek businessman Gafur Rakhimov was elected president of the International Boxing Association (AIBA). Rakhimov won 86 of the 134 second-round votes collected by AIBA officials in Moscow to beat his only opponent, former boxer Serik Konakbayev of Kazakhstan.
- India Electronics and Semiconductor Association (IESA), announced appointment of Rajesh Ram Mishra as its new President.
- On November 5, 2018, Ms Nina Tshering La, has been appointed as the next Ambassador of India to the Republic of Congo.
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7. Obituaries:
- IOC president: Thomas Bach
- AIBA Headquarters: Lausanne, Switzerland.
- Bhajan singer Vinod Agarwal passed away. The singer died from multiple organ failure. He was 63. Born in New Delhi in 1955, Agarwal was a popular Bhajan Singer known for his imitable style of singing.
- Veteran Meghalaya photo-journalist Walton Jyrwa Lytan passed away in Shillong after a brief battle with cancer. He was 52.
1. Important Days:
- The National Ayurveda Day is celebrated every year on the occasion of Dhanwantari Jayanti (Dhanteras). This year Ayurveda Day is being observed on 5 November.
- Gen. VK Singh Minister of State for External Affairs, attended the 18th Indian Ocean Rim Association (IORA) Council of Ministers Meeting in Durban, South Africa.
- UK India Business Council report, ‘Beyond the Top 200′, sets out how India’s new higher education policy could accelerate India’s rise to superpower status by enabling young Indians to receive the world’s best higher education in India.
- Mumbai-based newly-licenced bank Fino Payments Bank has been slapped a fine of Rs 1 crore by the central bank.
- In a first for India, HSBC Holdings Plc has executed a trade finance transaction using block chain for an export by Reliance Industries Ltd (RIL)
- The Reserve Bank of India (RBI) allowed banks to provide partial credit enhancement (PCE) to bonds issued by systemically important non-deposit taking non-banking financial companies (NBFCs).
- Ambati Rayudu has retired from the long-form, including the Ranji Trophy, to focus on limited-overs cricket. With virtually no chance of playing Test cricket, Rayudu has decided to hang up his ‘first-class’ boots.
- Olympic champion Simone Biles became the all-time leading world gymnastics championship gold medal winner when the American claimed her third gold at the Doha championships.
- India’s Subhankar Dey upset fifth seed Rajeev Ouseph in straight games to win the SaarLorLux Open Badminton Championship Super 100 badminton tournament in Saarbrucken, Germany.
- Vice-Admiral M.P. Awati (retd.), who commanded a naval unit of the Eastern Fleet in the 1971 India-Pakistan war and whose actions led to the destruction of an enemy submarine, passed away at his hometown near Satara in Maharashtra.
1. International News:
- Barack Obama becomes the first person of biracial or African-American descent to be elected President of the United States.
- China Airlines Flight 605, a brand new 747-400, overruns the runway at Kai Tak Airport. Airlines is involved in discussions with its insurers about the pay-out for the jumbo jet recovered from Victoria Harbour.
- India-UAE Partnership Summit (IUPS) 2018 was held in Dubai, United Arab Emirates (UAE). A summit will be held here next month to encourage investments into specific sectors and projects in the Indian states, according to a media report.
- Pakistan Prime Minister arrives in China on first visit to discuss bailout. He scheduled to hold talks with Chinese President Xi Jinping and Premier Li Keqiang on shoring up the all-weather ties.
- First Global Conference on Air Pollution and Health held in Geneva. Theme of the conference was: “Improving Air Quality, Combating Climate Change- Saving Lives”.
- Sai Reddy is now officially one of the richest 18-year olds in the Pune and the entire India, for that matter. The Pune native was playing on his smartphone last week when he discovered a popular new app called Olymp Trade.
- Railway tickets can be booked online as the Ministry has introduced Unreserved Mobile Ticketing with a view to promoting three C’s- Cashless transactions,
- Gujarat Nearly 4000 farmers register online for sale of groundnut under MSP scheme in just two hours on day one.
- Support and Outreach Initiative for MSME at Vigyan Bhawan in New Delhi, PM Narendra Modi announced 12 key initiatives for the growth and support of the MSME sector.
- Chola MS General Insurance and IndusInd Bank Ltd renewed their corporate agency arrangement for a period of five years.
- The board of Bank of Maharashtra (BoM) is to reinstate and restore its Managing Director (MD) and Chief Executive Officer (CEO), Ravindra Marathe and Executive Director (ED) R.K.Gupta’s financial responsibilities.
- Bangladesh beat Pakistan 3-2 on penalties in the final, and won its 2nd SAFF U-15 Championship title. Earlier, Bangladesh had won the title in 2016.
- The Vietnamese government has given its support for the race. But Federation Internationale del’Automobile (FIA), Formula 1’s governing body, has not given the approval yet.
- Malayalam writer M Mukundan has been selected for 2018 Ezhuthachan Puraskaram award, the highest literacy prize of the Kerala government.
- Pather Panchali on BBC’s list of 100 best foreign language films. The film Pather Panchali has been listed in BBC’s list of 100 best foreign language films.
- The board of Tata Chemicals Ltd. has approved a capital expenditure of Rs.2,400 crore which would be deployed towards debottlenecking of Mithapur facility.
- NASA, the U.S space agency, said that its pioneering Dawn spacecraft ran out of fuel, ending an 11-year mission that unraveled many mysteries of our solar system.
- First Global Conference on Air Pollution and Health held in Geneva. Theme of the conference was “Improving Air Quality, Combating Climate Change- Saving Lives”.
1. Important Days:
- The International Day to End Impunity for Crimes against Journalists is a UN-Recognized Day observed annually on 2 November.
- Army Aviation Corps celebrated its 33rd Raising Day on 01 Nov 2018, and to mark this occasion, a Wreath Laying Ceremony was held at the Amar Jawan Jyoti at India Gate, New Delhi.
- In Sri Lanka, the group of MPs led by deposed Prime Minister Ranil Wickremsinghe brought a no-confidence motion against newly appointed Prime Minister Mahinda Rajapaksa.
- Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan opened the new Istanbul Airport. It will be one of the World’s busiest.
- The Boat burning festival happens every three years in Taiwan. It is one of Taiwan’s top folk festivals.
- The First WHO Global Conference on Air Pollution and Health took place at WHO headquarters in Geneva, Switzerland.
- Joint Secretary (Films), Ministry of Information and Board costing Shri Ashok Kumar Parmar inaugurated the India Pavilion at Videocittà, 2018 in Rome Film Festival.
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3. National News:
- WHO Director General: Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus
- Headquarters: Geneva, Switzerland.
- Prime Minister Narendra Modi launched a historic support and outreach programme for the Micro Small and Medium Enterprises (MSME) sector.
- Armies of India and Japan began their first-ever joint military exercise 'Dharma Guardian- 2018'.
- The Maharashtra Cabinet has approved the conversion of decommissioned carrier INS Viraat into a floating museum.
- The Internet and Mobile Association of India (IAMAI) has formed a new industry expert committee to develop and promote an augmented reality/virtual reality (AR/VR) ecosystem in India.
- The Ministry of Railways launched the ‘Unreserved Mobile Ticketing’ facility (UTS on Mobile) to enable seamless booking of unreserved tickets all over Indian Railways.
- The Indian Institute of Technology Madras has designed and booted up 'Shakti', which can be used for wireless and networking systems, as well as mobile computing.
- The Chennai-headquartered National Centre for Coastal Research (NCCR) conducted studies on the beach erosion between Rushikonda and Gangavaram Port with World Bank funding.
- President Ram Nath Kovind has stressed the need to impart quality education to the students. After inaugurating a two-day Gyan Kumbh at Patanjali Yogpeeth in Haridwar.
- Atul Kumar Goel assumed charge as Managing Director and Chief Executive Officer (UCO) of UCO Bank.
- The Kirloskar group had announced that it has received licence from the Reserve Bank to launch a Non-Banking finance company (NBFC), Kirloskar Capital, which will be headed by industry veteran Vimal Bhandari.
- India registered a 1-0 win over hosts Nepal in a third-place playoff to return with a bronze medal from the SAFF U-15 men’s Championship in Kathmandu.
- Novak Djokovic to clash with Roger Federer in the ATP Paris Masters Tennis tournament semi-finals.
- Superstar Simone Biles became the first ever gymnast to win 13 world championship gold medals with victory in the individual vault competition in Qatar.
1. International News:
- Tourism minister KJ Alphons along with a delegation of senior officials attended the 109th session of United Nations World Tourism Organization (UNWTO).
- Nearly half a billion people in Asia are hungry and lack access to adequate nourishing food, including in the region’s largest cities, said a new report by the UN food security agency.
- Japan‘s cabinet approved a draft bill to bring more blue-collar Foreign Workers into the country to address chronic labour shortages.
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2. National News:
- Secretary-General of UNWTO: Zurab Pololikashvili.
- Narendra Modi, launched the Government’s Support and Outreach Initiative for Micro, Small and Medium Enterprises (MSMEs) at Vigyan Bhawan in New Delhi.
- The Maharashtra state cabinet on cleared the decks for the Navy’s longest-serving aircraft carrier, INS Viraat, now retired, to be converted into India’s first-ever moored maritime museum-cum-marine adventure centre.
- Indian Air Force is organising a two day seminar on ‘Emerging Trends in Aviation Engineering and Logistics’ (AVIAMAT-2018) at Air Force Auditorium, Subroto Park, New Delhi.
- The Fourth Dialogue of the NITI Aayog – Development Research Centre (DRC) of the State Council, Peoples’ Republic of China was held in Mumbai.
- The first ever India-US Dialogue on Intellectual Property has been launched in Delhi to deepen bilateral strategic cooperation on IP policy.
- Indian Air Force has organised a two day seminar on ‘Emerging Trends in Aviation Engineering and Logistics’ (AVIAMAT-2018).
- India and Japan signed a Rs 1,817 crore Loan Agreement for the construction of the Turga pumped storage hydel power project at Purulia in West Bengal.
- According to the World Bank Group’s Doing Business 2019 report, India has shot up by 23 spots to reach the 77th position among 190 nations in World Bank’s Ease of Doing Business ranking.
- Pakistan batsman Azhar Ali announced his retirement from limited overs cricket in order to concentrate fully on Test cricket.
- Qatar will host the 23rd edition of the World Corporate Games next year, which will provide an opportunity for corporations around the world to showcase their competitive prowess through sports.
- Vietnam will host a Formula One race in April 2020. Vietnam will be only the third Southeast Asian country to host a Formula One race, after Malaysia and Singapore. The race will be hosted in the capital Hanoi.
- Malayalam novelist and short story writer M Mukundan has been selected for the Kerala government’s highest literary award ‘Ezhuthachan Puraskaram’ for this year.
- Union Minister of Food Processing Industries Harsimrat Kaur Badal distributed ‘Swachhta’ awards on the last day of Swachhta Pakhwada.
1. Important Days:
- World Vegan Day is an annual event celebrated by vegans around the world every 1 November. It is an annual event that commemorates the benefits of veganism.
- Qatar has set up a support fund for Foreign workers who run into difficulties for not being paid, the latest in a series of UN-backed labour reforms.
- Prime Minister Narendra Modi started his 2-day official visit to Japan. PM reached Tokyo and was received by Japan PM Shinzo Abe
- On October 31, 2018, in the latest ranking of the Global Passport Index, The Indian passport was ranked 66th in the world.
- Malayalam film Olu will be the opening film at the 49th International Film Festival of India, IFFI 2018.
- Andhra Pradesh government has decided to do away with district-wise codes for registration of vehicles and introduce a single code across the State.
- Madhya Pradesh is celebrating its 63rd Foundation Day with traditional pride and grandeur. Madhya Pradesh was founded on November 1, 1956.
- The Maharashtra government announced severe and medium-scale drought in 151 tehsils in 26 districts. The announcement will hold for the next six months.
- The Cabinet approved renaming Jharsuguda aerodrome in Odisha as ‘Veer Surendra Sai Airport’. Veer Surendra Sai is a well-known freedom fighter of Odisha.
- India has signed a $950 million contract with Russia for two upgraded Krivak III-class stealth frigates. A government-to-government contract was signed between India and United Shipbuilding Corporation of Russia.
- Armies of India and Japan began their first-ever joint military exercise at a jungle warfare school in Mizoram’s Vairengte with a focus on strengthening counter-terror cooperation.
- Researchers at Indian Institute of Technology-Madras (IITM) have designed and booted up India’s first microprocessor, Shakti.
- Clean Air Week would be organised from November 1-5 by the Ministry of Environment, Forest and Climate Change in collaboration with the Delhi government.
- Karnataka Social Welfare Department launched the Samruddhi scheme to boost employment opportunities for SC/ST youth through entrepreneurship.
- Global IT company Tata Consultancy Services announced the acquisition of W12 Studios, an award-winning digital design studio based in London, for an undisclosed sum.
- The National Investment and Infrastructure Fund (NIIF) has acquired IDFC Infrastructure Finance (IDFC-IFL), an infrastructure debt fund. This acquisition is the first investment from NIIF’s strategic fund.
- India jumped 23 positions in the World Bank's Ease of Doing Business Index 2019 and is now ranked 77 out of 190 countries in 2018.
- The finance ministry has announced that the sixth tranche of electoral bonds sale has been started and will continue for 10 days.
- Former India captain Rahul Dravid was formally inducted into the ICC Cricket Hall of Fame. To mark the occasion, Dravid received his commemorative cap from fellow ICC Cricket Hall of Famer Sunil Gavaskar.
- Tata Steel was announced as an Official Partner for the prestigious Odisha Hockey Men’s World Cup Bhubaneswar 2018.
- The third round of the Indian National Rally Championships the country’s premier motorsports event will be held in Itanagar. The November 2 to 4 event will be flagged off by Arunachal Pradesh Chief Minister Pema Khandu.
- Nineteen-time world champion Pankaj Advani has won the second leg of the Asian Snooker Tour in Jinan, China.
- India clinched the five-match series 3-1 defeating the West Indies by 9 wickets in the fifth and final One Day International.
- Punjab Police bags Crime and Criminal Tracking Network and Systems (CCTNS) good practice award for the development of Digital Criminal Intelligence Gazette and generation of State Crime Record Bureau (SCRB) reports.
- Sanjoy Gaddipati, Founder, CEO, and Managing Director of InternationalCryptoX Pte. Ltd, INCX, received Excellence in FINEXT Award 2018 at the Finextcon conference held at Las Vegas, USA on 25th & 26th October 2018.
- HDFC Bank had announced that the RBI had approved the re-appointment of Aditya Puri as MD and CEO of the bank for another two years.
- Air Marshal MSG Menon VSM was commissioned in Administrative branch of IAF in Dec 1982. He holds a Bachelor of Science degree from Calicut University.
- Lt Gen P S Rajeshwar took over as the 12th Chief of Integrated Defence Staff to Chairman, COSC here today. On assuming command
- Air Marshal Pradeep Padmakar Bapat VSM took over as Air Officer-in Charge Administration (AOA) of Indian Air Force on 01 Nov 18.
- Shri Vishwesh Chaube has been appointed as new Member (Engineering), Railway Board and ex officio Secretary to the Government of India and has assumed charge with effect from 1st November 2018.
- Playwright, poet and author Ntozake Shange, whose most acclaimed theater piece is the 1975 Tony Award-nominated play “For Colored Girls Who Have Considered Suicide/When the Rainbow is Enuf”,