Current affairs : November 16, 2016 for all competitive exams
International Day for Tolerance 2016 observed across the world
In 1996, the UN General
Assembly invited UN Member States to observe the International Day
for Tolerance on 16 November.
- The Day aims at educating masses about the need for tolerance in society and helping them understand the negative effects of intolerance.
Union Budget to be presented
on February 1
The government has announced
that it will present the Union Budget for 2017-18 on February 1 and the budget
session may begin in January.
- The government had issued the customary budget circular in September. Notably, the Centre earlier approved the scrapping of the 92-year old practice of presenting a separate Railway Budget and merged it with the Union Budget.
Special Committee for Inter-Linking of Rivers
The Union Cabinet has approved constitution of ‘special committee for
inter-linking of rivers’ in compliance with a Supreme Court order.
- This move will help in monitoring of the precious Inter-linking of River Projects to be carried out under National Perspective Plan 1980 of Government of India.
Centre bans Zakir Naik’s NGO,
calls it ‘unlawful’
The Union Cabinet on
November 15, 2016 gave a go-ahead to declare the NGO run by controversial
Islamic preacher Zakir Naik as an “unlawful association” which disturbed social
and communal harmony and placed it under a ban for five years with immediate effect.
- The NGO, Islamic Research Foundation (IRF), was declared an “unlawful association” under the UAPA.
Hunar haat
It was inaugurated at New
Delhi on November 15, 2016.
- The exhibition is aimed at promoting and supporting artisans from Minority communities and providing them domestic as well as international market for display and sell their products.
Agreement between India and ADB
The Asian Development Bank (ADB) and the Government of India have signed a
$500 million loan to build a 9.8 km long road bridge across the Ganges River.
- The bridge aims
to improve transport connectivity between North and South Bihar and acts
as a better link between the State Capital, Patna, and the surrounding
areas.
- This will be India’s longest river bridge and is expected to benefit over 9 million people.
Hand-in-Hand 2016
It is a joint military exercise between India and China which is began in Pune on November 15, 2016.
- India has
organised this joint military exercise
- The exercise is aimed at sharing the expertise in drills and practices while tackling insurgency and terrorism and thereby promote healthy military-to-military relations between India and China.
HC allows rape victim to
terminate pregnancy
The Kerala High Court has
allowed a rape survivor to terminate her over 20-week pregnancy under Section 5
of the Medical Termination of Pregnancy Act, 197.
- As per Section 5 of the Act, these stipulations vanished if two medical practitioners were of the opinion that the MTP was necessary to save the woman’s life.
WhatsApp video calls service
launched in India
WhatsApp on November
15,2016 rolled out its video calling feature in a phased manner to
over a billion users around the world across multiple platforms (iphone,
Android and Windows) Started from India.
- WhatsApp, which currently offers messaging, group chats and voice calling services is hugely popular in India, with over 150 million active users.
Padmini Rout wins National
Women Premier Championship for third time
International Chess Master
Padmini Rout won the National Women Premier Chess Championship for the third
time.
- S Vijayalakshmi of Air India won the silver medal while Karavade grabbed the bronze.
Hockley 1st woman to head a
Test nation's cricket board
Debbie Hockley has been
elected as president of New Zealand Cricket.
- She is the first woman to hold that role in the 122-year history of the sport's national governing body.
