Daily Current affairs - November 19th and 20th 2017 for all competitive exams

November 19 - National Integration Day National Integration Day is observed every year on 19th of November all over the India. It is celebrated as the birthday anniversary of the first woman prime minister of the India Indira Gandhi. Officially, the flora tribute is offered at every national integration day on the statue of late Prime Minister. It is celebrated to enhance the love and unity among people all across the India. The only lady to serve as the prime minister of India, Indira Gandhi, was born in 1917 to Jawaharlal Nehru and Kamala Nehru. Indira served as PM from January 1966 to March 1977 and from 1980 till her assassination on October 31, 1984. She was the second-longest serving prime minister of India and till date the only woman to hold the position. November 19 - International Men’s Day International Men’s Day (IMD) is an annual international event celebrated on 19 November. It was inaugurated in 1992 on 7 February by Thomas Oaster. The project of International Men’s Day was conceived one year earlier on 8 February 1991. The project was re-initialised in 1999 in Trinidad and Tobago. The longest running celebration of International Men’s Day is Malta, where events have occurred since 7 February 1994. International Men’s Day is celebrated in over 70 countries November 19 - World Toilet Day World Toilet Day (WTD) is an official United Nations international observance day, celebrated on 19 November, to raise awareness of the global sanitation crisis. This is done through public communications, campaigns, reports and events. Worldwide, 4.5 billion people live without “safely managed sanitation”. The global sanitation crisis affects people in developing countries the most. World Toilet Day is a call to action. The right to water and sanitation was officially declared a human right by the UN on 28 July 2010. 2017 Theme: Wastewater November 20 - Universal Children’s Day 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. November 20th is an important date as it is the date in 1959 when the UN General Assembly adopted the Declaration of the Rights of the Child. It is also the date in 1989 when the UN General assembly adopted the Convention on the Rights of the Child. Since 1990, Universal Children's Day also marks the anniversary of the date that the UN General Assembly adopted both the declaration and the convention on children's rights. Theme for 2017: It’s a #KidsTakeOver Government sets Rs 10,000 minimum balance in bank accounts as rural poverty measure The government will now look at the bank accounts of families in a rural set up to determine the level of poverty in a gram Panchayat. According to a report the minimum amount in such accounts has been set as Rs 10,000. This threshold is one of several metrics that will be used to measure the economic condition in a village. The more the number of families with such a minimum balance, the better a panchayat’s chance of being on the positive list of the poverty index. Under Mission Antyodaya, there are 21 parameters to measure the economic status of any gram panchayat. The aim of the mission is to create 50,000 poverty-free panchayats. Mission Antyodaya is a convergence framework for measurable effective outcomes on parameters that transform lives and livelihoods. Real Difference comes about through Convergence as it alone simultaneously addresses multi dimensions of poverty. Professionals, Institutions and Enterprises make it possible. Delhi government says will roll out 2,000 new CNG buses within a year The Delhi government announced that it will roll out 2,000 new standard non-AC CNG buses within the next one year. The move comes in a bid to increase public transport facilities and augment Delhi’s fleet of buses. It will also tackle the menace of the critical problem of air pollution. 1,000 buses each would be procured for DTC and Cluster scheme Hyperloop One signs MoU with Maharashtra and Karnataka to identify routes US-based high-speed transport technology startup Virgin Hyperloop One has signed MoUs with governments of Maharashtra and Karnataka to conduct feasibility study of routes in the states. The hyperloop mode uses technology in which a vehicle in a special tunnel floats above the track, using magnetic levitation, at a top speed of over 1,000 km per hour. It could reduce commute time between Pune and Mumbai to about 14 minutes. Citizens could commute 10 times farther in the same amount of time by connecting regions in Karnataka Gulmarg, Kargil record season’s coldest temperature The famous ski-resort of Gulmarg in north Kashmir along with Leh and Kargil towns in Ladakh region recorded the season’s coldest night owing to snowfall in several areas. Meteorological Department official said Gulmarg recorded a low of minus 5.6 degrees Celsius. The area experienced a drop of over five degrees in night temperature from the previous night’s zero degree Celsius. Gulmarg was the coldest place in the Valley and the second coldest in Jammu and Kashmir along with Kargil Kargil town in Ladakh region also registered the minimum temperature of minus 5.6 degrees Celsius. Parenting workshops launched The Delhi government launched parenting workshops as part of its initiative to get guardians more involved in the schooling of their children. Deputy Chief Minister Manish Sisodia inaugurated the workshops at 10 government schools. The programme will be expanded to 50 schools in the next few weeks. The workshops are being held for parents of Class X and Class XII students.  Swiss parliament panel allows information exchange with India A Swiss parliamentary panel has approved the automatic exchange of information between Switzerland and India. The pact allows the transfer of information including tax identification number and will help India in identifying accounts hoarding black money in Swiss banks. However, the panel has asked the Swiss government to amend the pact and “strengthen concrete individual legal protection”. The pact will help provide a continuous access to details about alleged black money hoarders in once-all-secret Swiss banks. The information that could be exchanged under this framework would include account number, name, address, date of birth, tax identification number, interest, dividend, receipts from insurance policies, credit balance in accounts and proceeds from sale of financial assets. Switzerland Capital Bern Switzerland Currency Swiss Franc Switzerland President Doris Leuthard India, China, US agree to cooperate more on cyberspace security The United States, India and China have agreed to work together to make cyberspace a safer and secured place to live and work. A joint trilateral meeting between representatives from three countries was held at the Vivekananda International Foundation, a New-Delhi based think tank. At a joint trilateral meeting, representatives from the three nations identified mechanisms for improving cooperation to investigate and respond to cyber incidents. The delegation acknowledged that the threat of cyber security could not be ignored due to its socio-economic implications. China USA Capital Beijing Washington, D.C. Currency Renminbi United States Dollar President Xi Jinping Donald Trump India, China Hold First Border Talk After Doklam Standoff India and China held their first meeting on the border consultation and coordination mechanism in Beijing after the Doklam standoff and reviewed the situation in all the sectors of their border and exchanged views on enhancing CBMs and military contacts. The 10th round of the Working Mechanism for Consultation and Coordination on India-China Border Affairs (WMCC) was held in Beijing The WMCC was established in 2012 as an institutional mechanism for consultation and coordination for the maintenance of peace and tranquility in the India-China border areas. Canada opens its first highway to the Arctic Canada has officially opened its first permanent highway to the Arctic Ocean. The highway will connect Tuktoyaktuk, a Canadian hamlet on the Arctic Ocean which was previously accessible only by air or winter ice road, to the southern parts of the country. The 138-km-long highway, which was first conceived in the 1960s, cost over Rs.1,500 crore in construction. Canada Capital Ottawa Canada Currency Canadian Dollar Canada Prime Minister Justin Trudeau Mugabe given time until Monday noon to quit Zimbabwe's ruling party   ZANU-PF expelled Robert Mugabe as its leader and gave the 93-year-old less than 24 hours to quit as head of state or face impeachment, an attempt to force a peaceful end to his 37 years in power after a de facto coup. Me. Mugabe, the only leader Zimbabwe has known since independence from Britain in 1980, was replaced by Emmerson Mnangagwa, the deputy he sacked this month. Mr. Mnangagwa, a former state security chief known as "The Crocodile," is now in line to head an interim post-Mugabe unity government that will focus on rebuilding ties with the outside world and stabilising an economy in freefall. Reliance General Insurance ties up with Yes Bank Reliance General Insurance, a subsidiary of Reliance Capital, inks a bancassurance agreement with YES Bank. This is the first partnership signed by YES Bank since the open-architecture norms under the corporate agency regulations were introduced by the IRDAI in April 2016. Yes Bank Headquarters: Mumbai CEO: Rana Kapoor Tagline: Experience our Expertise RBL Bank opens all women branch in Chennai Private sector RBL Bank has set up an all women branch in Chennai The branch at R A Puram, would be managed by eight women and offer all products and services across liability and assets. It is a matter of immense pride for us to launch our first all women branch in Chennai. This is a full-service branch offering a range of products and services. The women branch is a testament to the bank’s efforts in encouraging gender equality RBL Bank Head quarters Mumbai RBL Bank Tagline Apno Ka Bank RBL Bank MD and CEO Vishwavir Ahuja Ericsson conducts first-ever live 5G demonstration in India Communications technology firm Ericsson showcased the first-ever live 5G end-to-end demonstration in India. The demo is part of the company’s ongoing efforts to build a robust 5G ecosystem in the country. The demonstration using Ericsson’s 5G test bed and 5G New Radio (NR) delivered a throughput of 5.7 Gbps and ultra-low latency of 3 millisecond Ericsson Company partnered with Bharti Airtel for 5G technology for the telecom giant’s India operations. For $200,000, Tesla will sell the world’s fastest consumer car The Roadster, the electric sports car that put the automaker on the map, made a surprise appearance at Tesla’s semi-truck event. They came with a surprise car which is red and fast and it will cost you upward of $200,000. Tesla chief executive Elon Musk says in an event in Los Angeles the updated Roadster will achieve world-record speeds. Global Entrepreneurship Summit- 2017 to be held at Hyderabad from November 28 The 8th edition of the Global Entrepreneurship Summit-2017 will be held at Hyderabad from 28th of this month. The summit is being co-hosted by India and the USA and for the first time it is being held in South Asia. The event will focus on supporting women entrepreneurs and fostering economic growth globally. It will focus on four areas- Energy and Infrastructure, Digital Economy and Financial Technology, Health and Life Sciences and Media and Entertainment. This will be the biggest summit which will be inaugurated by Prime Minister Narendra Modi. Advisor to the US President, Ivanka Trump will lead the US contingent to the event. Theme: ‘Women First, Prosperity for All’ First WHO Global Ministerial Conference in Russia The WHO Global Ministerial Conference “Ending TB in the Sustainable Development Era: A Multisectoral Response” held in Moscow, Russia. A Ministerial Declaration signed at the Conference by the countries,with a target to end TB by 2030. Russia Capital:Moscow Currency:Ruble President:Vladimir Putin India’s Manushi Chhillar crowned Miss World Manushi Chhillar was crowned Miss World 2017. Competing against 108 contestants from various countries held at Sanya City Arena. She became the sixth woman from India to be crowned Miss World, she spread awareness about menstrual hygiene in India as part of the pageant. She is also an outdoor sports enthusiast and a trained Indian classical dancer. She clinched the title after Priyanka Chopra was last crowned in 2000. Miss World 2016 winner Puerto Rico’s Stephanie Del Valle gave away the coveted crown to the winner. Chhillar, who is from Haryana, had earlier won the Femina Miss India 2017 on June 25. Previous Miss Worlds from India 1.Reita Faria (1966) 2.Aishwarya Rai Bachchan (1994) 3.Diana Hayden (1997) 4.Yukta Mookhey (1999) 5.Priyanka Chopra (2000) Former PM Manmohan Singh to get Indira Gandhi Prize for Peace Former Prime Minister Manmohan Singh will be the recipient of this year’s Indira Gandhi Prize for Peace, Disarmament and Development. The international jury is chaired by former President Pranab Mukherjee. The award, comprising a cash prize of Rs. 25 lakh and a citation, was instituted by the Indira Gandhi Memorial trust in 1986 and previous recipients include the former Soviet leader Mikhail Gorbachev, former U.S. President Jimmy Carter, former President of the Czech Republic Vaclav Havel, and organisations such as the United Nations High Comissioner for Refugees and ISRO. DSC prize for Arudpragasam Sri Lankan writer Anuk Arudpragasam on Saturday took away the 2017 DSC Prize for South Asian Literature for his powerful novel The Story of a Brief Marriage . The award was announced at the closing ceremony of the three-day Dhaka Lit Fest in the Bangladesh capital and was a fitting end to a festival that saw a record turnout in the historic Bangla Academy campus. The DSC Prize for South Asian Literature is an international literary prize awarded annually to writers of any ethnicity or nationality writing about South Asia themes such as culture, politics, history, or people.  First awarded in 2011. Canadian Filmmaker Atom Egoyan will be honoured by lifetime achievement Award Canadian filmmaker Atom Egoyan will get the lifetime achievement award at the International Film Festival of India (IFFI), said by Information and Broadcasting Minister Smriti Irani. The festival is planned to be held in the western state of Goa.It will also screen three films produced by the 57-year-old filmmaker. Egoyan is best known for his films “Exotica”, “The Sweet Hereafter” and “Chloe”. Pawan Kalyan gets IEBF Excellence Award Pawan Kalyan has received the prestigious Indo European Business Forum (IEBF) Excellence Award for his renowned work in the field of social and Community services. He is an actor and also Leader of Jana Sena Party in Telangana and Andhra Pradesh. The award was presented in Global Business Meet-2017 at House of Lords,London. Qimpro Platinum Awards given Cardiologist Samuel Mathew Kalarickal, non-executive chairman of Infosys Nandan Nilekani, and former Vice Chancellor of Anna University M. Anandakrishnan, were awarded the Qimpro Platinum Award, according to a note. The Qimpro awards are citations to recognise individual excellence in quality management. Qimpro Awards was conceptualized in 1989 by Dr. J. M. Juran. Dr. Kalarickal was credited with performing over 15,000 angioplasties. Mr. Nilekani was recognised for his contribution towards the Aadhaar initiative. Prof. Anandakrishnan was feted for his contribution in the field of education. Three-time Olympic gold medal-winning weightlifter Naim Suleymanoglu passed away Turkey’s three-time Olympic gold medal-winning weightlifter Naim Suleymanoglu died aged 50 due to liver failure. Dubbed the ‘Pocket Hercules’ due to his short height of 4.8 feet, Bulgaria-born Suleymanoglu won the World Championships five times representing Turkey and twice representing Bulgaria. The 4-foot-10 weightlifter won three straight Olympic gold medals for Turkey between 1988 and 1996. He was the first-ever weightlifter to claim gold at three different Olympic Games. Geeta Phogat, Sakshi Malik wins gold in national wrestling Indian wrestlers Sakshi Malik and Geeta Phogat won gold medals in their respective weight categories at the National Wrestling Championship. Geeta won gold in the 59 kg category Sakshi clinched the top spot in the 62 kg category. Pollard becomes 2nd batsman to hit 500 sixes in T20 cricket West Indies all-rounder Kieron Pollard became only the second player in history to hit 500 sixes in T20 cricket. Pollard achieved the feat after slamming three sixes for Dhaka Dynamites against Rajshahi Kings in a Bangladesh Premier League match. Pollard is only behind compatriot Chris Gayle, who has smashed 772 sixes in 303 T20 innings. A Sharath Kamal, G Sathiyan win bronze medal in Sweden Open India’s star doubles table tennis pair A Sharath Kamal and G Sathiyan clinched Bronze Medalin  2017 World Tour Swedish Open. The Event held at Stockholm,Sweden. Sweden Capital: Stockholm Currency: Krona President: Stefan Lofven