Daily Current affairs - November 29th, 2017 for all competitive exams
The International Day of Solidarity with the Palestinian People is observed by the United Nations on or around 29 November each year
- Events are held at the United Nations headquarters in New York, as well as at the United Nations offices at Geneva and Vienna.
- In 2012, The General Assembly voted to grant Palestine non-member observer State status at the United Nations by a vote of 138 in favour to 9 against with 41 abstentions by the 193-member Assembly
The date of 29 November was chosen because of its meaning and significance to the Palestinian people. On that day in 1947, the General Assembly adopted resolution 181 (II), which came to be known as the Partition Resolution. That resolution provided for the establishment in Palestine of a “Jewish State” and an “Arab State”, with Jerusalem as a corpus separatum under a special international regime. Of the two States to be created under this resolution, only one, Israel, has so far come into being.
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PM launched SAUBHAGYA Scheme in Manipur
The Pradhan Mantri Sahaj Bijli Har Ghar Yojana (SAUBHAGYA) has been launched in Manipur.
- A total of approximately 1.75 lakh households (1.62 lakh rural households and 0.13 lakh urban households) of Manipur are proposed to be included under the Scheme.
The scheme called Pradhan Mantri Sahaj Bijli Har Ghar Yojana –“Saubhagya” was launched in September 2017 to ensure electrification of all willing households in the country in rural as well as urban areas.
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Ministry of Water Resources pavilion bags Gold Medal in IITF – 2017
The pavilion of Ministry of Water Resources, River Development and Ganga Rejuvenation bagged gold medal in the in the Ministries/ Departments category for excellence in display in the India International Trade Fair- 2017 New Delhi.
- The partner country for the fair in 2017 is Vietnam, and the focus country is Kyrgyzstan.
- The 37th India International Trade Fair (IITF) theme "Start-up Standup"
The India International Trade Fair, ever since its inception in 1980, has evolved as a major event for the business community. It is a premier event organized by the India Trade Promotion Organization (ITPO), the nodal trade promotion agency of the Government of India. The event is held between 14–27 November every year at Pragati Maidan, New Delhi, India.
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India Hypertension Management Initiative (IHMI) launched
India Hypertension Management Initiative (IHMI) was launched on November 28.
- The India Hypertension Management Initiative (IHMI) is a collaborative project of Indian Council of Medical Research (ICMR), Ministry of Health and Family Welfare (MoHFW), State Governments, World Health Organization (WHO), and Resolve to Save Lives initiative of Vital Strategies.
- The IHMI aims to reduce disability and death related to cardiovascular disease (CVD), the leading cause of death in India, by improving the control of high blood pressure (hypertension), reducing salt consumption and eliminating artificial trans-fats, leading risk factors for CVD.
- The IHMI is focused on five essential components of scalable treatment of hypertension.
India to be the guest of honour at UAE festival
India will be the ‘guest of honour’ country at the UAE’s prestigious month-long annual cultural festival, the largest classical arts event in the Gulf region.
- The festival celebrating art and culture will see the participation of over 500 international artists and 40 composers from 30 countries in March next year.
- Eminent Indian artists, including musician Ustad Amjad Ali Khan and, dancer and choreographer Gilles Chuyen, will attend the festival.
- Navdeep Suri, the Indian Ambassador to the UAE, said India has been chosen as the ‘Guest of Honour’ for the 2018 edition of Abu Dhabi Festival.
Mitra made in India robot, greets Modi, Ivanka at GES 2017 in Hyderabad
At the Global Entrepreneurship Summit (GES) 2017 in Hyderabad Prime Minister Narendra Modi and White House advisor Ivanka Trump were greeted by ‘Made in India’ robot, named Mitra.- Mitra, a robot manufactured by Bengaluru-based Invento Robotics, interacted with Modi and Ivanka at the summit.
- It was Mitra, who announced the inauguration of the summit after Modi and Ivanka pressed a button on the robot.
GES 2017 Theme: “Women First, Prosperity for All”
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Tripartite MoU between NSDC, THSC and Airbnb
A tripartite Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) was recently signed between National Skill Development Corporation (NSDC) and Tourism and Hospitality Sector Skill Council (THSC) with Airbnb, the world’s leading community-driven hospitality company. The MoU will provide hospitality skills training to hospitality micro-entrepreneurs in India.
- the MoU signed aims to empower more citizens, including those in rural and underserved areas to join the ‘alternate accommodation’ sector and pursue new livelihood opportunities by sharing their homes.
- The signing of MoU is in line with the Government’s endeavor to promote entreprenuership under the Government’s Skill India Programme. NSDC is the implementation arm of Ministry of Skill Development and Entrepreneurship.
- The National Skill Development Corporation (NSDC) is a one-of-its-kind, Public Private Partnership (PPP) model in India, under the Ministry of Skill Development & Entrepreneurship (MSDE). A not-for-profit company set up by the Ministry of Finance, under Section 25 of the Companies Act, it has an equity base of Rs.10 crore, of which the Government of India holds for 49%, while the private sector has the balance 51%.
India, Russia update pact on security
India and Russia have concluded a comprehensive agreement on security and reviewed the implementation of the Agreement on Information Security signed in October 2016 during the just-concluded visit of Home Minister Rajnath Singh.
- Mr. Singh, who paid a three-day visit to Russia, met his counterpart, Nikolai Patrushev, and signed deals on disaster management and narcotics smuggling.
Russia
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Capital
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Moscow
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Currency
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Russian ruble
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President
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Vladimur Putin
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First phase of Chabahar port set to inaugurate
Iran is all set to inaugurate the first phase of the Chabahar port development project. The first phase of work on Chabahar port has been completed. The development assumes significance since India’s outreach through Iran is taking place at a time the Donald Trump administration is planning to corner Tehran through diplomatic and economic means.
Iran’s Chabahar port is located on the Gulf of Oman and is the only oceanic port of the country. The port gives access to the energy-rich Persian Gulf nations’ southern coast and India can bypass Pakistan with the Chabahar port becoming functional.
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Iran
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Capital
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Tehran
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Currency
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Iranian rial
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President
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Hasaan Rouhani
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Bangladesh approves Rs.1,800 crore to Bhashan Char islands project for Rohingya
Bangladesh has approved over Rs.1,800 crore to transform the Bhashan Char island into a temporary camp for Rohingya refugees, despite warnings that the island could be inundated by floods.
- The camp will house nearly 1 lakh refugees. This comes after Bangladesh and Myanmar signed a deal for the repatriation of refugees who fled to Bangladesh.
Bangladesh
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Capital
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Dhaka
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Currency
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Bangladeshi Taka
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President
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Sheikh Hasina
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Finance Minister Arun Jaitley formally launches Paytm Payments Bank
Finance Minister Arun Jaitley formally launched the Paytm Payments Bank in New Delhi.
- The Payments Bank will have zero charges on all online transactions and no minimum balance requirement.
- It will also offer a 4-7% interest rate on savings account and a free personalised RuPay digital debit card.
- The company has planned an investment of $500 Mn in KYC (Know Your Customer) operations.
- It is setting up KYC centers across India to complete KYC for customers and make them eligible for a Payments Bank account.
Paytm
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Headquarters
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Noida
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CEO
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Vijay Shekhar Sharma
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Badri Narain Sharma takes the appointment as chief of the anti-profiteering body under GST regime
Senior bureaucrat Badri Narain Sharma takes the appointment as the chairman of the national anti-profiteering authority under the GST regime.
- Sharma who is a 1985 batch IAS officer of Rajasthan cadre, is at present additional secretary in the department of revenue.
Pradeep Singh Kharola takes the appointment as new chairman of Air India
Senior IAS officer Pradeep Singh Kharola is the new chairman and managing director of Air India.
- Kharola replaces Rajiv Bansal, who was made interim AI chief this August for three months when incumbent Ashwani Lohani was moved to Railway Board as chairman.
- A 1985 IAS officer of Karnataka cadre, Kharola is currently Bengaluru Metro Rail Corporation MD.
Lok Sabha appoints its first woman Secretary General
Snehlata Shrivastava has been appointed as the Secretary General of the Lok Sabha. She would take over from Anoop Mishra.
- She is the first woman to be elected for the post and will assume charge from December 1.
- She was earlier the Joint Secretary in the Law Ministry and has also worked in the Finance Ministry.
- Although the Rajya Sabha has had a woman secretary-general — B S Rama Devi — in the past, who also served as the Governor of Himachal Pradesh after retirement.
Meeting of Asia and Pacific Decade for Persons with Disabilities held in Beijing
The High Level Inter-Governmental Mid-Point review meeting of Asia and Pacific Decade for Persons with Disabilities, 2013-2022 is being held in Beijing. A number of countries in the Asia-Pacific region are participating and will finalise a Declaration which will address the gaps and challenges in empowerment and inclusion of persons with disabilities.
- The main objective of the meeting is to review the progress made by the member States during the Decade at the mid-point in 2017 with regard to Incheon Strategy ‘to make the right real’ for persons with disabilities in Asia and Pacific.
The Incheon Strategy to “Make the Right Real” for Persons with Disabilities in Asia and the Pacific provides the Asian and Pacific region, and the world, with the first set of regionally agreed disability-inclusive development goals.
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Tamar Beruchashvili elected as Vice President of IMO
Georgia’s Permanent Representative to the International Maritime Organization (IMO) has been elected as the Vice President of the IMO Assembly. Tamar Beruchashvili, who also is Georgia’s Ambassador to the United Kingdom, was elected to the role at the recently held Assembly’s 30th session.
The International Maritime Organization – is the United Nations specialized agency with responsibility for the safety and security of shipping and the prevention of marine pollution by ships. It has 171 Member States and three Associate Members.
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Kenyatta sworn in for 2nd term amid protests
Kenyan President Uhuru Kenyatta was sworn in for a second term, but his vow to heal the country’s divisions was overshadowed by protests and a pledge from Raila Odinga, his rival, to stage his own inauguration.
Atom Egoyan receives the Lifetime Achievement Award
The 9 day long International Film Festival of India 2017 concluded today in a colourful closing ceremony held at Goa. Acclaimed Canadian filmmaker, Atom Egoyan was conferred the Lifetime Achievement Award at the closing ceremony of International Film Festival of India (IFFI) 2017.
- The lifetime achievement award consisting of a cash prize of Rs. 10,00,000 is conferred upon a master filmmaker for his/her outstanding contribution to cinema.
The theme of this year’s IFFI was ‘Connecting the World through Stories’.
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French film on AIDS wins Best Film Award at IFFI 2017
Robin Campillo’s French film ‘120 Beats Per Minute’, which deals with the subject of AIDS, won the Golden Peacock Award for best film at the 48th International Film Festival of India (IFFI) in Goa.
- The film’s actor Nahuel Perez Biscayart won the Silver Peacock in the Best Actor (male) category.
- Chinese Vivian Qu won the Best Director Award for her 2017 film Angels Wear White .
- The Best Actor (Female) award went to Parvathy T.K. for the role of a nurse in Mahesh Narayanan’s Malayalam film Take Off .
Italy legend Buffon wins the best player award
Italy legend Gianluigi Buffon won the Serie A Best Player of the Year award at the Gran Gala del Calcio Awards in Milan.
- Napoli’s Maurizio Sarri was named the best coach in the Italian football awards.
- It is the sixth straight year that a Juventus player has won the award as he follows Andrea Pirlo (2012- 014), Carlos Tevez (2015) and Leonardo Bonucci (2016).
