Daily Current affairs - November 14th 2017 for all competitive exams
World Diabetes Day is observed on November 14 every year.
The theme for World Diabetes Day 2017 is Women and Diabetes.
- The main objective of this year’s campaign is to promote the importance of affordable and equitable access to medical care for all women.
- Diabetes is a chronic disease or condition that is caused when the pancreas is no longer able to make insulin, or when the body cannot make good use of the insulin it produces.
- According to statics, currently there are over 199 million women living with diabetes and this total is projected to increase to 313 million by 2040.
- Diabetes is the ninth leading cause of death in women globally, causing 2.1 million deaths each year.
PM Modi inaugurated Rice Field laboratory in Manila named after him
On 13th November 2017, Prime Minister Narendra Modi visited the International Rice Research Institute (IRRI) in Los Banos, Philippines and inaugurated ‘Shri Narendra Modi Resilient Rice Field Laboratory’ named after him.
- Narendra Modi unveiled a plaque to mark the inauguration of the ‘Shri Narendra Modi Resilient Rice Field Laboratory’.
About: The International Rice Research Institute (IRRI) is an international agricultural research and training organization known for its work in developing rice varieties that contributed to the Green Revolution in the 1960s.
The Institute, established in 1960 aims to reduce poverty and hunger, improve the health of rice farmers and consumers, and ensure environmental sustainability of rice farming.
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Exhibition of books on PMs opens at Nehru Memorial Museum
A first-of-its-kind exhibition of books on prime ministers of India opens at the Nehru Memorial Museum and Library.
- The exhibition, with 494 books written on or by PMs, is part of the government’s plan to set up a Prime Ministers Museum in the Teen Murti Estate.
- The exhibition which will end on November 17 got the extension to November 19.
The Nehru Memorial Museum & Library (NMML) is a museum and library in New Delhi, India, which aims to preserve and reconstruct the history of the Indian independence movement. Housed within the Teen Murti House complex, it is an autonomous institution under the Indian Ministry of Culture, and was founded in 1964 after the death of India's first prime minister
Director: Shakti Sinha
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JPC on land Bill to seek eighth extension
The Joint Parliamentary Committee (JPC) on the Land Acquisition Bill, 2015, will seek the eighth extension in the upcoming Parliament session. The Bill that seeks to alter the 2013 Act brought in by the UPA regime was put on the back burner just months after the Narendra Modi government introduced it in the Lok Sabha in May 2015.
- The JPC was set up in May 2015 to examine the Bill after it was opposed by many political parties, including allies of the ruling BJP. The Bill seeks to remove the consent clause for acquiring land for five purposes — industrial corridors, public-private projects, rural infrastructure, affordable housing and defence.
- The Bill creates five special categories of land use: 1. defence, 2. rural infrastructure, 3. affordable housing, 4. industrial corridors, and 5. infrastructure projects including Public Private Partnership (PPP) projects where the central government owns the land.
- The Bill exempts the five categories from provisions of the LARR Act, 2013 which requires the consent of 80% of land owners to be obtained for private projects and that of 70% of land owners for PPP projects.
- The Bill allows exemption for projects in these five categories from requiring Social Impact Assessment be done to identify those affected and from the restrictions on the acquisition of irrigated multi-cropped land imposed by LARR Act 2013.
- A Joint Parliamentary Committee (JPC) is an ad-hoc body. It is set up for a specific object and duration. Joint committees are set up by a motion passed in one house of Parliament and agreed to by the other. The details regarding membership and subjects are also decided by Parliament.
Chairperson: S.S. Ahluwalia
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Rajnath seeks insurance against bank fraud
The Home Ministry has asked banks and e-wallet firms to publish statistics of online fraud and theft so that customers can make an “informed choice” before subscribing to the services.
- Home Minister Rajnath Singh also instructed all concerned to formalise an insurance plan for victims of bank fraud as most banks and insurance firms do not provide any cover for such frauds, an official said.
- On Monday, Mr. Singh reviewed various measures, including strengthening of surveillance and legal frameworks, to deal with financial frauds using bank cards and e-wallets.
- As per representational data available with the RBI, the value of prepaid payment instruments which mainly include e-wallets, increased from Rs. 1,320 crore in November 2016 to Rs. 2,760 crore in September 2017.
Liquor sale ban exemption applies nationwide: SC
The Supreme Court orally observed that its July 11 order exempting the December 2016 ban on sale of liquor within 500 metres along national and States highways applies to all municipal areas across the country.
- The court was hearing a plea by the Tamil Nadu government for clarification on the ambit of the July 11 order of the apex court. The SC had explained in the July 11 order that the ban only extended along and in proximity of highways which provide connectivity between cities, towns and villages.
Background: The Supreme Court had clarified in the July 11 order that its nationwide ban on sale of liquor within a distance of 500 metres along national and State highways does not extend to municipal areas.
The court had clarified that the 500-metre ban does not prohibit licensed establishments within municipal areas.
The apex court explained that the December 15, 2016 ban on liquor sale only extends along and in proximity of highways which provide connectivity between cities, towns and villages.
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West Bengal govt plans to setup Fish tourism circuit
West Bengal government is firming up plans to set up a fish tourism circuit to attract country’s fish-loving communities. The State Fisheries Development Corporation (SFDC) is preparing the blueprint for the tourism circuit.
- A typical tour will consist of a two days-one night package, with fish as the focal theme – be it food or sightseeing. And fish dishes to be served will comprise the traditional favourites of Bengalis as well as newly-introduced varieties in the state.
- The circuit will centre around the hotels run by SFDC in places like Digha, Udaypur, Henry Island, Bishnupur, Jamunadighi and Siliguri.
Dr. Bhamre to Represent India at ‘UN Peacekeeping Defence Ministerial: Vancouver 2017’
Union Minister of State for Defence Dr. Subhash Bhamre will represent the Government of India at the ‘UN Peacekeeping Defence Ministerial: Vancouver 2017’, which is being held between November 14-15, 2017. It will be the second time Dr. Bhamre will be attending the conference.
- Over 500 delegates from more than 70 countries and international organisations are expected to gather at the Defence Ministerial in Vancouver. Along with representatives from the African Union, the European Union, NATO and the Organisation internationale de la Francophonie, these delegates are going to discuss improvements to UN peacekeeping operations.
The last meeting was held in London in the month of September 2016. The conference had taken up issues on Women, Peace and Security, Pre and Post Deployment, Tackling Sexual Exploitation and Abuse (SEA) and Improving Peacekeeping – Rapid Deployment.
Vancouver, a bustling west coast seaport in British Columbia, is among Canada’s densest, most ethnically diverse cities.
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Duterte accepts Modi’s invite
The Ministry of External Affairs said Philippines President Rodrigo Duterte of the Philippines has accepted Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s invitation to visit India for the 2018 ASEAN-India commemorative summit, along with other leaders of the ASEAN.
- The two sides sealed four agreements and agreed to cooperate on counter-terror. Both countries have been victims of terrorism for long.
India will overtake Japan and Germany in nominal GDP by 2028 to emerge world’s third-largest economy
India will overtake Japan and Germany in nominal GDP and is likely to achieve strong growth by 2028.
- India will also emerge as the world’s third-largest economy stated the Bank of America Merrill Lynch in a report titled, India 2028.
- According to the report, India has already emerged as the second largest BRIC economy after China by overtaking Brazil and Russia.
- By 2019, India will also overtake France and Britain to emerge as the world’s fifth largest economy.
- This assumes that the Indian economy witnesses a 10 percent (in nominal US GDP) growth in the next decade which is well ahead of Japan's 1.6 percent. The Bank of America Merrill Lynch has reported the country's real GDP growth at the potential of 7 percent.
China proposes inclusive dialogue with Indo-Pacific nations
China proposed an inclusive dialogue among all countries in the Indo-Pacific area, following fledgling attempts to form a quad group comprising India, the United States, Australia and Japan.
- During a visit to China last week, U.S. President Donald Trump had rejected the doctrine of ‘containment’ of China, and signalled that Washington and Beijing will be the main pillars of a more inclusive international system.
Nepal scraps $2.5 billion hydropower plant deal with the Chinese company
Nepal has scrapped a $2.5 billion deal with China Gezhouba Group Corporation to build the country’s biggest hydropower plant.
- In June a Maoist-dominated coalition government awarded a contract to China Gezhouba Group Corporation to build a 1,200 MW plant on the Budhi Gandaki River.
- Kathmandu clears a 750 MW project to be built on the West Seti River in the western part of the country.
Capital: Kathmandu
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Currency: Nepalese rupee
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Prime minister: Sher Bahadur Deuba
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Panama’s president to travel to China to meet Xi Jinping
Panama’s President Juan Carlos Varela will travel to China to meet with his counterpart Xi Jinping.
- The bilateral meeting will serve to establish a new economic, trade, tourist and diplomatic outlook for the country.
- Panama president Juan Carlos Varela will inaugurate Panama’s first embassy in China.
Capital: Panama City
Currency - Panamanian Balboa
President Juan Carlos Varela
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Many UNESCO natural sites are in danger
Climate change imperils one in four UN-listed natural heritage sites, including coral reefs, glaciers, and wetlands — nearly double the number from just three years ago, a report said on Monday.
- The number of UNESCO natural sites at risk has grown to 62 from 35 in 2014, when one in seven were listed, according to the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN), which released the report at UN climate talks in Bonn, Germany.
- The report found that 29% of UNESCO natural sites faced “significant” threats, and 7% — including the Everglades National Park in the United States and Lake Turkana in Kenya — had a “critical” outlook.
- Three World Heritage-listed coral reefs — the Aldabra Atoll in the Indian Ocean, the Belize Barrier Reef in the Atlantic, and Australia’s Great Barrier Reef, the biggest on Earth — have been affected by “devastating” bleaching events over the last three year
Food prices spur CPI inflation to 3.58%
Retail inflation accelerated to 3.58% in October on the back of rising food and fuel prices, according to official data released by the Ministry of Statistics and Programme Implementation on Monday.
- Inflation as measured by the Consumer Price Index (CPI) was 3.28% in September and as low as 1.46% in June. The food and beverages component of CPI saw a growth of 2.26% in October, the fastest pace since March, and up from 1.76% in September. This was mainly driven by a sharp uptick in vegetable prices.
- Inflation in the fuel and light segment came in at 6.36%, up from 5.56% in September.
Inflation is a sustained increase in the general price level of goods and services in an economy over a period of time.
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Alibaba’s BigBasket bid at CCI
Chinese e-commerce major Alibaba has sought the approval of the Competition Commission of India (CCI) for acquiring a stake in online grocery platform, BigBasket.
- The proposed combination relates to the acquisition and purchase of shares of Supermarket Grocery Supplies (SGS - the entity that runs BigBasket) by Alibaba Singapore.
Owner: Jack Ma
CEO: Daniel Zhang
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Air India gets Rs 1,500 crore loan from Bank of India
Debt-laden Air India has received a loan worth of Rs 1,500 crore from Bank of India to meet urgent working capital needs.
- For the second time in recent months, the flagship carrier has received loans from a public-sector lender.
- Battling multiple headwinds, the disinvestment-bound airline has been working on ways to reduce its debt.
- Air India is the flag carrier airline of India. It is owned by Air India Limited, a government-owned enterprise.
Air India CEO: Rajiv Bansal
Bank of India: Headquarters: Mumbai; CEO: Dinabandhu Mohapatra
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Vijay Upadhyaya first Indian composer to perform classical Western music on Chinese themes
Vijay Upadhyaya will be the first Indian to compose classical western music on Chinese cultural themes.
- He will be presenting his 60-member orchestra at a Beijing auditorium.
- China National Symphony Orchestra and Chorus is sponsoring the composition which Upadhyaya will present.
Kenneth Juster sworn in as new US Ambassador to India
Kenneth Juster was sworn in as the US Ambassador to India. Vice President Mike Pence administered the oath of office to Juster in Washington.
- His work related to India played an important role in the transformation of the US-India relationship and helped provide the foundation for the historic civil nuclear agreement between the two countries.
- He played a key role in enhancing the Indo-US ties under the George W Bush administration.
Will lead talks on Ayodhya, says Sri Sri
Art of Living founder Sri Sri Ravi Shankar said on Monday that he would travel to Ayodhya and open talks with stakeholders in the Ram Janmabhoomi-Babri Masjid dispute on November 16.
- He made the announcement on the sidelines of his lecture to the students of Jawaharlal Nehru University
Mumbai to host Asian Bankers Association summit
Mumbai is to host the 34th annual conference of the Asian Bankers Association (ABA) on 16th and 17th November 2017.
- The summit will be hosted by State Bank.
- The theme for this year’s summit is ‘Asia’s turn to transform’.
- This year summit mainly based discuss the impact of the ongoing global downturn on the outlook of the Asian economies, economic consequences of the Brexit in March 2019 on Asia, the America-first policy of the Trump administration, implications of fintech on banks.
Italy goalkeeper Buffon ends the international career
Italy goalkeeper Gianluigi Buffon confirms he was ending his international career after the four-time champions failed to reach the World Cup for the first time in 60 years.
- Buffon played his 175th and final game for Italy as they lost 1-0 on aggregate in a play-off by Sweden.
- Buffon made his debut for the Azzurri as a 19-year-old in a 1998 World Cup play-off victory over Russia.
- He will become the first man to play in six World Cups if he hasn’t retired from football.
Pakistan’s Saeed Ajmal retires from all cricket
Pakistan spinner Saeed Ajmal announced his retirement from all forms of cricket.
- Ajmal was once celebrated as the world’s number one bowler in ODI and Twenty20 cricket and was almost as successful in Tests.
- He finished his career with 184 wickets in 113 ODIs, and 85 in 64 Twenty20 Internationals.
