Current Affairs Update 26 November 2018
Current Affairs is an important part for many exams. Be prepared for this section with ByScoop which brings all the important Current Affairs in one place. 26 November 2018
Global Agriculture and Food Summit 2018 to be held in Ranchi, Jharkhand
- Ranchi, Jharkhand will host the 2-day Global Agriculture and Food Summit at Khelgaon on November 29, 2018.
- Seven countries including China, Israel, Malaysia and Tunisia will attend the event. The focus of the summit will be organic farming.
- The theme of the event is REDEFINING AGRICULTURE, RESHAPING LIVES.
190 countries to participate in World Expo 2020 to be hosted by Dubai
- World Expo 2020 will be held in Dubai. It is also known by name Expo 2020 Dubai. A total of 190 countries are expected to participate in th event
- Theme of the event: Connecting Minds, Creating the Future (three subthemes: Mobility, Sustainability, and Opportunity.)
- The ambition of Expo 2020 Dubai is to create a worldwide discussion platform and a true springboard for creativity through innovative pavilions and activities.
India and ADB sign $200 Million Loan to improve State Highways in Bihar
- The Asian Development Bank (ADB) and the Government of India signed a $200 million loan to finance widening and upgrading of about 230 Kilometers State Highways in Bihar
Akhilesh Ranjan to head task force on direct tax code
- Government has appointed CBDT Member Akhilesh Ranjan as the head of the task force that is drafting a new direct tax law for the country.
- The government had constituted the six-member task force in November 2017 to draft a new direct tax law in consonance with the economic needs of the country with Arbind Modi as its head and Girish Ahuja, Rajiv Memani, Mukesh Patel, Mansi Kedia and G.C. Srivastava as members.
- However as Arbind Modi retired in September 2018, Akhilesh Rajan has been appointed as the new head. The Task Force shall submit its report to the Government by February 28, 2019.
RBI reduces hedging provision for external commercial borrowings to 70%
- The Reserve Bank of India (RBI) has relaxed the norms for external commercial borrowings (ECBs) by reducing the mandatory hedging provision to 70 per cent from the current 100 per cent.
- The relaxed norms will apply to the ECBs with a maturity period between 3 and 5 years
PAISA- Portal for Processing Interest Subvention on Bank Loans to Beneficiaries Launched
- A centralized electronic platform for processing interest subvention on bank loans to beneficiaries under Deendayal Antyodaya Yojana – National Urban Livelihoods Mission (DAY-NULM) named “PAiSA – Portal for Affordable Credit and Interest Subvention Access”, was launched in New Delhi on November 26, 2018.
- The web platform has been designed and developed by Allahabad Bank which is the Nodal bank.
- All 35 states / UTs & all scheduled commercial banks, RRBs and Cooperative Banks are expected to be on board the PAiSA portal the year end.
Vice President lays Foundation Stone for Kartapur Corridor
- The Vice President of India, Shri M. Venkaiah Naidu laid the foundation stone for construction of Indian side of proposed Kartarpur Corridor between India and Pakistan at Mann village in Gurdaspur district of Punjab.
- The border corridor will connect Dera Baba Nanak in Gurdaspur district to the Gurdwara Darbar Sahib situated at Kartarpur in Narowal district of Pakistan, 120 km from Lahore but only three kilometres from the Indian side of the border.
- Dera Baba Nanak – Kartapur Sahib corridor will facilitate the crossing of Indian Sikh pilgrims to visit the holy site of Gurudwara Darbar Sahib at Kartarpur in Pakistan.
India’s first Hyper Converged Infrastructure State Data Centre inaugurated in Uttarakhand
- Uttarakhand Chief Minister Trivendra Singh Rawat inaugurated the country’s first Hyper Converged Infrastructure State Data Centre in Dehradun, Uttarakhand.
- This datacenter will facilitate the completion of projects in a time-bound manner and now all information related to government departments will be available at one place.
- It is the first data centre in the country with 100 per cent software-based Hyper Converged Infrastructure (HCI) technology. The data centre has 105 terabyte form, which can be expanded up to 12 petabyte.
Delhi becomes the first city in the country to open up transit data of city buses
- Delhi has become the first city in the country to open up transit data of city buses- www.otd.delhi.gov.in. Delhi bus commuters will now be able to spot locations of cluster buses at intervals of 10 seconds with the help of open transit data (OTD)
- It will provide static and real time data through the website, including geo-coordinates of bus stops, route maps, timetables, and real time GPS feeds of bus locations every 10 seconds
‘HAUSLA-2018’ inaugurated in New Delhi
- The National Festival for Children of Child Care Institutions (CCIs)- “Hausla 2018” was inaugurated on November 26 in New Delhi.
- The Secretary, Ministry of Women and Child Development (MWCD), Shri Rakesh Srivastava inaugurated the 4 day event that will take place from 26 to 29 November 2018.
- The theme for the event is “Child Safety”.
- The inter-Child Care Institution festival will witness participation of more than 600 Children drawn from CCIs from 18 states in the various events like painting competition, athletics meet, football, chess competition and speech writing as part of the Festival.
Odisha CM launches public bicycle sharing project & app ‘Mo Cycle’
- Odisha Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik launched a public bicycle sharing project and a mobile app ahead of the Men’s Hockey World Cup tournament.
- The bicycle sharing project and the mobile app is named ‘Mo Cycle’.
- About 2000 MO CYCLES will be operated by three leading vendors, Hero-Hexi, Yaana, and Yulu, at about 400 plus Mo Cycle stations around the city.
Andhra CM launches Rs 85160 cr project to link Godavari-Pennar rivers
- Andhra Pradesh Chief Minister N Chandrababu Naidu launched a Rs 85,160-crore project to link Godavari with Pennar rivers to supply water to drought affected region.
- It is a part of the government’s overall plan to link five main rivers in the state: Godavari, Krishna, Nagavali, Vamsadhara and Pennar. Godavari and Krishna rivers have already been linked in 2016
Azim Premji to be conferred highest French civilian award
- Indian businessman and chairman of Wipro, Azim Premji will be conferred Chevalier de la Legion d’Honneur (Knight of the Legion of Honour) — the highest French civilian distinction.
- Alexandre Ziegler, Ambassador of France to India, will confer the award to Premji
Lewis Hamilton wins Abu Dhabi GP; Spain’s Fernando Alonso announces retirement
- British driver Lewis Hamilton (Mercedes) won the season-ending Abu Dhabi Grand Prix 2018 with Sebastian Vettel in second and Max Verstappen at third.
- Spain’s Fernando Alonso (Mclaren) announced retiremnt from F1 racing.
Croatia beat France to win the Davis Cup title
- Croatian tennis player Marin Cilic has defeated France’s Lucas Pouille 7-6 (7-3), 6-3, 6-3 to win the 2018 Davis Cup (107th edition) for Croatia.
- This is the second win for Croatia in Davis Cup the last one being in 2005.
Netherlands defeats Australia to win the FIH Women’s Hockey Champions Trophy 2018
- The Netherlands outclassed Australia 5-1 to win its seventh Women’s Hockey Champions Trophy held in Changzhou (China) in the Wujin Hockey Stadium .
- This was the 43 straight win in Hockey Matches for Netherlands.
- Argentina were the bronze medallists.
National Milk Day: 26 November
- National Milk Day is observed on 26 November.
- National Milk Day is dedicated to Dr Verghese Kurien who was the architect of Operation Flood (1970), the programme which led India from being 50th in the world in terms of milk production to become the largest producer in just a couple of decades.
- Dr. Varghese Kurien is the founder of dairy firm Amul.
Indian Constitution Day: November 26
- The President of India, Shri Ram Nath Kovind, inaugurated the Indian Constitution Day celebrations on November 26, 2018 in New Delhi, organised by the Supreme Court, to mark the anniversary of the adoption of our Constitution.
- On 26 November 1949, the Constituent Assembly of India adopted the Constitution of India, and it came into effect on 26 January 1950.