Current Affairs December 07, 2018

It is celebrated on December 7 every year to spread awareness of civil aviation among the people of the international civil aviation day. Theme: Working Together to Ensure No Country is Left Behind

• The 23rd International Film Festival of Kerala (IFFK) 2018 will commence in Thiruvananthapuram.
• Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis has launched a unique initiative called "Smart", which is for the agricultural business and rural changes of the state of Maharashtra.
• Electronics and IT Minister Ravi Shankar Prasad launched the National Challenge - "Ideas for India - Creative Solutions by Using Technology for School Students in New Delhi"
• The US Senate and the House of Representatives have passed legislation that will allow the government to fund the shutdown for the next two weeks.
• Trump agreed to suspend plans to increase tariff of 10 percent to 25 percent on the value of $ 200 billion Chinese products within the next 90 days.
• United Nations Secretary-General Antonio Guterres has launched a new framework to deal with the crisis of international terrorism and to coordinate efforts in peace and security, humanitarian, human rights and sustainable development areas.
• President Rodrigo Duette asked MLAs to expand martial law in southern Philippines by the end of next year to end continuous violence in the rest of the region.
• Export-Import Bank of India (EXIM Bank) has increased the credit facility of US $ 500 million to Tanzania for water supply projects in the country.
• Krishnamurti Subramaniam - New Chief Economic Advisor
• The shipping ministry has approved the development of a freight in Varanasi around the Inland Waterways Terminal on the Ganges River.
• India has strongly opposed Pakistan's informed move to declare Gilgit-Baltistan as its fifth province.
• The headquarter of Gujarat, Daman and Diu Naval Area has organized a bicycle campaign from Khukari Memorial in the Diu from INS Dwarka-Okha.
• Minister of State for Home, Kiren Rijju inaugurated the 19th All India Police (AIPDM) Shooting Competition -2018 in Gururgram Manesar, Haryana.

Current Affairs December 06, 2018

President of India, Shri Ram Nath Kovind, Desh Ratna Babasaheb Dr.B.R. In order to offer Ambedkar a tribute on 63rd Mahaparinirvan Divas, he led the country.

• Kolkata-Patna became India's second container cargo area on inland waterways.
• Union Minister of Agriculture and Farmer Welfare Shri Radha Mohan Singh laid foundation stone of Pusa Kisan Haat in ICAR's Agricultural Technology Information Center (ATIC) in New Delhi.
• Social Justice and Empowerment Minister Thawwandand Gehlot in the media study to train Dalit and tribal youth, Dr. BR Ambedkar opened nationwide admission to the School of Media Empowerment.
• South Korea and the Democratic People's Republic of Korea (DPRK) have agreed to verify the pilot clearance of guard positions in the inter-Korean border region.
• The Reserve Bank said that this would reduce the statutory liquidity ratio by 0.25 percent every quarter beginning January next year.
• In order to ensure greater transparency, the Reserve Bank has proposed that floating interest rates on personal, home, auto and MSME loans will be linked to external standards such as repo rates or treasury yields.
• Ministry of Commerce and Industry and the Department of Industrial Policy and Promotion (DIPP) in Goa Government is hosting the annual Startup India Venture Capital Summit in Goa on December 07, 2018.
• Preeti Saran - elected for the Asia Pacific seat on the United Nations Committee on Economic, Social and Cultural Rights (CESCR).
• Under the chairmanship of Prime Minister Shri Narendra Modi, the Union Cabinet was apprised of the Memorandum of Understanding between India and Tajikistan for peaceful use of outer space.
• Under the chairmanship of Prime Minister Shri Narendra Modi, the Union Cabinet has given its approval for the cooperation between India and Zimbabwe in the field of earthquake, mining and mineral resources, with prior approval.
• Under the chairmanship of Prime Minister Shri Narendra Modi, the Union Cabinet was apprised of the agreement between India and Algeria on cooperation in the field of space science, technology and applications.
• Under the chairmanship of Prime Minister Shri Narendra Modi, the Cabinet approved the cooperation agreement between India and Japan for cooperation in the postal sector.
• Under the Chairmanship of Prime Minister Shri Narendra Modi, the Union Cabinet was apprised of the Memorandum of Understanding between India and the United States on scientific and technical cooperation in Earth Sciences.
• Under the chairmanship of Prime Minister Shri Narendra Modi, the Union Cabinet was apprised of the agreement between India and Uzbekistan on the cooperation of external space for the discovery of outer space and for peaceful purpose.
• Under the chairmanship of Prime Minister Shri Narendra Modi, the Union Cabinet was made aware of the agreement between India and Morocco for peaceful use of outer space.
• Under the chairmanship of Prime Minister Shri Narendra Modi, the Union Cabinet was apprised of the Memorandum of Understanding between India and Russia under the Human Space Flight Program.
• Under the chairmanship of Prime Minister Shri Narendra Modi, the MOU was issued to the Union Cabinet regarding the issue of joint stamps between India and Armenia on a Memorandum of Understanding.
• Under the chairmanship of Prime Minister Shri Narendra Modi, the Union Cabinet was apprised of the Memorandum of Understanding between India and France in the field of energy efficiency / energy conservation.
• Under the chairmanship of Prime Minister Narendra Modi, the Union Cabinet today approved the MoU between Kanagawa Prefectural of India and Japan Government in the field of health care and health.
• In view of the recent devastating floods in the state, the Center approved additional assistance of more than Rs 3048 crore to Kerala.
• As part of military diplomacy and interaction between India and China's armies, maneuvers are organized every year in hand-in-hand.
• Indian Coast Guard has organized a regional level marine oil pollution reaction exercise called 'San Sagar-2018' in the sea from Port Blair.
• The books "The Republican Ethic" and "Voices of Democracy" (elected Speech of President Shri Ram Nath Kovind) will be started by Shri Venkaiah Naidu, India's Vice President.

Current Affairs December 05, 2018

World Soil Day is celebrated every year on December 5 by regional offices and national and local events at the UN Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) headquarters in Rome.

• The United Nations General Assembly decided to celebrate International Volunteer Day in December 1985. The General Assembly passed a resolution and announced the celebration of 5th December every year as International Volunteer Day. International Voluntary Day of the United Nations was celebrated by the United Nations in 2001.
• After the division of fixed assets of the family, the Bihar government has fixed Rs 100 for people to register their property.
• Gujarat Chief Minister Vijay Rupani has approved a grant of Rs 50 lakh to the UGC and Rs. 50 crore for science and technology innovation (STI) to provide assistance to the AICTE recognized central and state universities and colleges.
• National Rail Museum and Wax Museum of Madame Tussaud Delhi NCR have joined the tourists to provide a combo offer.
• In the South Pacific there was a powerful undercurrent earthquake with an intensity of 7.5 from the eastern coast of New Caledonia.
• The United States has warned Russia that if Moscow does not eliminate missiles within 60 days, then it will be withdrawn from a major Cold War treaty which limits mid-range nuclear weapons.
• The United States has re-established "permanent diplomatic presence" for the first time in 27 years in Somalia.
• Reserve Bank of India announces fifth bi-monthly monetary policy statement for 2018-19
• Jharkhand Skill Development Mission Society and FICCI are jointly organizing one-day industry engagement program in New Delhi. Event theme Skill in Jharkhand: Skilling for Future
• Lok Sabha Speaker Sumitra Mahajan has convened an all-party meeting on 11th December to ensure the smooth functioning of the Lower House.
• The Ministry of Women and Child Development is preparing guidelines for the hostels of children, which determines the minimum standards of care provided to children.
• Former India opener Gautam Gambhir has announced retirement from all forms of cricket.
• Australia defeated England 3-0 at the Kalinga Stadium of Bhubaneswar.
• Delhi Daredevils' name was changed to Delhi capitals

Current Affairs December 04, 2018

Navy Day in India is celebrated on December 4 every year to celebrate the achievements and role of naval force in the country.

• The second meeting of the NITI Forum for the North East is being organized in Guwahati.
• President of India, Shri Ram Nath Kovind, presented wreath to former President of India, Shri R. Venkataraman at the Rashtrapati Bhavan on December 4, 2018.
• Qatar has announced its decision to leave the Organization of Petroleum Exporting Countries (OPEC) and pay more attention to the production of natural gas from January next year.
• The United Nations Security Council will meet on the Iran missile launch issue. After accusing Iran of a medium-range missile test-firing at the weekend, the World Organization is meeting on request from France and Britain.
• The new simplified GST return forms will be introduced from April 1 next year.
• Ministry of Petroleum and Natural Gas clarified that there is no proposal to change DBT system for subsidy transfers to domestic LPG consumers. At present, cash subsidy has been transferred to LPG consumers' bank account under PHHL scheme.
• Over 80 delegates from 11 countries in Uttar Pradesh are participating in the International Conference on the Bear in Agra.
• Union Home Secretary Mr. Rajeev Gauba has said that the Government aims to make the visa system free from obstacles and make foreign tourists and tourists happy in the country.
• Central Water Resources, River Development and Ganga Conservation Minister, Shri Nitin Gadkari will inaugurate the India Water Effects Conference-2012, which will be held in New Delhi between 5 to 7 December 2018.
• A two-day conference on partnership between the European Union and India for cultural heritage conservation began in New Delhi.
• Mr. A. N. Jha - Finance Secretary
• The Chief Minister of Nagaland, Mr. Nefiyu Rio, was the Minister of State for Tourism (Independent Charge) Mr. K.J. in Kisama Heritage Village in Nagaland. Tourism, Art and Culture Adviser of Alphonse and Nagaland, Mr. H. Kahovoi will inaugurate the project 'Tribal Circuit Development: Perran-Kohima-Wokha' in the presence of Yeptemi.
• The Center and Asian Development Bank (ADB) have signed a loan of $ 85 million for improving the skill development environment system in Odisha.
• India and the United Arab Emirates signed an MoU on currency swaps and MoUs for development cooperation in Africa.
• Men's 2018 Ballon DOR Award - Croatian Midfielder Luca Modric
• Women's Ballon DOR Award - Norwegian striker Eda Hagerberg [first named]
• Pawan Singh became the first Indian to be elected one of seven members of the International Shooting Sports Federation (ISSF) Judge Committee.
• Maheshwari Chauhan of Rajasthan retained his women's skit title in the 62nd national shooting championship competition (NSCC) for shotgun events in Jaipur.

Current Affairs December 03, 2018

Mr. Ravindra Kumar Verma - technical member in the Appellate Tribunal for Electricity.

The National Women Commission will help in the livelihood program for women especially in the North-East, especially through skill development and special training so that they can be empowered and run their livelihood.

In order to improve skill development ecosystem in Odisha and to set up World Skill Center (WSC) in Bhubaneswar, Government of India and Asian Development Bank (ADB) signed a $ 85 million loan letter on December 3, 2018.

X-Cope India-18 is the fourth edition of a series of bilateral joint exercises organized between Indian Air Force and USAF, which will be held in India. This is the first time that this exercise is being organized in the two Air Force bases- Kalkunda and Panagarh from 03 to 14 December 2018.

In Wrestling, Vineesh Fogat won the national title of 57kg in the Tata Motors Senior National Championship in Gonda, Uttar Pradesh. Sakshi Malik won 62 kg

In Badminton, young shuttler Laxman Sen entered the men's singles event of 11th Tata Open India International Challenge in Mumbai.

Atllawme Debbe of Ethiopia won the full marathon with 2 hours 17 minutes and 17 seconds time. Teshome Getacu claimed the second and the Békéle Esefa at third place.

The full marathon of women from Kenya stood for 2 hours 50 minutes and 27 seconds for the first time in Pascalia Chepococcus. Ethiopian Bellev meconon and Fakede Tillhun won the second and third positions.

India and Belgium draw 2-2 in men's hockey World Cup in their second group match in Bhubaneswar.

Current Affairs December 02

On December 2, 'International Abolition Abolition Day was celebrated all over the world.

• The first country to end slavery - 1807, crosses the abolition of Britain's Slave Trade Act. Slavery is still legal in a country like Mauritania.
• December 3 is World Disabled Day. This day is an international ritual promoted by the United Nations since 1992.
• 2018 Theme: Empowering persons with disability and equality
• One of the world's worst industrial catastrophes in which methyl isocyanate killed more than 15,000 people after leaking from Union Carbide India Limited (UCIL) insecticide plant on December 2-3, 1984.
• President of India, Shri Ram Nath Kovind, presented wreath to the first President of India, Dr. Rajendra Prasad on 3rd December, 2018 at the Rashtrapati Bhawan.
• On its first flight, three astronauts, including two astronauts, have been scheduled to launch at the International Space Station (ISS) for a four-and-a-half-month mission.
• According to the figures released by the Central Statistics Office, India's economy grew 7.1 percent in the second quarter of 2018-19.
• The United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC) has begun the 24th meeting of the Conference of Parties (COP-24) in Katowice, Poland.
• Theme - 'One World One Sun One Grid'
• The Asia Pacific Summit -2018 begins in Kathmandu, Nepal's capital.
• Theme - "Addressing the Critical Challenges of Our Time: Interdependence, Mutual Prosperity, and Universal Values".
• Union Minister of Finance and Corporate Affairs Shri Arun Jaitley addressed the inaugural session of the 80th session of Planning Commission of the World Trade Organization, Mumbai on December 3, 2018.
• Andres Manuel Lopez Obrador - President of Mexico
• Mr. Sunil Arora - New Chief Election Commissioner of India [23rd Chief Election Commissioner (CEC)]

Current Affairs December 01, 2018

December 01 - World AIDS Day, 2018 "Know your status" topic for World AIDS Day.

• December 01 - Nagaland State Day, on this day, in 1963, Nagaland was declared the 16th state of the Indian Union.
• Union Transport Minister, Surface Transport and Ganga Rejuvenation Nitin Gadkari inaugurated the second edition of the Khasar Festival in God Deshmukh College of Physical Education in Nagpur.
• The Maharashtra government will implement the seventh pay commission from January 1, 2019.
• The Tamil Nadu government has announced an increase in health insurance coverage annually from the current Rs 2 lakh to Rs 5 lakh annually against the Center's Ayushman Bharat Scheme.
• International Roerich Memorial Trust is playing an important role in enjoying faith and peaceful relations by Russia and India. The State Government will provide all possible assistance to develop the Roerich Art Gallery as the center of art and culture.
• Union Home Minister Rajnath Singh will inaugurate the 19th Hornbill Festival in Kisama village near Kohima, the state capital in Nagaland.
• Among the concerns about the rule of law and the status of democracy, Romania became the Romania to celebrate 100 years as Romania became a modern state.
• Former US President George H. W. Bush, who helped run the U.S. till the end of the Cold War, died at the age of 94.
• The United States Administration has proposed major changes in the H-1B application process.
• President Ramnath Kovind inaugurated the 13th International Agricultural Fair-Agrotech India-2012, organized by the Confederation of Indian Industry (CII) in Chandigarh on 1 December 2018.
• The first conference of Directorate General of Armed Forces Medical Services was organized on medical services related to the Army.
• The senders of Indian borders with Border Security Force, BSF, Pakistan and Bangladesh are celebrating their 54th gathering day.
• The Armed Forces Week is starting from 1 December 2018 and ends on December 7.
• Magnus Carlsen defeats Karuna in a tie breaker to keep the world champion title alive.

Current Affairs Nov 30, 2018

Goa's Health Minister, Vishwajit Rane said that the state government will establish a Center of Excellence for HIV care till December 2019.

• The Maharashtra Legislative Assembly passed a bill proposed by the 16 percent reservation for the Marathas under unanimous social, educational and economically backward classes.
• The UK Government has confirmed an amendment in a new weapon bill going through Parliament to ensure that it does not affect the rights of the British Sikh community to keep the rays or religious swords possessed and supplied Will do
• Fifty-one pilot whale stranded in New Zealand died, 145 pilot whales and nine piggy killer whales died in one place after another week.
• World Health Organization, WHO said that Congo's deadly Ebola outbreak is now the second largest in history, behind the disastrous West Africa outbreak, which had died thousands of years ago.
• Kimberley Process Certification Scheme (KPCS) was organized in full 2018, Brussels, Belgium from 12th to 16th November 2018.
• In the government 100 future leaders in the world - the UK-based global policy platform Apolitical for public jobs has shown Andhra Pradesh IT and Panchayat Raj minister Nara Lokesh as one of the government's most influential young people in the world.
• President of India, Shri Ram Nath Kovind inaugurated the Second International Ambedkar Conference (November 30, 2018) in New Delhi as part of the memory of the Constitution Day.
• The Policy Commission organizes a dialogue on the health system for new India.
• Ajay Bhushan Pandey - Revenue Secretary
• To connect with the farmers, the Karnataka government will start the 'Rayaar Miyalli State Government' program from December.

Current Affairs November 29, 2018

Current Affairs November 29, 2018 - One Line

• On November 29, the United Kingdom is celebrated as a Memorial Day, in which the martyrdom of Imirati is recognized for the sacrifice and dedication, who gave their lives in civil, military and humanitarian services.
• University Grants Commission, UGC has decided to set up a union of academic and research ethics (Carey), which will prepare a new list of reliable quality magazines in non-science subjects.
• In Uttar Pradesh, the first training center for the environment friendly Ganga friends started to measure pollution level in the Ganga in Banaras Hindu University and helped the government in many ways to keep the holy river clean.
• The European Union has urged the government, businesses, citizens and areas to cut emissions and join an ambitious plan to make the block carbon neutral by 2050.
• South Korea launches a rocket engine test to decide the path for the development of its space launch vehicle.
• Indian Space Research Organization (ISRO) Polar Satellite Launch Vehicle (PSLV-C43) successfully launched 31 Satellites from Satish Dhawan Space Center (SDSC) in Sriharikota.
• Finance Minister Arun Jaitley will present the interim budget for the year 2019-20 on February 1 next year.
• The United Nations Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) renewed appeal for better policies and technologies to reach zero hunger around the world.
• In Gandhi Darshan New Delhi, the great granddaughter of Mahatma Gandhi, Shri Krishna G. Kulkarni inaugurated the three-day 'South Asia Regional Youth Peace Conference'.
• The Dutch Government provides help for the Dockyard redevelopment and digital technology projects in the Second Indo-Dutch Port Forum organized by the Indian Merchants Chamber in Mumbai in Mumbai Port Trust.
• Arvind Saxena - President of Union Public Service Commission
• 8 states have achieved 100% saturation in small electrification between Madhya Pradesh, Tripura, Bihar, Jammu and Kashmir, Mizoram, Sikkim, Telangana and West Bengal.
• The government has started a unique initiative called Linga Sangam to introduce students in 22 Indian languages.
• India and China have signed a protocol on sanitation and inspection requirements for export in New Delhi.
• In Uttar Pradesh, a joint military exercise of 11 days between India and Russia ended in Babina Military Station, Jhansi.

Current Affairs Nov 28, 2018

Union Home Minister Shri Rajnath Singh launches emergency response support system (ERSS) for Himachal Pradesh in Mandi.

• Maharashtra Legislative Assembly to get Deputy Speaker after the longest interval of four years. The elections will be held on November 30.
• Mr. Hardeep Singh Puri, Minister of State (I / C) Housing and Urban Affairs will review the progress of urban mission in eight states of North-Eastern region on December 1, 2018.
• Indian Railways announced that it will transport relief material free of cost to the cyclone affected districts of Tamil Nadu by December 10.
• Countdown began for the launch of PSLV-C43, the national space agency ISRO's Polar Satellite Launch Vehicle.
• With the aim of creating a profile of India's startup sector, the Reserve Bank has started a survey to measure its scope of business, profitability and workforce.
• In the ICC Women's T20 International Player Rankings, Indian captain Harmanpreet Kaur entered the top five and reached number three position.
• To participate in the 13th G-20 Summit, Prime Minister Narendra Modi will leave for Argentina's capital, Buenos Aires.
• 2018 Topics - Building Consensus for a Fair and Sustainable Development
• Shri Nitin Gadkari, Minister of Shipping, Road Transport and Highways, Water Resources, River Development and Ganga Conservation, was addressed in the continuous Blue Economy Conference in Nairobi.
• The Saudi-India trade meeting was organized with the Saudi Chamber's Council during the visit of the Indian Saudi and Housing delegation to Saudi Arabia.
• Dr. Anand Gupta is organizing the second bi-annual National Conference of Smriti Lectures and Heads of Investigation Agencies in Police Research and Development Bureau (BPR & D) New Delhi.
• Sunil Arora - Chief Election Commissioner
• M. Nike - President of National Skill Development Corporation
• A five-day exhibition was inaugurated on "Our vote-our future" organized by the Regional Outreach Bureau of Information and Broadcasting Ministry, Telangana, Hyderabad.
• Asian Development Bank ADB will provide a loan of 75 million dollars for the water supply project in four coastal towns of Karnataka.
• Ministry of Housing and Urban Affairs has approved the construction of more than two lakh affordable houses for the benefit of the urban poor under the Prime Minister's Accommodation Scheme (Urban).
• The title of the Chess World Championship will be decided by fast tiebreaker games in London, which will be decided between Norway's world champion Magnus Carlsen and the American challenger Fabiano Caruana.
• The Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) has doubled the restriction for age fraud.
• Men's Hockey World Cup, India will fight with South Africa in Bhubaneswar

Current Affairs November 27, 2018

In Arunachal Pradesh, on November 28 and 29th, a multi-cultural social program "Friendship Diwa" will be organized in Tawang.

• In Arunachal Pradesh, the first Arunachal literature festival will be held from November 28 to November 30 at the Dorjee Khandu Convention Center of Itanagar.
• Bihar Chief Minister Nitish Kumar unveiled a 70-feet tall statue of Lord Buddha in Rajgir of Nalanda district.
• India's premier National Research Laboratory, Scientific and Industrial Research Council - Micro-Institute of Technology (CSIR-Imtech) announced that it will set up a high skill development center in Chandigarh with Merck, a leading science and technology company in Germany.
• Nagaland Chief Minister Nifu Rio introduced state tourism police in police headquarters in Kohima. To present the tourist police, Nagaland became the second state in the North East.
• Union Minister of Commerce & Industry and Civil Aviation, Shri Suresh Prabhu has issued a brochure along with the logo (logos) of Logics India 2019 in New Delhi.
• The Nepal Government has launched a social security scheme for the workers of the formal sector of the country.
• British Prime Minister Theresa May announced that the last vote on the Treaty of the European Union (EU) will be on December 11.
• Romania strongly supports India's proposal to the United Nations for a comprehensive conference on International Terrorism (CCIT).
• National Project Construction Corporation Limited (NPCC) has been awarded category of category: Category-1 of the Miniratna by the Government of India.
• The United Nations has chosen Noida and Greater Noida in Uttar Pradesh to participate in its Global Sustainable Cities 2025 initiative.
• A five-day exhibition was inaugurated on "Our vote-our future" organized by the Regional Outreach Bureau of Information and Broadcasting Ministry, Telangana, Hyderabad.
• Government of India and Asian Development Bank (ADB) sign $ 75 million loan to improve urban services in 4 Karnataka cities.
• Harmanpreet Kaur named the captain of ICC Women's World Twenty20 XI, including openers Smriti Mandana and leg-spinner Poonam Yadav.

Current Affairs Nov 26

Voters in Taiwan passed a referendum asking whether marriage is limited to one person and one woman, LGBT is a jolt for couples, hoping that their island will be the first place in Asia, so that same sex couples will be detained by the child and Can be able to share insurance benefits.

The European Investment Bank (EIB) said that it would extend its support for India's wind power projects by expanding existing loan programs with SBI.

The Asian Development Bank (ADB) and the Indian government signed a loan of 200 million US dollars in Bihar for the expansion and upgradation of all weather parameters with road safety facilities.

Under the Deendayal Antyodaya Yojana, "PAISA - Portal for Cheap Credit and Interest Subvention Access" was launched, called the National Urban Livelihood Mission (DAE-NULM) - a centralized electronic platform for interest subvention processing on bank loan to the beneficiaries.

Ms. Preeti Sudan, Union Health Secretary launched the Integrated Pathological Surveillance Program (IDSP) segment of Integrated Health Information Platform (IHIP) in seven states.

The portal is playing an important role in connecting farmers, breeders and other agencies for doing business in disease free germplasm, i.e. live animals, frozen semen and embryos.

Anirban Lahiri and Gaganjeet Bhullar are at the 10th place in the Melbourne World Cup of Golf.

Pakistan team arrived in India to play in 2018 hockey World Cup to be held in Bhubaneswar.

Sameer Verma defeated Lu Guangzhou of China in men's singles final to maintain the title in Syed Modi International World Tour Super 300 in Lucknow.

India defeated Australia by six wickets in the third T20 to beat T-20 Series 1-1.

Australia won the fourth Women's World Twenty20 championship in Australia after finishing with eight wickets in the final.

Indian gymnast Deepa Karakarkar won a bronze medal at the Valt Event of Artistic Gymnastics World Cup in Cottbus, Germany.

India's CA Bhavani Devi made history by becoming the first Indian to win the gold medal in the Senior Commonwealth Fencing Championships held in Canberra.

Current Affairs Nov 25

The United Nations General Assembly has nominated the International Day on November 25 to end violence against women.

• 2018 Theme - "Orange the World: # HigherMatu"
• The President of India, Shri Ram Nath Kovind inaugurated the Constitution Day celebrations organized by the Supreme Court on November 26, 1949 (November 26, 2018) to celebrate the anniversary of adopting our Constitution in New Delhi.
• Union Minister of State for Home, Kiren Rijju, will inaugurate the 14th Formation Day of National Disaster Management Authority (NDMA). 2018 Theme - "Initial Warnings for Disasters"
• National Ritual for Children of Child Care Institutions (CCI) - Secretary, New Delhi, Shri Rakesh Srivastava inaugurated the "Hausla 2018" of the Ministry of Women and Child Development (MWCD). 2018 topics - "Child safety".
• To keep the tribal languages ​​disappear in circulation, the Odisha government came out with lectures such as 21 such languages.
• Vice President Venkaiah Naidu laid the foundation stone for the construction of the foundation stone of Darbar Sahib for construction of a visa-free corridor from the Indian side in Kartarpur on 26 November.
• 27 leaders of other EU members approved the conditions for a historic breakfix deal with Britain at a special summit in Brussels on Sunday.
• On the 10th anniversary of the Mumbai terror attacks, the award for the State Department's award (RFJ) program for the year 2008 was $ 5 million for information due to the arrest or conviction of any person involved in making or facilitating the facility. New Rewards Mumbai Attack

NASA has announced end of its historic DAWN mission.

Context

NASA has announced end of its historic DAWN mission.

About

• Dawn was a space probe launched by NASA in September 2007 to study two of the three known proto planets of the asteroid belt, Vesta and Ceres.
• It was the first and only mission to visit both Vesta and Ceres.
• It was also NASA's first deep space mission to use ion propulsion.
• It used three xenon-fueled ion engines for its main source of propulsion beside its maneuvering thrusters which depend on hydrazine.
• DAWN mission was extended 11 years more than its expected life span.
  
  

  PROTO-PLANET: Proto-planets are small celestial objects that are the size of a moon or a bit bigger. They are small planets, like an even smaller version of a dwarf planet. Astronomers believe that these objects form during the creation of a solar system. CRYOVOLCANO: A Cryovolcano (as known as ice volcano) is a type of volcano that erupts volatiles such as water, ammonia or methane, instead of molten rock.

Significance

• Dawn mission gave deep insight on understanding about protoplanets of Asteroid belt. It revealed the irregular relief of Vesta in dramatic detail, mapping it from pole to pole while probing it from core to surface.
• It also gave key insights into the cryovolcanic activity erupting on the surface of Ceres and a look at an active dwarf planet. Between Ceres and Vesta, Dawn explored about 45% (nearly half) of the mass of the main asteroid belt.
  

IPCC REPORT 2018

Context

• The Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) has released a special report on the actions the world needs to take to prevent global average temperatures from rising beyond 1.5°C as compared to pre-industrial times.
• The ‘Special Report on Global Warming of 1.5°C,’ compares the impact of global warming of 1.5 degree C and 2 degree C. It provides details on how the global response to climate change needs to be strengthened within the broader context of sustainable development and continuing efforts to eradicate poverty.
• The reportwill be a key scientific input for the Climate Change Conference in Poland in December 2018, when governments review the Paris Agreement to tackle climate change.

Background

• It was in 2015, at the Paris climate conference, that the global community made a pact to pursue efforts to limit warming to within 1.5°C — half a degree below the previous target of 2°C. With the increase in extreme events and the very survival of small islands at stake, the lower limit was greeted then with surprise and enthusiasm.

IPCC

• It is the international body for assessing the science related to climate change.
• It was set up in 1988 by the World Meteorological Organization (WMO) and United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP) to provide policymakers with regular assessments of the scientific basis of climate change, its impacts and future risks, and options for adaptation and mitigation.
• It assessments provide a scientific basis for governments at all levels to develop climate related policies, and they underlie negotiations at the UN Climate Conference – the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC).

About:

Key Highlights of the Report

• At current rate of emissions, the world is set to breach the global warming limit of 1.5 degrees Celsius between 2030 and 2052. At present, the world is 1.2°C warmer compared to pre-industrial levels.
• Climate change could have “irreversible” and “catastrophic” impacts if the global average temperatures were allowed to rise beyond 2 degrees Celsius. Climate-related risks for natural and human systems are higher.
• There could be progressive worsening of extreme weather events as temperature rises.
• The report gave a more comprehensive assessment of the differences in a 1.5C world and 2C world and quantified the carbon dioxide that would need to be removed from the atmosphere to achieve this.
• The international effort to tackle climate change must be accelerated in order to limit global temperature rises.
• The report notes that investment in physical and social infrastructure is a key enabler in enhancing resilience and adaptive capacity.
• Poorly designed or implemented adaptation projects can increase greenhouse gas emissions and water use, increase gender and social inequality, undermine health conditions, and encroach on natural ecosystems.
• Hence, adaptation efforts must pay attention to poverty and sustainable development and these efforts need financial support.
• Adaptation needs have generally been supported by public sector sources, multilateral development banks, NGOs, private funding and UNFCCC channels.
• According to the report, there is a need to integrate Disaster risk management (DRM) and adaptation to reduce vulnerability. The report also identifies “educational adaptation” options which motivate adaptation through building awareness.
• A more participatory approach towards adaptation, especially for vulnerable population will be to formulate adaptation action based on indigenous knowledge. These people are threatened by cultural modification, dispossession of land rights and land grabbing, rapid environmental and social changes. Therefore recognition of indigenous rights, governance systems and laws is central to adaptation, mitigation and sustainable development.
• Involvement of local governments is important too since they enable more participative decision-making and involve wider community in designing and implementing adaptation policies.

What is 1.5-degree C target?

• Since 1990s, countries started discussing climate change and began negotiating an international arrangement for tackling it together.The objective has been to limit rising global average temperatures to within 2°C from pre-industrial times
• Periodic Assessment Reports produced by IPCC, suggest that the impacts of climate change could be “irreversible” and “catastrophic” if the rise in temperature was allowed to go beyond the 2°C ceiling.
• Small island states and the least developed nations are likely to suffer the worst consequences of climate change. These countries negotiated that the goal should be to restrict the temperature rise within 1.5°C from pre-industrial times.
• A 1.5°C target demanded much deeper emission cuts from the big emitters, which in turn required massive deployment of financial and technological resources.
• The Paris Agreement ‘hold’ the increase in global average temperature to “well below” 2°C. It also promised to keep “pursuing efforts” to attain the 1.5°C target.
• Incidentally, the global average temperature has already risen by more than 1°C from pre-industrial times.At the current rate, the 1.5°C limit could be crossed as early as 2040.

How to attain the 1.5 degree target?

• The IPCC report suggests possible pathways to attain the 1.5°C objective.
• It would involve much sharper and quicker emission cuts by big emitters like China, the US, the European Union and India.
• These pathways are likely to be heavily dependent on the success of carbon removal technologies. However, no such technology exists yet but several possibilities are being explored.
  
  

  Carbon Dioxide Removal (CDR) IPCC has presented four pathways through which the 1.5 degree target can be achieved.Each of these pathways is also dependent on some amount of Carbon Dioxide Removal (CDR). CDR is the physical removal of the stock of carbon dioxide from the atmosphere to reduce its concentrations. Technologies for CDR are still undeveloped and untested. According to the report, varying amounts between 100 to 1000 Gigatons of carbon dioxide would need to be removed from the atmosphere.

  Why settling for 1.5 degree target?
  • Research found that limiting global warming to 1.5°C could prevent around 3.3 million cases of dengue every year in Latin America and the Caribbean alone.
  • According to World Bank report, additional 150 million people could be at risk from malaria if the temperature was allowed to increase beyond 2°C.
  • The world could have 25 million fewer undernourished people by the end of the century, if the 1.5°C goal was achieved.
  • 350 million additional people could be exposed to deadly heat waves if the warming increased to 2°C as compared to 1.5°C.
  • A 1.5°C could prevent 153 million premature deaths due to air pollution by 2100, as compared to the 2°C scenario.
  • A UNDP report in 2016 claimed that a 1.5°C strategy could create double the number of jobs in the energy sector by 2050. The world could be 3% wealthier by 2100 in a 1.5°C scenario compared to a 2°C scenario.
  • Extreme weather events such as heavy rainfall and heat waves are likely to become more severe and frequent, and freshwater supply could fall sharply, in a 2°C world.
  Impact on India
  • According to the report, coastal nations and agricultural economies like India would be the worst affected.
  • Decline in crop yields, unprecedented climate extremes and increased susceptibility could push poverty by several million by 2050.
  • SunitaNarain, Director General, CSE in response to the report has remarked - “Even at a little over 1.0°C warming, India is being battered by the worst climate extremes – it is clear that the situation at 1.5°C is going to worsen. The new report from the IPCC has served us a final warning that we must get our act together — now and quickly,”
  • India hadn’t made any scientific contribution — in terms of modelling possible climate change-impact to its agriculture, monsoon, urban dwellings — to this report but gave critical inputs to the scientific basis underlying these assessments.
  Recommendations
  • To limit ourselves to 1.5°C, global net anthropogenic CO2 emissions should reduce by about 45 per cent from 2010 levels by 2030, and should reach net-zero around 2050. Along with it, we also need serious cuts to non-CO2 emissions.
  • Both methane and black carbon need to be reduced by 35 per cent or more of 2010 levels by 2050.
  • Achieving these cuts requires rapid and “far-reaching transitions in energy, land, urban and infrastructure (including transport and buildings), and industrial systems”.It will also require political action and significant scale-up of investment.
  • Average annual investment in low-carbon energy technologies and energy efficiency needs to scale up.
  • Use of coal should reduce steeply and its share in electricity mix should be reduced to close to 0 per cent by 2050. There is a need for a significant fall in the share of oil in energy production by 2050.
  • The industry sector will have to reduce emissions by around 75–90 per cent of 2010 levels by 2050.
  • Real emission reductions can be achieved through a combination of new and existing technologies, including sustainable bio-based feedstocks, product substitution, and carbon capture, utilisation and storage (CCUS).
  • In the land-use sector, some amount of pasture and non-pasture agricultural land for food and feed crops needs to be converted for energy crops.
  Way Forward
  • Limiting global warming to 1.5 degrees would require  in all aspects of society.
  • The IPCC report suggests that while meeting the 1.5°C warming goal is improbable, it is not impossible. Meeting the objectives of the Paris Agreement would inevitably have to involve carbon dioxide removal from the atmosphere.
  • All pathways, which limit global warming to 1.5°C or allow a minimal breach, project the use of carbon dioxide removal (CDR) to the tune of 100–1000 GtCO2eq over this century.
  • It implies that achieving the target purely by reducing emission is extremely improbable; investment will have to move towards active removal through afforestation, carbon capture and storage, and other novel technologies.
  • The IPCC’s role is limited to bringing forth these options; it is now up to governments to decide on how to act.They can start by scaling up ambition on nationally determined contributions.

RECOVERY OF THE OZONE LAYER

Context

• A recent study by UN has confirmed that the ozone layer that shields life from cancer-causing solar rays is recovering at a rate of one to three percent per decade, reversing years of dangerous depletion caused by the release of harmful chemicals.
• Ozone is a molecule comprised of three oxygen atoms that occurs naturally in small amounts.

About

• Earth's ozone layer acts like a sunscreen, shielding the planet from potentially harmful ultraviolet (UV) radiation that can cause skin cancer, cataracts, suppress immune systems and damage wildlife. It is produced in tropical latitudes and distributed around the globe.
• The four-yearly review of the Montreal Protocol, a 1987 ban on man-made gases that damage the fragile high-altitude ozone layer, found long-term decreases in the atmospheric abundance of controlled ozone-depleting substances and the on-going recovery of stratospheric ozone.
• A hole was found in the ozone layer above Antarctica in the 1980s as a result of harmful chemicals being pumped into the atmosphere. This has allowed large amounts of ultraviolet light to reach Earth unabated and has been linked to an increase in skin cancer diagnoses.
• Scientists have now found that severe bans on the manufacture of these products have seen the hole in the ozone recover at a rate of one to three per cent per decade.
• The U.N. had already hailed the success of the Montreal Protocol, which banned or phased out ozone depleting chemicals, including chlorofluorocarbons (CFCs) once widely used in refrigerators and spray cans and were found to be the main reason behind the loss of the ozone layer, but the report said it was the first time that there were emerging indications that the Antarctic ozone hole had diminished in size and depth since 2000.
  
  

  Chlorofluorocarbons (CFCs) Chlorofluorocarbons are nontoxic, non-flammable chemicals containing atoms of carbon, chlorine, and fluorine. They are used in the manufacture of aerosol sprays, blowing agents for foams and packing materials, as solvents, and as refrigerants. CFCs are classified as halocarbons, a class of compounds that contain atoms of carbon and halogen atoms. Individual CFC molecules are labelled with a unique numbering system. For example, the CFC number of 11 indicates the number of atoms of carbon, hydrogen, fluorine, and chlorine. Whereas CFCs are safe to use in most applications and are inert in the lower atmosphere, they do undergo significant reaction in the upper atmosphere or stratosphere where they cause damage.

• The study also looked at the thinning of the ozone layer in the Arctic and found the annual variations were much larger. This made it harder for the researchers to confirm if there had been a definite recovery in the layer since 2000.
• However, while most of the banned gases have been phased out, the report found at least one violation of the protocol: an unexpected increase in production and emissions of CFC-11 from eastern Asia since 2012. The report said the source country or countries had not yet been identified.
• If CFC-11 emissions continued at the same rate, return of mid-latitude and polar ozone-depleting chemicals to their 1980 values would be delayed by about 7 and 20 years, respectively.
• The Antarctic ozone hole was expected to gradually close, returning to 1980 levels in the 2060s.
  
  

Significance

• The report said it was the first time the Antarctic ozone hole had shrunk in size and depth since 2000.
• At projected rates, Northern Hemisphere and mid-latitude ozone is scheduled to heal completely by the 2030s followed by the Southern Hemisphere in the 2050s and Polar Regions by 2060.

ASK DISHA APP

Context

The Indian Railway Catering and Tourism Corporation (IRCTC), as first-of-its-kind initiative, recently launched AI chatbot-- Ask Disha (Digital Interaction to Seek Help Anytime) to help its users with various queries.

About

• The chatbot is special computer programme designed to simulate conversation with users, especially over the internet.
• Users can ask questions to the AI chatbot by visiting the IRCTC website. As soon as the users start typing their queries, the AI chatbot automatically starts showing some options based on the typed phrases. Users can then either pick one of the queries from the displayed options or type in the complete question if their query is not being displayed on the screen.
• The AskDisha is live now and will be voice enabled, supporting several regional languages.
• The essential features of AskDisha include ability to quickly answer to customer queries, provide round-the-clock customer support, multitask, and zero waiting time for query to get answered.
  
  
• It has been jointly developed by IRCTC and CoRover Private Limited, which is a Bengaluru-based startup that develops AI and machine learning based chatbots pertaining to travel and tourism.
  

Significance

With AskDisha, IRCTC becomes the first and only government corporation in India to launch a chat-enabled helpdesk service program.AskDisha chatbot will provide seamless service to website and Android app users. It willfacilitate accessibility by answering users' queries pertaining to various services offered by IRCTC. Thus, it will ensure that customers have a stress-free experience and provide overall satisfaction.