Current Affairs Today November 12 2017

We are here for you to provide the important current affairs November 12 2017 which have unique updates of all daily events from all newspapers such as The Hindu, The Economic Times, PIB, Times of India, India Today, Indian Express, Business Standard, all Government official websites. Our complete current affairs helps you to get more marks in Banking, insurance, UPSC, SSC, CLAT, Railway and all other competitive Exams.

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INDIAN AFFAIRS

Rajnath Singh chairs second meeting of Island Development Agency
On November 8, 2017, Union Home Minister Rajnath Singh chaired the second meeting of Island Development Agency (IDA) in New Delhi.The meeting was attended by Governor of Andaman & Nicobar Islands, Admiral D.K. Joshi, who is also the Vice Chairman of IDA.
i. Other members of the IDA, Cabinet Secretary, P. K. Sinha, CEO of NITI Aayog, Amitabh Kant, Union Home Secretary, Rajiv Gauba, Union Environment, Forest & Climate Change Secretary, C. K. Mishra and representatives of Ministries of Tourism, Power, Defence, Health, Telecommunications and Civil Aviation also attended this meeting.
ii. The IDA was set up on June 1, 2017 following Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s review meeting for the holistic development of islands…………………………..Click here to Read more

Varanasi tops the List of Country’s Most Polluted City
According to Central Pollution Control Board (CPCB) data, Varanasi’s Air Quality Index (AQI) at 4pm on 10^th November 2017 was at 491 at Ardhali Bazar monitoring station, making it the most polluted city of India.Varanasi – India’s most polluted city:
i. The Air Quality Index (AQI) of Varanasi was at 491, just nine short of where the AQI scale ends at 500. This indicates a public health emergency.
ii. This air quality could affect even healthy people and seriously impact people with existing diseases. The concentration of PM2.5, the prominent pollutant, wasmore than eight times the safe limit of 60 micrograms per cubic metre of air.
iii. Earlier, on 9^th November 2017, Varanasi’s AQI was 358, which placed it in the “very poor” category.
About Central Pollution Control Board (CPCB):
♦ An organisation under the Ministry of Environment, Forest and Climate Change
♦ Chairman – S.P. Singh Parihar
♦ Member Secretary – A.B. Akolkar

Odisha, West Bengal to hold joint coastal security exercise
In a bid to tighten the existing coastal security mechanism, Odisha and its neighbouring state West Bengal will soon organize a joint security exercise named as ‘Sagar Kavach’ along the 630 km long coastline.
More Information about ‘Sagar Kavach’:
i.’ Sagar Kavach’ will be a real-time security exercise, conducted with an aim to check the efficacy of the security parameters and preparedness of various security forces viz. Indian Navy, Marine police force, Indian Coast Guard (ICG), Forest Department, Fisheries and district administration.
ii. During the course of this two-day exercise, a simulated terror attack named ‘red force’ will be organised at a random place along the coast of Odisha or West Bengal. Effectiveness of response of security forces to this simulated threat will be assessed.
iii. Personnel from the Indian Navy, Coast Guard at Paradip and Haldia, 18 marine police stations in Odisha and 12 police stations of West Bengal will participate in this drill.
iv. Besides, teams of Customs and port officials, fisheries department officials will also take part in this exercise.
Quick Facts about Odisha and West Bengal

Indo-Bangla defense cooperation: Army training capsule in Patna
As a part of the ongoing Indo-Bangladesh defense cooperation, an army training capsule on counter-insurgency operations will be conducted in Patna’s Danapur Cantonment from November 13, 2017 to December 10, 2017.
i. This training capsule will be first of its kind being organised for the Bangladesh Army at Danapur Cantonment.
ii. Five officers and 25 other ranks of the Bangladesh Army will attend this training. Experienced Indian Army training team will provide them skill based training on handling counter-insurgency / counter-terrorism operations in hostile environment.
iii. Colonel D.D. Swain will be heading the Indian Army training team.
iv .State-of-the art weapons and equipment for close-quarter battle, explosives detectors, surveillance and tracking equipments and communication equipment will be fielded during this training event..
Quick Facts about Bangladesh:
♦ Capital – Dhaka
♦ Currency – Taka
♦ Current Prime Minister – Sheikh Hasina
♦ Legislature – Jatiya Sangsad

India will be hosting its first Military Literature Festival in Chandigarh
Punjab State Government has announced that the first Military Literature Festival would be held in Chandigarh from 7^th – 9^th December, 2017.More Information about first Military Literature Festival in Chandigarh:
i. The event is being organised to pay tribute to the armed forces and spread awareness about Military Literature among masses.
ii. It will be jointly promoted by the Punjab government and Chandigarh Administration.
iii. On November 10, 2017, Punjab’s Local Bodies and Tourism and Culture Minister, Navjot Singh Sidhu, unveiled Military Literature Festival’s logo.

Gurugram to have North India’s biggest butterfly park
On November 11, 2017, Haryana State Forests Minister Rao Narbir Singh, laid the foundation stone for a Butterfly Conservatory Park in Gurugram.
More Information about Butterfly Park in Gurugram:
i. Haryana State Forest Department is setting up this butterfly park to conserve the species of butterflies that are near extinction on account of urbanisation.
ii. This conservatory park will be developed on 15 acres in Sector 52 of Gurugram in association with a non-governmental organisation named Uthaan.
iii. Work of developing this park will take about one year time. On completion, it will be North India’s biggest butterfly park.
iv. The park will be home to an information-cum-demo centre, cluster plots having host plant species, office-cum-record room, ‘nakshatra’ garden, glow worm conservation area, and a souvenir shop.

India’s first cartoon network theme park to come up in Surat
Turner International India, the parent entity of Cartoon Network brand has announced that it has entered into a brand partnership with a Gujarat-based private firm to set up India’s first cartoon network theme amusement park in Surat.i. Turner International India has entered into a brand partnership with Rajgreen (Gujarat based real estate, entertainment and hospitality group) for the launch of a 61000 square meter property Amaazia, in Surat.
ii. The amusement park will be set up at an estimated cost of Rs. 450 crore and is expected to be launched in the first quarter of 2019.
iii. Amaazia will have -a theme park, branded by Cartoon Network, a water park, a family recreational hub and a service apartment and retail shopping area.
iv. This project will be Cartoon Network’s first brand association for an amusement park in India.
v. It already has two such partnerships in Asia. One is Cartoon Network Amazon Water Park in Pattaya, Thailand and an entire Cartoon Network Zone in IMG Worlds of Adventure in Dubai. 
Quick Facts about Cartoon Network:
♦ Launched in – 1992
♦ Owned by – Turner Broadcasting System
♦ Operational Headquarters – New York, US

Third edition of Russian film fest opens in Delhi
After the great success of the first two editions, the third edition of the Russian film festival titled‘Russian Film Days’ is now open for cinema lovers in NewDelhi until Sunday 12^th Nov 2017.
i. The fest opened here on Friday 10^thof Nov 2017, in the presence of Russian actress Kseniya Ryabinkina, who worked with legendary actor Raj Kapoor in Mera Naam Joker, actress Hema Malini, who is also the head of Indo-Russian Friendship committee, actor-producer-director Randhir Kapoor and Russian Ambassador to India Nikolay Kudashev and the Minister of Culture of the Russian Federation Vlamidir Medinkiy. They were present there to promote the film Fest in India.
ii. The Russian Film Days commences in Delhi from the 10th to 12th November, travels to Mumbai from 13th to 15th, and concludes at IFFI Goa from 21st to 28th of November.
iii. The festival will screen movies across genres like Comedy, thriller, drama, Sci-Fi, etc.

INTERNATIONAL AFFAIRS

India sixth most vulnerable country facing extreme weather events – Report
India has ranked as sixth most vulnerable country in the world on Global Climate Risk Index (CRI) 2018 released by Germanwatch (an independent Berlin-based development and environmental organisation)………………………………Click here to Read more
Global Climate Risk Index (CRI) 2018 – Top 10 Countries:

Asia-Pacific Economic Co-operation (APEC) summit held in Vietnam
Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) Economic Leaders’ Meeting was held on 10^th and 11^th November, 2017 in Da Nang, Vietnam.i. Theme of this meeting was ‘Creating New Dynamism, Fostering a Shared Future’.
ii. Leaders of 21 Pacific Rim countries attended this meeting.
iii. A join statement issued after the meeting laid emphasis on collaborative activity, such as the provision of support for small businesses, promoting sustainable growth and deepening economic integration.
iv. However two economic power houses, the US and China held opposing views on deepening economic integration. While Chinese President Jinping expressed support to further globalisation, US President Donald Trump was of the view to support ‘fair trade’. Strategic experts have inferred Donald Trump’s stance as a favour towards isolationism.
v. This was the first APEC meeting for several leaders including United States President Donald Trump, South Korean President Moon Jae-in  and New Zealand Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern.
vi. Next year’s APEC summit will be held in Papua New Guinea.
Quick Facts about Asia-Pacific Economic Co-operation (APEC):
♦ Established in – 1989
♦ Headquarters – Singapore
♦ Current Chairperson – Tran Dai Quang

BANKING & FINANCE

Air India gets Rs 1,500 crore loan from Bank of India
Air India has received a loan worth of Rs 1,500 crore from Bank of India to meet urgent working capital needs.
Air India – Rs 1,500 crore loan from Bank of India:
i. Air India has received Rs 1,500 crore loan from Bank of India after the tender for the amount was floated in October 2017, in order to meet urgent working capital needs.
ii. Earlier, Air India had borrowed around Rs 3,250 crore as short tenure loans from two lenders – IndusInd Bank and Punjab National Bank. This loan was also for meeting urgent working capital needs and the tender was floated in September 2017.
iii. Air India has a debt burden of more than Rs 50,000 crore. In the last three months, two public sector banks – Bank of India and Punjab National Bank have provided loans to Air India.
About Bank of India:
♦ Headquarters – Mumbai
♦ MD & CEO – Dinbandhu Mohapatra

BUSINESS

Karnataka inks pacts with Chinese firms
Sixth China-India Forum meet was held in Bengaluru on November 10, 2017.Highlights of Sixth China-India Forum:
i. This event was jointly hosted by the Government of China, Chinese People’s Association for Friendship with Foreign Countries (CPAFFC), China-India Friendship Association (CIFA), and Podar Enterprise.
ii. During the course of this forum, several pacts were signed between Chinese firms, Chinese Government bodies, Karnataka Government and Podar Group of Companies.
iii. Semiconductor Alliance of China and Beijing Construction & Highway Development Group presented expression of interest (EoI) letters to the Karnataka government.
iv. Other important pacts: MoU between Podar Enterprise and Hebei Provincial Government for strategic cooperation. Tri-party MoU of cooperation between Podar Advisory and Consulting Enterprise signed, Baoding City Government and Hebei Information Investment Group.
Quick Facts about Karnataka:
♦ Capital – Bengaluru
♦ Current Chief Minister – Siddaramaiah
♦ Current Governor – Vajubhai Vala
♦ Important National Parks – Bandipur National Park, Bannerghatta National Park

AWARDS & RECOGNITIONS

Olympic gymnast Dipa karamakar conferred with D.Litt. degree from NIT Agartala
India’s gymnastic star Dipa Karmakar, who finished fourth in the final round of the women’s vault event at the Rio Olympics Games in Brazil last year,was on Saturday i.e. on 11^th Nov 2017, conferred a D.Litt. degree by the National Institute of Technology (NIT), Agartala.i. The convocation ceremony was held at Rabindra Shatabarshiki Bhawan in Agartala. Former IIT-Delhi Director and incumbent chairman of the National Board of Accreditation (NBA), Surendra Prasad was present as the Chief Guest along with other dignitaries on this occasion.
ii. Besides Dipa, the NIT also conferred D.Sc. degree upon IIT Guwahati Director Goutam Biswas and Jadavpur University professor Biswajit Ghosh at its tenth convocation held on Saturday.
iii. Degrees were given to 950 students and 31 Ph.D scholars. 20 students were also given gold medals in various academic branches of the institute.
iv. The NIT honoured Bollywood actor Nana Patekar with a D.Litt. degree and Governor Tathagata Roy with D.Eng at last year’s convocation.
Dipa is now preparing for the 18th Asian Gamesin Indonesia’s Jakarta and 21st Commonwealth Games to be held in Australia’s Gol

APPOINTMENTS & RESIGNS

Hyderabad Police Commissioner M. Mahender Reddy was appointed Director-General of Police (DGP) of Telangana
On 10^th November 2017, Hyderabad Police Commissioner M. Mahender Reddy was appointed as Director-General of Police (DGP) of Telangana.
Mahender Reddy – DGP of Telangana:
i. M. Mahender Reddy has become the second DGP of Telangana. He has succeeded Anurag Sharma who superannuated on 11^th November 2017. M. Mahender Reddy assumed charge on 12^th November 2017.
ii. Anurag Sharma has been appointed as advisor to the Home department. Hyderabad police Additional Commissioner (law and order) V.V. Srinivasa Rao will be in-charge Hyderabad Police Commissioner.
iii. Mahender Reddy served as Assistant SP of Godavarikhani in Karimnagar and Guntur town, Additional SP of Bellampally in Adilabad and SP of Nizamabad and Kurnool districts. He was East zone DCP in Hyderabad commissionerate for three years from 1995.
DGP of few states:
♦ Andhra Pradesh – N. Sambasiva Rao
♦ Tamil Nadu – T. K. Rajendran
♦ Uttar Pradesh – Sulkhan Singh
♦ Assam – Mukesh Sahay

Bhaskar Ganguly, former football captain, appointed AIFF ombudsman by Supreme Court
On October 11, 2017, Supreme Court appointed former football captain Bhaskar Ganguly as ombudsman of All India Football Federation (AIFF).
i. Mr. Ganguly had served as captain of the Indian team at the 1982 Asian Games
ii. Supreme court also appointed S Y Quraishi, former Chief Election Commissioner of India as the ombudsman of AIFF.
iii. Mr. Quraishi has also served as Secretary in the Ministry of Youth Affairs and Sports, Government of India.
iv. Both Mr. Ganguly and Mr. Quraishi have been assigned the task to formulate the AIFF constitution within eight weeks.
v. Supreme Court has also stayed the recent order of Delhi High Court allowing all AIFF elected committees to function on a regular basis.
Quick Facts about All India Football Federation (AIFF):
♦ Founded in – 1937
♦ Headquarters – Dwarka Sub City, Delhi

SCIENCE & TECHNOLOGY

China to make first contact with Alien life using world’s largest dish
China claims to be the first country to make contact with alien life using its radio dish named Five hundred metre Aperture Spherical Telescope (FAST), which is believed to detect alien signals coming from other galaxies.FAST to detect alien signals:
i. The Five hundred metre Aperture Spherical Telescope (FAST) is considered the world’s largest radio dish. It is almost twice as wide as the America’s Arecibo Observatory in Puerto Rico.
ii. Other leading experts into Alien Life including astrophysicist Andrew Siemion, the director of the Search for extraterrestrial intelligence (SETI) research centre at Berkley University have been impressed by FAST.
iii. Radio transmissions are forbidden near the dish in order to stop human sources interfering with any signals coming from alien sources.
Few Satellites of China:
♦ ChinaSat 10 – Chinese communications satellite
♦ TanSat – Chinese Earth observation satellite dedicated to monitoring carbon dioxide in Earth’s atmosphere
♦ Fanhui Shi Weixing – series of Chinese recoverable reconnaissance satellites

SPORTS

Bharat Khandare becomes first India-Born Fighter to sign with Ultimate Fighting Championship
On 11^th November 2017, Bharat Khandare became first Indian-born Mixed Martial Arts (MMA) fighter to be signed by the UFC (Ultimate Fighting Championship).
Bharat Khandare – signed by UFC:
i. Bharat Khandare will have his debut fight against Pingyuan Liu, who has won 12 fights in the tournament, in the UFC Bantamweight division at the UFC Fight Night in Shanghai on 25 November 2017. It will be the first UFC event held on mainland China.
ii. Arjan Singh Bhullar was the first Indian-origin fighter to be signed by the UFC. Bhullar had represented Canada at the 2012 London Olympics.
iii. Khandare Bharat was introduced to Mixed Martial Arts through the Internet. He had a wrestling background and soon, he took up kickboxing.
About UFC (Ultimate Fighting Championship):
♦ American mixed martial arts organization
♦ Headquarters – Las Vegas, Nevada, U.S.
♦ President – Dana White

Dhoni inaugurates his first global cricket academy in UAE
On 11^th November 2017, Mahendra Singh Dhoni inaugurated his first global cricket academy in the United Arab Emirates.Dhoni’s global cricket academy:
i. The academy was officially launched by Mahendra Singh Dhoni in the presence of trainees, parents and other key stakeholders of the facility.
ii. The academy was jointly launched by Dubai-based Pacific Sports Club and Aarka Sports Club. It has been in operation for a couple of months at theSpringdales School in Al Quoz.
iii. The facility named the MS Dhoni Cricket Academy (MSDCA) will have coaches from India to train the wards.
iv. The academy has the following facilities: four turf, three cement and three matted pitches, spin and swing bowling machine, safety nets, lights for night practice, in-house sports shop for quality cricket gear and video analysis.
About Mahendra Singh Dhoni:
♦ Captained the Indian team in limited-overs formats from 2007 to 2016 and in Test cricket from 2008 to 2014
♦ Role – Wicket-keeper batsman
♦ Awards – Rajiv Gandhi Khel Ratna, ICC World ODI XI, ICC World Test XI, ICC ODI Player of the Year etc.

Teddy Riner remains undefeated and claims tenth World title
On 11^th November 2017, Teddy Riner won his tenth World title in the 2017 Judo World Championships Open in Marrakesh and remains undefeated emperor in judo.
Teddy Riner – 10th world title in judo:
i. French heavyweight judo champion Teddy Riner won his 10th world title with victory at the open-weight world championships in Marrakech.
ii. Teddy Riner is 28 years old. He is from Guadeloupe, France. He obtained his 144th consecutive win by beating Belgian Toma Nikiforov in the final.
iii. Teddy Riner won his ninth gold medal at the world championships in Budapest two months ago. He had already become the most successful judoka of all-time with his eighth title in 2015.
iv.He has not faced defeat since losing in the final of the open-weight championships to Japanese fighter Daiki Kamikawa in September 2010.
About 2017 World Judo Open Championships:
♦ Highest level of international judo competition, along with the Olympic judo competition
♦ Venue – Marrakech, Morocco
♦ Dates – 11-12 November 2017

OBITUARY

Veteran Cyclist Ashok Khale Passes Away
On 11^th November 2017, veteran cyclist Ashok Khale, who was recently injured in an accident on the Sion-Panvel highway, died in Bombay Hospital during treatment, in Mumbai.
Death of Ashok Khale:
i. Ashok Khale was 64 years old. He met with an accident near Mankhurd recently when he was on cycling to Khopoli.
ii. He was injured in the hit-and-run case and was battling for life in the Bombay Hospital. He died on 11^th November 2017 during treatment.
iii. He has won several medals for cycle-riding in state and national-level championships. He used to participate in the Giro d’Italia, an annual multiple-stage bicycle race primarily held in Italy and covered several countries in 5-6 days.
iv. He was also called as the King of the Ghats. He was also the recipient of the Shiv Chhatrapati award.
About Ashok Khale:
♦ Occupation – Cyclist
♦ Nick Name – King of the Ghats

Former Nepal PM Kirti Nidhi Bista passes away
On 11th November 2017, Nepal’s three-time Prime Minister Kirti Nidhi Bista passed away at Gyaneswor, in Kathmandu, Nepal.Death of Kirti Nidhi Bista:
i. Kirti Nidhi Bista was Nepal’s three-time Prime Minister. He passed away on 11th November 2017 in his residence at Gyaneswor, Kathmandu after a prolonged battle with cancer. He was 90 years old. He is survived by two sons and three daughters.
ii. He served as Prime Minister from 1969 to 1970, 1971 to 1973 and 1977 to 1979 during the party-less Panchayat system under two monarchs – King Mahendra and King Birendra.
iii. Later in 2005, he served as the Vice Chairman of the government under the direct regime led by King Gyanendra.
About Kirti Nidhi Bista:
♦ Occupation – Nepali politician
♦ Positions held – Prime Minister of Nepal thrice, Vice Chairman of Nepal government

IMPORTANT DAYS

Ministry of Women and Child Development (WCD) to celebrate Child Rights Week ‘Hausla 2017’
The Ministry of Women and Child Development (WCD) will celebrate the Child Rights Week ‘Hausla 2017’ from 16th to 20th November, 2017.
Hausla 2017:
i. India celebrates Children’s Day on 14th November and the International Child Rights Day is on 20th November every year. The in between period will be celebrated as Child Rights Week by WCD Ministry by hosting an Inter CCI Festival for the children who reside in Child Care Institutions (CCIs).
ii. The following events are to be organized in Hausla 2017:
1.Bal Sandad – 16th November 2017
2.Painting Competition – 16th November 2017
3.Athletics Meet, Chess Competition and Football Matches – 19-20th November 2017
4.Speech Writing
5.The Concluding Ceremony – 20th November 2017
About Universal Children’s Day:
♦ Date – 20 November
♦ Purpose – to promote international togetherness, awareness among children worldwide, and improving children’s welfare

Public Service Broadcasting Day – November 12
On 12^th November 2017, Public Service Broadcasting Day was observed all over India.
Public Service Broadcasting Day:
i. In the memory of the first and only address by Mahatma Gandhi on All India Radio (AIR) on November 12 in 1947, this day was announced as a Public Service Broadcasting Day.
ii. Mahatma Gandhi had stepped inside the studios of Broadcasting House on 12 November 1947 to address refugees camping in Kurukshetra in Haryana whom he could not personally visit.
iii .The All India Radio, Hyderabad, celebrated the Public Service Broadcasting Day on 12^th November 2017 with a meeting at Bakaram village of Moinabad mandal in Ranga Reddy district, to make villagers aware on the need to listen to AIR programmes to enlighten themselves on various subjects.
About All India Radio (AIR):
♦ Headquarters – New Delhi
♦ Owner         – Prasar Bharati
♦ Also known as – Akashvani

World Pneumonia Day – November 12
On 12^th November 2017, World Pneumonia Day was observed all over the world.
World Pneumonia Day:
i. World Pneumonia Day was first observed in 2009 when over 100 organisations joined to form the Global Coalition against Child Pneumonia.ii. World Pneumonia Day helps to highlight the severity of pneumonia and encourages more organisations to look at ways of fighting the disease.
iii. The objectives of this day are to raise awareness about pneumonia, promote methods to protect against pneumonia, prevent and treat pneumonia and generate action to fight pneumonia.
iv. Pneumonia is one of the most solvable problems in global health and yet a child dies from the infection every 20 seconds.
About Pneumonia:
♦ Inflammatory condition of the lung affecting primarily the small air sacs known as alveoli
♦ Causes – infection with viruses or bacteria and less commonly by other microorganisms
♦ Symptoms – productive or dry cough, chest pain, fever, and trouble breathing