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Click here to try Current Affairs Quiz : November 17 2016
INDIAN AFFAIRS
Chhattisgarh Becomes First State To Adopt Resolution Supporting Demonetization Move
i. Chhattisgarh has become the first state in the country to adopt a resolution of supporting the demonetization of high-value currency notes decision of the central government.This decision to adopt a resolution was taken in the state legislative assembly headed by the Chief Minister Raman Singh on November 16, 2016
ii. Union government, on November 17, 2016, has adopted new measures to tackle the problems faced by the people regarding the demonetization of 500 and 1000 rupees notes.
iii. Famers have been allowed to withdraw up to Rs 25,000 per week from bank account. Business entities have also been allowed to withdraw Rs 50,000 per week.
iv. In case of Wedding Ceremony, Families having marriage at home can withdraw Rs 2, 50,000 per person from bank account.
Government Approved Construction Of 1 Crore House In Coming 3 Years
i. The government, on November 17, 2016, approved a scheme to construct 1 crore houses in next 3 years from 2016-17 to 2018-19 under ‘Housing for All by 2022’.
ii. To pursue the objective of ‘Housing for All by 2022’, the Union Cabinet approved re-structuring of the former rural housing scheme ‘Indira Awaas Yojana’ into ‘Pradhan Mantri Awaas Yojana-Gramin’ (PMAY-G) all over the country.
iii. Union Rural Development Minister Narendra Singh Tomar said house construction is not permissible under MGNREGS scheme. However, under PMAY-G in combination with MGNREGS, it has been made mandatory in the form of 90-95 days of unskilled labour wages for construction of house.
iv. Apart from the construction of houses, construction of toilet, will also be mandatory for which funds of about Rs. 12,000 may be provided from MGNREGS or Swachh Bharat Mission (Gramin) or any other dedicated financial source.
Sachin Tendulkar adopted Puttamrajuvari Kandriga village in AP
i. Indian Cricketer Sachin Tendulkar inaugurated projects worth Rs 6 crore at his adopted village of Puttamrajuvari Kandriga in Andhra Pradesh.
ii. On this occasion he was adopted Gollapalli village in the same state under Sansad Adarsh Gram Yojna .It would be developed with an amount of Rs 3.05 crore
Sansad Adarsh Gram Yojna :
Sansad Adarsh Gram Yojana (SAGY) is a rural development programme . This Yojana launched by the Prime Minister of India, Narendra Modi on the birth anniversary of Jayaprakash Narayan, on 11 October 2014
SC Ask Major Search Engines to Delete Pre-Natal Sex Determination Ads within 36 Hours
i. Supreme Court has ordered the search engines Google, Yahoo and Microsoft on November 17, 2016, to “delete” the advertisements, hosted by them, related to pre-natal sex determination in India within 36 hours.
ii. For this a bench of two Justices Dipak Misra and Amitava Roy has directed the Centre of India to appoint a nodal agency to monitor the websites.
iii. The nodal agency would then inform the search engines about any such advertisements on the websites and Google, Microsoft and Yahoo would delete them within 36 hours.
iv. The nodal agency is also directed to give advertisements on TV, radio and in newspapers that if anybody comes across anything that is linked with identifying a girl or a boy (at pre-natal stage), it should be brought to the notice of the nodal agency.
v. The direction includes a ban on advertisement of any content violative of the Pre-conception and Pre-natal Diagnostic Techniques (Prohibition of Sex Selection) Act including a ban on advertisements of kits for foetal sex determination, addresses of foreign clinics that provide assistance in the illegal act, or any related information in this regard.
Pakistan conducts Military Exercise Close To Indian Border
i. Pakistan conducted military exercise ‘Raad ul Barq’ (Strike of Thunder) in an area located in Punjab province, bordering India.
ii. It was a joint exercise carried out jointly by Pakistan Army and Air Force to reflect the preparedness of their armed forces to respond to any threat to its national security.
iii. The Prime Minister of Pakistan, Nawaz Sharif was the
chief guest at the event which was conducted at Khairpur Tamewali in Bahawalpur in Punjab and also attended by powerful Army chief General Raheel Sharif, Chiefs of Staff Committee General Rashad Mahmoud and the three services chiefs.
iv. The exercise showcased the extent of preparation of the country’s defence line with live demonstration of firepower using heavy artillery fighter jets and air defence weapons.
v. During the military exercise, JF-17 Thunder fighter jets, helicopter gunships and Al-Khalid tanks hit designated targets on the ground.
vi. It also demonstrated Pakistan’s indigenously developed surface-to-air missiles, multi-barrel rocket launchers, sky radars for target detection and rocket propelled target system.
INTERNATIONAL AFFAIRS
HDFC’s Aditya Puri ranked 36 in Fortune’s Top 50 Business Person’s List
i. HDFC Bank’s Managing Director, Aditya Puri, has been ranked 36th in the US magazine Fortune’s Top 50 Business Persons List for 2016. He is the only Indian among three persons of Indian origin in the global rankings list.
ii. Ajita Rajendra of AO Simith is at 34 while Mastercard’s Ajay Banga is at 40th positionin the list.
iii. However, Facebook’s Mark Zuckerburg leads the list with top ranking.
Russia Withdraws from International Criminal Court
i. Russia’s President Vladimir Putin, has signed an executive order announcing Russia’s withdrawal from the International Criminal Court (ICC) in The Hague.
ii. This means crimes committed by Russian citizens will no longer fall under the jurisdiction of the ICC.
iii. The excecutive order was signed by Russia just after ICC released a report blaming Russia’s illegal capture over Crimea just as an ‘Occupation’ led to an international conflict between Russia and Ukraine.
iv. The executive order mentioned that Russia is pulling out of the 2002 Rome Statute, which establishes the rules of criminal proceedings in relation to matters that fall under the ICC’s status and powers.
v. However, Russia had never ratified the statue meaning it was never member subject to its jurisdiction.
Russia :
♦ Capital: Moscow
♦ Currency: Russian ruble
♦ President: Vladimir Putin
‘Post-Truth’ International Word of The Year-‘Oxford Dictionaries’
i. Oxford Dictionaries has named “post-truth” as its 2016 international word of the year
ii. The adjective, post-truth, is defined as- relations to circumstances in which facts are judged to be less important than emotion and public opinion.
iii. The word isn’t a new. It was first used in 1992, but according to Oxford, the word has gained popularity in 2016 as the usage of the word increased rapidly, firstly due to the case of Britain’s break from the European Union and secondly the presidential election in the U.S.
iv. The term rose 2,000 percent between this year and last. Other words in contention for word of the year status included adulting, alt-right, Brexiteer, chatbot, coulrophobia, glass cliff, hygge, Latinx, and woke.2015’s word of the year was the emoji.
BANKING & FINANCE
Yes Bank partners with Crownit for digital meal vouchers
i. Mahasrashtra based Yes Bank has partnered with Crownit, amerchant discovery and privileges platform to launch a digitised meal vouchers.
ii. It is the app based digital meal wallet and it can be linked with a Meal Debit MasterCard to enables employees to avail unlimited food, beverage & grocery redemption options, both online and offline.
iii. For employees, the solution promises ease of access and use, along with tax savings ranging up to INR 10,000 per employee per year
Yes Bank :
♦ Headquarters: Maharashtra
♦ CEO: Rana Kapoor
Oxigen Partners Federal Bank for Cash Management Services
i. Federal Bank has tied up with Oxigen to expand the bank’s e-collection facility to the about 3 lakh- retail outlets of Oxigen.
ii. The agreement was exchanged between Chief Operating Officer, Federal Bank, Shalini Warrier, and Pramod Saxena, Founder and Chairman of Oxigen, in the New Delhi on November 17, 2016.
iii. This facility, will initially be valid for one year, and will enable all the 3 lakh retail outlets of Oxigen to remit their cash collection at Federal Bank branches pan-India.
iv. The private sector bank will use their e-collection platform to approve the details of the outlets on a real-time basis before accepting the payment.
v. This tie-up would help the outlets replenish their running limits on-the-spot, enabling them to continue to serve customers hassle-free.
Federal Bank
♦ Founded : 1945
♦ Headquarters: Kochi
♦ CEO: Shyam Srinivasan
BUSINESS
Launch of online portal for facilitating trade between India and Iran
i. An Online Portal for facilitating trade between India and Iran was launched by Dr. Inder Jit Singh, Additional Secretary, Department of Commerce in the presence of H.E. Mr. Gholamreza Ansari, Ambassador of Islamic Republic of Iran, Mr. Khaleel Rahim and other Directors of STC.
ii. Aim : To disseminate information relevant to Indo-Iran Trade, and to provide an e-marketplace for the buyers and sellers of the two countries.
iii. The Hind-Iran portal (hindirantrade.org) is a joint initiative of STC and Douman Queshm, Iran.
iv. The portal is created at bridging the communication divide which the business communities face, and which are very interested in trading with each other.
Iran :
♦ Capital: Tehran
♦ Currency: Iranian rial
♦ President: Hassan Rouhani
BBC World Service Announces Biggest Expansion since the 1940’s
i. BBC World Service will launch 11 new language services as part of its biggest expansion “since the 1940s”, due to the funding boost.
ii. The new languages will be Afaan Oromo, Amharic, Gujarati, Igbo, Korean, Marathi, Pidgin, Punjabi, Telugu, Tigrinya, and Yoruba.
iii. This will make the BBC World Service to be available in 40 languages, including English.
iv. The first new services are expected to launch in 2017.The expansion of digital services aims to offer more mobile and video content and a greater social media presence.
vi. Director General of BBC, Lord Hall, has set a target for the BBC to reach 500 million people worldwide by its 100th year in 2022.
AWARDS & RECOGNITIONS
Gulzar awarded 2016 Poet Laureate award
i. Veteran lyricist, writer and filmmaker Gulzar has been awarded Poet Laureate award 2016 at the Mumbai’s literary festival ‘Tata Literature Live’ on November 17, 2016.
ii. The 4-day festival starting November 17 till November 20 that will will take place at two venues – National Centre for the Performing Arts and Prithvi Theatre in Mumbai and see participation by authors from around the world.
iii. Gulzar’s contribution to Indian literature through his heart-touching poetry makes him the top choice for the award.
iv. He has won his first National Film Award in 1972 for ‘Koshish’ and went on to collect numerous awards and trophies, including an Academy award for the song ‘Jai Ho!’ from the film ‘Slumdog Millionaire’.
v. He has also been awarded the Padma Bhushan, the Dadasaheb Phalke Award, the Sahitya Akademi Award, besides five National Film Awards, 20 Filmfare Awards.
Air New Zealand Crowned Best Airline in the World
i. Air New Zealand has been awarded the best airline in the world for the fourth consecutive year in the global rankings according to AirlineRatings.com’s Airline Excellence Awards.
ii. AirlineRatings.com rates airlines on a variety of categories that include best class cabins, catering and lounge options, and crew quality.
iii. To determine the airline of the year, AirlineRatings.com identified four international industry and government audits and criteria, including the fleet age, passenger review ratings, profitability, investment rating, and key product offerings.
iv. The Air New Zealand also won the best premium economy category for third time. Australian airline Qantas backed the second prize.
APPOINTMENTS & RESIGNS
Debbie Hockley first Woman to be elected president of New Zealand Cricket Board
i. Debbie Hockley has been elected as president of
New Zealand Cricket Board, becoming the first woman to hold that role in the 122-year history of the sport’s national governing body.
ii. Hockley was nominated for the position by Canterbury Cricket, during the board’s Annual General Meeting in Christchurch on November 16, 2016.
iii. The 54-year-old will replace outgoing president Stephen Boock and will serve three-year appointment.
iv. Debbie Hockley was former captain of New Zealand’s women’s team and is a member of the International Cricket Council’s hall of fame.
v. Hockley has played 19 Tests and 118 One Day Internationals for the New Zealand women’s team, making her international debut in 1979. She played her last ODI in 2000.
ACQUISITIONS & MERGERS
Facebook buys emotion detection start-up FacioMetrics
i. Facebook has acquired FacioMetrics, an emotion detection start-up, to help its artificial intelligence (AI) research into building facial gesture controls.
ii. FacioMetrics developed an app called Intraface that can detect seven different emotions in people’s faces.
iii. Intraface app will feature Gesture-based controls, recognize facial expressions and perform related actions.
iv .The social media giant Facebook will use FacioMetrics to enhance its Snapchat selfie Lens-style augmented reality face masks that are making their way into its videos and Live broadcasts.
v. The style of communication is changing on social network and things like masks and other effects allow people to express themselves in fun and creative ways. Faciometrics will help bring more fun effects to photos and videos and build even more engaging sharing experiences on Facebook.
SCIENCE & TECHNOLOGY
Four Naval System developed by DRDO inducted to Indian Navy
i. The Defence Minister Shri Manohar Parrikar will hand over Four Naval Systems developed by DRDO to the Indian Navy at a function on November 18, 2016 in New Delhi.
ii. Chief of the Naval Staff Admiral Sunil Lanba will formally take over the systems from the Defence Minister.
iii. The Four naval Systems include:
1.ABHAY – Compact Hull Mounted SONAR for Shallow Water Crafts,
2.HUMSA UG – Upgrade for the HUMSA SONAR System,
3.NACS – Near-field Acoustic Characterisation System, and
4.AIDSS – Advanced Indigenous Distress SONAR System for submarines.
iv. The systems have been designed and developed by NPOL, a Kochi based premier laboratory of DRDO which has outstanding contributions and achievements in the design of SONAR systems for the Indian Navy.
ENVIRONMENT
New Species Of Fish Discovered In China
i. A research fellow from the Institute of Vertebrate Paleontology and Paleoanthropology, Xu Guanghui discovered new species of fish in China. The new fish is named as eltopleurus nitidus sp. This was published by Science Bulletin on November 14.
ii. It is the type of oldest and most primitive representative of the ovoviviparous neopterygian fish.
iii. It has shed fresh light on research of the evolution and internal fertilisation of the neopterygian group of fish, according to Chinese scientists.
SPORTS
IBC signs Rs 100 crore deal with Sporty Solutionz
i. The Indian Boxing Council (IBC) and Sporty Solutionz have signed a 5-year deal under which the Sporty Solutionz will provide IBC Rs. 100 crore to boost professional boxing in India.
ii. The aim of the investment is to make India the global hub of professional boxing over 
the next five years.
iii. With this the active boxers will have opportunities to compete and earn while the retired will be part of a system as coaches to create champions and the beginners will have incentives and scholarships to stay focused on the sport.
iv. The first big event will be the IBC Fight Nights, starting from next January. This will be followed by a three-tier pro tour where city level Silver Glove and state level Golden Glove championships will provide an opportunity to the boxers to gradually qualify for National, Asian and World titles.
v. The first phase of the competitions will include only Indian boxers however, the level of competition will be raised by inviting top international professionals in the future, which in turn will uplift the competitive structure.
Indian Boxing Council(IBC) :
♦ IBC president : Brig. (retd.) P.K.Muralidharan Raja
♦ IBC Headquater : New Delhi
♦ Sporty Solutionz chief executive : Ashish Chadha
Mritul sets new world record in free style swimming
i. A 13-year-old boy Mritul has set a new world record in free style swimming. He covered nine Kilometers in three hours.
ii. Mritul has achieved a target attempting the longest swimming medley over a period of five hours.
iii. His target was to achieve twelve km but he has achieved 13.3 km and has successfully attempted this aspiration to have a world record certified by elite world record.
OBITUARY
Former J-K Governor Lt Gen Sinha Passes Away
i. Former Jammu and Kashmir Governor Lt Gen S K Sinha passed away at the Army Research and Referral hospital on November 17, 2016 in New Delhi said by his son Y K Sinha. He was 92.
ii. Sinha has served as the Jammu and Kashmir Governor and led the first batch of Indian troops who entered J and K when Pakistan raiders invaded in 1947.
iii. He resigned from service after the government superseded him and appointed General A S Vaidya as the new army chief.
iv. He had joined army in 1943 and also served as India’s Ambassador to Nepal and as the Governor of Assam.
BOOKS & AUTHORS
Twinkle Khanna launches her second book ‘The Legend of Lakshmi Prasad’
i. Writer and former actress Twinkle Khanna launched her second book ‘The Legend of Lakshmi Prasad’ in the presence of Shabana Azmi, Ranbir Kapoor and Alia Bhatt in Mumbai
ii. The book launch was moderated by filmmaker Karan Johar.
iii. The book was dedicated to her husband to Akshay Kumar. It includes 4 stories showing different fragments of society of different time and eras.
IMPORTANT DAYS
World Philosophy Day – November 17 2016
World Philosophy Day is celebrated each year on the third Thursday of November to promote human thought, new ideas and critical thinking to confront today’s challenges.The 
day was proclaimed by UNESCO and it was first celebrated on 21 November 2002.
Celebration :
i. UNESCO organised the special programmes from November 16 to 18, 2016 in Paris
ii. They include international encounters on new philosophical practices, a roundtable on tolerance, the launching of the UNESCO Chair on the Practice of Philosophy with Children, a roundtable for teaching Aristotle, and a night of philosophy.
iii. This year UNESCO celebrates the birthdays of two eminent philosophers Artistotle and Leibniz.
