IMPORTANT CURRENT AFFAIRS OF NOVEMBER 11,2016

IMPORTANT CURRENT AFFAIRS OF NOVEMBER 11, 2016

• On November 10, 2016 World Science Day for Peace and Development (WSDPD) / World Science Day was observed.
• This day is annually observed on November 10 to raise awareness of the benefits of science worldwide.
• World Science Day for Peace and Development 2016 Theme : “Celebrating Science Centres and Science Museums”
• Prime Minister Narendra Modi left on a 3 day visit to Japan On November 10, 2016's morning. 
• During this visit, he will attend the India - Japan Annual Summit. 
• The summit will be an occasion for Mr. Modi and his counterpart Shinzo Abe for an in-depth exchanges on bilateral, regional and global issues of mutual interest to further deepen the broad-based and action-oriented partnership between the two countries. 
• Economic and defence cooperation are likely to figure high on the agenda.
• Spain, which is known to be the world's largest organ donor, performed over 4,700 organ transplants in 2015, according to data released by Spain's National Transplant Organisation. 
• The world leader in organ donation for the past 24 years, the country reportedly performs up to 13 transplants a day. 
• Spain additionally has a rate of 40.2 donors per million people.
• The Union Ministry of Human Resource Development (HRD) has launchedSmart India Hackathon 2017. 
• It is the world’s largest digital national building initiative. 
• Through this initiative, HRD Ministry is keen to reach out to all technology institutions in the country and challenge students to offer innovative solutions to some of the daunting problems faced by our nation.
• The National Green Tribunal has set thresholds on PM 2.5 and PM 10 levelsfor states and the Centre to declare an 'environment emergency'. 
• The NGT issued directives listing emergency measures, including a temporary shutdown of thermal power plants and closure of all construction activities if pollution levels increase.
• The Union Ministry of Skill Development and Entrepreneurship has launched of Pradhan Mantri Yuva Yojana (PMYY) to scale up an ecosystem of entrepreneurship for youngsters. 
• The scheme was launched by Union Minister of State(I/C) for Skill Development and Entrepreneurship Rajiv Pratap Rudy to mark  2nd Foundation Day of Ministry of Skill Development and Entrepreneurship (MSDE).
• The novel 'Solar Bones' by Ireland's Mike McCormack was awarded the £10,000 (approximately ₹8.2 lakhs) 2016 Goldsmiths Prize, which recognises fiction that "breaks the mould". 
• The novel, written in a single sentence over 224 pages, is about the recollections of an Irish engineer brought back from the dead. 
• Note : McCormack is the third Irish writer to win the award.
• India's Junaid Kaliwala won the physique title at the recently-concludedNational Physique Committee (NPC) Eastern USA in New Jersey, US. 
• Note : Kaliwala was the only Indian to participate at the Arnold Schwarzenegger Classic in March this year.
• Melania Trump, the wife of US President-elect Donald Trump, is set to become the first foreign-born First Lady of US since Louisa Adams, the wife of the sixth US President John Quincy Adams (1825-29). 
• A school student named Priyanka Panda from Bhubaneswar received the2016 IGNITE award from the President on November 6, for an innovation that makes motorists aware of the ways in which they contribute to air pollution.
• Bangalore-based TeamIndus aims to become the first private company to land a spacecraft on moon, through Google's $20 million Lunar X-Prize competition, of which it is the only entrant. 
• TeamIndus' mission involves launching a spacecraft with a surface rover through ISRO's Polar Satellite Launch Vehicle. 
• If successful, it could become the first Indian company to make a 'soft' moon landing.
• India's first Liquefied Natural Gas (LNG) Bus was flagged off for its pilot run by Union Petroleum Minister Dharmendra Pradhan and Kerala CM Pinarayi Vijayan in Thiruvananthapuram On November 10, 2016. 
• The bus will run on a trial basis before being certified for commercial application. 
• Note : The Centre plans to use LNG, considered a cleaner fuel that emits less carbon, for mass transportation.
• Following demonetisation of the current ₹500, ₹1000 notes, the RBI said all ATMs and cash-dispensing machines will have to be re-configured to disburse ₹100 and ₹50 notes from November 11.
•  Further, new notes of ₹2,000 and ₹500 will also be available at the ATMs from November 11. 
• Shares of Public Sector Undertakings (PSU) banks rose on the Nifty PSU Bank index On November 10, 2016, which hit a 52-week high following the demonetisation of the current ₹500 and ₹1,000 currency notes. 
• The index surged as much as 9.5%. Prime Minister Narendra Modi announced the move in a bid to curb black money, fake currency, and corruption.
• Economic Affairs Secretary Shaktikanta Das On November 10, 2016 announced that the government will unveil ₹1,000 notes with a new colour combination and design in a few months. 
• This comes after the government banned the use of ₹500 and ₹1,000 notes, and unveiled new ₹500 and ₹2,000 notes. 
• The government has given citizens time until December 30 to exchange their old notes.
• The Union Cabinet has approved India-Japan Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) for advancement of academic research in the field of Earth Sciences. 
• The MoU will be signed between Japan Agency for Marine-Earth Science and Technology (JAMSTEC) and the Union Ministry of Earth Sciences.
• The highest denomination currency note ever printed by the Reserve Bank of India (RBI) is a ₹10,000 note during the British Raj in 1938. 
• While the note was demonetised in 1946, a new version of the note was introduced in 1954. 
• However, the ₹10,000 note along with ₹1,000 and ₹5,000 notes were demonetised by the then PM Morarji Desai in 1978.
• Tata Sons On November 10, 2016 appointed former Finance Director Ishaat Hussain as theinterim Chairman of Tata Consultancy Services with immediate effect in place of the recently-ousted Tata Sons Chairman Cyrus Mistry. 
• A record number of 4 Indian-Americans were elected to the US Congress yesterday. 
• Among the winners was two-term attorney general from California Kamala Harris, and Pramila Jayapal, the first Indian-American woman to be elected to the House of Representatives. 
• Raja Krishnamoorthi also got elected to the House of Representatives while Ro Khanna also got elected from California.
• Former cricketer Rahul Dravid was announced as the Brand Ambassador for the 2nd T20 World Cup Cricket for the Blind, to be held in January and February 2017. 
• A total of ten teams, including Nepal, South Africa, Sri Lanka and West Indies are participating in the event.
• Note : Dravid also launched the 'Support Blind Cricket by buying a Cricket Ball' campaign.
• Mumbai's Western Railways women's team clinched the title in the 33rd Indian Oil Servo Surjit Hockey Tournament. 
• Real Madrid and Portugal forward Cristiano Ronaldo has signed a "lifetime" deal with sportswear giant Nike which will reportedly fetch him over $1 billion (approximately ₹ 6,643 crore). 
• With this deal, Ronaldo has become the third athlete to sign a lifetime endorsement deal with Nike after NBA players Michael Jordan andLeBron James.