IMPORTANT CURRENT AFFAIRS OF NOVEMBER 15, 16, 2016

IMPORTANT CURRENT AFFAIRS OF NOVEMBER 15, 16, 2016

• Russia has detained Economy Minister Alexei Ulyukayev for allegedly receiving over $2 million (around ₹13.5 crore) in bribes, over an acquisition by state oil company Rosneft. 
• The deal worth $5 billion (₹33 thousand crore) involved Rosneft purchasing a stake in oil producer Bashneft, with the deal being opposed by several government officials believing Bashneft should go to private investors.
• Jharkhand is celebrating the birth anniversary of noted freedom fighter Birsa Munda & 17th State Formation Day.
• About Jharkhand :
• Capital : Ranchi
• Districts : 24
• Chief Minister : Raghubar Das
• Governor : Draupadi Murmu
• Official Language : Hindi
• The Dudhwa National Park in Uttar Pradesh opened On November 15, 2016 for its new tourist season.
• The park houses animals including Bengal tigers and one-horned rhinos, birds, and reptiles. 
• Spanning nearly 900 square kilometres, it also features the only Rhino rehabilitation area in the state. 
• The park is in the process of installing CCTV cameras and providing Wi-Fi connectivity to tourists.
• Japan and South Korea On November 15, 2016 signed a preliminary pact to share and safeguard information about North Korea's missiles and nuclear activities. 
• The 'General Security of Military Information Agreement' was originally intended to be signed in 2012 but was postponed by South Korea amid domestic opposition. 
• This comes after North Korea conducted its fifth and biggest nuclear test recently.
• India and Isreal On November 15, 2016 inked two agreements in the field of water resources management and agriculture. 
• The agreements were signed following delegation level talks between Prime Minister Narendra Modi and visiting Israeli President Reuven Rivlin in New Delhi.
• American stock exchange NASDAQ On November 15, 2016 announced its long-time CEO Robert Greifeld would retire and that Adena Friedman, President and Chief Operating Officer, would become the CEO as of January 1.
• Socialist leader and pro-Russian candidate Igor Dodon has won the Moldovan presidential elections, winning around 54% of the vote.
• Note : Moldova's President can return laws to parliament and has the power to dissolve the assembly.
• Former air force commander and pro-Russian candidate Rumen Radev has won the Bulgarian presidential election, winning 59.4% of the votes. 
• Note : Radev will assume office on January 22, 2017, for a five-year term.
• Taiwanese electronics maker Acer On November 15, 2016 launched 'Swift 7', the world's thinnest laptop with a thickness of 9.98 mm in India at a price of ₹99,999. 
• The laptop weighs 1.1 kg and features a 13.3-inch display with 8 GB memory and 256 GB internal storage. 
• Note : The laptop is thinner than HP's 10.4-millimetre Spectre and Apple's 13.1-millimetre MacBook.
• According to the UN weather body World Meteorological Organisation (WMO), 2016 will possibly turn out to be the hottest year on record, surpassing the record-breaking temperatures of 2015. 
• The WMO has revealed 2016's global temperatures are nearly 1.2°C above pre-industrial levels. 
• Global warming caused by increased greenhouse gas emissions has been held responsible for the temperature increase.
• Actress Sonam Kapoor will be awarded the Icon of India award at the upcoming 11th Asiavision Movie Awards. 
• She will also receive the Best Actress Award for her performance in the film 'Neerja'. 
• Actress Radhika Apte will be awarded for her performances in the films 'Parched', 'Phobia' and 'Kabali'. 
• The Reserve Bank of India (RBI) has formed Special Task Force to speed up the process of recalibration of automated teller machines (ATM) to dispense the new denomination notes. 
• Representatives from the Union Finance and Home ministries, RBI, State Bank of India, ICICI Bank, HDFC Bank, Axis Bank and the National Payments Corporation of India (NPCI) will be its members. 
• The Special Task Force will be headed by : S.S Mundra (Deputy Governor, RBI)
• China On November 15, 2016 weakened the yuan's rate against the dollar to a nearly eight-year low as the surging dollar put further pressure on the currency. 
• Note : The yuan had fallen to a six-year low last week following Donald Trump's victory.
• The Jan Dhan accounts with deposits above ₹50,000 will be closely scrutinised by the government following reports that many were using the accounts to park illegal incomes, Economic affairs secretary Shaktikanta Das announced On November 15, 2016. 
• As per reports, hoarders of unaccounted money used bank accounts of the poor to deposit cash and then withdraw it.
• The US dollar held near a 14-year high against a basket of global currencies On November 15, 2016  following speculation of stronger inflation in the US amid expectations of expansionary fiscal polices under President-elect Donald Trump. 
• Note : The rupee was trading at its lowest value in nearly 5 months. 
• The government has directed banks to use indelible ink to mark customers' fingers to stop multiple visits by same people. 
• This has been done to deter people who organised groups of people to exchange their money and convert black money into white, Economic Affairs Secretary Shaktikanta Das said. 
• People going multiple times was the reason for long queues, Das added.
• SBI Chairman Arundhati Bhattacharya On November 15, 2016 announced that ATMs will start dispensing ₹50 and ₹20 notes after the initial rush decreases. 
• This comes after the government announced plans to recalibrate ATMs across India to dispense ₹50 and new ₹2,000 notes. 
• Note : The government had demonetised ₹500 and ₹1,000 notes as a part of its fight against black money in the country.
• International Hockey Federation (FIH) president Narinder Dhruv Batra has announced India will be hosting the hockey Asian Champions Trophy andYouth Olympic Asian qualifiers in 2018. 
• This comes after the country was finalised as the venue for the 2018 Men's Hockey World Cup, to be held in Bhubaneswar. 
• Important Note : Batra recently became the first Indian to be elected as FIH head.
• Indian golfer SSP Chawrasia clinched the $1 million (₹6.8 crore) Resorts World Manila Masters in the Philippines.
• This is his first ever Asian Tour title outside India. Chawrasia beat Malaysian Nicolas Fung and American Sam Chen on the final day of the tournament. 
• It was his fourth Asian Tour win overall.
• International Master Padmini Rout has won the 2016 National Women Premier Chess Championship. 
• With this win, she has scored a hat-trick in the National Women Premier Chess Championship. 
• Earlier she had won the championship in 2014 and 2015.