VINTAGE

IMPORTANT CURRENT AFFAIRS OF NOVEMBER 11^th , 2018

                       IMPORTANT CURRENT AFFAIRS OF NOVEMBER 11^th, 2018

1.      The 33rd ASEAN Summit began today in the city-state of Singapore. 

a.       The main event is being held at Suntec Singapore Convention Centre, wherein the ten ASEAN members will be discussing key issues on economic, security and cultural cooperation.

b.       The summit is being chaired by Singapore’s Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong. 

c.       During this summit, the ASEAN leaders are expected to adopt the ASEAN Smart Cities Framework and a broad agreement is likely to be reached on RCEP during the summit.

d.       Prime Minister Narendra Modi is scheduled to attend the East Asia Summit and Associated meetings on 14th and 15th November.  

e.       ASEAN - Association of South East Asian Nations

2.      Vice President M Venkaiah Naidu today inaugurated the Indian Armed Forces Memorial in France, as a tribute to Indian soldiers who lost their lives during World War I.

a.       This is the 1st India-built war memorial in the country.

3.      According to data released by the International Society of Women Airline Pilots, India has the highest percentage of Female Airline Pilots in the world. 

a.       India employs a total of 8,797 pilots of which 1,092 (12.4%) are women while globally, women pilots account for 5.4% of pilots employed.

4.      25th edition of Singapore-India Maritime Bilateral Exercise "SIMBEX" began today off Andaman Sea andBayofBengal.

a.       SIMBEX 2018 will mark silver jubilee of exercise and will be largest edition since 1994 in terms of scale and complexity.

5.      Today (11th November) is National Education Day.

a.       This day is observed to commemorate the birth anniversary of Maulana Abul Kalam Azad, the first education minister of independent India, who served from 15 August 1947 until 2 February 1958.

b.       The Bharat Ratna recipient was not only responsible for streamlining Indian education system but also foresaw the establishment of the first IIT, IISc, and the University Grants Commission in his tenure.

6.      Bihar government has approved a proposal to pay Rs 25000 to every girl graduating in 2018 and onwards. 

a.       The one-time payment will be made to every girl who graduated from the colleges of the state on or after April 2018, irrespective of the pass division, community or region.

7.      24th Kolkata International Film Festival (KIFF) began at Netaji Indoor Stadium, Kolkata.

a.       This festival was inaugurated by Bollywood Actor Amitabh Bachchan in the presence of West Bengal chief minister Mamta Banerjee.

b.       This festival will serve as a platform to showcase cinemas across the globe.

c.       Around 171 films and 150 short and documentary films from 70 countries will be screened at the festival. 

d.       This edition will also celebrate 100 years of Bengali cinema by screening classics by auteurs.

8.      The American multinational financial services corporation, American Express today won approval to clear card payments in China.

a.       With this, the company became 1st foreign payments company allowed to build a network in China. 

9.      Indian educational program Super 30 founder Anand Kumar today honoured with prestegious Global education award 2018 in Dubai. 

a.       He was honored for his ‘pioneering’ contributions to the field of education.

10. Renowned French scholar Jawahar Lal Sarin was presented with France’s highest civilian honour Chevalier de la Lgion d’Honneur. 

a.       He was presented with this award in recognition of his outstanding contribution to enhancing Indo-French cultural cooperation and promoting French language. 

11. China and Myanmar have signed an agreement to build a port in Myanmar's Kyaukpyu town along the Bay of Bengal. 

a.       China will fund 70% of the project, while the remaining 30% will be funded by Myanmar. 

12. The Central Institute of Medicinal and Aromatic Plants (CIMAP) has signed MoU with US-based Research Institute for Fragrant Materials (RIFM) for improving the quality of fragrant oils.

a.       This agreement was signed at the conclusion of 2-day annual conference of International Fragrance Association (IFA) in Paris, France. 

13. Justice Pranoy Kumar Musahary, who retired as a judge of the Gauhati High Court, was sworn in as the Chairperson of Meghalaya’s 1st Lokayukta. 

a.       He was administered the oath of office by Meghalaya Governor Tathagata Royat a ceremony held at the Raj Bhawan.

14. Former IAS officer of the Tamil Nadu cadre Ashok Kumar Gupta has been appointed as Chairperson of Competition Commission of India (CCI). 

a.       He has replaced the acting chairperson Sudhir Mital. 

b.       He will be in office till October 25, 2022 i.e. till he attains age of 65 years or until further orders, whichever is the earliest. 

15. 3 senior IRS officers K Dash, Akhilesh Ranjan and Neena Kumar have been appointed as new members of Central Board of Direct Taxes (CBDT). 

a.       Prior to this appointment, Dash was serving as principal chief commissioner of I-T (PCCIT) in Bhopal, Ranjan and Kumar were serving as PCCsIT in Delhi. 

b.       Important Points to Note :

i)       With these three new joinings, CBDT now has full house strength of five members and chairman. 

ii)     The two other members of CBDT are IRS officers Aditya Vikram and P C Mody while the borad’s Chairman is Sushil Chandra.

16. Asian Games and Commonwealth Games gold medalist Bajrang Punia has become the world number one wrestler in the 65-kg category. 

a.       The 24-year-old, who won silver in World Championships recently, is on top of the United World Wrestling rankings with 96 points, 30 points ahead of the second-placed wrestler. 

17. The 66th Nehru Trophy Boat Race (also known as Vallam Kali) was recently held on the Punnamada Lake, near Alappuzha, Kerala.

a.       Payippadan Chundan of Pallathuruthi Boat Club has won the race.