IMPORTANT CURRENT AFFAIRS OF NOVEMBER 3rd   2019

              IMPORTANT CURRENT AFFAIRS OF NOVEMBER 3rd  2019 

1.     Russia's "sovereign Internet" law came into effect from today. 

a.      This law lets the country's government cut off its network from the rest of the World Wide Web.

2.     Defence Minister Rajnath Singh is on a 3 day visit to Tashkent (capital of Uzbekistan)

a.      During this visit, he held bilateral consultations with his Uzbekistan counterpart Major General Bakhodir Nizamovich Kurbanov.

b.      Both the countries signed 3 MoUs to enhance cooperation in Military Medicine and Military Education.

c.      Note : This was the 1st visit by an Indian Defence Minister to Uzbekistan in about 15 years.

3.     The 9th round of India Bangladesh Friendship dialogue concluded in Cox's Bazar (Bangladesh) with a call to build a strategic space between the two countries based on learning and experience of the past and expectations and aspirations for the future.

a.      It also appealed for greater collaboration between North-Eastern states of India and Bangladesh to enhance bilateral trade.

b.      The event was jointly organised by India Foundation and Bangladesh Foundation for Regional Studies.

4.     2 days after Union Territories of J&K and Ladakh came into effect following bifurcation of J&K state, the government today released the New political map of India. 

a.      According to Home Ministry, the new union territories of Ladakh consists of 2  districts of Kargil and Leh and the rest of the districts of erstwhile state of Jammu and Kashmir are in the newly created union territory of Jammu and Kashmir.

b.      Important Points to Note :

i)      India now has 28 states and 9 Union Territories. 

ii)    RK Mathur was sworn-in as the 1st Lieutenant Governor of Ladakh.

iii) GC Murmu was sworn-in as the 1st Lieutenant Governor of J&K.

5.     Agra is going to host the 1st-ever Global Taj International Film Festival from November 15-17 .

a.      Films from around 10 countries will be showcased at the festival.

6.     The government is going to set up Anti-human trafficking units in all districts with the help of the Nirbhaya Fund.

a.      Women and Child Development Minister : Smriti Irani 

7.     The 4-day celebrations of Chhath Puja concluded this morning with devotees offering prayers to the rising sun in different parts of the country.

a.      After offering prayers to Sun God, devotees broke their 36-hour fast and Prasad was distributed among the people.

b.      In Bihar, devotees had started gathering at Ghats of various rivers including Ganga, Kosi, Gandak and Sone early this morning.

8.     Union Health and Family Welfare Minister Dr Harsh Vardhan has dedicated to the nation the Robotic Surgery Facility at the Safdarjung Hospital in New Delhi.

a.      This latest facility is free of cost for all poor patients of euro-oncological cancers like prostate, kidney, bladder cancers and kidney failures. 

b.      Robotic surgery has the advantage of providing minimally invasive surgery, reducing significantly the morbidity and mortality of critically ill, cancer and kidney failure patients.

9.     To recover $500 billion of black money stashed abroad, Surjit Bhalla-led High-Level Advisory Group has recommended issuing a type of government bond to those declaring undisclosed wealth. 

a.      People declaring undisclosed income could pay 15% tax and compulsorily park 40% of it in Elephant Bonds, it suggested. 

b.      The money raised via Elephant Bonds would only be used to fund infrastructure projects.

10.According to a recent report by the International Monetary Fund (IMF) South America's Guyana will experience the world's fastest economic growth in 2020 driven by ExxonMobil's discovery of oil.

11.Justice Ajay Kumar Mittal was sworn in as the Chief Justice of Madhya Pradesh High Court today. 

a.      Governor Lalji Tandon administered him the oath of office at Raj Bhavan.

12.South Africa lifted the Rugby World Cup 2019 title after defeating England in the final at Yokohama today. 

a.      This is the 3rd time that the South African team has won the trophy equalling New Zealand's record. 

b.      Siya Kolisi became the 1st black captain from South Africa to lift rugby's Webb Ellis Cup.

13.The Indian men's hockey team qualified for the 2020 Olympics after beating Russia at the Kalinga Stadium in Bhubaneswar. 

a.      The Indian women's hockey team has also qualified for 2020 Tokyo Olympics despite a 1-4 loss to the US in the second leg of the qualifier which was played at the Kalinga Stadium in Odisha.

IMPORTANT CURRENT AFFAIRS OF NOVEMBER 1st to 2nd   2019

              IMPORTANT CURRENT AFFAIRS OF NOVEMBER 1st to 2nd 2019 

1.      1st November 2019 was observed as World Vegan Day.

a.       This day was established in 1994 by Louise Wallis, then President & Chair of The Vegan Society.

2.      Prime Minister Narendra Modi has reached Bangkok for a 3-day visit to Thailand. 

a.       During this visit, he will address the Indian diaspora in Bangkok this evening. 

b.       The name of the event is 'Sawasdee PM MODI'.

c.       During the event, Prime Minister Modi will release special commemorative coin marking the 550th Birth Anniversary of Sri Guru Nanak Dev Ji and Thai translation of Tirukkural (Tamil Classic).

d.       Tomorrow Prime Minister Modi will co-chair the 16th  India-ASEAN summit to take stock of the progress made in the relationship between ASEAN and India. 

e.       Prime Minister will also hold bilateral meetings with the leaders of Thailand, Indonesia and Myanmar. 

f.        On Monday, Modi will take part in the 14th East Asia Summit to review the future direction of East Asia Cooperation and exchange views on regional and international issues. 

g.       Modi will also participate in the 3rd Regional Comprehensive Economic Partnership (RCEP) summit.

3.      German Chancellor Angela Merkel arrived in India on a 3-day visit.

a.       She co-chaired the fifth India-Germany Intergovernmental Consultations along with Prime Minister Narendra Modi, and also hold talks with President Ram Nath Kovind.

b.       After themeeting she announced €200 million (around ₹1,600 crore) will be earmarked to reform the bus sector in Tamil Nadu. 

4.      Defence Minister Rajnath Singh attended the 18th Meeting of Council of SCO Heads of Government in Tashkent as the Special Envoy of Prime Minister Narendra Modi.

a.       During this meet, she has said that the only way to fight the scourge of terrorism is to strengthen and implement all existing international laws and mechanisms without exceptions or double standards.

5.      In the recently released National Health Profile 2019, Indian government admitted that in 2016, India's public spending on health was 1.17% of the GDP, which is lower than the nations classified as the 'Low Income Countries'. 

a.       India's public health expenditure is also lower than South-Asian countries like Nepal, Bhutan. Country's health budget for 2019-20 stood at almost ₹62,000 crore.

6.      Jharkhand Assembly elections to the 81 constituencies will be held in 5 phases from November 30 and counting of votes will take place on December 23, Chief Election Commissioner Sunil Arora has announced. 

a.       Note : In 2014, BJP had won 37 seats, while Congress managed seven seats in the state.

7.      Hyderabad has been adjudged as 'Creative City' in gastronomy category by the UNESCO. 

a.       Hyderabad is one of the two cities from India, among the total 66 creative cities selected by the UNESCO across the globe. 

b.       The other city from India, Mumbai, has been selected as a 'Creative City' for its contribution to the world of films.

8.      In order to raise awareness about plastic waste management and reduce the usage of single-use plastic, Noida Authority has installed a plastic bottle crusher machine at its campus. 

9.      A WTO panel has cleared China to impose levies on American goods worth $3.6 billion annually in a case that predates the current trade war. 

a.       China argued that US anti-dumping duties on steel and other products were illegally inflated. 

b.       The damages, the third-highest awarded in WTO history, are about half of what China had sought.

10. Late singer Michael Jackson has been named the highest-paid dead celebrity for the 7th consecutive year by Forbes.

a.       Jackson, who died in 2009, topped the list with the earnings of $60 million (₹424 crore). 

11. Uttar Pradesh government on Friday allotted ₹447.46 crore for building a digital museum on Lord Ram in Ayodhya. 

a.       The money will also be used for acquiring 61 hectares of land in Ayodhya for building a 251-metre high statue of Lord Ram. 

12. Telecom regulator TRAI has fixed mobile phone call ring at 30 seconds, in case the call is neither answered nor rejected. 

a.       This comes after Airtel reduced its ring time, alleging that Jio's ring duration results in a missed call and forces the receiver to dial back. 

13. German Chancellor Angela Merkel, who is on a two-day visit to India, held talks with Prime Minister Narendra Modi, following which 22 wide-ranging agreements were signed between the two nations to strengthen their bilateral ties. 

a.       The pacts include joint declarations for cooperation on strategic projects, green urban mobility, smart cities, startups and agricultural market development.

14. At least two dozen Indian academics, lawyers, Dalit activists and journalists were targeted for surveillance for two weeks until May 2019 on WhatsApp. 

a.       Israeli cybersecurity firm NSO's technology 'Pegasus' sent 'exploit links' to people to penetrate their phone's security without their knowledge. 

b.       Once installed, Pegasus could extract users' private data, passwords, texts, and even voice calls.

15. Indian Institute of Technology (IIT) Delhi has tied up with national space agency ISRO to set up a research centre that will carry out projects in space technology. 

a.       The centre is also aimed at providing scientific solutions to India's first human space mission Gaganyaan and other future missions. 

16. Guido van Rossum, the creator of computer programming language Python, has announced that he is leaving cloud file hosting service Dropbox after over 6.5 years and is now retired. 

17. Telugu actress Geetanjali Ramakrishna (72) passed away.

a.       She has acted in more than 500 films and is known for her role in films like 'Seetha Rama Kalyanam', 'Abbaigaru Ammaigaru' and 'Sambarala Rambabu'. 

18. Film producer Champak Jain, who produced the Akshay Kumar starrer 'Main Khiladi Tu Anari', passed awa.

a.       Champak was also the owner of Venus Records & Tapes and United 7. 

19. Actor Rajinikanth will be honoured with the Icon of Golden Jubilee award for "his outstanding contribution to Indian cinema" at the 50th International Film Festival of India (IFFI).  

a.       French actress Isabelle Huppert, who was nominated for 2017 Oscars for Best Performance by an Actress in a Leading Role, will receive the Lifetime Achievement Award at the festival.

20. Sand artist and Padma Shri awardee Sudarsan Pattnaik has been selected for the Italian Golden Sand Art Award 2019. 

a.       He will be honoured at the International Scorrana Sand Nativity in Italy scheduled to be held from November 13 to 18. 

21. Bollywood Actor Nawazuddin Siddiqui was awarded the Golden Dragon at the Cardiff International Film Festival for his 'excellence in cinema' in the global arena. 

22. Bollywood Actress Kareena Kapoor Khan unveiled the trophies of both the Men's and Women's T20 World Cups to be held next year in Australia. 

a.       The Women's T20 World Cup will start from February 21, 2020 followed by the Men's World Cup which will start on October 18.

23. The Indian women's hockey team moved a step towards Olympic qualification with a 5-1 win over USA in the first-leg of the two-match FIH Qualifier in Bhubaneswar. D 

24. Subedar Anandan Gunasekaran who won 3 gold medals in the 7th Military World Games recently in Wuhan in China was felicitated at the Madras Engineering Group and Centre in Bengaluru.

a.       Subedar Anandan had won Gold in 100 meters, 200 meter and 400 meter race as a para-athlete.

b.       Note : He is the 1st Indian Para Athlete in T-44 category to bag medal for the Army in the World Para Military Games and break the Asian record.

IMPORTANT CURRENT AFFAIRS OF OCTOBER 21st to 26th  2019

              IMPORTANT CURRENT AFFAIRS OF OCTOBER  21st to 26th 2019 

1.           Justin Trudeau has won a second term as Canada's Prime Minister as his Liberal Party will return to power as a minority government, preliminary results showed.

2.           Hong Kong's legislature has formally withdrew planned legislation that would have allowed extradition of people to mainland China. 

a.  The planned bill had sparked widespread protests in the city. 

b. However, the move only meets one of the five demands by pro-democracy protestors and may not lead to the end of months-long protests.

3.           Abortion has been decriminalised in Northern Ireland. 

a.  Earlier, abortion was only permitted in Northern Ireland if a woman's life was at risk or there was a danger of permanent and serious damage to her physical or mental health. 

b. Note : Same-sex marriages have also been legalised in Northern Ireland.

4.           The Disabled and People over 80 years of age can now cast their vote through postal ballot, the government announced today. 

a.  On EC's recommendation, the government amended the Conduct of Election Rules, 1961, allowing senior citizens and disabled people in the absentee voter list. 

b. Earlier, voting through postal ballot was available to armed forces and those on poll duties.

5.           The Assam Cabinet has decided that no government jobs will be given to those having more than two children after January 1, 2021.

a.  It also adopted a land policy, which will give three bighas of agricultural land to landless indigenous people and half a bigha for constructing a house. 

6.           Defence Minister Rajnath Singh has announced that the Siachen area has been opened for tourists and tourism. 

a.  The Siachen Glacier, the highest battlefield in the world, is a part of Ladakh.

7.           The government has launched a challenge for startups to present alternative solutions to single-use plastics which it seeks to phase out by 2022. 

a.  The Department for Promotion of Industry and Internal Trade will award the first and second place holders ₹3 lakh and ₹2 lakh respectively. 

8.           The US Air Force has received its 1st anti-drone weapon system from defence contractor Raytheon. 

a.  The system, introduced about a year ago by Raytheon, is a high-energy laser system mounted on a small all-terrain vehicle which uses electro-optical/infrared sensors to detect and track drones and neutralise them in seconds. 

b. The system can deliver "dozens" of laser shots on single charge.

9.           Bollywood Actress Vidya Balan has received the Youth Icon Award from Imperial College London.

10.      The Union Cabinet has approved the merger of state-run telecom operators BSNL and MTNL. 

a.  The government will raise ₹15,000 crore via sovereign bonds for the revival of the companies and will provide them 4G spectrum on an administrative basis. 

b. Assets of BSNL and MTNL worth ₹38,000 crore will be monetised.

11.      India is considering tariff and non-tariff measures to limit Turkish and Malaysian imports over their leaders' comments on Kashmir. 

a.  The options reportedly include strict quality tests and a safeguard tax. 

12.      Saudi Arabia replaced Iraq as top oil supplier to India in September after a gap of about 13 months.

a.  The two OPEC members accounted for about 43% of India's overall imports. 

b. India's oil imports fell 8.4% to their lowest in more than three years in September to 3.82 million barrels per day (bpd).

13.      The IT Ministry has launched a new version of its Unified Payment Interface (UPI) platform Bharat Interface for Money (BHIM) app including new initiatives and features. 

a.  BHIM 2.0 will consist of additional languages, a 'Donation' gateway and an increased transaction limit.

14.      Don Valentine (87), the founder of American venture capital firm Sequoia Capital, passed away.

a.  The firm revealed that an early mutual fund group, Capital Group had first allowed Valentine to form a $3-million venture fund in 1974.

b. Among his first bets from that pool of capital were Atari and Apple.

15.      M L Khattar will take oath as Haryana Chief Minister for a second term tomorrow. 

a.  Jannayak Janta Party (JJP) chief Dushyant Chautala will take oath as Deputy CM. 

16.      1987 batch IAS officer Pankaj Kumar as the new CEO of the Unique Identification Authority of India (UIDAI). 

a.  Kumar is currently Additional Secretary in the Ministry of Electronics and Information Technology. 

17.      Japan's Emperor Naruhito (59), formally proclaimed his ascension to the throne in a ceremony attended by dignitaries from more than 180 countries, including Indian President Ram Nath Kovind. 

a.  Naruhito, the 1st Japanese emperor born after WWII, acceded to the throne in May when his father, Akihito, became the first Japanese monarch to abdicate in two centuries.

18.      Bollywood Actor Ayushmann Khurrana has been roped in by UNICEF and the Government of India to build awareness and raise his voice against sexual abuse of children. 

19.      Jammu and Kashmir Governor Satya Pal Malik has been transferred and appointed as Governor of Goa. 

a.  Girish Chandra Murmu has been appointed as Lieutenant Governor of J&K, while Radha Krishna Mathur has been appointed as Lieutenant Governor of Ladakh. 

b. Important Note : J&K and Ladakh will officially become Union Territories from October 31.

20.      Former Team India captain Sourav Ganguly has taken over as BCCI President.

a.  With this, Ganguly became the 1st ex-captain to hold the post full-time since Maharajkumar of Vizianagram (Vizzy) in 1954. 

21.      Former top-ranked men's singles tennis player Andy Murray won his first title since March 2017 after beating Stan Wawrinka in the final of the European Open.

22.      Former Australian cricketer Andrew McDonald has been appointed as Rajasthan Royals' new head coach for a 3 -year term.