23-24 November 2018 - Daily Current Affairs

23-24 November 2018 - Daily Current Affairs

1.  Millie Bobby Brown named UNICEF’s youngest-ever Goodwill Ambassador

• Emmy-nominated British actress ‘Millie Bobby Brown’ (14-year) has been appointed as UNICEF’s newest Goodwill Ambassador.
• She is joined by stars and leaders in entertainment, government, sport and business who are rallying for children in support of their rights.
• In addition to these high-profile advocates, countries around the world are appointing UNICEF Youth Ambassadors and collaborating with Youth Advocates.

UNICEF Youth Ambassadors: 

Name	Profession	Ambassador
Wang Yuan (Roy Wang), 18 year	Singer (China)	UNICEF China
Hima Das (18-year)	Athlete (India)	UNICEF India
Hinna Asefi Wardak (15-year)	Television presenter (Afghanistan)	UNICEF Afghanistan
Sonam Wangchen (16-year)	Singer, songwriter and musician (Bhutan)	UNICEF Bhutan
El Sistema	The National Children's Orchestra of Venezuela (Venezuela)	UNICEF Venezuela

Note:

• UNICEF works in 190 countries and territories to save children’s lives, to defend their rights, and to help them fulfil their potential,from early childhood through adolescence.

2. Vijay Kumar Dev appointed Delhi chief secretary

• Senior IAS officer Vijay Kumar Dev (1987 batch from AGMUT cadre) has been appointed as the chief secretary of Delhi
• He replaced Anshu Prakash (transferred last week as the additional secretary of the Department of Telecommunications).
• Earlier, Mr. Dev has served as the chief election officer of Delhi.

Note:

• Chief Secretary (Mukhya Sachiv) is the senior-most position held in the civil services of the states and union territories of India.
• AGMUT - Arunachal Pradesh, Goa, Mizoram and Union Territories

Honours & Awards

3. S.P. Ganguly awarded Mexican Order of Aztec Eagle

• The  Mexican government has honoured Indian academician Shyama Prasad Ganguly (first Indian Academician) with 'Orden Mexicana del Águila Azteca' (Mexican Order of the Aztec Eagle), the highest civilian honour given to a foreigner by Mexico.
• He was awarded for disseminating Spanish language and Mexican culture to strengthen Mexico-India cultural relations.
• Mr. Gaguky is the former professor of Spanish and Latin American Studies at Jawaharlal Nehru University (JNU).

4. Filmmaker Nandita Das to receive FIAPF Award

• Filmmaker Nandita Das will be honoured with the International Federation of Film Producers Associations (FIAPF) Award at the 12th Asia Pacific Screen Awards (APSA) in Brisbane.
• She will be presented the award in recognition of her achievement in film in the Asia Pacific region.
• Nandita Das started her career as an actor in films like "1947 Earth", "Fire" and "Hazaar Chaurasi Ki Maa".
• She made her directorial debut with the critically-acclaimed feature "Firaaq".

Obituaries

5. Noted Indian classical musician Ustad Imrat Khan passes away

• Classical music stalwart Ustad Imrat Khan (83-years) passed away in the US after a brief illness.
• Mr. Khan dedicated his life to propagating the Sitar and the surbahar worldwide.
• Imrat Khan famously turned down the Padma Shri last year saying the recognition had come too late and diminished his achievements.

International Affairs

6. MEA Sushma Swaraj co-chaired 9th meeting of India-Lao PDR Joint Commission

• The union external Affairs Minister Sushma Swaraj has co-chaired the 9th Meeting of India-Lao PDR Joint Commission on Bilateral Co-operation with her counterpart Saleumxay Kommasith in Vientiane.
• The two sides have reviewed the entire gamut of bilateral relations covering areas of Defence, Agriculture, Trade and Investment, Science and IT, Energy and Mining among others.
• Mrs. Swaraj attended an Indian community event held at Vientiane after arriving in Lao PDR.

7. 12th World Congress on Mountain Medicine begins in Kathmandu

• 12th World Congress on Mountain Medicine started in Kathmandu, Nepal.
• The biennial event mainly focuses on science and research aspects of high-altitude medicine.
• The theme of Congress is “Mountain Medicine in the Heart of the Himalayas”.
• It will also include practical workshops related to trekking, expedition medicine and clinical education.
• The flagship event of the International Society for Mountain Medicine (ISMM) is being held first time in Nepal and hosted by Mountain Medicine Society of Nepal (MMSN).

National Affairs

8. 44 new coal blocks found in four eastern states

• According to the Geological Survey of India (GSI) report, it has found 44 new coal blocks in four states of Eastern India.
• It has located these coal blocks spread across West Bengal's Purulia and Birbhum districts, coal city of Talcher in Odisha, Bihar's Bhagalpur and Jharkhand's East Bokaro and south Karanpura.
• Once the mining starts, it will be a massive boost for the economy of the respective states and the country.
• The GSI has done National Geo Chemical Mapping (NGCM) of over 1,82,000 Sq km area in the eastern region of the country in the last 10 years to find out the elements which are economically fruitful to the country.

9. Notification issued for the inclusion of Quadricycles as non-transport

• The Road Transport and Highways Ministry has notified the ion of the item Quadricycle as a non-transport vehicle, under the Motor Vehicles Act 1988.
• A Quadricycle is a vehicle of the size of a 3-wheeler but with four tyres.
• It is fully covered like a car and has an engine like that of a 3-wheeler.

Note:

• Quadricycles were only allowed for transport usage under the Act, but now has been made usable for non-transport also.

10. Cabinet clears mandatory jute packaging of 100% food grains

• The Cabinet Committee on Economic Affairs (CCEA) has given its approval to expand the scope of mandatory packaging norms under the Jute Packaging Material (JPM) Act, 1987.
• The CCEA approved that 100% of the food grains and 20% of sugar shall be mandatorily packed in diversified jute bags.
• The decision to pack sugar in diversified jute bags will give an impetus to the diversification of the jute industry.
• The CCEA also approved the establishment of National Facility for Airborne Research with a financial commitment of 130 crore rupees during 2020-21 and beyond.
• It will be implemented by the Ministry of Earth Sciences through its institutes namely India Meteorological Department, Indian Institute of Tropical Meteorology, National Centre for Medium Range Weather Forecasting and Indian National Centre for Ocean Information Service.

11. Malaria cases declined by 24% in India

• According to the World Health Organisation (WHO), India is the only country to have recorded a substantial decline in malaria cases in 2017 out of the 11 highest burden countries worldwide.
• India accounted for 4% of global malaria cases in 2017.
• As reflected in this year's World malaria report, India registered a 24% reduction in cases over 2016, largely due to substantial declines of the disease in the highly malarious state of Odisha.

Note

• Malaria is a mosquito-borne infectious disease affecting humans and other animals caused by parasitic single-celled microorganisms belonging to the Plasmodium group.

12. IMD develops new technology to monitor impact of rain & deal with natural disasters

• The India Meteorological Department (IMD) has developed a new technology 'Impact Based Forecasting Approach' to assess the rise of water level in rivers and reservoirs by rain.
• The technology shows pre-event scenario, can help state governments to minutely monitor the impact of rain and take real-time decisions.
• According to IMD Director General KJ Ramesh, now, the IMD department is in position to use the technology into service to deal with natural disasters like the recent deluge in Kerala.

13. Tripura Governor inaugurates 7th International Tourism Mart in Agartala

• Tripura Governor Prof. Kaptan Singh Solanki has inaugurated the “7th International Tourism Mart for the North-East States”.
• This is an annual event organised in the North Eastern region with the objective of highlighting the tourism potential of the region in the domestic and international markets.
• It brings together the tourism business fraternity and entrepreneurs from the eight North Eastern States.

Important Dates

14. Jharkhand Day being celebrated today at IFFI in Goa

• Jharkhand Day is being celebrated at the International Film Festival of India (IFFI) in Goa.
• Jharkhand is the focus state (first time that any state) at this year's IFFI.
• Raghubar Das (Jharkhand Chief Minister) and Amit Khare (Information and Broadcasting Secretary) had inaugurated the Jharkhand Tourism's pavilion at the IFFI.

15. Guru Nanak Jayanti being celebrated across the country

• The birth anniversary (549th) of 1st Sikh Guru Nanak Dev jee is being celebrated across the country.
• On this day, Sikh devotees around the world visit Gurudwaras and offer prayers.
• The Union Cabinet approved the building and development of Kartarpur corridor from Dera Baba Nanak in Gurdaspur district of Punjab to the International Border.
• This will provide a smooth and easy passage to pilgrims to visit Gurdwara Darbar Sahib in Pakistan throughout the year.
• Union Government has decided to commemorate the 550th birth anniversary of Guru Nanak at national as well as international level.

Note:

• Guru Nanak was the founder of the Sikh religion and the first of the ten Sikh Gurus.
• His words are registered in the form of 974 poetic hymns in the holy text of Sikhism.

Sports

16. Indian gymnasts win two bronze medals in Acrobatic Gymnastics World Cup

• Indian gymnasts Prins Aris & Rejilesh Suribabu have won two bronze medals in the men's and women's group events of the FIG Acrobatic World Cup in Baku.
• They finished third after scoring 20.560 to bag the bronze medal at the National Gymnastics Arena.
• Russian gymnasts won both the gold and silver.