Current Affairs November 22, 2018
In this post, GKToday presents Current Affairs of November 22, 2018 in Short Notes form for preparation of IBPS, Banking, CLAT, SSC, Railway, UPSC, IAS/PCS, UPPSC, BPSC, MPPSC, RPSC, TNPSC, MPSC, KPSC and all other competitive examinations of India.
1. The World Fisheries Day (WFD) is observed every year on 21st of November throughout the world by fishing communities. This day is celebrated through rallies, workshops, public meetings, cultural programs, dramas, exhibition, music show, and demonstrations to highlight the importance of maintaining the world's fisheries. It helps in highlighting the critical importance to human lives, of water and the lives it sustains, both in and out of water. Water forms a continuum, whether contained in rivers, lakes, and ocean.
2. The researchers at IIT Kharagpur have devised a Decision Support System (DSS) to help maximise the number of LPG connections in Below Poverty Level (BPL) households in the 'Pradhan Mantri Ujjwala Yojana (PMUY)' . A DSS is a computer programme that helps in making sound rational decisions using mathematical programming and operation research techniques. The DSS mathematical model devised at IIT KGP has found the optimum number of total (BPL) connections required in a region and the number of dealerships that need to be commissioned in a region over the policy time frame. This type of mathematical modeling of a policy (LPG) can be used as a reference for mathematical model. The PMUY, launched in May 2016, aimed at providing 5 crore LPG connections by 2019 to BPL families with the support of Rs 1,600 to each family. The Central government has recently revised the target to 8 crore LPG connections by 2020.
3. The 14th edition of International theatre festival for children “Jashne Bachpan 2018” has started in New Delhi from November 17. It is being organised by National School of Drama's (NSD) Theatre in Education (TIE) Company, which is also known as Sanskar Rang Toli. The 9-day theatre festival for children will see 21 productions from India and three foreign groups including Sri Lanka (non-verbal), Switzerland (English) and Indonesia (Javanese). The plays will be performed in vernacular languages like Bengali, Marathi, Assamese, and Malayalam besides non-verbal, English, Hindi and other foreign languages. The idea behind this initiative is to bring those children to the mainstream and inculcate enthusiasm for art and culture along with entertainment at a global platform like Jashne bachpan.
4. The Sulabh International has launched India’s first sewer cleaning machine to put an end to the unsafe manual scavenging and to reduce sewer deaths. The machine will do away with 99% of manual scavenging in the country. With the help of sewer cleaning machine, a safai karamchari" (manual cleaner) won't have to enter the sewers. But if the need arises and a person has to go, then the machine is fully equipped with gas checking machine, protective gears and dress to protect the workers from harmful gases. The new machine is ideal for periodic mechanical desilting of manholes and to flush out sewer lines using the powerful jetting pump capable of producing 150 bar operating pressure and a flow of 150 litres per minute. It is electro-hydraulically operated, with personal protective devices and a quick-view pipe inspection camera which extends up to 20 feet. The machine, which costs Rs 43 lakh, was unveiled on the occasion of World Toilet Day (WTD) 2018 by the mayors of all the three Municipal Corporations of Delhi (MCD), in the presence of Sulabh International founder Dr Bindeshwar Pathak.
5. Kim Jong Yang, a South Korean police officer, has been elected the new President of Interpol for a two-year term. He succeeded Meng Hongwei of China. The decision was taken at the 87th General Assembly of the Agency in Dubai, UAE. The International Criminal Police Organization (INTERPOL) is the international organization that facilitates international police cooperation. Its’ headquarters is located at Lyo, France. Its work focuses primarily on public safety and battling transnational crimes against humanity, child pornography, cybercrime, drug trafficking, environmental crime, genocide, etc.
6. The Union Ministry of Environment has recently approved a project led by scientists at the Indian Institute of Technology (IIT) Kanpur to induce artificial rain via cloud seeding to clear smog in Delhi. The Cloud seeding project will have an aircraft fly into the clouds and inject silver iodide, which will lead to the formation of ice crystals that will make the clouds denser, cause them to condense into rain and settle atmospheric dust enough to clear the sky. The researchers at IIT-Kanpur will use an aircraft of the National Remote Sensing Agency (NRSA), an ISRO-affiliated body for the exercise. The Indian Meteorological Department (IMD) will provide forecasts on the likelihood of conducive clouds. The cloud seeding is not new to India — Karnataka, Andhra Pradesh and Maharashtra have experimented with it in limited trials through the decades to address droughts. Though, this is the first time it will be tried during the winters to battle pollution.
7. The Indo-Japan Business Council (IJBC) hosted the first of its kind business festival “Konnichiwa Pune” in Pune, Maharashtra on 17th November, 2018. The aim of the 2-day fest was to promote exchange of trade, culture and educational ties between India and Japan in a friendly festive manner. It gave a platform to both Japan and India to come together under one umbrella and explore further opportunities in terms of business, culture, education and other areas of interests.
8. In China, the world's first underground hotel “the InterContinental Shanghai Wonderland”has opened in Shanghai, which is buried almost 90 metres deep in an old quarry. The 18-storey luxury hotel is almost entirely subterranean having two floors above ground and the rest underground, including two floors that are underwater. Built in the Sheshan Mountain Range, it encloses 336 rooms and suites which mimic the landscape of the quarry offering a picturesque view into the abyss. The bottom floors have underwater suites that feature in-room aquariums where guests can enjoy the aquatic ecosystem of the decommissioned quarry. Other highlights of the exotic resort are its cascading glass waterfall, a glitzy amusement park and exposed rocks. The sprawling property is built by British firm Atkins, who is also responsible for architectural marvels such as Burj Al Arab in Dubai and skyscraper Landmark 81 in Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam. The hotel can withstand a magnitude 9 earthquake.
9. The 27th BASIC (Brazil, South Africa, India and China) Ministerial Meeting on Climate Change was held in New Delhi, India, on 19-20 November 2018. The meeting was chaired by Dr Harsh Vardhan, Minister of Environment, Forest and Climate Change (MoEFCC) of India. The BASIC Ministers urged the advanced countries to enhance their support to the developing nations in effectively implementing the Paris Agreement to combat climate change. The participating countries reaffirmed that the Paris Agreement is a significant step to advance global action against climate change, recognising the needs and special circumstances of the developing countries. The conclave also reaffirmed the member countries’ commitment to implement the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change, its Kyoto Protocol and the Paris Agreement. It resolved to promote low carbon transition to safeguard the future of mankind.
10. Professor Shyama Prasad Ganguly from India has been awarded the Mexican Order of the Aztec Eagle, the highest civilian honour given to a foreigner by Mexico. He was decorated with the striking gold-yellow insignia by Mexican Ambassador Melba Pria at a ceremony in the India International Center (IIC) on November 19. The award was in recognition of his "outstanding work in the study and dissemination of the Spanish language and Mexican culture". Ganguly is a well-known Hispanist who has headed the Centre for Spanish and Latin American Studies at Jawaharlal Nehru University five times. He has authored, edited and translated over 25 books in an academic career spanning 40 years.
