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Current Affairs Updates - 18 November 2017

Current Affairs Updates - 18 November 2017

Current Affairs Updates - 18 November 2017

Banking/Economic Affairs
RBI Governor Urjit Patel was on Wednesday appointed to the Financial Stability Institute Advisory Board or the Bank of International Settlement (BIS), a global financial organisation owned by major central banks from across the world.
  • The Financial Stability Institute (FSI) of the BIS assists financial sector authorities worldwide in strengthening their financial systems. Since the beginning of 2017, the FSI has been implementing a new strategy that includes achieving closer interaction with central banks and financial supervisory agencies, which are its main stakeholders.
Rankings
According to the UN Climate Change negotiations (COP23) report in Bonn India is ranked 14th in this year's Climate Change Performance Index (CCPI) 2018 out of 56 nations and the European Union by environmental organisation Germanwatch, an improvement from its 20th position last year, for reducing greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions by opting to transform its electricity sector towards green technology. 
  • China, with its high emissions and growing energy use over the past five years, still ranks 41st. 
  • "The gap in mid and long-term ambition of the evaluated countries is still too high. In terms of GHG emissions, we see better 2030 targets in countries like Norway or India; comparably good targets for renewable energy, we see in for example Norway, Sweden or New Zealand," said Niklas Hohne from Germany's New Climate Institute and co-author of the CCPI. 
National Affairs
Shri J P Nadda represents India at ‘1st WHO Global Ministerial Conference on Ending TB  by 2025 in Sustainable Development Era’ at Moscow, Russia. Theme: 'Ending TB: Our Promise to Our People’.
  • Speaking at the first high level plenary, Shri Nadda said that India has ended polio and will use a similar intensified effort to end TB also. The National Strategic Plan for TB elimination in India has essentially four pillars to address the major challenges for TB control, namely- “Detect, Treat, Build and Prevent”. “This plan requires a significant increase in the budget compared to previous NSP and I am happy to share with you that this plan is fully funded and most of this is through domestic resources,” Shri Nadda elaborated.
Under the ‘Ek Bharat-Shreshtha Bharat’ scheme, Madhya Pradesh has been made a partner of Nagaland and Manipur.
  • The Madhya Pradesh government has made its Higher Education Department as a nodal department to execute the scheme. An eight member’s team from Madhya Pradesh has also toured Manipur and Nagaland in this regard.
International rating agency Moody’s Investors Service has upgraded India’s sovereign bond rating to Baa2 from Baa3 for the first time in nearly 14 years. 
  • Moody’s upgrade, its first since January 2004, moves India’s rating to the second-lowest level in the investment grade category. Standard & Poor’s has kept India at the lowest investment grade just above junk status for a decade and Fitch Ratings for one year longer. 




International Affairs
Nagaland today became the first among the North Eastern states to launch Point of Sale (PoS) for electricity bill payment. 
  • Through the PoS, a consumer can make cashless payment of the electricity bills, which is in line with the country's digitisation drive, said Nagaland's Commissioner and Secretary of Power Department, K D Vizo. 
Schemes / Programme
The Karnataka government has announced a project to instal WiFi facilities in all gram panchayats across the state. It will initially start with 2,650 gram panchayats.
  • Karnataka, which is one of the leading states with regard to technology adoption, is taking this initiative a few months before it is set to go to the polls in 2018.
  • The state, which is also furthering the cause of start-ups, is looking to give a stronger push to the ecosystem. New-age incubation network centres have been set up in a few colleges across the state, with the aim of encouraging young minds to innovate and invent and become entrepreneurs, Karnataka Chief Minister Siddaramaiah said.
Agreements (MoU)
Cabinet approves agreement between Indian National Science Academy (INSA) and the National Academy of Sciences of Belarus (NASB) on Scientific and Technological Cooperation for mutual benefit in the areas of science, technology, agriculture, etc. 
  • The Agreement is aimed at identifying, assessing, developing and commercializing globally competitive technologies from India and Belarus. It will support institutions in both countries by way of research, technology transfers, exchange of visits and joint workshops leading to scientific and economic benefit. 
Cabinet approves MoU between India and Poland for the promotion of Civil Aviation Cooperation 
  • The objective of the MoU is to recognize the mutual benefit of Cooperation in the field of Civil Aviation having particular significance in establishing and improving Regional Air Connectivity in India. Apart from this both sides will recognize the mutual benefits of environmental testing or approvals, flight simulators monitoring and approvals, aircraft maintenance facilities approvals, maintenance personnel approvals and aircrew members approvals. 
Nepal Electricity Authority, NEAhas signed a joint venture agreement with a Chinese company, China Three Gorges Corporation (CTGC) to construct 750 MW West Seti hydropower Project
  • He said that estimated cost of the project will be 1.8 billion US dollars. CTGC will have 75% stake in the joint venture and NEA will hold remaining 25%. The project will be completed in 79 months after starting of construction work. West Seti project will be spread over Baitadi, Bajhang, Dadeldhura and Doti districts of Nepal. The initial agreement with CTGC was signed in January this year. 
Summit /Conference / Events / Host
The Two-day “12th North-East Business Summit” being organised by the Indian Chamber of Commerce (ICC)was inaugurated in New Delhi. The summit aims to explore the scope for business opportunities in the North-Eastern region of India. Focus areas are Infrastructure and Connectivity with Public Private Partnerships, Skill Development, Financial Inclusion, Services Sector Development- Particularly in Tourism, Hospitality & Food Processing.
  • Speaking on the inauguration of the summit, the Union Minister of State (Independent Charge) for Development of North Eastern Region (DoNER), MoS PMO, Personnel, Public Grievances, Pensions, Atomic Energy and Space, Dr Jitendra Singh said that North Eastern states have lot of potential which is still unexplored. He said that we need to explore this unexplored potential for the development of the region and the development of the country as a whole. If one region of the country is underdeveloped, the country cannot be developed, he added. 
The IV Global Conference on the Sustained Eradication of Child Labour was organized by the Government of Argentina and was held in Buenos Aires  on 14-16 November 2017.
  • Under the Sustainable Development Goals (SDG) of the 2030 Agenda, UN Member States, employers’ and workers’ organizations, as well as civil society organizations, are urged to eliminate child labour by 2025, and forced labour, modern slavery and human trafficking by 2030.
France will host the 2023 Rugby World Cup but South Africa and Ireland have expressed their anger after the World Rugby Council surprisingly voted against the board's recommendation. 
  • This decision was rugby politics at its most intricate as France came from nowhere to be given what will be its second Rugby World Cup in the space of 16 years after hosting the 2007 tournament. 
The Vice President, Shri M. Venkaiah Naidu will inaugurate ‘Aadi Mahotsav’ - a fortnight long Tribal Festival with the theme of ‘A Celebration of the Spirit of Tribal Culture, Cuisine and Commerce’ on 16 Nov 2017 at Dilli Haat, INA, New Delhi.
  • The 15 days Mahotsav is expected have a footfall of over one lakh Delhiites.  It promises to be a feast of shopping, exotic dining and fine music from Artists from all over the Country.  The tribal textiles manufactured by Master tribal  Craftsmen from Jammu & Kashmir in the North to Tamil Nadu in the South and from Gujarat in the East to Nagaland/Sikkim in the West will win the heart of Delhiites. 
India, for the first time ever, is going to host the Global Conference on Cyber Space (GCCS), one of the world’s largest conferences in the field of Cyber Space and related issues, on 23 & 24 November 2017, at Aerocity, New Delhi. Theme: "Cyber4All: A Secure and Inclusive Cyberspace for Sustainable Development"
  • More than 7000 people have already registered on the website; only 2500 will get their invites to the conference. Till now, some of  the eminent speakers at the conference who have already confirmed participation include Ministers from various countries such as France, Russia, Israel, Kazakhstan, Mexico, Portugal, Bangladesh and the United Kingdom;
Obituary 
Eminent Hindi poet and Jnanpith awardee Kunwar Narayan passed away.
  • He was 90. According to family sources, Kunwar Narayan was in coma since July 4 after suffering from brain haemorrhage.
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