NATIONAL NEWS
NITI Aayog Constitutes Himalayan State Regional Council
NITI Aayog has constituted the ‘Himalayan State Regional Council' to ensure sustainable development of the Himalayan region. The Himalayan State Regional Council will be chaired by the Dr VK Saraswat, Member, NITI Aayog and will consist of the Chief Secretaries of the Himalayan States as well as the Secretaries of key Central Ministries, senior officers of NITI Aayog special invitees.
India Post launches e-commerce portal
Leveraging its parcel business network, India Post announced the soft launch of its e-commerce portal. The Department of Posts has been focussing on e-commerce sector to increase its revenue receipts.
"IndiaPostOffice has launched e-commerce portal and have received first parcel by this e-commerce portal," Communications Minister Manoj Sinha said.
105 million dollar loan signed to support hydropower transmission in Himachal
India and Asian Development Bank (ADB) signed a 105 million dollar loan agreement to continue financing the transmission system upgrades in Himachal Pradesh for increased supply of hydropower.
- The loan agreement was signed by Additional Secretary in the Finance Ministry Sameer Kumar Khare, Country Director of ADB’s India Resident Mission, Kenichi Yokoyama.
6th Indian Social Work Congress (ISWC) held in New Delhi
The 6th Indian Social Work Congress was held in New Delhi. It was joinly organized by National Association of Professional Social Workers in India (NAPSWI) and Department of Social Work (Delhi School of Social Work), University of Delhi.
- The theme of 6th ISWC 2018 was “Human Development and Social Inclusion: Imperatives for Social Work Education and Practice”.
India's first elephant hospital opens in Mathura
India's first specialized hospital for elephants was formally opened by Agra Divisional Commissioner Anil Kumar at Farah block's Churmura village.
- Located close to the elephant conservation and care centre, the hospital is designed to treat injured, sick or geriatric elephants and is equipped with a medical hoist for lifting elephants.
Nongkrem dance festival celebrated amid fanfare in Shillong
Nongkrem dance festival, an annual event during which prayers are offered for good harvest, peace, and prosperity of the community was celebrated with great zeal and enthusiasm by the inhabitants of the Khasi Hills, Meghalaya recently.
- The unique dance is performed by the members of Hima Khyrim, a sub-tribe of the indigenous Khasi tribe.
India International Cherry Blossom Festival Held in Meghalaya
The third edition of the India International Cherry Blossom Festival 2018 got underway at Polo 5th Ground, Shillong. It was inaugurated by the Chief Minister Conrad K Sangma in the presence of Japanese Ambassador to India, Kenji Hiramatsu.
- The four-day long festival is being organised by the Forest and Environment Department, Govt of Meghalaya, Institute of Bio-resources and Sustainable Development in collaboration with the Indian Council for Cultural Relations.
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INTERNATIONAL NEWS
World Tolerance Summit Inaugurated in Dubai
The two-day summit to mark the World Tolerance Day was inaugurated in Dubai. Held for the first time in UAE , the theme of the Summit was ‘Prospering from Pluralism: Embracing Diversity through Innovation and Collaboration’.
- More than 2,000 ministers and government leaders from around the world are participating in the Summit.
'Toxic' declared Oxford Word of the Year
Oxford Dictionary has declared the adjective 'toxic' as the Word of the Year for what it says reflects the ethos, mood, or preoccupations in 2018. The adjective toxic is defined as 'poisonous'.
The Oxford Word of the Year is a word or expression that is judged to have lasting potential as a term of cultural significance.
- The word toxic was selected from a shortlist that included contenders such as 'gaslighting,' 'incel' and 'techlash.
BUSINESS & ECONOMY
Fitch affirms India's rating at 'BBB-'; outlook stable
Credit rating agency Fitch affirmed India's 'Long-Term Foreign-Currency Issuer Default Rating' (IDR) at 'BBB-' with a stable outlook.
India's strong growth outlook continues to stand out among peers. Fitch expects real GDP growth of 7.8 per cent for the fiscal year ending 31 March 2019 (FY19), up from 6.7 per cent in FY18.
- Extra info.:
Fitch Ratings Headquarters: New York City, US
Microsoft acquires conversational AI and bot development firm
Microsoft has announced to acquire a conversational Artificial Intelligence (AI) and bot development company XOXCO for an undisclosed sum.
Texas-based XOXCO has been paving the way in conversational AI since 2013 and was responsible for the creation of Howdy, the first commercially available bot for Slack that helps schedule meetings.
- It also developed Botkit which provides the development tools used by hundreds of thousands of developers on GitHub.
ADB to lend $300 mn to boost infra funding by IIFCL
India and the Asian Development Bank (ADB) signed a $300-million loan agreement to support state-run India Infrastructure Finance Company Ltd (IIFCL) that provides long-term finance to infrastructure projects.
- The ADB will lend $169 million to develop water and sanitation services in Tamil Nadu and $105 million to support hydropower transmission in Himachal Pradesh.
SPORTS
Australia's John Hastings Retires From International Cricket
Former Australia all-rounder John Hastings has retired from all cricket. The 33-year-old, whose final international was a one-day match against New Zealand in 2017, stopped playing recently.
- Hastings played one Test, 29 ODIs and nine Twenty20 internationals for Australia before retiring from Tests and ODIs a year ago to become a T20 specialist.
Aabid Hamid wins gold for India at World Kick Boxing Championship in Argentina
Aabid Hameed, a 15-year-old Kashmiri, was the shining light at the recently concluded World Kickboxing Championship in Argentina when he became the lone gold medal winner (junior category, 55 kg) for India.
- Aabid was a part of the nine-member Indian contingent which went to the South-American country for the Championship.
AWARDS
Dr. Saroj Suman Gulati conferred with Global Education Leaders Award 2018
Dr. Saroj Suman Gulati, Director, Blue Bells Group of Schools has been conferred with the coveted Global Education Leaders Award 2018 by His Highness Nahyan Bin Mubarak Al Nahyan, member of the Cabinet and Minister of State for Tolerance, UAE.
- The event was held at The Atlantis, Dubai in the presence of His Excellency Navdeep Singh Suri, Indian Ambassador to UAE, Mr. Manpreet Singh Badal, Hon'ble Finance Minister, Govt. of Punjab.
IMPORTANT DAYS
International Day for Tolerance
The World Tolerance Summit (WTS) 2018 was inaugurated on November 16 in Dubai, UAE. The theme of the summit was ‘Prospering from Pluralism: Embracing Diversity through Innovation and Collaboration’.
- The two-summit is the biggest gathering of government leaders, ambassadors, change-makers and key figures from the public and private sectors. Over 2,000 ministers and government leaders from around the world are expected to participate in the event. It is being held in the UAE for the first time.
National Press Day
National Press Day is celebrated on November 16 to commemorate the establishment of the Press Council of India. Formed in 1966, the Press Council keeps a check on the quality of reportage provided by the Indian press.
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