Daily Current Affairs 09th November 2019 for Railways, SSC, UPSC, Railway, SI, Constables, RRB NTPC

Daily Current Affairs – International

Cyclone Bulbul will turn into a very severe cyclonic storm

Cyclone Bulbul is steadily gathering intensity over the Bay of Bengal and is expected to turn into a very severe cyclonic storm, according to fresh predictions released by the India Meteorological Department.

• The weather office hasn’t yet said whether Cyclone Bulbul will make landfall in India but its predictions suggest that Bulbul will skirt Odisha and head towards West Bengal and Bangladesh in the upcoming days.
• Cyclone Bulbul is expected to bring rainfall over the Andaman and Nicobar Islands, north coastal Odisha and coastal West Bengal.
• Cyclone Bulbul is the reborn form of cyclone Matmo.
• Matmo was formed in the Philippine Sea on October 24.

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US announces increase in H-1B work visa application fee by 10 USD

• The US has announced the increase of H-1B work visa application fee by 10 US Dollars as part of its revised selection process.
• The non-refundable fee will support the new electronic registration system to make the H-1B cap selection process more efficient.
• Petitioners seeking to file H-1B cap-subject petitions, will first have to electronically register with the USCIS during a designated registration period.
• The electronic registration system is part of an agency-wide initiative to modernise immigration system while deterring fraud.
• The H-1B program allows US companies to temporarily employ foreign workers in occupations that require the application of a body of highly specialised knowledge with bachelor’s or a higher degree in the specific speciality, or it’s equivalent.

• Russian troops wearing World War II uniforms marched across Moscow’s Red Square, in memory of the historic 1941 parade, when Soviet soldiers went directly to the battlefield to fight the Nazis.
• The annual re-enactment featuring some 4,000 troops and T-34 tanks commemorated the legendary November 7, 1941 parade whose participants marched from Red Square to the front line, becoming a symbol of courage and patriotism.
• Nearly 7,000 guests including World War II veterans watched the parade.
• The Red Army’s triumph in the deadliest war in history is seen as a huge point of pride in Russia.
• In recent years, the victory in the 1941-1945 conflict known in Russia as the Great Patriotic War has acquired signs of cult status.

• Iran has resumed uranium enrichment at its underground Fordow plant south of Tehran in a new departure from its commitments under a landmark 2015 nuclear deal.
• The suspension of uranium enrichment at the long secret plant was one of the restrictions Iran had agreed to on its nuclear programme in return for the lifting of UN sanctions.
• Britain, China, France, Germany and Russia have been trying to salvage the hard-won deal since Washington abandoned it in May 2018 and reimposed crippling unilateral sanctions.
• The resumption of enrichment at Fordow is Iran’s fourth move away from the deal. Uranium enrichment is the sensitive process that produces fuel for nuclear power plants but also, in highly extended form, the fissile core for a warhead. Iran has always denied any military dimension to its nuclear programme.
• Iran’s latest move comes after the passing of a deadline it set for the remaining parties to the 2015 nuclear agreement to come up with a mechanism that would allow foreign firms to continue doing business with Iran without incurring US penalties.
• Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov expressed concern about Tehran’s announcements but said European powers should do their part. The Kremlin had previously called sanctions against Iran as unprecedented and illegal.

• Officials in Bosnia expressed outrage to remarks by French President Emmanuel Macron where he described the country as a ticking time-bomb. Also the greatest concern for Europe in the Balkans as there is a possibility of returning jihadists.
• Referring to escaped or released Islamic State fighters who could return to Europe,if you’re concerned about this region, the first question should be Bosnia-Herzegovina.
• According to Bosnian intelligence, 241 adults and 80 children left Bosnia or the Bosnian diaspora in 2012-2016 for Syria and Iraq, where 150 more children were born.
• About 100 adults, around a half of them women, remain there, while at least 88 have been killed or died.

Daily Current Affairs – National

PM Modi to visit Brazil for BRICS summit

Prime Minister Narendra Modi will be on a two-day visit to Brazil from the 13th of this month to attend the 11th BRICS Summit in Brasilia.

• The theme of the Summit this year is “Economic Growth for an Innovative Future”.
• This will be the sixth time that Mr Modi participates in the BRICS Summit. His first BRICS Summit was at Fortaleza in Brazil in 2014.

Points to Remember

• BRICS is the acronym coined for an association of five major emerging national economies: Brazil, Russia, India, China and South Africa.
• Originally the first four were grouped as “BRIC”, before the induction of South Africa in 2010.

Venkaiah Naidu inaugurates 10th Asian Conference of Emergency Medicine

Vice President M Venkaiah Naidu has inaugurated the 10th Asian Conference of Emergency Medicine in New Delhi.

• He stressed the urgent need to attach high priority to emergency medicine and services in the country.
• Shri Naidu asked Medical colleges to incorporate courses relating to emergency medicine and train the undergraduates to deal with the whole gamut of emergencies such as accidents, heart attacks, natural calamities, and others.

India ranks 133 on Women, Peace and Security Index

The Georgetown University’s Institute for Women, Peace and Security (GIWPS) has released its second report on Women, Peace, and Security Index.

• The new 2019 report ranks 167 countries for women based on three indicators – inclusion, justice and security.
• India, on the whole, is ranked at 133 out of 167 countries with an index score of 0.625.
• Norway, the best country according to the index has a score of 0.904.

Indian Navy – Indonesian Navy Bilateral Maritime Exercise ‘Samudra Shakti’ took place in the Bay of Bengal

Indian Navy- Indonesian Navy Bilateral Exercise ‘Samudra Shakti’ is taking place from 06 Nov to 07 Nov 19.

• INS Kamorta, an Anti-Submarine Warfare Corvette is jointly exercising with Indonesian Warship KRI Usman Harun in the Bay of Bengal.
• The joint exercises include manoeuvres, Surface Warfare exercises, Air Defence exercises, Weapon firing drills, Helicopter Operations and Boarding Operations.
• The Harbour Phase which was conducted on 04 and 05 November included professional interactions in the form of Subject Matter Expert Exchanges (SMEE), cross deck visits, simulator drills, planning conferences, sports fixtures and social interactions.

Bajaj Allianz General Insurance launches ‘Farmitra’ mobile app for farmers

Bajaj Allianz General Insurance, the private general insurer launched the industry’s first mobile app ‘Farmitra’ catering to the specific needs of farmers.

• Through this app, farmers will not only get insurance solutions but also a range of other information and advisories which will cater to their day to day farming needs.
• The Company, through this app, intends to help farmers address their worries and provide the relevant information which they can use in optimizing their farming practices.

• Union Home Minister Amit Shah will preside over the concluding session of Global Investors’ Meet, in Dharmshala.
• Prime Minister Narendra Modi inaugurated the meet, organised by the Himachal Pradesh government to attract investment and create employment opportunities in the state.
• India improved 79 places in the global Ease of During Business Rankings between 2014 and 2019. He said improvement in these rankings means that the government is making decisions after a thorough understanding of the needs at the grass-roots level for the industry.
• A healthy competition among States would enhance competitiveness of Indian industry on the global platform.
• Over 1,700 business delegates, including 200 International delegates are participating in the Global Investors’ Meet with UAE as the partner Country.

• A Guinness World Record of most students assembling radio kits simultaneously was created on the third day of India International Science Festival at Kolkata on 07 November, 2019.
• While 490 students participated in the event, a record 268 succeeded in completing the assembling process in the stipulated hours.
• A representative of the Guinness World Records presented a certificate and memento to Union Minister of Science and Technology Harsh Vardhan who took it on behalf of the students.

• The Indian Railways has installed two ‘Health ATMs’ at the Charbagh railway station in Lucknow.
• The kiosks, promoted by YOLO Health ATM, provide 16 health check-ups for Rs 50-100.
• There are two types of check-ups- a 9-minute one that costs Rs 100, and a 6-minute one that costs Rs 50.
• The report is delivered instantly to the email or smartphone of the user.

• The 2-day BIMSTEC (Bay of Bengal initiative multi- sector technical and economic cooperation) Conclave will be held on 7-8th November 2019 at Visakhapatnam.
• Vizag port trust is hosting the conclave first time ever since the formation of BIMSTECH in 1997.
• Seven-member countries that includes Bangladesh, India, Myanmar, Srilanka, Thailand, Nepal, Bhutan are participating in the conference.

Daily Current Affairs – Business

RBI imposes Rs 5 lakh fine on Oxigen Services

The Reserve Bank has imposed a fine of Rs 5 lakh on prepaid payment instrument Oxigen Services.

• The move was taken in exercise of powers vested under Section 30 of the Payment and Settlement Systems Act, 2007, for non-compliance of regulatory guidelines.
• Oxigen Services facilitates payment processing and money transfer services.

Points to remember

• Oxigen Services India Pvt. Ltd.is a FinTech company is one of the major payment solutions providers in India.
• Headquarters location: Gurugram
• Executive director: Sunil Kulkarni

Daily Current Affairs – Appointments

Sheikh Khalifa bin Zayed Al Nahyan re-elected as President of UAE

The UAE’s Supreme Council of the Union has re-elected his Highness Sheikh Khalifa bin Zayed Al Nahyan as its President for a fourth five-year term.

• President Sheikh Khalifa was first elected President of the UAE by the Supreme Council of the Union on 3rd November 2004.
• President His Highness Sheikh Khalifa accompanied the builder of the UAE renaissance, the late Sheikh Zayed bin Sultan Al Nahyan, in the founding stage in the 70s and 80s of the last century.
• After the death of the Founding Father, he led the country and contributed to the prosperity of the UAE, and its prominence locally and globally.

Daily Current Affairs – Economy

• The Documentation Identification Number (DIN) system of Central Board of Indirect Taxes (CBIC) will come into existence from today (08 November, 2019).
• This path breaking system in indirect tax administration has been created as per the direction of Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman.
• Now, any CBIC communication will have to have a Documentation Identification Number.
• The step is aimed at bringing transparency and accountability in the indirect tax administration through widespread use of information technology.
• The Government has already executed the DIN system in the direct tax administration.
• The DIN would be used for search authorisation, summons, arrest memo, inspection notices and letters issued in the course of any enquiry.
• Any communication from GST or Custom or Central Excise department without a computer-generated DIN, would be treated as invalid and shall be non-est in law or deemed to be as if it has never been issued.
• It will provide the taxpayer a digital facility to verify any communications.

• The fundamentals of the economy remain quite robust with inflation under check and bond yields low. It said, India continues to offer strong prospects of growth in near and medium term.
• The Government of India has noted that the Moody’s Investors Service has changed the outlook on India’s ratings to negative from stable while keeping the foreign-currency and local-currency long-term issuers rating unchanged.
• India continues to be among the fastest growing major economies in the world and its relative standing remains unaffected.
• IMF in their latest World Economic Outlook has stated that Indian Economy is set to grow at 6.1% in 2019, picking up to 7 % in 2020.
• As India’s potential growth rate remains unchanged, assessment by IMF and other multilateral organizations continue to underline a positive outlook on India.
• The Government has undertaken series of financial sector and other reforms to strengthen the economy as a whole. Government of India has also proactively taken policy decisions in response to the global slowdown. These measures would lead to a positive outlook on India and would attract capital flows and stimulate investments.

Daily Current Affairs – Bilateral

• Prime Minister Narendra Modi will be on a two-day visit to Brazil from the 13th November, 2019 to attend the 11th BRICS Summit in Brasilia. The theme of the Summit this year is “Economic Growth for an Innovative Future”.
• This will be the sixth time that Mr Modi participates in the BRICS Summit. His first BRICS Summit was at Fortaleza in Brazil in 2014.
• A large business delegation is also expected to be present during the visit, especially to attend the BRICS Business Forum where the business community of all five countries are represented.

Daily Current Affairs – Awards

• The ninth edition of the Dhaka Lit-fest started on 07th November, 2019 with a galaxy of writers and book lovers thronging the venue ground at the Bangla Academy.
• Over the three day of the festival 200 speakers, performers and thinkers, will take part in discussions on diverse topics.
• The special focus of this year’s lit-fest is on Indigenous Languages as the UNESCO has marked 2019 as the year of Indigenous Language Protection.
• Renowned literary personalities and authors from Bangladesh and abroad like William Dalrymple, Monica Ali, H M Naqvi, Prayaag Akbar, Shashi Tharoor are participating in the festival.
• Iconic Bangla author Shankar is the festival highlight of Bangla literature this year.
• On the first day of the event, West Bengal-based writer Abhisek Sarkar and Bangladeshi poet Rofiquzzaman Rony were given the Gemcon Young Literature Award and Gemcon Young Poetry Award.
• Abhisek and Rofiquzzaman won the awards for their manus, “Nishiddho” and “Dhoashar Tamate Rong,” respectively.

• The 5th Edition of ‘Miss Asia Global Title 2019’ was organized at Gokulam Convention centre in Kochi, Kerala.
• Sara Damnjanovic from Serbia has been crowned ‘Miss Asia Global 2019’.
• Nguyen Thi Yen Trang from Vietnam was awarded the Miss Asia title given to the winner from the rest of the world.
• Samiksha Singh from India won the sub-title of ‘Miss Beautiful Face’ Title.

Daily Current Affairs – Sports

• The official emblem of FIFA U-17 Women’s World Cup for the year 2020 which is to be conducted in India was unveiled.
• The emblem was unveiled by Fédération Internationale de Football Association(FIFA) and Local Organising Committee(LOC) at the launch event in the gateway of India, Mumbai, Maharashtra.
• The colour and style of the emblem are inspired by Bandhani textiles.

Rohit Sharma becomes 1st Indian male cricketer to play 100 T20I

Rohit Sharma became the first Indian man and second in world cricket to complete 100 T-20 Internationals.

• He reached the milestone when he led the team in the second match against Bangladesh at the Saurashtra Cricket Association Stadium, Gujarat.
• Shoaib Malik with 111 games from Pakistan is the only player to have played more than 100 T20 Internationals.
• Rohit is currently the top-scorer in this format with 2452 runs with regular skipper Virat Kohli second in the list with an aggregate of 2450 runs.