Current Affairs Daily Digest – November 19 2019
1. Bilateral Maritime Exercise Zair Al Bahr is being held in Doha
The Bilateral Maritime Exercise Za’ir-Al-Bahr, Roar of the Sea, is being conducted from 17-21 November 2019 in Doha, Qatar. The exercise is held between the Indian Navy and Qatari Emiri Naval Forces.
Aim:
The five-day bilateral exercise aims to strengthen cooperation and enhance interoperability between the Indian Navy and Qatari Emiri Naval Forces.
2. UP government to rename Agra to Agravan
The Yogi Adiyanath-led Uttar Pradesh State government is planning to rename Agra to Agravan. The state government has asked the history department of Dr. Bhimrao Ambedkar University in Agra to look for historical evidence if the city was known by any other name.
The researchers have begun the research regarding the name change. Earlier, it has changed the names of Allahabad to Prayagraj, Faizabad to Ayodhya, and Mughalsarai to Deen Dayal Upadhyaya Nagar.
3. Pakistan successfully test fires Shaheen-1 surface-to-surface ballistic missile
Pakistan conducted successful test launch of Shaheen-1 surface-to-surface ballistic missile. The test was conducted part of a training exercise aimed at testing the operational readiness of Army Strategic Forces Command for ensuring Pakistan’s credible minimum deterrence.
The test come days after India conducted the first night trial of Agni-II surface-to-surface medium range nuclear-capable missile having strike range of 2,000 km.
4. ISRO to Launch 13 satellites and Cartosat-3
The Indian Space Research Organization will launch 13 commercial nano satellites of the United States along with the imaging and mapping satellite Cartostat-3. The launch is scheduled on November 25, 2019.
5. India and ADB sign 91 million USD to improve water resources in Karnataka
On November 18, 2019, India and the Asian Development Bank (ADB) signed a 91 million USD agreement to improve water security of Karnataka. The loan will help to modernize the Vijayanagara Channel irrigation systems and also to increase the efficiency of Krishna river basin.
6. Grassroot Olympic- Mission Talent Hunt launched in Assam to groom talent
Assam Olympic Association (AOA) has launched new programme- ‘Grassroot Olympic – Mission Talent Hunt’ to identify and groom sports talent in the state. Its launch was annouced by Assam chief minister Sarbananda Sonowal during the executive committee meeting of AOA. Sarbananda Sonowal is President of AOA and minister of state (MoS) for health Pijush Hazarika is its vice-chairman.
7. 12th Urban Mobility India Conference and Expo 2019 held in Lucknow
The 12th edition of Urban Mobility India Conference and Expo 2019 was held in Uttar Pradesh’s capital city Lucknow from 15th to 17th November 2019. It was organised by Institute of Urban Transport (IUT), professional body under Union Ministry of Urban Development. The theme of this year’s conference was “Accessible and liveable Cities”.
8. India to host the Kimberely Process Certification Scheme
The Plenary meeting of Kimberley Process Certification Scheme (KPCS) is to be hosted by India between November 18, 2019 and November 22, 2019. The event is hosted by Ministry of Commerce and Industry. The meeting is held annually to make sure that the trade of diamonds is conflict free.
9. Ola and Microsoft come together to measure air quality on the streets of India’s national capital
Indian ride hailing unicorn Ola and global tech giant Microsoft inked a partnership to measure real-time street air quality index in Delhi. The national capital’s residents have been gasping for air for over three weeks now as air quality index (AQI) levels have spiked beyond 1000 leading to an emergency-like situation.
10. World Toilet Day observed on November 19
World Toilet Day (WTD) is an official United Nations international observance day on 19 November to inspire action to tackle the global sanitation crisis.
Theme – 2019 – Leaving no one behind
11. International Men’s Day observed on November 19
International Men’s Day (IMD) is an annual international event celebrated on 19 November. The objectives of celebrating an International Men’s Day are set out in “The Six Pillars of International Men’s Day”
Theme – 2019 “Making a Difference for Men and Boys”
12. Women’s Entrepreneurship Day observed on november 19
Women’s Entrepreneurship Day (WED) is a day on which the work of women entrepreneurs is observed and discussed, held on the nineteenth of November of each year. The inaugural event was held in New York City at the United Nations, with additional events being held simultaneously in several other countries.
13. Haryana to set up new Foreign Cooperation department
The Haryana state government has decided to create a new department called the Department of ‘Foreign Cooperation’ to focus on initiatives taken by the state for the promotion of investment, youth employment and welfare of Non-Resident Indians.
