i. Prime Minister Narendra Modi has reached the
Philippines capital Manila on a three-day official visit. He will be attending the
31st ASEAN, the East Asia and the India-ASEAN annual Summits.
ii. During the visit to the Philippines, his first bilateral visit to the country, the Prime Minister will also participate in special celebrations of the
50th anniversary of ASEAN, Regional Comprehensive Economic Partnership (RCEP) Leaders’ Meeting and ASEAN Business and Investment Summit.
News In-a-Line:
PM Modi– on 3-day visit to Philippines– 1st bilateral visit to the country- for India-ASEAN Summit.
- Philippines Capital- Manila, Currency- Philippine peso, President- Rodrigo Duterte.
2. 4th India-Canada Annual Ministerial Dialogue in New Delhi
i. A high level delegation led by the Canadian International Trade Minister, Mr. Francois-Philippe Champagne is in India to attend the 4th Annual Ministerial Dialogue (AMD).
ii. The Indian delegation was led by the Commerce and Industry Minister, Shri Suresh Prabhu. In the current round of the Ministerial Dialogue, India and Canada focused on some of the key commercial drivers to enhance the India-Canada partnership.
News In-a-Line:
4th India-Canada Annual Ministerial Dialogue– New Delhi- led by Francois Philippe Champagne Canada’s Trade Minister- Suresh Prabhu, India’s Commerce and Industry Minister.
- Canada Capital- Ottawa, Currency- Canadian Dollar.
- Prime Minister- Justin Trudeau.
3. Asia-Pacific Economic Co-operation (APEC) Summit Held in Vietnam
i. Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) Economic Leaders’ Meeting was held in Da Nang, Vietnam. The theme of this meeting was ‘Creating New Dynamism, Fostering a Shared Future’.
ii. Leaders of 21 Pacific Rim countries attended this meeting. This was the first APEC meeting for several leaders including United States President Donald Trump, South Korean President Moon Jae-in and New Zealand Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern. The APEC summit for 2018 will be held in Papua New Guinea.
News In-a-Line:
Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) Economic Leaders’ Meeting 2017- held in Vietnam- under theme- ‘Creating New Dynamism, Fostering a Shared Future’.
- Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) Established in- 1989, Headquarters- Singapore, Current Chairperson- Tran Dai Quang.
- 2016 APEC held in- Lima, Peru.
4. WCD Ministry to Host ‘Hausala 2017’ to Celebrate ‘Child Rights Week’
i. The Ministry of Women and Child Development would be celebrating the Child Rights Week by hosting ‘Hausala 2017’ festival from 16-20 November 2017. The festival will be hosted by the Ministry as an Inter CCI Festival for the children who reside in Child Care Institutions (CCIs).
ii. The week was chosen as the nation celebrates the Children’s Day on 14 November and the International Child Rights Day is celebrated annually on 20 November.
News In-a-Line:
Ministry of Women and Child Development– Hosts ‘Hausala 2017’- to Celebrate ‘Child Rights Week’.
- Menaka Gandhi– Cabinet Minister of Women and Child Development.
5. Uber Approves SoftBank Multibillion-Dollar Investment Offer
i. Uber Technologies Inc. approved SoftBank Group Corp.’s offer to buy a multibillion-dollar stake in the ride-hailing company, setting the stage for one of the largest private start-up deals ever.
ii. The agreement lets SoftBank and other firms invest up to $1 billion in Uber and proceed with a tender offer in coming weeks to buy up to $9 billion in shares from existing investors.
News In-a-Line:
Uber Technologies Inc.- approved SoftBank Group Corp.’s offer- to buy a multibillion-dollar stake in the company.
- Uber CEO- Dara Khosrowshahi, Headquarters- California, USA.
- Softbank Chairman & CEO- Masayoshi Son, Headquarters- Tokyo, Japan.
6. PNB MetLife in Distribution Pact with Bank of Bahrain and Kuwait
i. Life insurer PNB MetLife has signed a corporate agency agreement with Bank of Bahrain and Kuwait B.S.C (BBK). This tie-up will help PNB MetLife distribute its retail and group products to BBK’s customers in India.
ii. With this partnership, BBK customers in India will get access to PNB MetLife’s entire portfolio of products ranging from health, savings, and wealth to rural plans.
News In-a-Line:
PNB MetLife-signed a corporate agency agreement with Bank of Bahrain and Kuwait B.S.C (BBK)- to distribute its retail and group products to BBK’s customers in India.
- Bahrain Capital- Manama, Currency- Bahraini dinar.
- PNB MetLife India Insurance MD and CEO- Ashish Srivastava,
7. India’s First Cartoon Network Theme Park to Come up in Gujarat
i. India will soon have the first Cartoon Network-branded theme park. Turner International India, which owns the Cartoon Network brand, has entered into a brand partnership with Gujarat based real estate, entertainment and hospitality group Rajgreen for the launch of a 61,000 square meter property Amaazia, in Surat.
ii. To be launched in the first quarter of 2019 on a budget of Rs 450 crore, the amusement park will be located at Surat, in Gujarat. Amaazia will be Cartoon Network’s first brand association for an amusement park in India.
News In-a-Line:
India- to have 1st Cartoon Network branded theme park- in Surat, Gujarat- 3rd in Asia.
- In Asia, it has two such partnerships, Cartoon Network Amazon Water Park in Pattaya, Thailand and in IMG Worlds of Adventure in Dubai it has an entire Cartoon Network Zone.
8. Varanasi Tops The List of Country’s Most Polluted City
i. A report by the Central Pollution Control Board (CPCB) has found that the air quality of holy city Varanasi is most polluted among the 42 cities monitored recently.
ii. Varanasi’s Air Quality Index (AQI) was at an alarming 491, followed by Gurugram at 480, Delhi at 468, Lucknow at 462 and Kanpur at 461. Notably, pollution level is categorized as ‘severe’ when the AQI ranges between 401 and 500.
News In-a-Line:
Varanasi- tops the list of Most polluted cities– according to Central Pollution Control Board (CPCB) report.
- Varanasi- one of the oldest city in the world.
- It is the Lok Sabha Constituency of PM Narendra Modi.
- CPCB Chairman- S.P. Singh Parihar, Headquarter- New Delhi.
9. India Sixth Most Vulnerable Country Facing Extreme Weather Events: Report
i. India is the sixth most vulnerable country in the world in terms of facing extreme weather events, according to the report released by the Germanwatch. The top 5 countries in the list are-
1. Haiti,
2. Zimbabwe,
3. Fiji,
4. Sri Lanka and
5. Vietnam.
ii. The Germanwatch is an independent Berlin-based development and environmental organisation and it has released its latest global climate risk index (CRI). The Index put the United States (US) at 10th position.
News In-a-Line:
India ranks 6th- most vulnerable country in the world in terms of facing extreme weather events- acc. to global climate risk index (CRI) report published by the Germanwatch.
- India was at number four in terms of CRI ranking in 2016.
10. Bhaskar Ganguly Appointed AIFF Ombudsman by Supreme Court
i. The Supreme Court had appointed former football captain Bhaskar Ganguly as ombudsman, according to the All India Football Federation (AIFF).
ii. As per the AIFF, the apex court also appointed S Y Quraishi, former Chief Election Commissioner of India, who has also served as Secretary in the Ministry of Youth Affairs and Sports, Government of India as the ombudsmen to formulate the AIFF Constitution.
News In-a-Line:
Former football captain Bhaskar Ganguly– appointed as ombudsman- by Supreme court of India.
- AIFF President- Praful M Patel, Headquarter- Dwarka, New Delhi.
11. Bharat Khandare, First Indian Fighter to be Signed for UFC
i. Bharat Khandare became the first India-born fighter to be signed by Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC) as the Mixed martial arts (MMA) fighter.
ii. Khandare will make his debut at UFC Fight Night in Shanghai, China on November 25th. It will be the first UFC event held on mainland China and will air live on UFC Fight Pass in the United States. Khandare was born in Maharashtra.
News In-a-Line:
Bharat Khandare- 1st India-born (Maharashtra) fighter for UFC- debut at UFC Fight Night in Shanghai, China.
- Arjan Singh Bhullar– 1st Indian-origin fighter to be signed by the UFC.
12. Former Nepal PM Kirti Nidhi Bista Passes Away
i. Former Prime Minister of Nepal Kirti Nidhi Bista passed away at Kathmandu, Nepal. He was 90 and suffering from cancer.
ii. Bista was born in Kathmandu on 15th January 1927. He first became Prime Minister of Nepal in 1969. Bista served three times as Prime Minister from 1969 to 1970, 1971 to 1973 and 1977 to 1979.
News In-a-Line:
Kirti Nidhi Bista- former Nepal PM- passed away at 90- in Kathmandu.
- Nepal Capital- Kathmandu, Currency- Nepalese rupee.
- PM Nepal- Sher Bahadur Deuba, President- Bidhya Devi Bhandari.
13. Karnataka inks pacts with Chinese firms
i. Karnataka Chief Minister Siddaramaiah has inaugurated the sixth China-India Forum meet being jointly hosted by the Government of China, Chinese People’s Association for Friendship with Foreign Countries (CPAFFC), China-India Friendship Association (CIFA), and Podar Enterprise in Bengaluru.
ii. Karnataka expects to trade and investments between India and China to increase as India sees big opportunities to attract Chinese companies to Make in India, besides attracting investments.