International Affairs
• The Asian Development Bank (ADB) and the Government of Afghanistan signed an agreement in Kabul for US $ 220 million loan to upgrade road network in Afghanistan. The loan agreement was signed by Afghan Finance Minister Dr. Hazrat Omar Zakhilwal and the ADB Director Joji Tokeshi.
• An agreement has been signed between Iran and the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) in Tehran to allow United Nations officials access to some of its nuclear sites except some sensitive sites. The pact called “road map” shows that the long-standing dispute between Iran and the International Atomic Energy Agency has somehow resolved.
• World Science Day for Peace and Development was celebrated across the world on November 10. UNESCO announced that the theme of this year’s Day is ‘Science for Water Cooperation: Sharing Data, Knowledge and Innovations’. This annual event is observed to spread knowledge about the role and importance of science in the development of sustainable societies. The day is also known as World Science Day.
• World Pneumonia Day was celebrated across the world to spread awareness of pneumonia as a public health issue and to prevent the millions of avoidable child deaths from pneumonia. The United Nations (UN) announced that this year theme will focus on innovation- highlighting innovative solutions to end childhood pneumonia. UN is observing this day across the world on November 12 since the year 2009 to raise awareness of pneumonia.
National Affairs
• The National Education Day of India was celebrated in Gangtok, Sikkim to mark the birth anniversary of the first education minister of independent India, Maulana Abul Kalam Azad.
The celebration was organised jointly by the Ministry of Human Resource Development in collaboration with NCERT on November 11.
Azad is also a great freedom fighter and an eminent educationist. The day is celebrated across India on November 11 since the year 2008 to commemorate the birth anniversary of Bharat Ratna Maulana Abul Kalam Azad.
The President of India Pranab Mukherjee inaugurated the 40th Jawaharlal Nehru National Science, Mathematics and Environment exhibition on this day.
• The two day International Conference on Comprehensive Cleft Care (ICCCC) held in Guwahati, Assam with good note to support Assam to take the global role for cleft care delivery in the world. Operation Smile India in collaboration with the Government of Assam jointly organised the international conference. ‘Think Big: Partnerships Involved in the Delivery of Comprehensive Cleft Care’ was theme of this conference.
• A Nobel memorial wall has been unveiled at Rajiv Chowk metro station, Delhi to spread awareness about the Nobel laureates of India. The unique wall was jointly unveiled by Mangu Singh, Managing Director of Delhi Metro Rail Corporation (DMRC) and Harald Sandberg, the Ambassador of Sweden. The wall which is a part of celebrations of Sweden India Nobel Memorial Week has a bust of Nobel laureate poet Gurudev Rabindranath Tagore. Altogether, the wall has portraits of the seven Indian Nobel laureates which include Rabindranath Tagore, CV Raman, Dr Hargobind Khorana, Mother Teresa, Subrahmanyan Chandrasekhar, Amartya Sen and Venkatraman Ramakrishnan.
• Senior IAS officer Ratan P Watal will be soon appointed as the new secretary of department of expenditure in the union ministry of finance. Watal, a 1978 batch IAS officer of Andhra Pradesh cadre, is presently serving as the secretary in the ministry of new and renewable energy and also an Officer on Special Duty (OSD) in the department of expenditure. His appointment will come follow the retirement of RS Gujral, 1979 batch officer of Haryana cadre on November 30.
• The Union Government of India, the Tamil Nadu government and the Puducherry government has signed a financing and project agreements with World Bank (IDA) for US $ 236 million loan for Tamil Nadu-Puducherry Coastal Disaster Risk Reduction Project (CDRRP). The financing loan agreement was signed by Nilaya Mitash, Joint Secretary, Department of Economic Affairs and Onno Ruhl, Country Director, World Bank in New Delhi.
Awards and Honours
• Renowned ecologist and environmental scientist Madhav Gadgil received V.C. Padmanabhan Memorial Award 2013 for Ecology and Environment Conservation in Thrissur.
He received a cash prize of Rs one lakh, a bronze plaque and a citation with this award.
• Indian government has launched a web portal on Maulana Abul Kalam Azad to commemorate the 125th birth anniversary of first education minister of independent India, Azad. The portal was launched by Union Minister of Minority Affairs K Rahman Khan.
The national portal consists information about Azad’s personal and professional life. His rare pictures, videos, books and other works are also available on this portal.
Sports
• Novak Djokovic smashed number one, Rafael Nadal to secure his third Barclays ATP World Tour Finals title in London. The Serbian tennis player has grabbed the same title in the year 2008 and 2012. The second seed Djokovic defeated top seed Rafael Nadal with 6-3, 6-4. Last year Djokovic crushed six-time champion Roger Federer 7-6(6), 7-5 in two hours and 15 minutes in ATP World Tour Finals. With this victory, Djokovic has now become the seventh player to win the year-end championship at least three times with Roger Federer (six titles).
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