General - Current Affairs for November, 2016

The website Dictionary dot com has named Xenophobia as the word of the year for 2016.

• There was a massive surge in lookups for Xenophobia that is larger than any of the peaks seen in 2016.
• The rise in lookups was connected to attacks on foreign workers and overall rising xenophobia in South Africa.
• Largest spike in Dictionary dot com’s data of the word was June 2016.
• The word Xenophobia has Greek roots. The word can be broken down to ”Xenos” which means stranger and “phobos” meaning fear.
• Earlier this year in Nov 2016, the word “Post Truth” was named as word of the year by Oxford Dictionaries in 2016

Akodara village in Sabarkantha district of Gujarat has earned the title of being the first digital village in India.

The village has a population of 1191 people.

It uses cashless system for payment of goods and services.

All transactions in the village are carried out through digital modes such as debit cards, SMS or net banking

Akodara close to the capital city of Ahmedabad was adopted and developed as a digital village with a rural branch of the bank by the ICICI Foundation

In the village, most transactions between INR 10 and 5000 are done through SMS. The payment goes to the shopkeeper’s bank account as the buyer and seller are both connected through the accounts in the same bank.

The village has its own website: http://akodara-digitalvillage.in.

Wi-Fi with high speed broadband connectivity has some 50 subscribers through 200 odd households.

The wi-fi facility also enables farmers to access the latest price of agricultural commodities on NCDEX with the bank acting as a hub for business activity.

The ICICI Bank has developed a dedicated and customised SMS banking platform and software for the village to enable users to do basic banking transactions in English and Gujarati.

Bank has also developed micro ATM based solution to facilitate the local mandi commission agents to make payments to farmers for their produce.

About Digital India

Date of launch: 1st July 2015

Ministry: Ministry of Communication and Information Technology

Motto: Power to Empower

Digital India consists of three core components :

• The creation of digital infrastructure
• Delivery of services digitally
• Digital literacy

Indian Railways and IRCTC have included transgender as the third gender in the option alongside male and female in ticket reservation and cancellation forms .

Decisions taken on a representation made by a lawyer will include the facilities for reservations and cancellations online as well as offline.

The ministry in its circular referred to the direction of the apex court of April 2014, which had said that hijras, eunuchs, apart from binary gender, be treated as third gender for protecting their rights.

"It has, therefore, been decided to include the third gender/transgender option alongside male/female in reservation /cancellation requisition form. This information will be captured by the system and tickets to transgender will be issued on full fare," the circular stated.

More than 50,000 Chinese dancers set a new world record for the largest number of people to line dance across different locations.

Mass line dance is known as Square Dancing.

It was performed in China by 50,085 dancers across 14 Chinese cities including Chengdu, Shanghai and Nanjing.

Each of the dancers choreographed the routine at the same time and wore the same red outfit.

While the main event was held in Beijing, the huge Guinness World Records attempt covered as many as 12 cities across the country.

The previous record was held by 31,697 dancers across 6 Chinese cities on May 21, 2016.

About People’s Republic of China

• China also known as PRC is a unitary Asian soveregin state
• Population : 1.381 billion, world’s highest.
• Governed by the Communist Party of China
• Currency : Chinese Yuan Renminbi
• Current president : Xi Jingping.

China comprises:


• 22 provinces
• 5 autonomous regions
• 4 direct-controlled municipalities (Beijing, Tianjin, Shanghai, and Chongqing),
• 2 mostly self-governing special administrative regions (Hong Kong and Macau)

Tokyo, the capital city of Japan, saw its first Nov snowfall in more than half a century.

The snow began falling before dawn with the mercury approaching zero as the cold weather system moved south.

The Japan Meteorological Agency indicated this was the first time snow had fallen in Nov in central Tokyo since 1962. Amounts were greater in suburban areas close to mountains.

Even central Tokyo saw brief accumulations, which the agency forecast to be as high as two cm or one inch.

This is the first Nov accumulation since 1875.

Weather officials added they were unclear if it meant climate change or events such as El Nino

Tokyo, which extends over a wide area and includes many suburbs, enjoys relatively mild winters compared to some other parts of the country where snowfall is more frequent.

Tokyo Snow After 54 Years

• Peculiar cold temperature was caused by Arctic air separating from normal route around North Pole. This has happened due to changes in atmospheric pressure. This is known as Arctic oscillation.
• Tokyo residents have a special word for snow arrival each year. It is called hatusyuki or first snow. It usually comes during Jan-Feb.

Ice observations recorded by Antarctic explorers 100 years ago showed that sea ice at the South Pole has barely changed in size over the last century.

Ship logbooks of explorers such as Captain Robert Scott and Ernest Shackleton have been used to compare where the Antarctic ice edge was during the Heroic Age of Antarctic Exploration.

Heroic age of Antarctic Exploration lasted from 1897-1917.

Study postulates that Antarctic sea ice is much less sensitive than Arctic ice to effects of climate change.

Extent of Antarctic summer sea ice is 14 percent smaller than during the early 1900s.

Sea ice in the Antarctic has risen slightly over the past 30 years since satellite observations commenced.

Findings of South Pole Explorers

• Study is the first to shed light on sea ice before 1930s
• Research suggests sea ice levels in early 1900s were similar to today
• The current sea ice levels are between 5.3 and 7.4 million square kilometres
• Only one region, the Weddell Sea, had a significantly higher ice cover
• Published research indicates sea ice was more in the 1950s
• A steep decline returned it to 6 million square km in past 10 years

Egypt has uncovered a lost city, more than 7000 years old dating from the first dynasty in the southern province Sohag.

Site was unearthed during an archaeological mission initiated by the country’s government.

It lies 250 miles south of Cairo about 400m from the temple of Seti I, one of the most famous sites in the region. It is named after Seti 1, a pharaoh who belonged to the New Kingdom period of Ancient Egypt.

Discovery included huts, pottery remains, iron tools and 15 graves. Grave size were bigger indicating that those buried beneath had high social standing.

This discovery is expected to throw light on one of Ancient Egypt’s oldest cities-Abydos.

Abydos was the Egyptian capital at the close of the Predynastic period and during the rule of the first four dynasties.

Some interesting facts about the site

• This discovery found a cemetery with Mastabas
• Mastabas are ancient Egyptian tombs made of mud brick
• These are rectangular in shape with sloping sides and a flat roof
• This cemetery is the instance of the oldest known Mastabas
• Before this, burial grounds of Saqqara were considered the most ancient

Indian railways will get an advanced system called Tri-Netra on trains to help lower train accidents by keeping record of track maintenance.

It will also provide better visibility during foggy days

The system is made of a high-resolution optical video camera, high-sensitivity infrared video camera and a radar-based terrain mapping system.

Tri-Netra is short for “terrain imaging for diesel drivers infrared, enhanced optical and radar assisted system”.

The system provides a locomotive pilot a proper view of up to one kilometre on a straight track, even during inclement weather
This helps in maintaining high speed in limited visibility and avoid delay in arrivals.

International Telecommunications Union released the 2016 edition of the Measuring of Information Society Report.

The report was launched on 22^nd Nov 2016 during the World Telecommunications/ICT Indicators Symposium.

ITU Index was prepared after 175 economies of the world are surveyed.

It was topped by the Republic of Korea with the IDI of 8.84.

The Sub Saharan Africa Niger with IDI of 1.07 ranked lowest.

India was at 138^th rank with an IDI score of 2.69; it stood at the 135th position in 2015 with IDI score of 2.50.

About the Index

• Republic of Korea led IDI for the second year
• Asian economies that features in the top 10 were Hong Kong, China and Japan. Other 7 were in EU
• Worst performing region was Africa with score of 2.48 points for 2016 with IDI score half the global average
• Average global ICT Development Index (IDI) said an improvement from 4.74 in 2015 to 4.94 n 2016

INS Chennai, a Kolkata-class destroyer ship, was commissioned into the Indian Navy's combat fleet on Monday.

• This is the largest ever warship to be built in India
• Created at the Mazgaon Dock Shipbuilders Ltd in Mumbai, the ship’s construction marks the end of the project 15A to build the Kolkata class guided missile destroys
• Ship was equipped with a decoy to divert missile attacks
• Ship also is designed to carry and operate up to two multi role combat helicopters
• Navy is planning to become a 200 warship force with 600 aircrafts and helicopters by 2027
• INS Chennai will be placed in the Western Naval Command
• INS Chennai is 164m long with a displacement of over 7,500 tonnes, and sails at a top speed of over 30 knots per hour.
• Armed with supersonic surface-to-surface BrahMos missiles and Barak-8 Long Rang Surface-to-Air missiles, undersea warfare capability includes indigenously developed anti-submarine weapons
• It also includes sensors, prominently the hull-mounted sonar HUMSA-NG, heavyweight torpedo tube launchers, rocket launchers and towed array sonar capability.
• For defence against enemy missiles, INS Chennai is fitted with:
• ‘Kavach' chaff decoy system
• 'Mareech' torpedo decoy system,
• Both have been developed in India.
• A strong platform capable of undertaking a variety of tasks and missions spanning the full spectrum of maritime warfare, INS Chennai can carry and operated two multi-role helicopters.
• INS Chennai is propelled by a powerful combined gas and propulsion plant consisting of 4 reversible gas turbines.
• The ship's crest depicts Fort St George of Chennai in the background, a part of the adjacent beach and a sloop on blue and white waves.
• The crew of the ship abides by the Sanskrit motto 'Shatro Sanharaka' meaning Vanquisher of Enemies, epitomising the spirit of the warrior to succeed in combat

World’s first Bollywood Park has just opened in Dubai at the Rajmahal theatre

• The park boasts cinemas, riders, simulators and 4D shows of popular Hindi movies as well
• The owner of Dubai Parks and Resorts heading this initiative is Raed Kajoor Al Nuaimi, CEO of DXB Entertainments PJSC,
• Dubai Parks and Resorts is paving the way for future entertainment destinations and shall change the face of family tourism and entertainment in the region
• Bollywood Park is part of the Dubai parks and Resorts which is the region’s largest integrated theme park resort
• The park will target visitors through Dubai
• Bollywood Parks is part of Dubai parks and resorts which is being developed as the region’s largest integrated theme park resort
• Spread over 25 million square feet or 2.3 million square meters, it will feature three theme parks and a water park
• Resort is located close to where Dubai is expanding its second airport to make it the largest in the world

Well known theoretical physicist Stephen Hawking has said that humanity has 1000 years of viable existence left if it does not leave the planet and colonise the stars

• Humanity is unlikely to survive the different crises over the next millennium
• But they can avoid extinction if other planets have been colonised
• Biggest threats are nuclear terrorism, climate change and the rise of AI
• NASA has discovered many exo planets using Kepler
• Space colonisation is on the anvil with SpaceX looking to colonise Mars by 2024
• The biggest hurdles for this are the cost involved and the transportation to Mars. As of now, there is rocket for transporting vast groups of humanity to the moon, let alone Mars!

Pakistan has banned two militant groups linked with the Taliban and al Qaida for their involvement in terror attacks

• Jamaat-ul-Ahrar, a splinter group of the Tehreek-i-Taliban Pakistan, and Lashkar-i-Jhangvi Al-Alami (LeJ) were banned after recent deadly attacks in Balochistan and Sindh provinces
• This includes the assault at a Sufi shrine in Balochistan which killed over 50 people
• The two outfits were added to the list on Nov 11
• Jamaat - ud Dawa has been listed since January 17, 2007 as group “under observation”, which means its status can be changed as “banned” if there was enough evidence that it was involved in violence.
• Both LeT and JeM have been listed as banned entities since January 14, 2002

• The word was selected after research conducted by the dictionary saw the use of the word rose 2000 percent over usage in 2015
• Word of the Year of is an expression or word chosen to reflect the passing year in language
• Words are chosen after debating on merits of the words, ethos, mood or preoccupation of the particular year
• Post truth is an adjective; it means relating or pertaining to circumstances in which objective facts have less influence in shaping public opinion than appeals to emotion and personal beliefs
• The phrase post truth politics has caught on
• It was used maximum number of times in June 2016 EU referendum in the UK
• It also saw the increase in usage in the US Presidential elections, especially when Donald Trump was declared the Republican nominee
• Word post truth was first used in a 1992 essay in Nation Magazine written by the late Serbian-American playwright Steve Tesich.
• Other words in the contest included Adulting, Alt-right, Brexiteer, Chatbot, Coulrophobia, Hygee, Latinx.

In a first move of its kind, the Central Reserve Police Force deployed 135 women commandos in counter Naxal operations in Jharkhand.

• The 135 women officers belonged to the 232 battalion’s Delta company
• At present, they are under the guidance of the CRPF 133 battalion near Khunti outside of Ranchi
• The women commandos have proved to be equally capable of neutralising Maoists, as the men commandos
• They will play an important role in women empowerment and have been trained in several case studies to carry out their operation in a perfect manner
• They are equipped with modern weapons and software to assist them in plan execution
• The largest Central Armed Police Forces, the CRPF functions under the Union Ministry of Home Affairs
• Its primary role is assisting states and UTs in police operations to maintain law and order
• It also assists in counter-insurgency operations
• Following the Independence of India, it became the Central Reserve Police Force on 28 December 1949 when the CRPF act was passed
• With 235 battalions and numerous other establishments, it the largest paramilitary force in India
• It currently has 308862 personnel.

Prime Minister of Pakistan, Nawaz Sharif on 13th Nov 2016 inaugurated the operational activities of the strategic Gwadar port, situated in the SW Balochistan Province

• The Pakistani PM as well as General Raheel Sharif, the Army Chief of Pakistan welcomed the first massive shipment of Chinese goods through this port
• The deep water port is linked to the USD 46 billion China Pakistan Economic Corridor that includes road and energy projects
• It has been predicted by Pakistani officials that the project will create as many as 7 lakh direct jobs between 2015 and 2030
• This is expected to add 2 to 2.5 percentage points to the annual economic growth of the country.
• In case all planned projects are implemented, the value of these projects would equal all FDI in Pakistan since 1970
• This would be equivalent to 17 percent of the 2015 GDP of Pakistan
• Infrastructure projects under CPEC will link the city of Gwadar in SW Pak to China’s autonomous region of Xinjiang through a massive network of highways and railways
• India has expressed concerns because the CPEC passes through Kashmir’s disputed region
• Currently, there is no CEPC project near line of control
• In 2015, India’s Foreign Minister Sushma Swaraj told Chinese President Xi Jingping that projects passing through Gilgit and Baltistan were not permitted as they constructed on claimed territory

A new peace agreement was signed between the FARC delegates and the Colombian nation to end a 52-year long conflict that has claimed more than 2,20,000 lives and driven 8 million people from homes in South American nation

• Deal was signed by Colombian government negotiator Humberto de La Calle with rebel representative Ivan Marquez
• President Juan Manuel Santos and the Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia inked the initial peace deal on Sept 26 and international fanfare after more than 4 years of negotiations
• Voters rejected this on Oct 2 by 55,000 votes
• Santos won the Nobel Peace Prize for efforts to end Colombian conflicts
• A modified deal was therefore signed
• Some modifications were made related to justice, punishment for combatants accused of war crimes and reparations for the conflict’s victims.
• Other modifications include requiring the rebels to present an inventory of acquired money and holdings, and the provision of safeguards for private owners and property during reforms carried out in the countryside.
• A point where agreement was lacking was that guerrilla leaders would not be permitted to run for elected office.

India and Bhutan have signed an Agreement on Trade, Commerce and Transit that aims to enhance trade between countries through trade facilitation, cutting down documentation and adding additional exit/entry points for Bhutan’s trade with other nations

• New bilateral trade agreements aim to enhance trade between two countries through trade facilitation by improving procedures, cutting down on documentation and adding exit/entry points for Bhutanese trade with other nations
• This is also expected to strengthen excellent relations between the two countries
• The first Agreement on Trade and Commerce between Bhutan and India was signed in 1972
• Since then, the agreement has undergone renewal 4 times
• Last agreement renewed on July 28, 2006 was valid till July 29, 2016.
• Validity was extended for a period of one year or till the date of coming into force of the new Agreement whichever is earlier, by the exchange of diplomatic notes between India and Bhutan

India is set to host the crucial global tobacco control conference for the first time, where it will push for smokeless tobacco as a main agenda

• The Seventh Session of the Conference of Parties to World Health Organisation Framework Convention on Tobacco Control will begin in Greater Noida on 12th Nov
• Around 1,500 delegates will participate in the 6 day conference from 180 countries along with observers in official relations with the WHO FCTC Secretariat in Geneva
• India has led in the negotiations of the FCTC and served as a regional coordinator for the SE Asian region
• India has ratified the treaty on Feb 27, 2005 and is obligated to comply with treaty provisions and guidelines to reduce tobacco consumption internationally
• World No Tobacco Day is observed across the world each year on May 31
• It encourages a 24 hour long abstinence from different forms of tobacco consumption across the world
• The day is intended to draw attention to widespread prevalence of tobacco use and negative health effects
• This led to nearly 6 million deaths each year including 600,000 of which result from non smokers being exposed to secondhand smoke

The Russian court on 10th Nov 2016 upheld a decision to block the website of social networking company LinkedIn

• Russia’s Roskomnadzor communications group has said LinkedIn which has more than 6 million registered users in Russia, was violating a law requiring websites which store personal data of Russian citizens to do so on Russian servers
• Moscow indicated that the law introduced in 2014 but never previously enforced, is aimed at protecting Russian personal data
• Critics indicated this was an attack on social networking in a country which has tightened control over the internet in recent years
• Moscow’s Tagansky District Court ruled in August that LinkedIn site should be blocked, but the decision has not come into force pending a company appeal
• While some companies such as online reservation site booking.com has indicated they will transfer data to Russian servers, it is unclear whether others like Google and FB will comply with the Russian law

The International Competition Network on 9th Nov 2016 announced that the Competition Commission of India will host the 2018 ICN Annual Conference

• The conference will be held in Delhi in March-April 2018
• CCI has also been inducted as an ex-officio member of the steering group member of the ICN for 3 years
• The Competition Commission of India was set up on 14th Oct 2003 to prevent practices having adverse effects on competition
• This aims at promoting and protecting interests of consumers to ensure freedom of trade carried out by other participants in markets in India
• It has gained full functionality in May 2009
• The Competition Commission of India’s first Chairman was Dhanendra Kumar
• It has been a member of the ICN since 2003
• International Competition Network is an informal, virtual network that facilitates cooperation between competition law authorities internationally
• The International Competition Network was established in 2001 after the publication of the Final Report of the International Competition Policy Advisory Committee to the US Attorney General and Assistant Attorney General for Antitrust
• It comprises 132 members from 120 competition jurisdictions devoted to international competition enforcement
• The Annual Conference has been hosted by a member competition agency
• Last such conference was hosted by Competition Commission of Singapore in April 2016
• The next conference in May 2017 is the Portuguese Competition Authority

Indian archaeologists are using high end lasers to map the ancient Bihari city of Rajgir.

• This plan is a part of their inter-disciplinary Rajgir Archaeological Survey Project which includes the survey of archaeological evidence and the flora and fauna of the area.
• Archaeologists are planning to make use of remote sensing technique Light Detection and Ranging using laser light to survey the earth’s surface.
• The LIDAR device will be mounted on drones or helicopters to get the expected result, for which permissions are needed.
• It is a collaborative project between the society and Nalanda University in partnership with Bihar Ministry of Art, Culture and Youth.
• The aim is to better understand the historic city’s landscape by studying the existing archaeological remains through a comprehensive survey.
• Located in Bihar’s Nalanda district, this is one of the most significant tourist places for Buddhist pilgrims.
• It was the first capital of the Magadha Empire.
• Gautama Buddha spent many years of his life in this city.
• He delivered numerous sermons as well.
• The city was the venue of the first Buddhist Council.
• Apart from Buddhism, the ancient city is also known for its association with Jainism as its founder Lord Mahavira spent 14 years there.

PABA shells have been ineffective in tackling the violent mobs in J&K.

• The agencies have prepared a new list of gadgets to be procured to quell the protestors effectively such as bunker periscopes, ear deafening acoustic devices and electro magnetic shock delivering sticks.
• The list has been prepared following approvals of BSF, CRPF, J&K Police, Central Security Agencies and Union Home Ministry.
• Long Range Acoustic Device immobilises the target immediately and the state of shock remains for some time providing an opportunity to forces to nab it.
• Shock shield stick delivers a high voltage, non lethal but effective electrostatic shock conduction to the target which in case are protesting mobs.
• Security forces said chilli based shells were not able to fully deter protesting mobs.

The nation’s first tea museum was inaugurated at Munnar in the high ranges of the Idukki district in Kerala.

• The museum gives a view of the tea plantation and its growth over 100 years in the verdant hilly district of Kerala.
• The souvenirs and mementos kept in the museum include an original tea roller for the present tea processing factory in Madupatty.
• They also include a granite sundial made in 1913 by the Art Ind School in Nazareth in TN.
• Rotovane the old time CTC tea processing machine and a peloton wheel used in the power generation plant in Kanniamally estate from the 1920s were also part of the display.
• An EPABX of the telephone system dated 1909 was also part of the museum exhibits.
• There is a tea testing section here as well.
• Kerala was formed on Nov 1, 1956.

India’s telecom regulatory authority TRAI has made it compulsory for all broadband providers to ensure a minimum speed of 512 Kbps after users exhaust their initial data quota.

• The mandate requests the service providers both fixed and wireless to notify the users about the throttled speed instead of masking it with unlimited internet offers.
• TRAI had earlier recommended a minimum of 2Mbps and also issued a consultation paper regarding the same.
• State owned BSNL has increased FUP to 1MBps as against 512 Kbps.
• FCC in the United States have denounced DSL providers as broadband providers set up minimum speed of 25 Mbps.

Gig economy is on the rise in India; it is set to become the top freelancing and crowdsourcing hub in the Asian region, even internationally.

• The gig or shared economy has become a global trend and is characterised by temporary positions and on-demand contracts with independent workers.
• India is the top economy in the world and Asia where users have been rising progressively.
• The country has become a potential to become a top freelancing and crowdsourcing hub in the Aisan region even internationally.
• Out of 4 million users from India, more than 3.5 million are registered as freelancers on freelancer.com.
• Most popular project kinds include PHP, graphic design, website design, HTML, wordpress, logo design , SEO and Internet marketing.

Indo-Nepal joint military exercise Surya Kiran-X commenced on 31st Oct 2016 at Army Battle School, Saljhandi, Nepal.

• The exercise will conclude on 13th Nov 2016.
• The joint military exercise is the tenth in the series of such exercise between the two nations.
• The Surya Kiran series of exercises are being conducted each year alternatively in Nepal and India.
• In a series of military training exercises undertaken by India with various countries, Surya Kiran series with Nepal is the largest in terms of troop participation.
• Indian army is represented by the Kumaon regiment.
• Jabar Jung Battalion of Nepal Army is participating in the 10th edition of the joint exercise on the behalf of the Nepalese army.
• The exercise aims to conduct battalion level joint training with emphasis on Counter terrorism in mountainous terrain.
• Aspects of disaster management have also been made part of this exercise.
• The Joint Battalion level exercise will enhance defence cooperation and relations between the 2 nations.
• It is an ideal platform for the contingent of both nations to share experiences and gain mutuality.
• The exercise will be another step towards taking the friendship between two nations to greater heights.

India has ranked third among all world nations most inflicted by terrorism and insurgency deaths, after areas ridden with violence by IS and Boko Haram, as per the SC ruling.

• The Chhattisgarh government has also claimed in the apex court that more people were killed in the areas affected by naxalism and terror hit J&K and the involvement of extreme left wing activists adding further to the violence.
• India has ranked third in the world among the nations impacted with terrorism, inflicted with terror deaths after the violence affected under ISIS and Boko Haram.
• Court also passed directions for keeping social activists such as Nandini Sundar out of the area.

A unique automatic telling machine by an online jewellery company BlueStone on the occasion of Diwali dispensed gold coins in exchange for accepting money from users.

• This experiment has been initiated by the company and a frequent ATM user can operate it without any hassles.
• It is simple and easy because customers have multiple options to pay the amount.
• Users can either pay by cash/card/debit card.
• Gold coins can be had weighing one-20 grams at market rates.
• Prices are competitive in sync with gold prices currently.