Digital

Update
November 2018

CHECK OUT
THE LATEST AND
THE RELEVANT
 Digital Update

Stay informed
Welcome to Digital Update, the monthly current affairs briefing that
gives insight to the major happenings of the world. Here, various
events and happenings are categorised into sections like World, India,
Science and Space, Awards, Appointments, Obituary and so on for
easy learning. Each section can be reached by clicking on the active 2
icons given in the home page. Kindly note that not all icons on the
home page will be active every month. For better navigation, use the
small arrow mark icons and home page icon given on the bottom of
the page. Also, follow the hyperlinks for further reading. Following is
the current affairs of the month of November. Further upadates will
follow each month.

Terms & Conditions

1 The complimentary updates (newsletters) will be sent to glitches or accuracy of the content of the updates.
the registered Email ID in the first week of every month 3 This is a free complimentary service only for customers
from January 2019 to May 2019. purchasing Mathrubhumi Yearbook 2019.
2 Mathrubhumi and its Management will take every effort to 4 Any dispute arising out of this complimentary update
provide accurate and error-free updates. Mathrubhumi and service shall strictly be under the jurisdiction of Calicut.
its Management cannot be held liable for any technical Kerala only.

For feedback and queries, email us at [email protected]

 Digital
Update
Next Page
Previous Page
Contents Page

gital
Di ate
Upd
 India World India Summits
& World

Studies & Space & Economy Defence

Reports Science Missions

Disaster Sports Obituary Awards

World Environment Appointments

Strategies
 Digital Update

India

Second anniversary of demonetisation

8 November marked the second anniversary of the demonetisation drive.
It was on the same day in 2016 that Prime Minister Narendra Modi
announced that Rs. 1,000 and Rs.500 currency notes would no longer be
legal tender. These notes constituted over 86% of the currency in circulation,
then. One of the objectives of the demonetisation was to move to a less-
cash society. According to Reserve Bank of India (RBI) data, currency in
circulation rose to Rs. 19.6 lakh crore as on 26 October, 2018, a 9.5%
growth from two years ago. The currency in circulation was Rs. 17.9 lakh
crore on 4 November, 2016, the week before the note ban came into force.
The data shows that cash withdrawals from ATMs grew 8% to Rs. 2.75
lakh crore in August 2018 from Rs. 2.54 lakh crore in October 2016. Mobile
banking transactions in August 2018 stood at Rs. 2.06 lakh crore, 82%
higher than the October 2016 figure of Rs. 1.13 lakh crore. Mobile banking
transactions in August 2018 stood at ₹2.06 lakh crore, 82% higher than the
October 2016 figure of Rs.1.13 lakh crore.
 Digital Update

Chabahar exempted from U.S. sanctions against Iran

Chabahar port in Iran has been exempted from U.S. sanctions against Iran
which followed after the U.S. withdrew from the Joint Comprehensive Plan
of Action (JCPOA or the ‘Iran Deal’). This is a sign of relief to India. The
country has been discussing sanctions exemptions for Chahabar as it had
signed an agreement with Iran and Afghanistan in May 2016 for the port’s
development. Iran Freedom and Counter-Proliferation Act of 2012 (IFCA)
was one of the laws under which sanctions on Iran were imposed by former
U.S. President Barack Obama, with implications for non-U.S. companies
working with Iran in various sectors, including shipping, shipbuilding,
energy and insurance. Chabahar port is a key place connecting India and
Afghanistan to Iran and Central Asia, bypassing Pakistan.
 Digital Update

Diagnostic test for pulmonary TB and

pleural TB by AIIMS
Scientists from the Department of Biotechnology at AIIMS have developed
a highly sensitive diagnostic test for pulmonary TB and pleural TB. The
diagnostic test makes use of a DNA aptamer (a small single-stranded
DNA molecule that binds to a specific target molecule) that shows high
binding affinity to a TB antigen. The results published in the journals ACS
Infectious Diseases and Analytical Biochemistry states that the sensitivity
of the diagnostic test for pulmonary TB and pleural TB was 94% and 93%,
respectively. It also adds that specificity was 100% for pulmonary TB and
98% for pleural TB. The highlight of the portable test is that it is cheaper
and can be used for screening pulmonary TB and active case finding in high-
risk groups. In the case of the lab-based diagnosis, the sputum sample is
immobilised on a plate and the aptamer is added. If the sample is positive
for pulmonary TB then it will contain the HspX antigen and the aptamer
binds to it.
 Digital Update

Rs.75 coin to be released 8

The government of India has decided to release Rs.75 commemorative coin
on the occasion of the 75th anniversary of hoisting the Tricolor for the first
time by Netaji Subhash Chandra Bose at Port Blair. The coin will be 35 grams
and will be composed of 50 percent silver, 40 percent copper and 5 percent
each of nickel and zinc. It will bear the portrait of Netaji saluting the flag on
the background of cellular jail. Also, a numeral 75th along with inscription
“anniversary” will be depicted below the portrait. It will bear inscription in
both Devanagari script and English saying ‘First Flag Hoisting Day’.
Political parties warned by EC
The Election Commission issued that candidates with criminal antecedents
and their political parties can be charged with contempt of court if they
fail to widely publicise the cases against them as prescribed. The EC added
that they may also be penalised for false statements. Separate formats have
been specified for the candidates and the parties to submit reports about
publication of the declaration. If anyone furnishes a false statement, the
Election Commission can act under various provisions, including Section 171
(G) of the Indian Penal Code that prescribes a fine.
 Digital Update

India voted against death penalty in UNGA 9

India has voted against a United Nations General Assembly draft resolution
on the use of death penalty on the grounds that it goes against the statutory
law of the country where an execution is carried out in the rarest of rare
cases. The draft resolution was taken up in the Third Committee (Social,
Humanitarian, Cultural) of the General Assembly on 13th November and
was approved with a recorded vote of 123 in favour, 36 against and 30
abstentions.
J & K may go President’s rule
Jammu and Kashmir Governor Satya Pal Malik
in a quite unexpected move dissolved the state
legislative assembly on 21. This ended any
possibility of government formation. The state
is now headed for a further spell of president’s
rule after the first six-month term ends on 19
December. Later he said that the State may go
for a President’s rule in January as there were
no plans made to dissolve the Assembly. In J
 Digital Update
& K which has a separate Constitution, Governor’s rule is imposed under
Section 92 for six months after an approval by the President. In case the
Assembly is not dissolved within six months, President’s rule under Article
356 is extended to the State. Governor’s rule expires in the State on 19
January.
Eco sensitive zones
The National Green Tribunal (NGT) has asked the Ministry of Environment
Forests and Climate Change (MoEF&CC) to think of declaring all elephant
corridors in the country as eco-sensitive zones. This came at a point when
owing to the increased denudation and loss of their forest habitats,
elephants have come increasingly into conflicts with humans and faced
deliberate retaliatory killings and accidents at railway crossings, high tension
power lines, power fences and trenches.

Magnificent Mary 10
Indian boxing champion M C Mary
Kom, became the most successful
boxer in the history of Women’s
World Championships by winning
her sixth gold medal with an
unanimous 5-0 result over Ukraine’s
Hanna Okhota. Mary Kom beat
her opponent in the 48kg category
to win an incredible six gold and
one silver in the tournament.
With this gold, she also matched
Cuban men’s legend Felix Savon as
the joint most successful pugilist
(men and women) in the World
Championships history. The last
time she won the top prize in
the showpiece was in 2010, in
Bridgetown, Barbados.
 Digital Update
SIMBEX
The 25th edition of the India-
Singapore bilateral naval exercise,
SIMBEX was conducted from 10-
21 November at the tri-services
command in Port Blair. Seven ships
from the Indian Navy and five
ships from the Singapore Navy
took part in the exercise. A Special
Postal Cover and Singaporean
Postage Stamp on SIMBEX was also
released.

11
East Asia Summit
The 13th East Asia Summit(EAS) was held in Singapore in which PM
Narendra Modi participated. At the summit, Modi underlined the need
for maritime cooperation and centrality of trade for the prosperity of the
strategic Indo-Pacific region. EAS is a forum held annually by leaders of
16 countries in the East Asian, Southeast Asian and South Asian regions.
In 2011, the membership expanded to 18 countries thereby including the
United States and Russia.
 Digital Update

World

Parliament dissolved
in Sri Lanka
President Maithripala Sirisena
dissolved the Sri Lankan Parliament
and called a snap general election
for 5 January. Sri Lanka has been
witnessing a political crisis in the 12
month of October- November.
The crisis started when Sirisena
abruptly sacked Prime Minister Ranil
Wickremesinghe and replaced him
with Rajapaksa, a former President,
apparently defying the Constitution,
more specifically, its 19th Amendment
— a 2015 legislation that clipped the
powers of the President significantly.
Meanwhile, Wickremesinghe
maintained that he was the legitimate
Prime Minister and challenged Rajapaksa to a vote in Parliament to test
their claims to majority. Sirisena had earlier suspended Parliament until
16 November, but summoned the House for 14 November, amid growing
pressure.
Revelations on
Jamal Khashoggi
A Turkish newspaper reported that Jamal Khashoggi has been killed and
 Digital Update
dissolved in acid and his remains has
been poured down the drain. It added
that samples taken from the drains
at the Saudi consulate in Istanbul
showed traces of acid.
As a prominent journalist, Khashoggi
covered major stories including the
Soviet invasion of Afghanistan and
the rise of Osama Bin Laden for
various Saudi news organisations. For
decades, the 59-year-old was close to the Saudi royal family and also served
as an advisor to the government.

Deadly wildfire in California

California was swept by a wildfire that killed more than 31 and leaving more
than 200 people missing. An estimated 2,50,000 people have been forced
to flee their homes to avoid three major blazes in the state. The intensity 13
has equalled the 1933 Griffith Park disaster in Los Angeles. In southern
California, the Woolsey Fire has consumed around 83,000 acres, destroyed
at least 177 structures. The authorities informed that it will take a total of
three weeks to contain it fully.
 Digital Update

14

Victory for Democrats

In the midterm congressional elections in the U.S., the Democrats made a
significant victory and they took control of the U.S. House of Representatives.
They won 220 out of its 435 seats. They had 193 seats in the House. This is
a majority in eight years for the Democrats who were led by Nancy Pelosi.
Meanwhile, the Republicans have kept control of the Senate and the upper
chamber of Congress. They gained Indiana, Missouri and North Dakota from
the Democrats, while the Democrats gained seats in Nevada and Arizona.
The Democrats increased their vote share in 239 districts. The election was
also characterized by the record number of women representatives.
 Digital Update

Science & Space

Kilogram redefined
World countries voted to
approve wide-ranging changes
in the international system of
measurements and other key units. 15
The change was the revision to the
kilo, the measurement of mass.
Researchers met in Versailles and
voted to change kilogram, nearly
after130 years of it been defined.
Following this, General Conference
on Weights and Measures, in
Versailles, informed the kilogram
will no longer be defined by the
international prototype kilogram
(IPK), a platinum alloy cylinder
fashioned in 1889, but by Planck’s
constant, a number that is deeply
rooted in the quantum world. The
new system retires the IPK and instead defines the unit of mass through the
electrical force needed to counteract the weight of a kilogram on a machine
called a Kibble balance. The electrical force itself is linked to the Planck
constant through quantum electric effects described by two Nobel prize
winners, Brian Josephson and Klaus von Klitzing.
 Digital Update

16

GSAT 29
Indian Space Research Organisation on 14 November successfully launched
the GSAT-29, country’s heaviest rocket, on GSLV MkIII-D2, the second
developmental flight of GSLV MkIII. GSAT-29 satellite with a lift-off mass
of 3423 kg, is a multi-beam, multiband communication satellite of India,
configured around the ISRO’s enhanced I-3K bus. This is the heaviest satellite
launched from India. GSLV-Mk III which is three-stage vehicle with two
solid motor strap-ons, a liquid propellant core stage and a cryogenic stage,
is capable of launching 4-ton class of satellite to Geosynchronous Transfer
orbit (GTO). GSAT-29 carries Ka/Ku-band high throughput communication
transponders which will bridge the digital divide of users including those in
Jammu & Kashmir and North Eastern regions of India. It also carries Q/V-
 Digital Update
band payload, configured for technology demonstration at higher frequency
bands and Geo-stationary High Resolution Camera carried onboard GSAT-
29 spacecraft. An optical communication payload, for the first time, will be
utilized for data transmission.

17

The first science observation of GROWTH

GROWTH-India telescope, the 0.7m India telescope at the Indian
Astronomical Observatory located in Hanle, Ladakh, has made its first
science observation which is a follow-up study of a nova explosion. The
GROWTH-India telescope was commissioned six months ago soon after
which it saw first light, on the night of 12 June. Novae are explosive events
involving violent eruptions on the surface of white dwarf stars, leading to
temporary increase in brightness of the star. Unlike a supernova, the star
does not go on to die but returns to its earlier state after the explosion.
The GROWTH-India telescope is part of the Global Relay of Observatories
Watching Transients Happen. Its goals are threefold: (1) Search for explosions
in the optical regime whenever LIGO group detects a Binary Neutron Star
merger (2) study nearby young supernova explosions. (3) Study nearby
asteroids.
 Digital Update

Appointments

Air Marshal MSG Menon

Air Marshal MSG Menon, VSM took over
as Director General (Wks & Cer) of IAF
on 1 November. He was commissioned in
Administrative branch of IAF in Dec 1982.
He was awarded Vishisht Seva Medal 18
(VSM) by the Hon’ble President of India in
the year 2016.
Thomas Kurian
Former Oracle Corp product chief Thomas
Kurian was named as the head of the
cloud division at Alphabet Inc’s Google.
Kurian replaced chief executive, Diane
Greene. Kurian served at Oracle for
over two decades, where he was made
vice-president of Oracle’s e-business
division and then president of product
development.
Abhijit Bose
Whatsapp appointed Abhijit Bose as its
head for India operations. He was the co-
founder and CEO of Ezetap.
 Digital Update

Obituary

12 November
H N Ananth Kumar. A
Union Minister for Parliamentary Affairs, and
Chemicals and Fertilizers, H N Ananth Kumar, died.
He was 59. He is a six-time member of parliament
from Bengaluru South Lok Sabha seat, and was
representing it continuously since 1996. He has
held civil aviation, urban development and tourism
portfolios in Atal Bihari Vajpayee cabinet during 19
1999-2004.

13 November
Stan Lee
Stan Lee, the creator of superheroes Spider-Man,
Iron Man, the Hulk and a number of others in Marvel
Comics, died at Cedars-Sinai Medical Center in Los
Angeles. He was 95. As the creator of superheroes,
he revolutionised the comic book world in 1960s
and continues to enthral generations of young
readers. In 2008, Lee was awarded the National
Medal of Arts, the highest government award for
creative artists.
17 November
Brigadier Kuldeep Singh Chandpuri
Brigadier Kuldip Singh Chandpuri, the hero of the
famous Battle of Longewala, died in Punjab. He was
 Digital Update
78. Kuldip Singh Chandpuri was a Major in the Indi-
an Army during the war of 1971. The war, which saw
India defeat Pakistan, led to the liberation of Bangla-
desh.
17 November
Alyque Padamsee
Advertisement guru and theatre doyen Alyque Padam-
see died in Mumbai. He was 90. Known as the ‘Brand
Father of Indian advertising’, Padamsee built more
than 100 brands during his long stint at advertising
agency Lintas India (now MullenLowe Lintas Group).
He is the only Indian to be voted into the International
Clio Hall of Fame, the Oscars of the advertising world.
24 November
M H Ambareesh 20
Noted Kannada actor and former Union Minister M
H Ambareesh died in Bengaluru following a heart at-
tack. He was 66. Born as Malavalli Huchche Gowda
Amarnath on 29 May, 1952, Ambareesh popularly
known as a “rebel star” has acted in over 200 films in
a more than four-decade long movie career with a fan
following of his own at the peak of his popularity. Am-
bareesh also had a successful career in politics having
been an MLA, a Lok Sabha member and a former
minister at the state and central levels.
26 November
Bernardo Bertolucci
One of the greatest Italian film directors, Bernardo
Bertolucci, died. He was 77. His films Last Tango in
Paris (1972), Last Emperor (1987) and The Dreamers
were celebrated worldwide. In a film-making career
that stretched back to the early 60s, Bertolucci be-
came a key figure of the extraordinary Italian new
 Digital Update
wave (alongside, and the equal of, Antonioni, Fellini,
and Pasolini) but – uniquely – made a successful
transition to large-scale Hollywood film-making with
1987’s The Last Emperor, which won nine Oscars, in-
cluding best picture and best director.
22 November
Meena Alexander
Poet and scholar, Meena Alexander, died in Manhat-
tan. she was 67. Her writings reflected the search
for identity that came with a peripatetic life, including
time in India, Africa, Europe and the United States.
She has published numerous volumes of poetry, two
novels and a memoir, “Fault Iines”.

25 November
C K Jaffer Sharief 21
Former Union railway minister and veteran Congress
leader from Karnataka C K Jaffer Sharief died. He was
85. A veteran parliamentarian from Bengaluru North
and Bengaluru Rural Lok Sabha constituencies, Sharief
was Union Railway Minister from 1991-1995 under
the PV Narasimha Rao government at the Centre.
24 November
Nicolas Rouge
English Director Nicolas Roeg, whose films include
Don’t Look Now and Performance, died. He was 90.