DAILY GK: 18 NOV

 DAILY GK:  18 NOV

1.       TENURE OF CBI AND ED DIRECTORS EXTENDED FOR UP TO 5 YEARS

·            President Ram Nath Kovind signed two ordinances to extend the tenure of Directors of probe agencies Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) and Enforcement Directorate (ED) up to five years from current 2 years.

·            As per the ordinances, the central Government can extend the Directors’ tenure of CBI and ED by a year for three consecutive years once they complete their fixed two year term.

·            Current ED Director is Sanjay Kumar Mishra(Set to Retire on November 17, 2021) & Current CBI Director – Subodh Kumar Jaiswal

·            The ED Director is appointed by the central government on the recommendation of a committee chaired by the Central Vigilance Commissioner and members comprising of Vigilance Commissioners, Home Secretary, Secretary DOPT (Department of Personnel and Training) and Revenue Secretary.

·            The Director CBI is selected on the basis of the recommendation of a committee consisting of the Prime Minister, the Chief of Justice of India and the Leader of Opposition.If there is no recognized leader of opposition in the Lok Sabha, then the leader of the single largest opposition party in the Lok Sabha would be a member of that committee.

 

2.       INDIA’S 1ST FISHERIES BUSINESS INCUBATION CENTRE

·            Union Minister of Fisheries, Animal Husbandry and Dairying (FAHD) Parshottam Rupala launched the India’s first-of-its kind, dedicated business incubator known as LINAC-NCDC Fisheries Business Incubation Centre (LlFlC) in Gurugram, Haryana.

 

3.       INDIAN ARMY AND IAF CONDUCTS JOINT AIRLIFT EXERCISE – ‘OP HERCULES’

·            The Indian Air Force (IAF) and Indian Army conducted a joint airlift exercise, ‘Op Hercules’ to strengthen the logistics supply in the Northern sector and to augment winter stocking in the operational areas.

·            The platforms utilised for the airlift were C-17, IL-76 and An-32 aircraft, which took off from one of the forward bases of Western Air Command.

·            In October 2021, India conducted its 1st Tri-Service Exercise with the United Kingdom, named as “Konkan Shakti 2021”

 

4.       WHO GLOBAL REPORT ON TRENDS IN PREVALENCE OF TOBACCO USE 2000–2025

·            As per the 4th edition of the Global report on trends in prevalence of tobacco use 2000–2025 published by the World Health Organization (WHO) the number of tobacco users (for both sexes combined) has decreased globally from 1.32 billion in 2015 to 1.30 billion in 2020 and is projected to further decline to 1.27 billion by 2025.

·            Currently, tobacco use prevalence is defined as the proportion of the population aged 15 years and above who use one or more smoked or smokeless tobacco products on a daily or non-daily basis.

·            According to the report, in 2020, 22.3 percent of the global population used tobacco, 36.7 percent of all men and 7.8 percent of the world’s women.

·            WHO Headquarter – Geneva, Switzerland,Member Countries – 194

 

5.       TRACE GLOBAL BRIBERY RISK RANKINGS

·            India has slipped to 82nd position (drop by 5 slots from 2020) with a risk score of 44 in the global list of  2021 TRACE Bribery Risk Matrix (TRACE Matrix) that measures business bribery risks, which was released by TRACE International.

·            Denmark tops the list with risk score of 2 followed by Norway at 2^nd position and Sweden at 3^rd.

 

6.       UNWTO BEST TOURISM VILLAGES

·            The Pochampally village in the Yadadri Bhuvanagiri district of Telangana has been selected as one of the Best Tourism Villages by the United Nations World Tourism Organization (UNWTO). 

·            Pochampally village located around 50 km away from Hyderabad which is well known for its handloom waved Ikat sarees is often referred to as the Silk City of India. 

·            UNWTO is responsible for the promotion of responsible, sustainable and universally accessible tourism.Headquarter is in Madrid, Spain

 

7.       GUINNESS RECORD FOR WORLD’S HIGHEST ALTITUDE ROAD – UMLING LA PASS

·            The Border Roads Organisation (BRO) has received the Guinness World Record(GWR) for constructing & blacktopping the world highest motorable road passing through the 19,024 feet 0.73 inches (5798.251m) high Umlingla Pass in the Union Territory(UT) of Ladakh under Project HIMANK of BRO.

·            The Umlingla Pass road is another landmark in resurgent India’s achievement as it has been constructed at an altitude higher than the North and South Base Camps of Mount Everest which are at an altitude of 16,900 feet and 17,598 feet respectively.

 

8.       ICC MEN’S CHAMPIONS TROPHY 2029 IN INDIA

·            India is set to host the 2029 Champions Trophy and co-host the 2026 ICC Men’s Twenty20(T20) World Cup(WC) with Sri Lanka and 2031 ICC Men’s 50-over World Cup with Bangladesh.

·            Pakistan is set to host the 2025 ICC Men’s Champions Trophy.

·            The ICC has named the United States of America(USA) the co-host of the 2024 ICC Men’s T20 World Cup with West Indies

·            Namibia will be the co-host of 2027 Men’s 50 over the World Cup with South Africa and Zimbabwe.