GLOBE-TROT IN NOVEMBER 2013

•  Nov 1: Six major central banks in the world made currency swap arrangements permanent (earlier it was temporary) as a prudent liquidity backstop in case of future global financial strains. Names of Six major central banks are: 1. The Bank of Japan 2. U.S. Federal Reserve 3. European Central Bank 4. Bank of England 5. central bank of Canada 6. central bank of Switzerland .

•  Nov 1: As per the latest ‘Ease of Doing Business’ rankings of 189 economies released by the World Bank, India has fallen three spot to 134th rank. In terms of ‗starting a business‘ India has been positioned lower at 179th.As per the list the top performing nations are: 1. Singapore 2. Hong Kong 3. New Zealand 4. United States 5. Denmark

•  Nov 1: Turkey to inaugurate Bosphorus rail tunnel that links Europe and Asia, for the first time.Imp: Japan Bank for International Cooperation was the main financier contributing 735 million euros ($1 billion) to the project.

• Nov 2: Global outrage against recent revelations of mass surveillance by the U.S. government, which sparked discussions for a review of global surveillance guidelines, has led the Brazilian government to reach out to the Indian government for support for its proposal to host a one-off global summit, scheduled for early May 2014.

•  The External Affairs Ministry did not confirm if India has decided to support the Brazilian effort. However, if it does, it will be at the risk of defending criticism against CMS-related surveillance, while agreeing to attack the Americans on PRISM.

•  Nov 2: Russia and Japan held their first joint Defence and Foreign Ministers meeting and agreed to expand their defense and security cooperation.Imp: With this agreement, Russia became the third country in the world to establish the two-plus-two mechanism of bilateral interaction at the ministerial level with Japan after US and Australia. On the other side, Japan became the first Asian country to have the arrangement with Russia.

•  Nov 5: Bangladesh approved the commercial cultivation of transgenic Bt brinjal becoming the first country in South Asia to cultivate the genetically modified food crop.

•  Nov 5: US software company Microsoft recently developed a new cost-effective sign language translator that converts signs into spoken and written language - and vice versa.

• Nov 5: Pakistan successfully test-fired Hatf IX (Nasr) missile, a surface-to-surface missile with a range of 60 km.

• Nov 6: Swedish Embassy celebrates 100 years of Tagore’s Nobel Prize.

• Nov 7: Russia launched the Olympic torch into space, as part of the flame‘s journey ahead of the Sochi Winter Olympics.

• Nov 8: US, Israel lose UNESCO voting right.

       (SEE ALSO:http://itsknowledgemenia.blogspot.in/2014/06/general-knowledge.html)

• Nov 8: Jordan will replace Saudi Arabia on the Security Council for a two-year term starting in January after the Saudis' unprecedented rejection of the seat hours after they were elected

• Nov 11: The memoir written by Teen Pakistani activist Malala Yousufzai was banned from all private schools in Pakistan.

• Nov 11: The Regional Pravasi Bhartiya Divas was officially launched in Sydney, Australia.

• Nov 13: Russia successfully launched the Proton-M rocket carrying a defense satellite, Raduga-1M from its Baikonur cosmodrome in Kazakhstan.

• Nov 17: Malta, a Southern European country was unanimously chosen as the host of the next Commonwealth summit in 2015.Imp: This is second time for Malta to host the Commonwealth summit. Before this, Malta hosted a Commonwealth Summit in 2005.

• Nov 22: India and France will lead a 10- nation global project to study the impact of melting of polar ice caps on climatic conditions of these countries. Imp: The ten member countries include the US, UK, Japan, Brazil, South Africa and Germany.

• Nov 23: ADB plans to set up an Asia Pacific Infrastructure Fund to cater to the infrastructure financing needs of countries in the region.

• Nov 24: A two day long Global Islamic Economic Summit, GIES was held in Dubai.

• Nov 24: Germany‘s aviation company e- Volo successfully tested the first helicopter which is noiseless and emission-free named- Volocopter.

• Nov 26: An interim agreement has been reached between six world powers and Iran that calls on Tehran to limit its nuclear activities in return for sanctions relief from international trade and financial sanctions.Nov 26: Ban Ki Moon, the UN Secretary General announced the Geneva-II peace conference (The international conference is aimed at a democratic political transition in Syria) is to be held on 22 January 2014.

• Nov 27: A host of private investors from GCC countries, including a royal family from the UAE have planned to set up the first full-fledged Islamic bank in the euro zone.
  Imp: The Eurisbank will come up in Luxembourg during the last quarter of 2014.

•  Nov 27: PM Nawaz Sharif appointed Lt Gen Raheel Sharif as Pakistan’s new Army Chief and Lt Gen Rashid Mehmood as Chairman Joint Chiefs of Staff Committee.

•  Nov 27: Pakistani Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif launched the construction of the country's biggest Nuclear power project.
  Imp: The nuclear power plant is to be built with Chinese technical assistance on the Arabian Sea coast.

• Nov 28: IMF chief Christine Lagarde will next month pay her first visit to Myanmar.

• Nov 29: The Italian Senate expelled ex- Prime Minister Silvio Berlusconi from Parliament over his tax fraud conviction.