Current Affair
8 November-14 November
[Secondary and Senior Secondary]
[Students need not memorise figures and statistics. It is given only for information]
Pushkar Fair Attracts More Foreign Tourists
The international cattle fair held annually in the month of November in the tiny rugged city of Pushkar - 13 km away
from Ajmer in Rajasthan- has been attracting more tourists from across the globe this year. The camel and cattle fair
remains the highlight of the week-long fair that began on November 3 where a large number of animals from rural
India come to be traded off. “Compared to last year, more tourists from Europe, Kenya, Korea, Israel and several
other places are thronging the fair to witness the excellent display of colourful India,” says G S Gangwal, Deputy
Director in Rajashtan’s department of Tourism.
Special Health Cards In Bihar for Infant Born At
11.11.11
The Bihar government will issue special health cards to infants born in the state at 11:11 am on November 11, 2011.
The special health card will provide free medical treatment in government hospitals to all infants born during the
auspicious moment till they turn 18 years, he said during inspection at Darbhanga Medical College-cum-Hospital
(DMCH) where an infant was born at that time.The girls born during the hour will be given free education by the state
government besides financial assistance for their marriage.
Biggest Ever Diamond Unearthed From Panna, All of
37.68 Carat
State-run mineral giant New Delhi Municipal Council has struck it rich when it unearthed a 37.68 carat diamond—the
biggest ever gem produced from the legendary diamond mines in Panna in Madhya Pradesh.The experts have
valued this gem recovered recently from the New Delhi Municipal Council mine somewhere between Rs 2.5 and 5
crore.“So far this 37.68 carat is the biggest ever diamond we have recovered from the Panna’s Majjhgavan mines,”
Australia's Gold Coast to Host 2018 Commonwealth
Games
Australia’s Gold Coast has been chosen ahead of the Sri Lankan city of Hambantota to host the 2018 Commonwealth
Games.The 70 members of the Commonwealth Games Federation who met in this Caribbean nation on November
11, 2011 voted 43-27 to award the 21st Commonwealth Games to Gold Coast in southeast Queensland state.
Australia has hosted the games four times previously in the event’s 80-year history, while Sri Lanka was bidding to
host for the first time.
US Apologises To APJ Abdul Kalam for Frisking
Incident
The US has apologised to former President A P J Abdul Kalam for subjecting him to frisking at New York’s JFK
Airport, an incident that had provoked sharp reactions from India which threatened retaliatory action. In a written
apology to Kalam and the Indian government, the US said, “Appropriate procedure for expedited screening of
dignitaries had not been followed”.
Singh Becomes First Foreign Leader To Address
Maldives Parliament
Prime Minister Manmohan Singh was on November 12, 2011 accorded the “unique” honour of being the first foreign
dignitary to address the multi-party ‘People’s Majlis’, Maldives’ Parliament, after it came into being in 2009. Singh
read out his speech outlining the “time-tested” relationship India had with this picturesque island nation as all the 75
MPs of the Majlis listened in rapt attention. On his first visit to Maldives as the Prime Minister, Singh said it was an
“unforgettable journey” to the country for him which he will cherish.“I am overwhelmed by the breathtaking beauty and
serenity” of this country, he said. Majlis Speaker Abdullah Shahid welcomed him saying that his country has lot to
learn from India, a leading economic giant and the largest democracy in the world.
Rhino Subspecies Vanishing From The Wild
The Western Black Rhino of Africa has been declared officially extinct, and two other subspecies of rhinoceros are
close to meeting the same fate.The International Union for Conservation of Nature said a recent reassessment of the
Western Black Rhino had led it to declare the species extinct, adding that the Northern White Rhino of central Africa
is now “possibly extinct” in the wild and the Javan Rhino is “probably extinct” in Vietnam, after poachers killed the last
animal there in 2010.A small but declining population of the Javan Rhino survives on the Indonesian island of Java
Tiny tot from India gifts Google its new Doodle
A seven-year-old school student won the national-level third 'Doodle4Google' contest organised here on November 9,
2011.Versha Gupta designed the special Doodle illustrating traditional Indian musical instruments, which was
featured online on Google's India homepage on 'Children's Day' for 24-hours.
Oz designer wins James Dyson Award for pulling
water out of thin air
An Australian designer has bagged James Dyson Award for coming up with an avant-garde irrigation system that
literally turns air into water. The elegant Airdrop irrigation system takes inspiration from Namib beetle, an ingenious
species that lives in one of the driest places on earth.With 1.3cm of rain a year, the beetle can only survive by
consuming the dew it collects on the hydrophilic skin of its back in the early mornings.Airdrop uses the same concept,
working on the principle that even the driest air contains water molecules that can be extracted by lowering the air's
temperature to the point of condensation.It pumps air through a network of underground pipes to cool it to the point at
which the water condenses, delivering water directly to the roots of plants.
Sachin Tendulkar crosses 15000 runs mark in Test
cricket
Sachin Tendulkar on November 8, 2011 achieved another milestone as he became the first cricketer in
the history of the game to cross 15000 runs mark in Test cricket. Playing in his 182nd match, Tendulkar
reached the mark on the third day of the first Test against the West Indies when he scored his 28th run
in India's second innings.
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