Current Affairs daily Updates: 26 November 2014

1) 18th Saarc Summit began in Kathmandu: With all eyes on Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi's take on the future of South Asia, the 18th Saarc Summit commenced in Kathmandu on 26 November 2014 morning. Apart from host Nepal, all seven heads of state and government are in Kathmandu to attend the summit. As chair of Saarc, Maldivian President Abdulla Yameen Abdul opened the summit and handed over the responsibility of the chair of the regional bloc to Nepal's Prime Minister Sushil Koirala. This is the third time Nepal is organising the summit -- first in 1987 and then again in 2002. Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi, Pakistani Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif, Sri Lankan President Mahinda Rajapaksa, Afghanistan President Mohammad Ashraf Ghani, Bangladesh Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina, Maldivian President Abdulla Yameen Abdul and Bhutanese Prime Minister Lyonchhen Tshering Tobgay are attending the summit.

2) Nation remembered 26/11 : Nation remembered and paid tribute to victims and martyrs of horrible 26/11 terror attacks on its sixth anniversary. Modi, who was in Katmandu for the SAARC summit, stressed the need to combat “terrorism and trans-national crimes.” “Today, as we remember the horror of the terror attack in Mumbai in 2008, we feel the endless pain of lost lives,” the prime minister said at the opening of the two-day summit.

3) Constitution Day observed: Constitution Day was observed on 26 November 2014. On this day in 1949 the Constitution of India was adopted by the Constituent Assembly. 

4) National Milk Day celebrated: Indian dairy sector majors decided to celebrate 26 November as National Milk Day to mark the 93rd birth anniversary of Father of White Revolution, Dr. Verghese Kurien. Indian diary sector majors that have joined hands are National Dairy Development Board (NDDB), Indian Dairy Association (IDA) along with around 22 state level milk federation's including Gujarat's own - Gujarat Co-operative Milk Marketing Federation (GCMMF) that markets brand Amul.

5) World's 2nd Tallest Power Transmission Towers in West Bengal:  The world's second tallest power transmission towers, built by Haldia Energy Limited (HEL), has come up in West Bengal. The 236-metre-long twin towers, located at HEL's 600-MW capacity plant at Haldia and Raichak across the river Hooghly, are the tallest in the country. Covering a span of 1.5 km, the twin towers weigh 1,800 tonnes. The world's highest transmission tower (370 metres) is located at Mount Damaoshan in China.

6) Bill to amend law on CBI chief’s appointment passed in Lok Sabha: Ahead of the appointment of a new CBI Director early next month, the Lok Sabha, setting aside objections raised by the opposition to some of its provisions, passed The Delhi Special Police Establishment (Amendment) Bill, 2014. The Bill was passed though voice vote. The Bill seeks to include the leader of the single largest opposition party in the three-member committee that selects the CBI Director since there is no recognised Leader of the Opposition in the Lok Sabha.

7) Haryana government reduced retirement age of government employees from 60 to 58: The Manohar Lal Khattar-led BJP government in Haryana decided to roll back the erstwhile Congress regime's decision to enhance the retirement age of state employees by two years, evoking sharp reaction from the opposition. Government notification will come in effect from 30 November 2014. While, the upper age limit for fresh recruitment would remain 42 years.