Current Affairs 1 December 2020

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Top 20 Current Affairs of 1 December 2020

NATIONAL AFFAIRS

3rd Global RE-INVEST Renewable Energy Investors Meet & Expo takes place virtually from November 26-28, 2020

The 3rd Global RE-INVEST Renewable Energy Investors Meet & Expo organised by the Ministry of New and Renewable Energy (MNRE) took place virtually from November 26-28, 2020.The event was virtually inaugurated by Prime Minister Narendra Modi.
i.The Theme of RE-INVEST 2020 is ‘Innovations for Sustainable Energy Transition’.
ii.Partner Countries – Australia, Denmark, France, Germany, Maldives, the United Kingdom, European Union and United States agencies.
iii.Partner States – Gujarat, Himachal Pradesh, Madhya Pradesh, Rajasthan and Tamil Nadu.
iv.The meet was organized by MNRE in association with Indian Renewable Energy Development Agency Limited (IREDA) and Confederation of Indian Industry (CII).
Objective of RE-INVEST 2020:
To speed up development and deployment of renewable energy, and connect the global investment community with Indian energy stakeholders.
About Ministry of New and Renewable Energy (MNRE):
Minister of State (MoS), (Independent Charge) – Raj Kumar Singh
Headquarters – New Delhi
<<Read Full News>>

GOI allocates third Stimulus package of Rs.900 Crore to Mission COVID Suraksha

Government of India has allocated Rs.900 crore to Department of Biotechnology(DBT) for research and development of COVID-19 vaccines under Mission COVID Suraksha. This is the third stimulus package, already a stimulus of Rs.900 crore for a period of 12 months has been allocated for phase 1 trials.
Objective of the fund :- to quicken the process of  pre-clinical& clinical development; licensure of COVID-19 vaccine, and strengthening the existing immunoassay laboratories, central laboratories and suitable facilities for animal studies, production facilities and other testing facilities to support COVID-19 vaccine development.
Key Points:
i.National Technical Advisory Group on Immunization(NTAGI), approved Mission COVID Suraksha to focus on development of vaccines to combat the spread of COVID-19 infection in mission mode.
ii.Target– To develop at least 5-6 potential vaccines
iii.Fund Allocated– Rs.3000 crore in a timeline of 12 to 18 months
<<Read Full News>>

INTERNATIONAL AFFAIRS

India tops the list of sending Most Number of Educated Migrants to OECD Countries: OECD Data

According to the data released by OECD “Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development” in the Most Common birth countries of Highly Educated Migrants residing in OECD Nations, India came at the top with around 3.12 Million Highly Educated Migrants living in the OECD Nations as of 2015-16 data.
i.For India, the share of individuals in Migrants who have High Education Status is 65% i.e high educations means having received vocational or academic training.
ii.China with 2.25 Million (48.6 % Highly Educated Migrants) came next to India in the list followed by Philippines – 1.89 Million Migrants (shared of Highly Educated Migrants 53.3 %).
iii.Out of 120 Million Migrants living in OECD member countries 30-35% of the migrants are highly educated.
About Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD):
Secretary General – Angel Gurria
Headquarters – Paris, France
<<Read Full News>>

FAO’s Report SOFA 2020 with theme ‘Overcoming Water Challenges in Agriculture’ states 1 out of 6 People in the World Faces Severe Water Scarcity

i.The Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) has published a flagship report titled The State of Food and Agriculture(SOFA) 2020 with theme “Overcoming Water Challenges in Agriculture”. 
ii.The report states that around 1.2 billion people across the globe are under high levels of water stress, which means that one out of every 6 people in the world are facing severe water stress or scarcity in agriculture with more than 15% of the rural population at risk.
iii.Around 50% of the 1.2 billion people lived in South Asia and 460 million people lived in east and southeast asia.
About Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO):
Director General– Qu Dongyu
Headquarters– Rome, Italy
<<Read Full News>>

Overview of EAM Jaishankar’s Six-day Three Nation Tour visit to Bahrain, UAE & Seychelles from November 24-28, 2020

External Affairs Minister (EAM) of India Dr Subrahmanyam Jaishankar had made a Six-day Three Nation Tour visit to Kingdom of Bahrain, United Arab Emirates (UAE) and Republic of Seychelles from November 24-28, 2020. During the visit, he held meetings with Foreign Affairs Ministers & the top leadership of these countries.
i.EAM also renewed invitation to Bahrain’s Foreign Minister for visiting India for the 3rd India-Bahrain High Joint Commission meeting in 2021.
ii.EAM reviewed the progress made in construction of India Pavilion at Expo 2020, Dubai. The India pavilion will showcase India’s strength in Innovation and Technology, Arts & Culture.
iii.Seychelles lauded India’s Assistance in the form of Medical supplies and Critical drugs during the Pandemic.
About Bahrain:
Capital – Manama
Currency – Bahraini Dinar (BHD)
About United Arab Emirates:
Capital– Abu Dhabi
Currency– UAE Dirham
About Republic of Seychelles:
Capital – Victoria
Currency – Seychellois Rupee
<<Read Full News>>

NSA Ajit Doval Visits Colombo for 2 Day to Participate in 4th NSA Level Meeting  on Trilateral Maritime Security Cooperation

i.India’s National Security Advisor(NSA) Ajit Doval visited Colombo, Sri Lanka for a two-day visit from November 27-28, 2020 to participate in the 4th NSA Level Meeting on Trilateral Maritime Security Cooperation between India, Sri Lanka, and the Maldives.
ii.The meeting was hosted by Sri Lanka. The meeting is held after 6 years.
iii.Along with NSA  Ajit Doval, Kamal Gunaratne, Defence Secretary of Sri Lanka and Mariya Didi, Defence Minister of Maldives participated.
About Sri Lanka:
President – Gotabaya Rajapaksa
Capital – Colombo, Sri Jayawardenepura Kotte
Currency – Sri Lankan Rupee
<<Read Full News>>

India, France Joint Committee Launches Bilateral Fast track mechanism in Investment

Union Minister of Housing and Urban Affairs Hardeep Singh Puri and French Minister delegate for foreign trade and Economic Attractiveness Franck Riester launched “Bilateral Fastrack Mechanism” to increase investments in the 18th session of India France Joint Committee.
Key Points:
i.France holds the 7th position in FDI to India
ii.Joint Military Exercise “SAKTHI-2019” conducted in Rajasthan, India
iii.Joint Naval Exercise “VARUNA-2019” conducted at Goa Coast, India
<<Read Full News>>

A Viable Vaccine for COVID-19 will not Halt the Spread of Economic damage: UNCTAD’s Report

i.On November 19, 2020 United Nations Conference on Trade and Development (UNCTAD) released a report titled ‘The Impact of the COVID-19 Pandemic on Trade and Development: Transitioning to a New Normal’ .
ii.The report states that a viable novel coronavirus disease (COVID-19) vaccine will not halt the spread of economic damage.
iii.The economic setback will be experienced for a long time, , especially by the poorest and most vulnerable countries.
About United Nations Conference on Trade and Development (UNCTAD):
HeadQuarters– Geneva, Switzerland
Established– In 1964, by the United Nations General Assembly
Secretary-General– Mukhisa Kituyi of Kenya
<<Read Full News>>

ECONOMY & BUSINESS

Singapore & USA Become the Biggest FDI Sources for India During April-September 2020: DPIIT’s FDI Statistics

i.The Department for Promotion of Industry and Internal Trade( DPIIT)’s in its Foreign Direct Investment(FDI) data, has listed out the top investing countries FDI(Foreign Direct Investment) equity inflows in India during April-September 2020.
ii.Singapore has invested Rs 62,084 crore(USD 8.30 billion) into India, which makes it the biggest source of FDI into India.
iii.The USA(United States of America) becomes the second biggest source of FDI into India by investing Rs 53,266 crore(USD 7.12 billion) .
iv.USA overtakes Mauritius which was in the 2nd rank during the 1st half of the  current financial year.
About Department for Promotion of Industry and Internal Trade (DPIIT):
It is a central government department under the Ministry of Commerce and Industry.
Secretary  – Guruprasad Mohapatra
About the Ministry of Commerce and Industry:
Union Minister– Piyush Goyal(Constituency- Rajya Sabha, Maharashtra)
Minister of State(MoS)– Hardeep Singh Puri, Som Parkash
<<Read Full News>>

AWARDS & RECOGNITIONS        

Cambridge Dictionary Named “Quarantine” as Word of the Year 2020

The Cambridge Dictionary has named “Quarantine” as the Word of the Year 2020 based on its data which showed that the word ‘quarantine’ is one of the most searched words on the Cambridge Dictionary in 2020.
Key Points:
i.The word ‘quarantine’ ranks among the top five words for both search spikes and overall views more than 183000 views by early November.
ii.The largest search spike was observed from 18th to 24th March 2020, during which many countries across the globe went into lockdown due to COVID-19 pandemic.
New sense:
i.The Cambridge editors have added a new sense of quarantine to the Cambridge dictionary “a general period of time in which people are not allowed to leave their homes or travel freely, so that they do not catch or spread a disease”.
ii.Researchers found that this word is also used synonymously with lockdown to refer to a situation in which people avoid exposure to disease by staying at home.
Note:
i.Runners-up for Word of the year 2020 are, Lockdown and Pandemic.
ii.Cambridge’s word of the year 2019 was “Upcycling”.
Other Word of the year 2020:
i.Collins Dictionary named Lockdown as the Word of the year 2020.
ii.On Nov 24 2020, For the first time, The Oxford Dictionary has decided not to select a single word for“word of the year” for 2020 stating that many words for “unprecedented” the year 2020.

APPOINTMENTS & RESIGNATIONS          

AR Rahman Appointed as the Ambassador for BAFTA Breakthrough India 2020-21

On 30th November 2020, Music Composer AR Rahman was appointed as the Ambassador for the British Academy of Film and Television Arts (BAFTA)’s Breakthrough initiative in India 2020-21″. This initiative is supported by Netflix.
About AR Rahman:
i.He debuted as the Music Director in 1991 for the film “Roja” directed by Mani Ratnam.
ii.He secured the National award for best music composer for Roja, first time for a debutant to receive the honours.
iii.He has worked in various languages which includes, Tamil, Telugu, Hindi, English and Chinese.
iv.His noted works include, Bombay, Jodha Akbar, Couples Retreat, 127 Hours, Warriors of Heaven & Earth, Pele etc.,
Awards:
i.AR Rahman won 2 Academy Awards for Original score and original song in 2009 for the film “Slumdog Millionaire”.
ii.He also won the Golden Globes for Slumdog Millionaire in 2009 for best Original Score for which he also won the BAFTA Awards in 2009.
BAFTA ‘Breakthrough India Initiative’:
Aim of the Initiative:
To identify, celebrate and support upto 5 talents working in Film, Televisions or Games in India.
Features:
i.A jury of British and Indian industry experts will select the 5 talents across India to the mentoring and guidance programme of 1 year.
ii.The participants of the initiative will receive one to one mentoring, global networking opportunities, free access to BAFTA events and screening for 12 months and full voting BAFTA membership.

ACQUISITIONS & MERGERS        

India Grid Trust Signs Share purchase Agreement to Acquire 74% Stake in PKTCL from Reliance Infrastructure

On November 28, 2020 India Grid Trust (IndiGrid) signed share purchase agreement to acquire 74% stake in Parbati Koldam TransmissionCompany Ltd(PKTCL) from Reliance Infrastructure Ltd(RInfra)
Enterprise Value

• The enterprise value to acquire 100% is Rs 900 crore, including the cash reserves and normalised tariff receivables.
• The value is subject to adjustments on account of movement in cash, deviation in outstanding debt, tariff receivables, assets and liabilities outstanding.
• The remaining 26 per cent of PKTCL held by Power Grid Corporation of India Ltd (PGCIL).

Additional Info:
i.Recently, India Grid Trust has acquired power transmission line operator’s Jhajjar KT Transco Pvt Ltd assets from Kalpataru Power Transmission Ltd and Techno Electric & Engineering Company for Rs 310 crore.
ii.It has acquired assets of Gurgaon Palwal Transmission Limited (GPTL) from Sterlite Power for Rs 1,080 crore.
iii.It has also entered into an exclusive framework agreement with Sterlite Power to acquire three projects worth Rs 6,500 crore, as and when they are commissioned.
Info about the Companies:
i.Parbati Koldam Transmission Company Ltd(PKTCL)
Incorporated– September 2, 2002 under the Companies Act, 1956
Joint Venture(JV)– Reliance Infrastructure Limited (74%) and Power Grid Corporation of India Limited (26%).
HeadQuarters-Gurgaon, Haryana
ii.Indi Grid Trust:
Established– October 21, 2016,
It is India’s first listed power sector infrastructure investment trust (InvIT), sponsored by KKR and Sterlite Power Grid Ventures Limited (SPGVL)
CEO & Whole Time Director– Harsh Shah
HeadQuarters– New Delhi, India

ENVIRONMENT

Cnemaspis avasabinae: New Lizard Species Identified in Eastern Ghats, Velikonda Range in Andhra Pradesh

A team of researchers has discovered a new species of dwarf gecko named “Cnemaspis avasabinae”, This is identified as the smallest known Indian Gekkonid from the Eastern Ghats. Cnemaspis avasabinae is the 12th species discovered outside the Western Ghats and the first species from the Velikonda Range, Andhra Pradesh.
The new species has been given a common name “Sabin’s Nellore dwarf gecko”.
The paper about the discovery “A new species of South Asian Cnemaspis (Squamata: Gekkonidae) from the Eastern Ghats, India” was published in Zootaxa.
Cnemaspis avasabinae:
i.Cnemaspis avasabinae belongs to the genus Cnemaspis.
ii.It was sighted in the dry evergreen forest among the rocks beneath a small stream at a height of less than 200 metres above sea level.
iii.The Cnemaspis have a good vision that enables visual signalling, which plays a major role in attracting mates in these geckos.
iv.The males of the Cnemaspis avasabinae lack femoral pores.
Note:
Most lizards have femoral pores in both the sexes. The secretion from these pore plays a major role in communication with possible mates and to mark the homerange.
Physical characteristic:
i.Cnemaspis avasabinae has a dorsal coloured body and grey pink tail with six pairs of dark brown patches.
ii.It can be diagnosed from all Indian congeners by its small body size of less than 2.9 cm.

SPORTS

Lewis Hamilton wins Formula 1 Gulf Air Bahrain Grand Prix 2020 

On November 29, 2020, British Driver Lewis Hamilton (Mercedes) won the 2020 Bahrain Grand Prix (officially known as Formula 1 Gulf Air Bahrain Grand Prix) held at Bahrain International Circuit, Sakhir, Bahrain. The race was the fifteenth round of the 2020 Formula One World Championship.
The Championships are organized by Federation Internationale de l’Automobile (FIA).
i.Netherlands Driver Max Verstappen (Red Bull Racing) finished Second while Thailand’s Alexander Albon (Red Bull Racing) finished Third in the race.
ii.This is Hamilton’s 11th Win of the 2020 season.
iii.The race witnessed the crash of France’s Romain Grosjean’s (Haas) car.
iv.Lewis Hamilton clinched the 2020 Driver’s Championship Title with his victory at the 2020 Turkish Grand Prix held on November 15, 2020.
v.Lewis Hamilton’s victory gave Mercedes their 115th Formula 1 race win, they overtook Williams to take the 3rd position on the all-time list of most Grand Prix Victories by Constructors. Ferrari holds the record for the most Grand Prix victories with 238 wins, and McLaren is placed second with 182 wins.
About Federation Internationale de l’Automobile (FIA):
President – Jean Todt
Headquarters – Paris, France

OBITUARY

Veteran Actor, Weightlifter of England Dave Prowse dies at 85

On 28th November, 2020, Dave Prowse, the weightlifter who represented England in the Commonwealth Games in 1962 and later played the role of Darth Vader in the original “Star Wars” trilogy, died at the age of 85.
Born on 1st July, 1935 at Bristol, England, Dave Prowse started his career as a bouncer at a dance hall then weightlifter and finally excelled his career as an actor.
Weightlifting Career:
Won British Weightlifting Championship in 1962
Represented England in Commonwealth Games in 1962 at Perth, Australia
Acting Career:
He had a long career in filmography from 1967 to 2017.
Famously known for his role as Darth Vader in the original “Star Wars” trilogy.
Prowse played the role of Frankenstein’s monster in three movies.
Honored by England:
Appointed as Member of the Order of the British Empire(MBE) for services to charity and Road Safety in the 2000 New year Honors.

Legendary Senegal footballer, Papa Bouba Diop dies at 42

On 30th November, 2020 the legendary Senegalese footballer Papa Bouba Diop died at the young age of 42. Diop, the midfielder was the hero when Senegal shocked the world by defending 1-0 against the reigning world champion, France in the opening game of 2002 FIFA World cup held in Japan and South Korea.
Nickname:
For his tall (6 foot 5inches) commanding presence in the field, Diop is nicknamed “Wardrobe”.
Career:
i.Born on 28th January, 1978 at Dakar, Senegal.
ii.Inducted into the National Team at the young age of 21, with more than 60 appearances for Senegal.
iii.His career lasted for 8 years from 2001-2008.
iv.Diop Scored his first goal in FIFA world cup in his debut match against France in 2002, to defeat the defending champions in a 1-0 win.
v.He played for multiple teams including Switzerland, Greece, England, France.

BOOKS & AUTHORS

New Book Titled ‘Future of Regional Cooperation in Asia and the Pacific’ Released by ADB; During 2004-2015 India was the 4th major host of Greenfield FDI

i.On November 26, 2020 The Asian Development Bank (ADB) released a new book titled, ‘Future of Regional Cooperation in Asia and the Pacific’.
ii.The book reviews the progress with regional cooperation and integration in Asia and the Pacific.
iii.It explores ways for economies in the region to work combinedly to recover and rebuild from the COVID-19 pandemic, so as to achieve a more flexible, sustainable, and inclusive future.
iv.As per the book, India was the 4th major host of Greenfield Foreign Direct Investment(FDI) projects and 8th major host of cross-border Merger and Acquisition(M&A) deals, during 2004-2015.
About Asian Development Bank (ADB):
HeadQuarters– Metro Manila, Philippines
Membership– 68 countries(Including India)
President– Masatsugu Asakawa
<<Read Full News>>

IMPORTANT DAYS

International Day of Solidarity with the Palestinian People 2020 – November 29

i.The United Nations(UN)’s International Day of Solidarity with the Palestinian People is annually observed across the globe on 29th November to mark the day when the United Nations General Assembly(UNGA) adopted the resolution for partitioning Palestine into an Arab State and a Jewish State.
ii.The day encourages the member states of the UN to support and promote the observance of the Day of Solidarity.
iii.The first International Day of Solidarity with the Palestinian People was observed on 29th November 1978.
About United Nations General Assembly (UNGA):
President– Volkan Bozkır
Headquarters–  New York, United States of America
<<Read Full News>>

Day of Remembrance for all Victims of Chemical Warfare 2020 – November 30

i.The United Nations(UN)’s Day of Remembrance for all Victims of Chemical Warfare is annually celebrated across the globe on 30th November to pay tribute to the victims of chemical warfare and to reaffirm the commitment of the Organisation for the Prohibition of Chemical Weapons (OPCW) to the elimination of the threat of chemical weapons and promote world peace, security and multilateralism.
ii.The day was first observed on 30th November 2016.
iii.The Chemical Weapons Convention was adopted in 1993 and came into force on 29th April 1997.
About Organisation for the Prohibition of Chemical Weapons(OPCW):
Founded– 29 April 1997
Director-General- Fernando Arias
Headquarters– Hague, Netherlands
<<Read Full News>>

STATE NEWS

Punjab Government and I-DAIR Signs MoU for Developing Digital Technologies in Health Sector

i.On November 30, 2020 Punjab Government has signed Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with International Digital Health & Artificial Intelligence Research Collaborative (I-DAIR) hosted at the Graduate Institute of International & Development Studies in Geneva, Switzerland to develop and deploy digital technologies in the health sector.
ii.Punjab is the 1st govt partner of I-DAIR to develop models of people-centric digital infrastructures for health
About Punjab:
Airport– Jallowal Airport, Ludhiana Airport, Patiala Airport, Sri Guru Ram Dass Jee International Airport
<<Read Full News>>

AC GAZE

BHEL sets new record of manufacturing India’s highest-rated auto transformer ‘500 MVA 400/220/33 kV’

Bharat Heavy Electronics Limited (BHEL) has set a new record for successfully manufacturing and testing India’s highest-rated auto transformer ‘500 MVA 400/220/33 kV’ (It is BHEL’s 21 400 kV class transformer) at the National High Power Test Laboratory (NHPTL) at Bina, Madhya Pradesh. It successfully passed the Short circuit test. These transformers play a big role in building power transmission to load centres and bigger cities. BHEL stated that it is a new benchmark in the Global Transformer Industry.

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