Current Affairs 2020 – 15 November to 21 November 2020

Welcome to DataFlair Weekly Current Affairs section. Today, we will see the latest news of the week from 15th Nov-20 to 21st Nov-20. This current affairs 2020 is must for aspirants of competitive exams like UPSC, IAS, Bank, SSC and other Government Exams. So let’s start!!!

Polity and Governance

1. Nitish Kumar – Chief Minister of Bihar Again

The Janata Dal-United Candidate Nitish Kumar became the chief minister of Bihar and took the oath on 16th Nov 2020. This is the 7th time of him being elected as the chief minister of Bihar. His oath-taking ceremony took place in presence of Home Minister Amit Shah and BJP President JP Nadda.

2. Questionnaire for NPR finalized: RGI

The Registrar-General of India approved the coming National Population Register (NPR) questionnaire. NPR is part of the Census 2021and is connected to the citizenship amendment bill of 2019. The last NPR took place in 2015. 

International Relations

1. Australia-India cyber and Critical Technologies Partnership Programme

Digital India is the priority of PM Modi now. At the Bengaluru Tech Summit 2020, he mentioned India’s partnership with Australia on working together on technology and the internet. A grant program between the countries is set to launch soon.

2. The 12th BRICS Summit

The 12th BRICS Summit took place virtually this year and Russia was the host. PM Modi was an active speaker and introduced the idea of Aatma Nirbhar Bharat and appreciated Russia’s role in anti-terrorism. 

3. Mega trade bloc RCEP now official 

The Regional Comprehensive Economic Partnership is a trade association of 15 countries led by China. The expectation is to receive 30% Global GDP from this association’s trade. There are 10 countries from ASEAN and the largest economies are Korea, China, and Japan. India moved out of the bloc in 2019 only. 

4. Donation of $1 Million for ASEAN COVID Response Fund

India has decided to donate USD 1 million to ASEAN Response Fund as mentioned by PM Modi at the 17th ASEAN Summit on 12 November 2020. The Summit took place virtually with 10 ASEAN countries. The current chairman of the summit is Prime Minister of Vietnam Nguyen Xuan Phuc. S Jaishankar, the external affairs minister was the Indian representative for EAS this year. 

5. Chinese Port City to Open in Sri Lanka

Colombo Port City, a mega real estate by China is set to open in Sri Lanka by 2021. It is a  $1.4 billion land reclamation project which began in 2014. It is one of the highest investments by China to increase its footprint in the country.

Health and Sanitisation

1. Chapare virus capable of human transmission says CDC

The Centres for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) of the United States has made it official that the Chapare virus is capable of human transmission. The virus can cause hemorrhagic fever like Ebola and is deadly. 

2. Oxford COVID-19 vaccine may come out in April 2021

The general public may have access to the corona vaccine by April 20201. Adar Poonawalla, CEO of Serum Institute of India made this announcement on 19 November. It is an assumption that by 2024, every Indian will be vaccinated. 

Sports and Events

1. FIFA U17 to take place in 2022 in India

The FIFA U 17 2021 will now take place in 2022 in India. The covid pandemic is the reason behind cancellation by the Bureau of FIFA Council. Women’s U-20 World Cup 2021 will not take place as well. 

Science and Technology

1. The end of 2021 will see the first Gaganyaan flight

Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO) is ready to launch the first Gaganyaan Flight in 2021. The initial date was in 2020 but COVID-19 delayed the launch. ISRO also plans to introduce the 2nd Gaganyaan Flight in 2022.

Terrorism and War

1. Hafiz Saeed gets 10 years in jail

The chief of Jamaat-ud-Dawa and the mastermind behind the Mumbai attack Hafiz Saeed will spend 10 years in jail as sentenced by the court. The financial action task force of Paris managed to get Pakistan on its grey list which led to the arrest of Saeed with two others. 

2. Karabakh War

Armenians won the Karabakh war and signed the treaty on 10 November 2020. The war was between Armenia and Azerbaijan in Nagorno-Karabakh. Russian President Vladimir Putin initiated the ceasefire in the region.

Awards and Prizes

1. Douglas Stuart receives UK Booker Prize 2020 for novel ‘Shuggie Bain’

The British writer, Douglas Stuart won the UK Booker Prize 2020. The ceremony took place virtually in London as Stuart received the award for his debut novel. 

2. International Children’s Peace Prize 2020 won by Bangladeshi teen

The International Children’s Peace Prize 2020 was won by Sadat Rahman (17) leaving behind 142 applicants from 42 countries. Nobel Peace Prize laureate Malala Yousafzai was the guest of the event. His mobile app ‘Cyber Teens’ to stop cyberbullying managed to capture national attention leading to his victory. 

Environmental Science and Ecology

1. Lonar Lake in Maharashtra becomes a Ramsar site

The Lonar Lake in Buldhana district is now a wetland site under the Ramsar conservation treaty. The Ramasar site works to protect the wetlands across the globe and has been active since 1975 with the support of UNESCO.

Social Issues

1. NHRC observes a drop in the number of women in the workforce

The National Human Rights Commission saw a decreasing number of women participating in the active workforce of the country. The drop is by 18.6% and is believed to be the lowest point after independence. 

2. Arunachal Pradesh manages the ideal sex ratio while Manipur struggles

The Civil Registration System revealed Arunachal Pradesh as the best sex ratio state with 1084 females per 1000 male. The states followed are Nagaland – 965, Mizoram – 964, Kerala – 963, and Karnataka – 957. The worst state was Mizoram with 757 females per 1000 male. 

Summary

Here we come to the end of this week current affairs. Stay with DataFlair for more such short and crisp Current Affairs 2020 News.