Current Affairs on 8 November 2020

Current Affairs on 8 November 2020

• World Urbanism Day: 08 November

  World Urbanism Day, also known as "World Town Planning Day", is celebrated on 8 November globally, to recognise and promote the role of planning in creating livable communities. WUD is organised by the International Society of City and Regional Planners (ISOCARP).

• International Day of Radiology: 08 November

  International Day of Radiology is observed globally on 8th November every year. The day is celebrated to promote the awareness of the value that radiology contributes to safe patient care, and improving public understanding of the vital role radiologists and radiographers play in the healthcare continuum.

• Joe Biden wins the US presidential election

  Joseph Robinette Biden Jr. has defeated Donald Trump to become the 46th U.S. president. Biden will become the oldest president-elect in U.S. history and the first to oust a sitting commander-in-chief after one term since Bill Clinton defeated George H.W. Bush in 1992.

• AAI Signs MoU With NTPC Subsidiary, NVVN

  The Airports Authority of India (AAI) has signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with a subsidiary of NTPC Ltd, NTPC Vidyut Vyapar Nigam (NVVN), to promote usage of electric vehicles and set up solar power plants at the airports managed and operated by AAI.

• Whatsapp Partners with 5 Banks for UPI Payment

  WhatsApp has partnered with five Indian banks to process its payment services. These are State Bank of India, HDFC Bank, ICICI Bank, Axis Bank and Jio Payments Bank.

• SEBI increases Overseas Investment limits for Mutual Funds

  Securities and Exchange Board of India (SEBI) has enhanced the investment limits for Mutual Fund companies for overseas investments. Mutual Funds can make overseas investments subject to a maximum of US $ 600 million per Mutual Fund, within the overall industry limit of US $ 7 billion. Earlier it was USD 300 million.

• Dharmendra Pradhan co-chairs 4th Meeting of the OPEC-India Dialogue

  The 4th High-Level Meeting of the OPEC-India Dialogue was hosted by the OPEC Secretariat. The Meeting was co-chaired by HE Mohammad Sanusi Barkindo, Secretary-General of OPEC and Shri Dharmendra Pradhan, India's Minister of Petroleum and Natural Gas and Minister of Steel.

• PM Modi to launch Ro-Pax Ferry Service in Gujarat

  PM Modi is to launch Ro-Pax ferry service between Ghogha and Hazira in Gujarat through video conferencing. The Ro-Pax ferry vessel called the "Voyage Symphony" is a three-deck vessel. It has a load capacity to load thirty trucks, 100 passenger cars and 500 passengers.

• ISRO launches PSLV C49 with 10 satellites

  The Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO) has launched the 51st mission of Polar Satellite Launch Vehicle (PSLV). This is the first mission by ISRO in 2020. The carrier vehicle PSLV C49 will deliver 10 satellites in all with EOS-01 as the primary one.

• India-Italy Virtual Bilateral Summit 2020

  The Bilateral Summit between India and Italy was held virtually on 6th November 2020. The Summit was attended by the Indian Prime Minister Shri Narendra Modi and Prime Minister of Italy Prof. Giuseppe Conte.

• National Cancer Awareness Day 2020

  The National Cancer Awareness Day is observed annually in India on November 7, to spread awareness on cancer, its symptoms and treatment. According to the World Health Organization (WHO), cancer is the second leading cause of death globally.

• Manipur's Gyanendro Ningombam becomes new president of Hockey India

  Manipur's Gyanendro Ningombam was elected unopposed as the President of Hockey India, while former President Mohd Mushtaque Ahmad is back in the Hockey India Executive Board after being Elected Unopposed for the Senior Vice President post. Earlier, Gyanendro Ningombam has been serving as the Officiating President of Hockey India since July 2020.

• Two-day joint coastal security exercise 'Sagar Kavach' begins

  A two-day joint coastal security exercise, "Sagar Kavach" was launched at Paradip Coast, Odisha. The exercise is being carried out by a joint effort of the state of Odisha and West Bengal governments.

• Udyam Scheme: 11 lakh MSMEs registered

  The Government of India announced that over 11 lakh MSMEs have registered on the new online system of Udyam Registration. It was launched in July 2020. According to GoI, over 3.72 lakh have been registered under manufacturing category and 6.31 lakh have registered under service sector.

• Metro Neo

  The Government of India is planning to approve national standard specifications and rules for Metro Neo targeted at tier 2 & tier 3 cities. Metro Neo is a no-frills, low-cost urban rail transit system.

• Indian Diplomat Elected To UN Advisory Committee

  In a significant victory for India at the United Nations, Indian diplomat Vidisha Maitra was elected to the UN Advisory Committee on Administrative and Budgetary Questions (ACABQ), a subsidiary organ of the General Assembly.