Daily Current Affairs and GK | 17 November 2020

1. Novak Djokovic equals Pete Sampras record of six year-end No. 1 trophy.

• Serbian tennis star Novak Djokovic equals the record of Pete Sampras of winning the ATP Tour No. 1 trophy of six-time.
• Novak Djokovic won the ATP Tour Number One trophy in 2011, 2012, 2014, 2015, 2018, and 2020.
• Novak Djokovic has become the second player to do it six times after Pete Sampras, who managed to finish six years on top of the rankings between 1993 and 1998.
• Novak Djokovic has won Australian Open, Dubai Tennis Championships, Italian Open title, etc., in 2020.

(Source: Hindustan Times)

2. National Press Day: 16 November

• National Press Day is celebrated every year on 16 November to honour the establishment of the Press Council of India.
• It is observed as a day to recognize the importance of the free and responsible press in a democratic society.
• Press Council of India was formed on 4 July 1966 on the recommendations of the First Press Commission for protecting freedom of the press and maintaining the standards of press in India.
• Press Council of India is a statutory and quasi-judicial body that works as a watchdog to oversee the print media’s conduct. It functions under the Press Council Act 1978.
• Justice Chandramauli Kumar Prasad is the current chairman of the Press Council of India.

3. Civil Aviation Ministry and DGCA allow ICRISAT to use drones.

• Civil Aviation Ministry and Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA) has allowed Hyderabad-based International Crops Research Institute for the Semi-Arid Tropics (ICRISAT) to use drones.
• Now, ICRISAT will be able to use drones or Remotely Piloted Aircraft Systems (RPAS) for agricultural research activities within its research fields.
• The exemption given to ICRISAT is conditional and valid for six months. ICRISAT is headquartered in Patancheru, Hyderabad.
• The six months validity is from the date on which permission has been granted or until the Digital Sky Platform (Phase-1) becomes fully operational, whichever is earlier. 
• Digital Sky Platform is an online IT platform to handle permission to fly Remotely Piloted Aircraft Systems (RPAS) in India, Unmanned Aircraft Operator Permit (UAOP) and Unique Identification Number (UIN) applications.
• RPAS is a type of Unmanned Aircraft (UA) or drones. They have five categories:
  • Nano (≤250 grams)
  • Micro (250 gram to 2kg)
  • Small (2kg to 25kg)
  • Medium (25kg to 150kg)
  • Large (>150 kg)

4. Government asks companies involved in uploading or streaming of news and current affairs through digital media to comply with 26% FDI limit.

• Ministry of Information and Broadcasting has asked companies involved in uploading or streaming of news and current affairs through digital media to comply with the 26% FDI limit.
• Companies involved in uploading or streaming of news and current affairs through digital media and having less than 26% FDI will inform names and addresses of directors or shareholders and shareholding pattern to Ministry within one month.
• Companies involved in uploading or streaming of news and current affairs through digital media and having more than 26% FDI will take steps to reduce FDI to 26% by 15 October 2021.
• In August 2019, Cabinet decided to limit FDI under government route in uploading or streaming of news and current affairs through digital media at 26%.
• Currently, there is no law or regulatory body for over-the-top (OTT) platforms. On 11 November 2020, a notification was issued to bring online films, digital news and current affairs content under I&B Ministry.
• The notification brought Over The Top (OTT) platforms, or video streaming service providers such as Netflix, Amazon Prime and others under I&B Ministry.
• In January 2019, a self-regulatory code was signed by eight video streaming services to prohibit 5 types of content on OTT. The government did not accept the code.

(Source: The Hindu)

5. PM Narendra Modi to attend 12^th BRICS Summit virtually.

• Prime Minister Narendra Modi will attend the 12^th BRICS summit under the theme ‘Global Stability, Shared Security and Innovative Growth’.
• Russia is hosting the 12^th BRICS summit. India will host the 13^th BRICS summit in 2021.
• In this summit, various issues will be discussed, including cooperation in counter-terrorism, trade, health, energy, and ways to offset the impact of the coronavirus pandemic.
• India will take over the BRICS Presidency from Russia. It will be India’s third presidency after 2012 and 2016.
• BRICS:
  • BRICS is an association of the five major emerging economies - Brazil, Russia, India, China, and South Africa.
  • The acronym BRIC was coined by Goldman Sachs in 2001. In 2006, the BRIC nations started their dialogue and later, South Africa joined the group in 2010.
  • The BRICS nations meet annually at formal summits.
  • The 11^th BRICS Summit was held in Brasília, Brazil.
  • It accounts for 42% of the population, 23% of GDP, 30% of the territory, and 18% of the global trade.
  • New Development Bank was formed during the 2014 BRICS Summit.
  • The member countries have a close strategic partnership on peace and security, economy and finance, cultural and people-to-people exchanges.

6. Aung San Suu Kyi’s party wins general election of Myanmar.

• National League for Democracy headed by State Counsellor Aung San Suu Kyi has won Myanmar’s general election.
• National League for Democracy has secured 396 Union Parliament. It has won 74 more seats than the required seats for the majority.
• It has also won 524 seats in the Regional or State Parliaments, including ethnic minority seats in the Regional or State Parliaments.
• It has defeated the main opposition party Union Solidarity and Development Party (USDP).
• Election system in Myanmar:
  • The Parliament of Myanmar is comprised of two Hluttaw (assemblies): upper house and lower house.
  • Each state and region also has its own Hluttaw.
  • It follows the first-past-the-post system in which the candidate with the highest number of votes won the constituency seat.
  • 25% seats in Myanmar’s Parliament are reserved for candidates nominated by the army.
  • The constitution also gives the military control of three key ministries - home affairs, defence, and border affairs.
• Myanmar:
  • It is a Southeast Asian country that shares its border with China, India, Bangladesh, Thailand and Laos.
  • Its capital is Naypyidaw and the currency is Burmese Kyat.
  • Aung San Suu Kyi is the State Counsellor of Myanmar.
  • Win Myint is the current President of Mynamar.  

7. Department of Investment and Public Asset Management (DIPAM) and World Bank signed an agreement.

• Department of Investment and Public Asset Management has signed an agreement with World Bank for advisory services on asset monetization.
• The World Bank will provide advisory services on asset monetization to DIPAM. This World Bank project will help analyze public asset monetization in India and benchmarking its institutional and business models against international best practices.
• It will also help in the monetization of non-core assets of Central Public Sector Enterprises (CPSEs).
• Asset Monetization: It is a process of creating new sources of revenue by unlocking underutilized or unutilized public assets.
• Department of Investment and Public Asset Management (DIPAM):
  • It works under the Ministry of Finance.
  • It was renamed as Department of Investment and Public Asset Management (DIPAM) from 14 April 2016.
  • It is responsible for the monetization of non-core assets of Central Public Sector Enterprises (CPSEs) under strategic disinvestment or closure and enemy property of the value of ₹100 crore and above.
  • It has a framework for monetizing the four categories of assets:
    • Non-core assets of CPSEs
    • Enemy property
    • Assets of other government organizations  
    • Sick/loss making CPSEs under closure
• World Bank:
  • It is one of the world’s largest finance providers aiming to end extreme poverty and promote shared growth.
  • International Bank for Reconstruction and Development (IBRD) and International Development Association (IDA) together make up the World Bank.
  • Headquarters: Washington, D.C.
  • Members: 189 countries
  • President: David Malpass

8. International Day for Tolerance celebrated: 16 November

• International Day for Tolerance is observed every year on 16 November to raise awareness about the dangers of intolerance and the importance of tolerance.
• In 1995, UNESCO adopted the Declaration of Principles on Tolerance.
• In 1996, UN General Assembly passed a resolution to observe the International Day for Tolerance on 16 November.
• It educates the society that peoples are naturally diverse and only tolerance can help in the survival of mixed communities.
• The UNESCO-Madanjeet Singh Prize for promotion of Tolerance and Non-Violence was started in 1995 to celebrate the United Nations Year for Tolerance and the 125^th anniversary of the birth of Mahatma Gandhi.
• It is awarded every two years on the International Day for Tolerance.

(Source: UN)

9. Interim President of Peru Manuel Merino resigns.

• Manuel Merino, interim President of Peru, has resigned recently on 15 November 2020.
• Manuel Merino was facing protests, and protesters asked for his resignation as they supported former President Martin Vizcarra.
• He took charge as Interim President of Peru on 10 November 2020 after President Martin Vizcarra was impeached by Peru’s unicameral legislature called Congress on 9 November 2020.
• The Congress impeached Former President Vizcarra over unproven corruption charges and on the grounds of permanent moral incapacity.
• Martin Vizcarra became the President of Peru in March 2018 after President Pedro Kuczynski’s resignation over corruption charges.
• Peru is one of the most affected countries by Coronavirus. As per some sources, Peru is having the world’s third-highest death rate per one lakh population.
• The presidential election will take place in Peru in 2021. Peru’s legislature called Congress has till then elected Francisco Sagasti as the new interim President after the resignation of Manuel Merino.

10. Action Plan for Vulture Conservation 2020-2025.

• National Board for Wildlife’s Action Plan for Vulture Conservation (APVC) 2020-2025 proposes the creation of five vulture conservation and breeding centres in five states.
• The names of states are Uttar Pradesh, Tripura, Maharashtra, Karnataka and Tamil Nadu. 8 Vulture Conservation Breeding Centres already exists in India.
• The plan was approved by National Board for Wildlife in October 2020. Action Plan for Vulture Conservation 2006 already existed.
• APVC 2020-25 provides strategies and steps to stop the decline in vulture population, mainly of Oriental white-backed Vulture (Gyps bengalensis), Slender-billed vulture (Gyps tenuirostris) and Long-billed vulture (Gyps indicus).
• APVC 2020-25 also provides four rescue centres in Pinjore (Haryana), Bhopal, Guwahati and Hyderabad.
• It also proposes a database for emerging threats to vulture conservation such as electrocution and poisoning.
• It proposes safety testing of veterinary non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDS) on vultures.
• Total 22 species of Vulture are recorded. Out of these, maximum (9) are critically endangered. The numbers of endangered, near threatened and least concern vulture species are three, four and six respectively.

(Source: DD news)

11. Phase 2 of Exercise Malabar 2020 starts.

• Second phase of Exercise Malabar 2020 has started in the Northern Arabian Sea from 17 to 20 November 2020.
• During Phase 2 of Malabar 2020, Vikramaditya Carrier Battle Group of Indian Navy and Nimitz Carrier Strike Group of US Navy will carry out naval operations along with other ships, submarines and aircraft of Australia and Japan.
• MIG 29K fighters of Vikramaditya and F-18 fighters and E2C Hawkeye of Nimitz will carry out cross-deck flying operations and advanced air defence exercises.
• In addition to Vikramaditya, other ships, submarines and aircraft participating in the exercise are as follows:
  • Indigenous destroyers Kolkata and Chennai
  • Stealth frigate Talwar
  • Fleet Support Ship Deepak and integral helicopters led by Rear Admiral Krishna Swaminathan, Flag Officer Commanding Western Fleet
  • Indigenously built submarine Khanderi of the Indian Navy
  • P8I maritime reconnaissance aircraft of the Indian Navy
  • Cruiser Princeton, destroyer Sterett and P8A maritime reconnaissance aircraft will accompany US Navy’s Strike Carrier Nimitz.
• Frigate Ballarat along with its integral helicopter, will participate from Royal Australian Navy.
• Phase 1 of Exercise Malabar 2020 was carried out in the Bay of Bengal from 3 to 6 November 2020.