1.World Science Day for Peace and Development: 10 November:- World Science Day for Peace and Development is celebrated each year on November 10 every year. This day is celebrated to highlight the important role that science play in society and the need to engage the wider public in debates on emerging scientific issues. This year World Science Day for Peace and Development theme is “Science for and with Society”. This year, at a time when the world is struggling with the global COVID-19 pandemic, the focus of World Science Day is on “Science for and with Society in dealing with the global pandemic.”

History of World Science Day for Peace and Development:

World Science Day was proclaimed by the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) in 2001 and celebrated for the first time in 2002.

2.Country’s longest motorable single-lane bridge inaugurated in Uttarakhand:- India’s longest single-lane motorable suspension bridge has been inaugurated in Tehri-Garhwal district of Uttarakhand. The Dobra-Chanti Jhula (suspension) bridge, was inaugurated by the Chief Minister Trivendra Singh Rawat to mark the 20th foundation day of the state on 9th November 2020. The bridge is 725-metre long and has been built in 14 years over the Tehri lake with a cost of Rs. 2.95 crore. It will cut travel time between Tehri and Pratapnagar from 5 to 1.5 hours.

3.Hardeep S. Puri inaugurates 13th Urban Mobility India Conference 2020:- The 13th Urban Mobility India (UMI) Conference was organized by the Ministry of Housing and Urban Affairs. It was inaugurated by Hardeep S. Puri, Minister of State (IC) Housing and Urban Affairs. The day-long conference was held via Video Conference on the theme “Emerging Trends in Urban Mobility”.

About the conference:

• The conference focused on innovative measures taken at the national and international level to address the challenges posed by Covid-19 pandemic to provide accessible and convenient transport to the people.
• The Ministry of Housing and Urban Affairs had issued the National Urban Transport Policy, 2006 (NUTP) to ensure safe, affordable, quick, comfortable, reliable and sustainable access for the growing number of city residents to jobs, education, recreation and such other needs within our cities.
• As part of the NUTP, the Ministry has been organizing the annual international Conference-cum-Exhibition on Urban Mobility India popularly known as UMI.
• The primary objective of the conference is to disseminate information to the cities, whose officials attend the conference to help them keep up-to-date with the latest and best urban transport practices globally.

4.China launches world’s first 6G satellite, internet speed can be 100 times faster than 5G:- China has launched the first 6G satellite in the world of space to test the technology. Which can be 100 times faster than 5G. China has entered orbit with 12 other satellites from the Shanxi Province Taiyuan Satellite Launch Center. The successful launch of this satellite involves the use of high frequency waveforms to achieve data-transmission several times faster than Internet speed 5G. According to the Chinese media, this satellite also has technology that will prove to be very useful for crop disaster monitoring and forest fire prevention.

5.Indian Oil Corp director A K Singh to head Petronet LNG:- Indian Oil Corp (IOC) director-pipelines Akshay Kumar Singh will be the new managing director and chief executive of the country’s biggest gas importer, Petronet LNG Ltd. He will replace Prabhat Singh who completed his 5-year term. Petronet is a joint venture of IOC, GAIL, Oil and Natural Gas Corp (ONGC) and BPCL. The four state-owned firms hold 12.5 per cent stake each in the company whose chairman is the Oil Secretary. Petronet operates liquefied natural gas (LNG) import terminal at Dahej in Gujarat and Kochi in Kerala.

6.Ex-SPG officer pens novel “Rasaathi” on transgenders:- Ex-SPG officer, Sasindran Kallinkeel’s has penned a novel named “Rasaathi: The Other Side of a Transgender”. The main character in the novel, published by BookMitra, is a transgender named Rasaathi born in a well-to-do family in South India. Rasaathi, meaning princess, is in the late 40s who wants people to treat transgenders like human beings by showering love, affection, sympathy and recognise their pathetic and horrible life.

About Sasindran Kallinkeel:

Sasindran Kallinkeel was with the Central Reserve Police for 23 years and had a seven-year stint with the Special Protection Group (Prime Minister’s Security) as a senior security officer when Atal Bihari Vajpayee and Manmohan Singh were in office.

7.Nagaland’s Hornbill Festival to be celebrated virtually:- Nagaland govt decides to celebrate Hornbill Festival virtually this year, amid the surge in COVID-19 cases in the country. This festival is also called the Festival of Festivals. It is held every year from December 1 to 10, showcases the culture, heritage, food and customs of Naga tribes. 16 tribes come together to celebrate their traditions with dance performances. Tourists from across the globe attend the 10-day gala.