1.Lonar Lake in Maharashtra selected under ‘Ramsar site:-
- The Lonar Lake in Buldhana district of Maharashtra has been chosen as a wetland site of international importance under the Ramsar conservation treaty.
- A Ramsar Site is a wetland site designated to be of international importance under the Ramsar Convention. The name Ramsar comes from Ramsar City of Iran, where this treaty was signed.
- The Convention on Wetlands is also known as the Ramsar Convention. It is an intergovernmental environmental treaty established in 1971 by UNESCO and came into force in 1975.
2.India Successfully Test Fires Quick Reaction Surface-To-Air Missile off Odisha Coast:-
- India successfully test-fired the Quick Reaction Surface to Air Missile (QRSAM) system off the coast of Balasore in Odisha on 13 November 2020.
- The system achieved a major milestone by a direct hit on to a Banshee Pilotless target aircraft at medium range and medium altitude.
- The QRSAM system has been developed by the Defence Research and Development Organisation (DRDO) in association with Bharat Electronics Limited and Bharat Dynamics Limited for the Indian Army
- The system is capable of detecting and tracking targets on the move and engaging target with short halts. The system is designed to give air defence coverage against strike columns of the Indian Army.
- Indian forces have carried out at least seven tests earlier of the missile system.
3.India Extends US$1 Million Aid For Covid-19 ASEAN Response Fund:-
- India has extended financial contribution of USD 1 million to the COVID-19 ASEAN Response Fund.
- This was announced by the Prime Minister Narendra Modi on 12 November 2020 at the 17th ASEAN-India Summit, which was held virtually.
- Leaders from the 10 ASEAN countries welcomed the adoption of the new ASEAN-India Plan of Action for 2021-2025, at the conclusion of the Summit.
- PM Modi, participated in the 17th ASEAN-India Summit at the invitation of the Prime Minister of Vietnam Nguyen Xuan Phuc, who is the current chair of ASEAN.
4.S. Jaishankar Represents India at 15th East Asia Summit 2020:-
- The External Affairs Minister Dr. S. Jaishankar represented India at the 15th East Asia Summit (EAS) on 14 November 2020 on behalf of PM Modi.
- The Summit was chaired by the Prime Minister of Vietnam Nguyen Xuan Phuc because Vietnam is ASEAN Chair in 2020 (ASEAN holds the central role and leadership in the forum).
- All the 18 EAS countries participated in the virtual Summit.
5.Harsh Vardhan attends 8th BRICS Science, Technology and Innovation Ministerial Meet:-
- The 8th BRICS Science, Technology and Innovation Ministerial meeting was held on 13 November 2020 through a virtual platform for Science and Technology cooperation among the member countries, which are Brazil, Russia, India, China and South Africa.
- The meeting was held under the Chairmanship of Russian Federation. (Russia is the Chair for 12th BRICS Summit)
- The Union Minister of Science and Technology, Dr Harsh Vardhan represented the Indian delegation at the meeting
- The meeting concluded with the adoption of BRICS STI Declaration 2020.
6.Bangladeshi teen Sadat Rahman wins International Children’s Peace Prize 2020:-
- Sadat Rahman from Bangladesh has been awarded the prestigious International Children’s Peace Prize 2020.
- The award was presented to 17-year-old Sadat by Nobel Peace Prize laureate Malala Yousafzai on 13 November 2020, during a ceremony in the Netherlands. He was selected out of 142 applicants from 42 countries.
- He was awarded the prize for his involvement in setting up his social organization and mobile app ‘Cyber Teens’ to stop cyberbullying.
- The International Children’s Peace Prize is given annually since 2005 by the International children’s rights organization KidsRights based in Amsterdam, the Netherlands.
- The prestigious Prize is annually awarded to a child who has made a special effort to promote children’s rights and better the situation of vulnerable children.
