Current Affairs Quiz - November, 2020

Notes:
Shusha is a strategically important cultural city located near the Nagorno-Karabakh region, a mountainous enclave regarded as part of Azerbaijan but populated and controlled by ethnic Armenians.
The President of Azerbaijan Ilham Aliyev has recently announced that his country’s forces had taken Shusha. It is also the second-largest city in the Nagorno-Karabakh enclave. Over 1,000 people have died in the fights around Nagorno-Karabakh.

Notes:
Mizoram is set to withdraw a section of its forces from the border with Assam. In their place, the Border Security Force (BSF) personnel will be deployed.
This decision was taken at a meeting between the chief secretaries of Assam and Mizoram, chaired by the Union Home Secretary Ajay Kumar Bhalla. Three companies of the Border Security Force (BSF) have arrived in the state.

Notes:
Mangaluru-based Karnataka Bank has launched National Common Mobility Debit Card, with special features like ‘tap and go’ and ‘offline wallet’ payments.
It is a Rupay card and a contactless debit-cum-prepaid and interoperable transport card. As per the bank, users can make payments without inserting the card at PoS terminals.

Notes:
The Union Minister for Science and Technology Harsh Vardhan held a consultation with the Indian diaspora.
This interaction was aimed at enabling them to make valuable contributions in India’s Science Technology and Innovation Policy (STIP) 2020. This interaction with Indian diaspora is seen as first of its kind.

Notes:
The United Arab Emirates (UAE) has recently announced relaxations to Islamic laws. These relaxations allowing unmarried couples to cohabitate, lifts some restrictions on alcohols and on criminalising honour killings.
This is seen as a major step towards westernisation of the nation and aims to improve personal freedom.

Notes:
The Prime Minister of India Narendra Modi has stated that the Shipping Ministry is being renamed as the Ministry of Ports, Shipping and Waterways.
The Prime Minister announced this modification after inaugurating a Ro-Pax ferry service between Hazira in Surat and Ghogha. The Ministry is being expanded to provide clarity in the nature of work.

Notes:
Prime Minister of India Narendra Modi is set to unveil a life size statue of Swami Vivekananda. The statue is being unveiled at the Jawaharlal Nehru University (JNU) campus at New Delhi on November 12th.
The statue would be unveiled by the Prime Minister in a virtual mode. The statue has been installed in JNU campus with the support of the JNU alumni.

Notes:
Gold and silver coins in the name of the Vaishno Devi shrine have been released by the Lt. Governor of Jammu and Kashmir Manoj Sinha.
The coins have been released ahead of Diwali festival. The Vaishno Devi shrine board has decided to make the coin available in Jammu as well as in Delhi.

Notes:
Australia-India Water Centre (AIWC) has been recently inaugurated through a Webinar and will be led by University of Western Sydney, Australia and IIT Guwahati, India.
The Centre will also include 21 other partners from India and Australia. It will include collaboration in water research, joint master’s level programme in water futures, student and staff exchanges, workshops and training in water sector.

Notes:
Tata Consultancy Services (TCS) is set to acquire 100% of the shares of Postbank Systems AG, which provides IT services to Deutsche Bank.
Postbank Systems AG is a German based IT firm. By this acquisition, around 1500 employees of Postbank System would become a part of Tata Consultancy Services (TCS).