VINTAGE: Important Current Affairs 20th November 2015

During a Nasscom event at New Delhi, Govt has brought forward the deadline for making 52.5 lakh people digitally literate under National Digital Literacy Mission by a year to 2016. It wasearlier fixed by the end of 2017.

Nasscom Foundation and business software firm SAP announced partnership for opening 25 NDLM centres.

Kerala government will organise International Skill Summit and Skill Fiesta to project the competency standards and global employability of youth in the state to the employers worldwide said by Minister for Labour and Skills Shibu Baby John.

Environment Minister Prakash Javadekar announced to set up a committee that will conduct a detailed study on the issue of forest ownership in Northeast region where vast areas of forests are privately.

Panel work : To ensuring protection to forests and benefits to communities besides sustainable development.

Oxford Dictionaries announced emoji, commonly known as “Face with Tears of Joy” as its “Word of the Year for 2015”.

The word emoji is from Japan and is defined as “a small digital image or icon used to express an idea or emotion in electronic communication”.

Brazilian government have declared a state of emergency for 180 days in more than 200 townsaffected by a deadly mining waste spill.

The government of Minas Gerais state said the measure covered the Rio Doce river basin and all towns impacted by the avalanche of mud and waste unleashed when two dams collapsed at the Samarco iron ore mine in Mariana 12 days ago.

Troika has been inked worth $75 million (₹500 crore) credit deal for the Andhra Pradesh “egg bowl of Asia” Rural Inclusive Growth Project.

The accord has been signed between the Centre, Andhra Pradesh and World Bank.

Competition Commission of India slapped penalties totalling Rs. 258 crore on Jet Airways, IndiGo and SpiceJet for cartelization in fixing fuel surcharge for transporting cargo.

CCI did not impose any penalty on national airline Air India and private carrier Go Airlines, which were also named in a complaint filed by Express Industry Council of India.

United Nations Office for Disaster Risk Reduction (UNISDR) has conferred Union Minister of State for Home Affairs, Shri Kiren Rijiju with Disaster Risk Reduction (DRR) Champion for the Asia Region.
Syria based journalist Zaina Erhaim has been awarded the Reporters without Borders Prizein France for her defence of press freedom. She lives and works in the war-ravaged city of Aleppo. Her uncle accepted the prize on her behalf at a ceremony in the Strasbourg, France.

She has been bestowed with this award for her “determination and courage” incovering the conflict in Syria. (Syria is the most dangerous country in the world for journalists)
In August, she was conferred with Peter Mackler Award for Courageous and Ethical Journalism.

An Indian-American woman judge Ushir Pandit-Durant has become the first recipient of a US public service award in recognition of her contributions in the field of law.
Office of Immigrant Affairs under Queens District Attorney Richard Brown has conferred the “South Asian Public Service Award” on Queens Senior Assistant District Attorney and newly elected Civil Court Judge Ushir Pandit-Durant.
Five new species of wasps have been discovered in parts of India by researchers Veenakumari Kamalanathan, Prashanth Mohanraj and F.R. Khan of the National Bureau of Agricultural Insect Resources

The Czech Republic defended their Fed Cup title victory over Russia.Karolina Pliskova won her singles match and then returned to secure victory in the deciding doubles.

About Fed Cup :
Fed Cup is the premier international team competition in women’s tennis, launched in 1963 to celebrate the 50th Anniversary of the International Tennis Federation (ITF). The competition was known as the Federation Cup until 1995.

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