Current Affairs Daily Digest – November 21 2019
1. NuGen Mobility Summit 2019 to be held in Manesar, Haryana
The three-day NuGen Mobility Summit 2019 will be held in Manesar, Haryana from November 27 to 29, 2019. It will be organized by International Centre for Automotive Technology (ICAT), Manesar based on the theme “Smart & Green Mobility” to find alternative mobility solutions to problems like pollution emanating from vehicular emissions. It will be inaugurated by Union Minister of Road Transport & Highways (MoRTH) Nitin Gadkari.
2. 5th India – Europe 29 Business Forum held in New Delhi
The 5th edition of India-Europe 29 Business Forum was recently held at Pravasi Bharatiya Kendra in New Delhi from 20 to 21 November 2019. It was organized by industry body Confederation of Indian Industry (CII) and Union Ministry of External Affairs.
It saw participation of some 400 delegates from 29 European countries. The focus sectors for this edition of forum were Smart Cities, IT & ITES, Renewable Energy, Pharma and Artificial Intelligence (AI). India-Europe 29 Business Forum is India’s largest European Platform.
3. Cabinet approves Patent Prosecution Highway programme
Union Cabinet chaired by Prime Minister Narendra Modi has approved the proposal for adoption of Patent Prosecution Highway (PPH) programme. It will be adopted by Indian Patent Office (IPO) under Controller General of Patents, Designs & Trade Marks, India (CGPDTM), Union Ministry of Commerce and Industries with patent offices of various other interest countries or regions.
4. Cabinet approves Recycling of Ships bill, 2019
The Union Cabinet on 20th November, 2019 approved the proposal for enactment of Recycling of Ships bill, 2019. It also nodded to the Hong Kong International Convention for safe and environment sound recycling of ships.
5. Mahinda Rajapaksa takes oath as Sri Lanka’s new PM
Mahinda Rajapaksa took oath as Sri Lanka’s new Prime Minister after Ranil Wickremesinghe resigned as the PM. “I look forward to serving all Sri Lankans as we take our country forward with a new vision to further develop and protect it for future generations,” Rajapaksa tweeted. He had served as Sri Lanka’s President from 2005 to 2015.
6. Meghan Markle named the Most Powerful Dresser of 2019
The Duchess of Sussex Meghan Markle has been named the Most Powerful Dresser of 2019, according to the global fashion search platform Lyst. Meghan beat her sister-in-law and Duchess of Cambridge Catherine Elizabeth Middleton, popularly known as Kate Middleton (11th spot). American actor Timothée Chalamet and actress Zendaya grabbed second and third spots respectively.
7. Oxford Dictionaries declares ‘climate emergency’ as word of 2019
Oxford Dictionaries has declared “climate emergency” as the ‘Word of the Year 2019’. Usage of the phrase increased steeply over the course of 2019 and by September it was more than 100 times as common as it had been the previous year, it said. According to the dictionary’s data, usage of “climate emergency” soared 10,796%, The Guardian revealed.
8. Microsoft CEO Satya Nadella named Fortune’s Businessperson of the Year 2019
Microsoft’s India-born CEO Satya Nadella has grabbed the top spot in Fortune’s “Businessperson of the Year 2019” list. Other Indian-origin CEOs in the Top 20 list are Mastercard CEO Ajay Banga (8th spot) and Jayshree Ullal, head of California-based computer networking company Arista (18th position).
Fortune’s annual list features 20 business leaders “who tackled audacious goals, overcame impossible odds, found creative solutions”.
9. ACI Worldwide, Microsoft strike cloud partnership in payments space
ACI Worldwide, a global provider of real-time electronic payment and banking solutions, announced a global strategic collaboration with Microsoft via the Microsoft Partner Network to support the payments industry’s rapid adoption of technology deployed in the public cloud.
10. Virat Kohli bags PETA India’s Person of the Year for 2019 award
India captain Virat Kohli was named People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals (PETA) India’s ‘Person of the Year for 2019’ for his animal advocacy efforts.
A vegetarian, Kohli’s efforts to improve conditions for animals include sending a letter on PETA India’s behalf to officials calling for the release of Malti, an elephant used for rides at Amer Fort, who was reportedly violently beaten by eight men, a PETA India statement said.
11. World Television Day is observed on November 21
On 21 November and 22 November, 1996, the U.N. held the first World Television Forum. It provides a platform and allowed media to discuss the importance of TV in delivering information and also how it participating in the changing world. It is the single largest source of video consumption.
12. PayPal is buying deal-finding service Honey for $4 billion, its biggest acquisition ever
PayPal is making the biggest acquisition in its two-decade history, announcing that it’s buying Honey Science for about $4 billion.
Honey, which is best known for providing a service that helps consumers find deals while they shop online, works with 30,000 online retailers and claims to have 17 million monthly users. PayPal said Honey’s technology will help it reach consumers as they begin their “shopping journeys” with personalized offers.
