Current Affairs in Short: 23 November 2020

Cabinet Secretary chairs National Crisis Management Committee meet on impending cyclonic storm

•Union Cabinet Secretary, Rajiv Gauba chaired a meeting of the National Crisis Management Committee (NCMC) on November 23, 2020 to review the status of impending Cyclone.
•He held video conferencing with the Chief Secretaries of Andhra Pradesh, Tamil Nadu and Puducherry, during which they briefed the NCMC about their preparedness and mentioned that the authorities are fully prepared to meet any eventuality.
•The Chief Secretaries of the concerned states also informed about the coordination with the NDRF and other agencies to meet this challenge.
•According to the Meteorological Department of India, there is cyclonic disturbance in the Bay of Bengal, which is expected to develop into a 'severe cyclonic storm' by November 24 evening. 

G20 leaders commend Japan's determination to host Tokyo Olympics in 2021

•The G20 leaders during the final declaration of the Summit on November 22, 2020 stated that they commend Japan's determination to host the Olympic and Paralympic Games Tokyo 2020 next year. They said that it is a symbol of humanity's resilience and global unity in overcoming COVID-19.
•They also stated that they look forward to the Beijing Winter Olympics in 2022. Highlighting the importance of sports, IOC President Thomas Bach said that “sport can save lives and during this coronavirus crisis, we all have seen how important sport is for physical and mental health."
•The IOC President further asked the G20 participants to support the political neutrality of the Olympic Games and the International Olympic Committee, allowing them to make the Olympic and Paralympic Games symbol of global solidarity. 
•WHO Director-General Dr Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus also expressed support for the IOC and the Olympic Games. 
•The 2020 Tokyo Olympics was postponed to next year due to the outbreak of the coronavirus pandemic earlier this year. The much-awaited event will now be held from July 23 to August 8, 2021 in Tokyo, Japan. Japan will also host the Paralympics from August 24 to September 5, 2021. 

'The Undertaker' bids final farewell 

•The Undertaker, one of the greatest WWE Superstars of all time bid farewell to the ring at the World Wrestling Entertainment (WWE) Survivor Series 2020 on November 22, 2020. 
•The veteran American wrestler had made his on-screen debut in WWE at Survivor Series on November 22, 1990. He bid fareweel on the same day three decades later. 
•Other WWE legends including Kane, Triple H, Shawn Michaels and Ric Flair were present to bid final farewell to the Undertaker. American professional wrestler John Cena took to twitter to thank 'The Undertaker' for all the ring moments.

Antony Blinken likely to be nominated as US Secretary of State under Joe Biden’s administration

•Antony J Blinken is likely to be nominated as the US Secretary of State under President-Elect Joe Biden’s administration, succeeding Micheal Pompeo. Blinken is one of Biden’s closest foreign policy advisors. 
•Blinken is likely to initiate work towards uniting sceptical international partners into a renewed competition with China.
•The 58-year-old had formerly served as Deputy Secretary of State under former President Barack Obama.
•He has been at Biden’s side for nearly 20 years and was Biden’s national security adviser when he was the US vice-president.

India exceeding Paris agreement targets: PM Modi

•Prime Minister Narendra Modi highlighted on November 22, 2020 that India is not only meeting the targets set under the Paris agreement on Climate Change but is also exceeding them.
•The Prime Minister said this while speaking at the G-20 Summit held through video conferencing. PM Modi highlighted that while the world currently is fighting the COVID-19 pandemic, it is equally important to fight climate change in an integrated, comprehensive and holistic way.
•He said that it is equally important to keep our focus on battling climate change, as it is to save our economies and citizens from the effects of the global pandemic. 
•He highlighted that India has adopted low carbon and climate-resilient development practices, inspired by our traditional ethos of living in harmony with the environment. 
•PM Modi highlighted that in many areas across India, LED lights have been made popular and smoke-free kitchens have been provided to over 80 million households. 
•He added that India aims to restore 26 million hectares of degraded land by 2030. He said that our forest cover is also expanding and the population of lion and tiger is also increasing.