News in Short

• The Union Cabinet has approved the next round of spectrum auction. The Digital Communications Commission, the apex decision making body of the Department of Telecom, in May approved the spectrum auction plan subject to the cabinet approval.
• The DoT is yet to come out with any notification for the next round of auction in which airwaves worth ?5.22 lakh crore are to be sold.
• The Telecom Ministry gets an average revenue share of 5 per cent as spectrum usage charge from telecom operators which is calculated based on their spectrum holding and 8 per cent as licence fee from the revenue earned by them from sale of communication services.

• The Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO) has announced that its PSLV-C50 rocket has successfully placed communication satellite CMS-01 into orbit.
• The communication satellite is envisaged for providing services in Extended-C Band of the frequency spectrum covering India, Andaman and Nicobar and Lakshadweep islands. It is the 42nd communication satellite of the space agency.
• It follows the successful launch of PSLV-C49 (EOS-01) earth observation satellite and nine customer spacecraft on November 7 which was ISRO’s first mission of the year amid the Covid-19 pandemic.

• An Amur falcon was sighted earlier this week on the campus of the Bombay Natural History Society (BNHS) near the Point Calimere Sanctuary, in Nagapattinam district.
• It is unusual to find the bird in south India. Usually, it takes the path of central India on its lengthy migration from the breeding grounds in Russia and China to South Africa.
• A change in the wind pattern, caused by Cyclones Nivar and Burevi, could have been the reason for the lone falcon to find its way to Point Calimere.
• For long-distance migratory shorebirds, staging as well as stopover sites are of critical importance. Shorebirds are sensitive indicators of global climate change, and the populations of many long-distance migrants are in decline.

• Delhi Gharana exponent Ustad Iqbal Ahmed Khan passed away morning following a cardiac arrest. He was 66.,
• Ustad Iqbal Ahmed Khan was best known for his versatile renditions in various genres of Indian classical music, including ’thumri’, ‘dadra’, as well as ‘bhajans’ and ‘ghazals’.
• He was especially known for composing the music of the anthem for the government’s e-governance arm that was penned by famous lyricist Gulzar.
• He had also composed music for television serials like Indra Sabha, Police File Se; documentaries, and telefilms such as Yaad-e-Ghalib, plays like Tamasha or Tamashai, and Jahan-e-Khusro.

• Poland captain Robert Lewandowski was named the FIFA Best Men’s Player for 2020 after his 55-goal season lifted Bayern Munich to a sweep of international and domestic trophies.
• Lewandowski topped a three-player shortlist that included Lionel Messi and Cristiano Ronaldo. Voting was by a global jury of national team captains and coaches, plus selected journalists and fans. Lewandowski received 52 voting points, with Ronaldo second on 38 Messi third with 35.
• Lewandowski joined Luka Modric, the Croatia and Real Madrid midfielder who won in 2018, as the only players in the past 13 years to deny both Messi and Ronaldo the victory.