1. India launches ‘Group of Friends’ to
promote accountability for crimes: India has launched a ‘Group of Friends’ to promote
accountability for crimes against peacekeepers. EAM, S Jaishankar has announced
that New Delhi will maintain a database that will record all crimes against the
Blue Helmets. Along with India, contributing countries like Bangladesh,
Egypt, France, Morocco and Nepal were participated as its co-chairs It
represents the “political will” of member states, particularly of the
troop and police contributing countries
Jaishankar said that the Group of Friends represents the “political
will” of member states, particularly of the troop and police contributing
countries, to champion the implementation of the provisions of UN Security
Council resolution 2589, which was adopted in August last year under India’s
Presidency of the Council.
2. NHPC appoints Rajeev Kumar Vishnoi
assumes additional charge as CMD: Rajeev Kumar Vishnoi has been appointed as the Chairman and
Managing Director (CMD) of NHPC Ltd, with effect from December 13, 2022. He
is also the CMD of Rishikesh-based THDC India Limited.
Earlier, Yamuna Kumar Chaubey, Director of NHPC (Technical)
was holding the additional charge of CMD of the company. NHPC Ltd is
a Mini-Ratna Category-I Enterprise of the Government of India. NHPC HQ:
Faridabad, Haryana; Founded: 1975
3. ISRO earns ₹1,100 crore in five
years from foreign launches: According to the Ministry for Space, the
Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO) had earned approximately ₹1,100 crore in the last five years from the launch of foreign satellites. In the
last five years (January 2018 - November 2022) ISRO, via its commercial
arms has successfully launched 177 foreign satellites from 19 countries. Under
commercial agreement, ISRO launched these satellites on-board PSLV and
GSLV-MkIII.
In the last five years, January 2018 - November 2022
ISRO, via its commercial arms, successfully launched 177 foreign satellites
from 19 countries — Australia, Brazil, Canada, Colombia, Finland, France,
Israel, Italy, Japan, Lithuania, Luxembourg, Malaysia, Netherlands, Republic
ofKorea, Singapore, Spain, Switzerland, United Kingdom and the United States.
4. India will be the first country to
Auction SatCom Spectrum: Telecom Regulatory Authority of India (Trai)
chairman, PD Vaghela has announced that India will be the first
country to auction spectrum for satellite communication (SatCom), and it
should be designed to attract investments in the sector.
Satellite communication: It refers to any communication link that
involves the use of an artificial satellite in its propagation path. They can
be found in geostationary, Molniya, elliptical, and low Earth orbits.
5. 8th India International Science
Festival 2022 to be held in Bhopal: The eighth edition of the India
International Science Festival (IISF) will be held in Bhopal In January 2023. Agenda: To
celebrate the country's achievements in the field of science, technology and
innovation. IISF is the initiative of the Ministry of Science and
Technology and Earth Sciences in association with Vijnana Bharati. 14 events
will be organised during the four-day event beginning January 21 at the
Maulana Azad Institute of Technology, Bhopal.
6. Assamese ‘Gamocha’ gets GI tag: The
government has granted Geographical Indications (GI) Tag to various
products, including Gamosa of Assam, Tandur Redgram of Telangana, and an
apricot variety of Ladakh. ‘Gamocha’
literally means towel and is commonly used on a day-to-day basis in Assamese
households. The
commerce and Industry ministry said that the total number of GI has reached to
432. The
top five states holding the maximum number of GIs are Karnataka, Tamil Nadu,
Uttar Pradesh, Karnataka, and Kerala. Recently, the government has supported the promotion of
GIs by approving an expenditure of ₹ 75 crore for three years for promotion at
awareness programmes. A GI
is primarily an agricultural, natural or manufactured product (handicraft and
industrial goods) originating from a definite geographical territory.
Typically, such a name
conveys an assurance of quality and distinctiveness, which is essentially
attributable to the place of its origin.
INTERNATIONAL UPDATES:
1. Harvard University appoints Claudine
Gay as first black president: Harvard University has named Dr Claudine Gay as
the first black president to run an Ivy League university. Dr Gay,
who is a dean at Harvard, has been appointed as 30th president the university.
She will replace Lawrence Bacow, who will retire on July 2023. She
will also be the second woman to head the elite college in Cambridge,
Massachusetts. Notably, she is the daughter of Haitian immigrants and
received her bachelor's degree from Stanford University in 1992. Dr Claudine Gay will replace Lawrence Bacow as president in July 2023,
the university noted. Dr Gay will also be the second woman to head the elite
college in Cambridge, Massachusetts
2. IEX becomes India’s first
carbon-neutral power exchange: Indian Energy Exchange (IEX) has become first carbon-neutral
power exchange of India, using market based tradable instruments to
offset its carbon emissions. To reduce carbon footprint, IEX
has voluntarily cancelled CERs (certified emissions reductions) from
clean projects registered under the Clean Development Mechanism, UNFCCC. As
per the UNEP 2022 report, global greenhouse gas emissions must be cut 45%
by 2030 to get on track to limit global warming to 1.5 degrees.
New Delhi: Energy trading platform Indian Energy Exchange (IEX) became
the country’s first carbon-neutral power exchange, using market based tradable
instruments to offset its carbon emissions, the company said in a statement on
Wednesday.
3. Microsoft,
Viasat partner to deliver satellite internet globally by 2025: Microsoft has partnered with Viasat
(global communications company) to deliver satellite internet access
to 10 million people across the world by 2025. Viasat is the first
satellite partner to work with Airband Initiative of Microsoft. Both will
provide pilot technologies including, satellites and fixed wireless. As
per the International Telecommunication Union (ITU), around one-third of
the world's population have still never used the internet.
4. Russia replaced Iraq as top oil
supplier to India in November: Russia has for
the first time emerged as a top oil supplier to India replacing
Iraq in November 2022. India’s oil imports from Russia rose for the fifth
straight month, totaling 908,000 barrels per day (bpd) in November, up 4% from
October. The Group of Seven nations, Australia, and the 27 European Union
countries have imposed a price cap of $60 a barrel on Russian seaborne oil from
December as the West tries to limit Moscow’s ability to finance its war in
Ukraine. Russian oil accounted for about 23 percent of India’s overall import
of about 4 million bpd oil in November. During April-November, the first eight
months of this fiscal year, Iraq continued to be the largest oil supplier to
India followed by Saudi Arabia and Russia, which has knocked down UAE to the
fourth position.
5. UK, France, and UAE extend support
for India’s permanent membership at UNSC: The
UK, France, and UAE have extended their support for India’s permanent
membership at the United Nations Security Council (UNSC). India is holding the
presidency of the United Nations Security Council for the month of December
2022. The UK Permanent Representative to the United Nations, Dame Barbara
Woodward, said, the Security Council must become more representative of the
world today and the UK has long called for its expansion in both the permanent
and non-permanent categories.
UK Foreign Secretary
publicly reiterated the country’s support for new permanent seats for Brazil,
Germany, India, and Japan. France thus supports the candidacies of Germany,
Brazil, India, and Japan as permanent members. The UN Security Council is the
premier global body for maintaining International peace and security.
The Security Council,
the United Nations’ principal crisis-management body, is empowered to impose
binding obligations on the 193 UN member states to maintain peace.
6. G-7 approved 15.5 billion US dollar
deal with Vietnam: A group of nine rich industrialized
nations has approved a deal to provide Vietnam with 15.5 billion US
dollars to help the Southeast Asian nation move faster from coal
power to renewable energy, cutting its climate-damaging pollution. The
Group of Seven major economies, along with Norway and Denmark is to help
Vietnam reduce its emissions to “net zero” by 2050. It is a goal which experts
say needs to be met globally to cap global warming at 1.5 degrees Celsius. The
Just Energy Transition Partnership with Vietnam is among a series of agreements
that developing and rich nations are negotiating. The first such deal was
signed with South Africa last year, and a similar agreement was reached with
Indonesia last month.
7. Tokyo makes solar panels mandatory
for new homes built after 2025: The Japanese
capital Tokyo local assembly has passed a new regulation which stated that
all new houses in Tokyo built by large-scale homebuilders after April 2025
must install solar power panels to cut household carbon emissions. Japan
is the world’s fifth-largest carbon emitter. The country has committed to
achieving carbon neutrality by 2050. This new regulation for new built homes
requires about 50 major builders to equip homes of up to 2,000 square meters
(21,500 square feet) with renewable energy power sources, mainly solar panels.
OTHER UPDATES:
SPORTS
1. Axelsen and Yamaguchi won badminton
World Tour Finals: Denmark’s
Viktor Axelsen has won the men’s singles title after defeating
Indonesia’s Anthony Ginting at the season-ending World Tour Finals in Bangkok. While
Japan’s Akane Yamaguchi defeated Taiwan’s Tai Tzu Ying to win the
women’s singles title. Yamaguchi is the current world champion.
Chinese Duo Liu Yuchen and Ou Xuanyi defeated Indonesia’s Mohammad Ahsan
and Hendra Setiawan in the Men’s Doubles.
2. Tata Steel officially partnered FIH
Men’s World Cup 2023: Tata Steel
Limited has signed an MoU with Hockey India to become
an official partner of the FIH Odisha Hockey Men’s World Cup 2023. The
15th edition of the Hockey Men’s World Cup will take place in
Bhubaneswar-Rourkela, Kerala from January 13 to 29 January 2023. The FIH Odisha
Hockey Men’s World Cup will be the fourth time that India will be hosting the
prestigious tournament after organizing it in 1982 in Bombay, 2010 in New
Delhi, and 2018 in Bhubaneswar. A total of 16 nations will take part in the
upcoming tournament.
DEFENCE
1. India successfully carries out night
trials of Agni-five missile: India has successfully carried out the night trials of nuclear-capable
ballistic missile, Agni-V from Abdul Kalam Island, off the coast of
Odisha on 15th December, 2022. The test was conducted to check the
new technologies and equipment on the missile which is now lighter than
before. The missile has a capacity to hit targets beyond 5,000 kilometres.
The Agni series I to IV missiles have ranges from 700 km to
3,500 km. deIndia on Thursday
successfully carried out the night trials of the Agni-5 nuclear-capable
ballistic missile, according to sources from the defense establishment. The
missile has the capability of hitting targets beyond the range of 5000 km and
is crucial for India's self-defense systems.
2. 16th Edition of Surya Kiran exercise
begins: The 16th
edition of Indo-Nepal joint army training exercise, SURYA
KIRAN has been started at Nepal Army Battle School, Saljhandi, Nepal.
This exercise will continue till 29 December 2022. Aim: To
enhance inter-operability in jungle warfare and counter-terrorism operations
in mountainous terrain and Humanitarian Assistance and Disaster Relief (HADR)
under UN mandate. Shree Bhawani Baksh Battalion (Nepal Army) and 5 GR (Indian
Army) are participating in the exercise.
3. India received all 36 Rafale
aircraft from France: India has
received all 36 Rafale aircraft from France, including the last aircraft
landing in the country on 15th December 2022.
The aircraft has arrived after a quick en-route mid-air refuelling
from a UAE Air Force tanker aircraft. India and France had signed
the inter-government agreement in 2016 to provide 36 Rafale
fighter jets at a cost of around 60,000 crore rupees to India. The first
batch of five Rafale jets had arrived on 29th July, 2020. India has received all 36 Rafale aircraft from France,
with the last aircraft landing in the country today. According to the Indian Air
Force, the aircraft arrived after a quick en-route mid-air refuelling from a
UAE Air Force tanker aircraft, after taking off from France.
4. 16 December – Vijay Diwas: Vijay Diwas is celebrated in India every year on December 16 to commemorate the victory of India against Pakistan in the 1971 war that led to the creation of Bangladesh as an independent nation. After 13 days of battle, India defeated Pakistan on December 16, 1971, in what came to be known as the largest military surrender in history after World War II. The chief of the Pakistani forces, General A. K. Niazi surrendered to the joint forces of the Indian Army and Bangladesh’s Mukti Bahini, along with 93,000 Pakistani troops.
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