NATIONAL UPDATES:
1. India Internet Governance Forum IIGF’23 held in New
Delhi: The third edition of the IIGF has been
conducted under the overarching theme ‘Moving Forward–Calibrating Bharat’s
Digital Agenda’ Calibrating Bharat’s Digital Agenda’ in New Delhi. The
first two editions of the IIGF were convened in 2021 and 2022. The Internet
Governance Forum (IGF) is a multi-stakeholder platform bringing together
representatives from various groups, considering all to be at par to discuss
public policy issues related to the Internet.
2. RK Singh inaugurates National Conference on “Energy
Transition in India”: Union Minister for Power and New and Renewable EnergyK. Singh has
inaugurated a two-day National Conference on “Energy Transition in India – Road
Travelled and Opportunities Ahead” in Gandhinagar. Organized as a part of the
upcoming Vibrant Gujarat Global Summit 2024, the event is being attended by
more than 250 Indian and foreign representatives of power and renewable energy
sector. The two-day conference was focused on scaling up renewable energy,
generation and consumption by considering challenges related to grid
integration, financing tools and developing supporting infrastructure. The main
objective of this conference is to move forward with an ambitious vision of
promoting clean energy and facilitating the energy transition. India is
committed to reducing the emission intensity of its GDP by 45 percent by 2030
compare to 2005 level. 80 percent of the carbon emission burden lies with
developed countries, which account only one-third of the world’s population.
3. PM Modi unveiled the statue of Chhatrapati Shivaji
Maharaj at Rajkot Fort”: Prime Minister Narendra Modi has unveiled the statue of
Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj at Rajkot Fort in Maharashtra’s Sindhudurg
district. Modi paid homage to the rich maritime heritage of Chhatrapati Shivaji
Maharaj who constructed several coastal and sea forts, including the Sindhudurg
Fort. The Maratha empire founder’s seal inspired the new naval ensign that was
adopted last year when PM Modi commissioned the first indigenous aircraft
carrier, INS Vikrant.
INTERNATIONAL UPDATES:
1. World Digital Competitiveness Ranking: India ranked
49th; topped by US: The International Institute for
Management Development (IMD) unveiled its 2023 World Digital
Competitiveness Ranking (WDCR) revealing India’s position at 49th among 64
economies. According to IMD’s study, India has made significant in terms of
cybersecurity knowledge but lacks on fronts like technology and future
readiness. This ranking shed light on crucial elements contributing to a
nation’s digital prowess, a quality gaining paramount importance as technology
continues to reshape societies globally. According to IMD, the United
States has reclaimed the top spot in this year’s ranking, solidifying its
position as a “digital nation” that actively integrates digital technologies,
including AI, across governmental, corporate, and individual domains. The
Netherlands secured the second position, advancing four places, while
Singapore, leading in the technology factor, secured the third spot. Denmark,
the previous overall leader, slipped to fourth place due to declines in future readiness
and technology factors. Switzerland, excelling in the knowledge factor,
maintained its top position, completing the top five.
2. The word “Rizz” chosen as the Oxford Word of the Year
2023: Often associated with
celebrities and other famous figures, “Rizz” has been chosen by
the Oxford University Press as its word of the year 2023. It’s a term Gen
Z has mainly embraced, and it beat out words such as “prompt,” “situationship”
and “Swiftie” that were considered by Oxford University Press, which publishes
the Oxford English Dictionary. While Merriam-Webster’s word of the year was
“authentic,” rizz was also under consideration. Collins Dictionary selected
“artificial intelligence” as their word of the year in November Last year, the
slang term “Goblin mode” took the prize as Oxford’s 2022 word of the year.
Oxford described it as a type of behavior when someone is “unapologetically
self-indulgent, lazy, slovenly, or greedy, typically in a way that rejects
social norms or expectations.
3. 5 December – World Soil Day: World Soil Day is observed every year
on 5 December. Objective – To highlight the significance of maintaining
healthy soil and advocate for the sustainable management of soil resources. Theme
for 2023 – Soil and water, a source of life The International Union of
Soil Sciences (IUSS) recommended establishing an international day for
celebrating soil in 2002. In December 2013, the UN General Assembly designated
5 December 2014 as the 1st official World Soil Day.
4. 5 December – International Volunteer Day: International Volunteer Day is
celebrated every year on 5 December. Objective – To highlight the
contributions of volunteers worldwide and recognize the impact of their
selfless actions on communities and societies. Theme 2023 – The Power of
Collective International Volunteer Day, established by the United Nations in
1985, provides an opportunity to acknowledge and appreciate the efforts of
millions of volunteers who dedicate their time, skills, and resources to make a
positive difference.
OTHER UPDATES:
SPORTS
1. Ruturaj Gaikward becomes the fastest Indian to 4,000
T20 runs: Ruturaj Gaikwad has become the fastest
Indian to accomplish 4,000 runs in men’s T20 cricket. He accomplished
this remarkable feat in only 116
innings. He achieved the feat in the fourth T20I against Australia at
the Shaheed Veer Narayan Singh International Stadium in Raipur. The fastest to
achieve this landmark is the legendary Chris Gayle, who accomplished it in just
107 innings. Gaikwad’s name sits among illustrious company, with players like
Shaun Marsh (113 innings) and Pakistan’s star batter Babar Azam (115 innings)
also ahead of him in this regard. The 26-year-old only needed seven runs to
achieve 4,000 runs in the shortest format of the game.
2. Vaishali Rameshbabu becomes India’s 84th grandmaster: Vaishali Rameshbabu has become India’s
84th grandmaster after surpassing 2500 rating during the 2023 IV
Elllobregat Open. Vaishali is now the third female grandmaster from India after
Koneru Humpy and Harika Dronavalli. Vaishali
and her younger brother R. Praggnanandhaa is now the first sister-brother pair
to be grandmasters. She defeated Turkish FM Tamer Tarik Selbes (2238) in
the second round to surpass rating and has started the tournament with two
consecutive wins. She is now the current world number 11 in women’s ranking
with a live rating of 2501.5 and India’s number two.
In the
memorable year, Vaishali has won FIDE Women’s Grand Swiss 2023 and qualified
for Candidates 2024.
3. Amazon acquires ICC cricket rights for Australia till
2027: E-commerce
giant Amazon’s streaming service Prime Video has
signed a four-year deal with the
International Cricket Council (ICC) to provide exclusive live broadcast rights in Australia
for ICC cricket, which will be available on Prime Video Australia. The
partnership will see Prime Video Australia exclusively stream all men’s and
women’s events, including the Men’s and Women’s Cricket World Cups, T20 World
Cups, Champions Trophy, U19s, and the World Test Championship Final. The deal
includes streaming rights in Australia for 448 live games from 2024 to 2027. The
new partnership, which begins in January 2024, will give cricket fans across
Australia exclusive access to all matches in every tournament of elite ICC
competition in all cricket formats, at no extra cost to a Prime membership.
BANKING AND FINANCE
1. LIC introduces new whole life insurance policy Jeevan
Utsav: Life Insurance
Corporation of India (LIC) has launched a special scheme, named Jeevan Utsav. LIC’s Jeevan Utsav
is a non-linked, non-participating, individual, savings, whole life insurance
plan based on the selected Premium Paying Term (Regular Income to Flexi
Income), 10% of the Sum Assured is paid back annually after the specified
years. The fact that this plan offers life insurance coverage for the duration
of the policyholder’s life is a plus point. This plan is available for age
starting from 90 days to 65 years. It gives guaranteed lifelong income and
lifelong risk cover.
2. Kanchan Devi first woman DG of Doon-based ICFRE: Kanchan Devi, an IFS officer from the 1991 batch of the Madhya Pradesh cadre,
was appointed as director general
of the Dehradun-based Indian Council of Forestry Research and Education
(ICFRE). This marks a historic moment as Kanchan becomes the first woman
officer to hold this prestigious position in the premier council under the
Union Ministry of Environment, Forest, and Climate Change. The ICFRE,
headquartered in Dehradun, plays a crucial role in advising the Government of
India, state governments, and various stakeholders, including farmers,
industries, and academicians, on forestry research and technologies. It
addresses emerging challenges in the field of forest conservation.
AWARDS AND HONOURS
1. India’s Safeena Husain honoured with Qatar WISE Prize
2023: Safeena Hussain, founder of ‘Educate Girls,’ has become the first Indian woman to bag the WISE Prize worth
5 lakh USD for mobilizing 14 lakh out-of-school girls in Indian villages to get
back to mainstream education. The prize, awarded by the Qatar Foundation at the
11th Edition of the World Innovation Summit for Education (WISE) Summit earlier
this week in Doha, is one of the most prestigious awards in education. Safeena
said, Sixteen years back, when ‘Beti Bachao Beti Padhao’ was unheard of, I had
decided to set up Educate Girls, an NGO to bring out-of-school girls back to
mainstream education. Even in the 21st century, there are villages in India
where goats are considered assets but girls are considered liability. The WISE
prize was established in 2009 by the Qatar Foundation.
2. ESIC bagged “ISSA Vision Zero 2023” Award at the 23rd
World Congress: The Employees’ State Insurance Corporation (ESIC) has bagged
the “ISSA Vision Zero 2023” Award at
the 23rd World Congress on Safety and Health at Work in Sydney, Australia “Vision
Zero” is a transformational approach for the prevention of accidents at
workplaces integrating the three dimensions of safety, health, and well-being
at all levels of work. ESIC had great success in outreach in the field of
safety and health at workplaces by aligning the prevention strategy besides
post-accidental mechanism for medical care and cash benefits to the workers and
their dependents. The award also underlines the improvements that have been
made in the service delivery of the ESI Corporation as well as increase in its
administrative and operational efficiency using IT-enabled initiatives
3. Amazon won National Award for
empowering individual with disabilities: Amazon
India received the National
Award for Empowerment of Persons with Disabilities for fostering an
inclusive environment for individuals with disabilities awarded by Gol. The award underscores their
commitment to diversity and inclusion, making significant strides in empowering
persons with disabilities. Amazon India’s focus on inclusivity includes diverse workplace
representation.
No comments:
Post a Comment