NATIONAL UPDATES:
1. Madhya Pradesh-Rajasthan joint panel formed for coordination on cheetah project: In the wake of incidents of cheetahs from Madhya Pradesh straying into neighbouring Rajasthan, a joint corridor management committee of both the states has been formed to work for conservation of the felines.The panel will also discuss development of suitable areas for future shifting of cheetahs from Madhya Pradesh’s Kuno National Park (KNP), and Gandhi Sagar Sanctuary area and recommend measures for improvement including the pre-augmentation base, an official said in a statement.Under the ambitious cheetah reintroduction project, eight Namibian cheetahs were released into enclosures at the KNP in Sheopur district on September 17, 2022. Later, another 12 cheetahs were brought to the park from South Africa in February 2023.The committee will also evaluate the possibilities of joint tourist routes in the areas bordering both states like National Chambal Gharial Sanctuary area, Kuno National Park and Ranthambore National Park etc.
2. C-DOT, IIT-Roorkee tie-up to develop millimeter wave transceiver for 5G rural connectivity: Centre for Development of Telematics (C-DOT), the telecom research and development (R&D) centre of the Department of Telecommunications (DoT), have signed an agreement with the Indian Institute of Technology-Roorkee (IIT-Roorkee) for the development of a “millimeter wave transceiver for 5G rural connectivity”.The agreement is signed under the Telecom Technology Development Fund (TTDF) scheme of the Department of Telecommunications, Government of India.The 3rd MAHASAGAR theme was ‘Training Cooperation to Mitigate Common Maritime Security Challenges in IOR(Indian Ocean Region).”This scheme, designed to fund Indian startups, academia, and R&D institutions, is a crucial enabler for designing, developing, and commercializing telecommunication products and solutions.
3. Bihar’s Sultanganj railway station will be renamed as Ajgaibinath Dham: Bihar Deputy Chief Minister Samrat Choudhary announced that Sultanganj railway station in the Bhagalpur district will be renamed after the revered Hindu shrine, Ajgaibinath Dham.This decision underscores the government’s commitment to honoring the region’s cultural and religious heritage.Ajgaibinath Temple, an ancient site dedicated to Lord Shiva, is located in Sultanganj and is notable for its intricate carvings and stone inscriptions. Situated along the banks of the holy Ganga River, the temple holds significant spiritual importance for devotees.
4. NHIDCL and AICTE Sign MoU for Internship Program for UG and PG Students: National Highways and Infrastructure Development Corporation Ltd. (NHIDCL), a CPSE under the Ministry of Road Transport & Highways, GoI and All India Council for Technical Education (AICTE) signed a MoU to provide internship opportunities to Under Graduate (UG)/ Post Graduate (PG) students.NHIDCL also launched an online portal for the Internship Program. The portal was inaugurated in the presence of officials from both NHIDCL and AICTE.This program aims to offer experiential learning opportunities to UG and PG students nationwide specially in the North-Eastern Region, UTs of J&K and Ladakh and A&N Islands.The MoU was signed for a period of five years, outlines the roles and responsibilities of AICTE and NHIDCL. AICTE will provide technical support for the platform, while NHIDCL will oversee programmatic and non-technical support for the programme.
5. 4th edition of AIM-ICDK Water Innovation Challenge paving way for global water solutions through Indo-Danish Collaboration: The fourth edition of the AIM-ICDK Water Innovation Challenge 4.0 successfully concluded at the 2024 Next Generation Digital Action (NGDA) in Copenhagen, Denmark, marking a significant achievement in the growing Indo-Danish Green Strategic Partnership.This year’s challenge reinforced its position as a premier platform for fostering innovative and sustainable solutions to global water issues.The challenge brought together key collaborators, including Atal Innovation Mission (AIM), NITI Aayog, Innovation Centre Denmark (ICDK), and DTU Skylab under the DTU Next Generation Action Program, alongside invaluable support from the International Centre for Clean Water (ICCW), the Ministry of Jal Shakti, the Embassy of Denmark, Denmark’s Environmental Protection Agency, and the DANIDA Fellowship.
6. 7 November – National Cancer Awareness Day: National Cancer Awareness Day is observed every year on 7 November.The day aims to raise awareness about cancer prevention, early detection, and treatment.It also marks the birth anniversary of Marie Curie, the Polish-French physicist and chemist, whose groundbreaking discoveries of radium and polonium have played a key role in cancer treatment.Theme 2024 – Hope, love, and strength: our weapons against cancerNational Cancer Awareness Day was established in September 2014 by the then Union Minister of Health and Family Welfare, Dr. Harsh Vardhan. The day aims to educate the public about cancer, its treatments, and the importance of early intervention in improving survival rates
INTERNATIONAL UPDATES:
1. South Africa launches Trusted Tour Operator scheme to boost tourism from India: South Africa has introduced a new scheme called the Trusted Tour Operator Scheme (TTOS) to boost tourism from India and China.This initiative aims to increase job creation through higher tourist numbers. Indian tourists account for only 3.9 per cent of all international visitors to South Africa – and China for only 1.8 per cent.Research indicates that boosting tourism by only 10 per cent per year can increase annual economic growth by 0.6 per cent and create thousands of new jobs for South Africans,” the department stated.In 2023, over 100 million Chinese tourists travelled abroad, yet only 93,000 visited South Africa. By contrast, Australia attracted over 1.4 million Chinese visitors.Indian tourists currently represent just 3.9% of all international arrivals in South Africa, while Chinese visitors account for 1.8%. The Department of Home Affairs said that even a 10% rise in tourism could improve economic growth by 0.6% and generate thousands of jobs.
2. Donald Trump becomes First Republican To Win Popular Vote In 20 Years: Donald Trump has become the first Republican in two decades to secure the popular vote in the US presidential elections.The former president has reclaimed the White House, potentially becoming the first Republican to secure the popular vote since George W Bush in 2004.Donald Trump registered a landslide win in the 2024 US elections, securing 295 Electoral College votes. His Democrat rival, Kamala Harris, managed to secure 226.In the 2004 US Presidential elections, Bush won 62,040,610 votes and 286 electoral votes compared to Democratic nominee John Kerry who secured 59,028,444 votes and 251 electoral votes.According to election voter data of the past 20 years, Barack Obama achieved the largest popular vote victory with 69.5 million votes (52.9 per cent) and a substantial 365 electoral votes in 2008.
3. Visa appoints Rishi Chhabra as country manager for India: Digital payments company Visa named Rishi Chhabra as the country manager for India.Chhabra, who joined Visa in 2023 as VP and head-merchant services and acquiring for India and the South Asia markets, was key to driving the firm’s key merchant, acquirer and cobrand relationships.Before joining Visa, he served as country head-India and Sri Lanka at Fiserv. Previously, he has held leadership positions in organisations like First Data and PayPal, and has worked with JP Morgan, ABN AMRO and General Electric.
4. 8 November – World Radiography Day: World Radiography Day is celebrated every year on November 8 to mark the discovery of X-rays.Theme 2024 – Radiographers: Seeing the UnseenWorld Radiography Day marks the anniversary of the discovery of X-rays by Professor Wilhelm Conrad Roentgen in 1895 at Wuerzburg University in Germany. He discovered X-rays by accident while working with a cathode-ray tube in his lab.This important discovery was quickly recognised and within a month, doctors in Europe and the United States began using X-rays for medical diagnoses.
OTHER UPDATES:
DEFENCE
1. 3rd edition of MAHASAGAR virtually hosted by the Indian Navy: The Indian Navy conducted its third bi-annual interaction, ‘MAHASAGAR’, with the head of foreign Navies.The Indian Navy hosted the first high-level virtual interaction, MAHASAGAR, on 29 November 2023. It was hosted by the then-Indian Naval Chief Admiral R. Hari Kumar.In the 3rd edition, 10 countries—Bangladesh, Comoros, Kenya, Madagascar, Maldives, Mauritius, Mozambique, Seychelles, Sri Lanka, and Tanzania—participated.The Chief of Naval Staff of the Indian Navy always heads the interactions, which are conducted virtually.Chief of Naval Staff Admiral Dinesh Kumar Tripathi chaired the 3rd edition of the MAHASAGAR.
2. Northern Command of Army inducts Indigenous 550 Asmi machine pistols: The Northern Command of the Indian Army has inducted 550 indigenously designed, developed, and manufactured Asmi machine pistols. The Asmi machine pistols are manufactured by Hyderabad-based Lokesh Machine Limited.Earlier, the company successfully delivered 550 indigenously designed, developed, and manufactured Asmi submachine guns to the Northern Command of the Indian Army.This is the first batch of the 100 per cent Indian-made weapon intended to equip Special Forces for close-quarter battles and specialised operations in India’s Northern Theatre.
This 100 per cent Made-in-India weapon’s induction demonstrates the unwavering commitment of the Indian Army to Atmanirbhar Bharat, propelling the nation toward self-sufficiency in defence manufacturing.
SPORTS
1. LG Ladakh, BD Mishra Inaugurates 4th LG Horse Polo Cup 2024: In Ladakh, Lieutenant Governor of Ladakh, Brigadier (Dr) BD Mishra, inaugurated the 4th LG Horse Polo Cup 2024 at Horse Polo Ground in Goshan Drass.During the event, he also unveiled Ladakh’s first Polo Stadium at Goshan Drass, a landmark facility constructed at a cost of 6.84 crore rupees.This event underscores Ladakh’s dedication to preserving its polo heritage and enhancing sports infrastructure for local talent and tourism alike.
SCIENCE AND TECHNOLOGY
1. Zimbabwe launches second satellite to advance space programme: Zimbabwe has launched its second satellite, ZIMSAT –2, marking another significant stride in the country’s space programme.In November 2022, the country deployed its inaugural satellite, ZimSat-1.A low earth observation satellite- ZIMSAT-2, was launched from the Vostochny Cosmodrome in eastern Russia in a collaborative effort between the Zimbabwe National Geo-Spatial and Space Agency (ZINGSA) and Southwest State University in Russia.ZIMSAT-2 is equipped with a high-resolution multispectral camera designed to support various applications, including agriculture, resource exploration, and environmental monitoring.
BANKING AND FINANCE
1. FC to partner with Bajaj Finance to pump in $400 mn for climate finance: International Finance Corporation (IFC) will partner with Bajaj Finance to invest $400 million out of the $1 billion fundraising to aid in the expansion of the latter’s EV fleet, energy-efficient consumer goods (EECG), and women empowerment.The partnership will also boost Bajaj Finance’s ability to fund and support more women-owned micro-enterprises and women micro-borrowers.IFC’s $400 million loan will enable Bajaj Finance to expand access to finance for customers opting to buy EVs, including 2-wheelers, 3-wheelers and 4-wheelers, and strengthen its presence in the EECG space.The funding is aimed at increasing competitiveness in the climate finance market, supporting the country’s climate goals, and promoting financial inclusion.IFC is a member of the World Bank Group with focus on the private sector in the emerging market. In the FY 2024, IFC committed $56 billion to private companies and financial institutions in developing countries.
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