Daily GK Update- 18th Nov, 2022

 

NATIONAL UPDATES:

 

1. India and Finland Agrees to Enhance Cooperation in Digital Partnership: India And Finland agree to carry mutual cooperation between the two countries to a new level and enhance partnership in areas such as digital partnership in Future ICT, Future Mobile Technologies and Digital Education. About The Cooperation:

a)      The decision was taken during a meeting between Finland’s Minister of Education and Culture Petri Honkonen and Minister of Science and Technology Jitendra Singh at North Block in New Delhi.

b)      Honkonen’s visit comes in the wake of the announcement made by Prime Minister Narendra Modi and his Finnish counterpart Sanna Marin during a Summit meeting on 16 March last year.

c)       Singh conveyed to the Finland Minister that India is keen to develop research collaborations with Finnish R&D institutions and technology collaboration with Finnish Industry especially focusing on the application of Quantum Computing.

According to a statement by the Ministry of Personnel, Honkonen assured Singh that Finland is keen to cooperate with India in 5G, environment and clean technologies, bio-based economy, biobanks and affordable healthcare. He said, progress is also on subjects flagged by Indian and Finnish Prime Ministers.

 

2. Nitin Gadkari announced new projects of Rs1.6 lakh cr in North-East: Union Minister for Road Transport and Highways Nitin Gadkari has announced new projects of 1.6 lakh crores rupees in the North-East India region. These projects include Roads, Ropeways, and major Bridges across the river Brahmaputra and other water bodies, and multi-modal logistics parks had been also proposed at Udaipur in Tripura and Silchar in Assam.

The union minister approved a slew of new road projects, valued at ₹68,000 crore, in four Northeastern states to make international standard surface connectivity. New projects worth ₹50,000 crore for Assam, ₹9,000 crore for Meghalaya, ₹5,000 crore for Nagaland and ₹4,000 crore for Sikkim were approved.

 

3. Cauvery South Wildlife Sanctuary notified as 17th wildlife sanctuary of Tamil Nadu: The Tamil Nadu government has notified the Cauvery South Wildlife Sanctuary on 68,640 hectares as the state’s 17th wildlife sanctuary. The sanctuary, covering reserve forest areas in Krishnagiri and Dharmapuri districts, is home to 35 species of mammals, 238 species of birds, Leith’s soft-shelled turtles, smooth-coated otters, marsh crocodile, and four-horned antelopes, and is wildlife paradise. The sanctuary was notified under Section 26-A of the Wild Life (Protection) Act, 1972. This sanctuary will connect Cauvery North Wildlife Sanctuary (TN) with the Cauvery Wildlife Sanctuary (Karnataka).

Note: Tamil Nadu Capital: Chennai; Chief Minister: M K Stalin; Governor: R N Ravi

 

4. R K Singh launched the Green Energy Open Access Portal: Union Power Minister RK Singh has launched the Green Energy Open Access portal to increase the purchase of renewable energy in the country. The portal will allow electricity consumers having sanctioned load of 100 kW or above to get supply of renewables. Under the new system, any consumer with a sanctioned load of 100 kW or more can get renewable energy through open access portal from any renewable energy generating plant set up by himself or by any developer.

 

5. National Naturopathy Day: 18th November: National Naturopathy Day is observed in India every year on November 18th, to promote positive mental and physical health through drug-free therapy. National Naturopathy Day was established on November 18th, 2018, by the Ministry of AYUSH (Ayurveda, Yoga and Naturopathy, Unani, Siddha and Homeopathy), Government of India. On November 18th, 1945, Mahatma Gandhi became the Chairman of the All India Nature Cure Foundation Trust and signed the agreement aimed at making the benefits of Nature Cure available to all classes of people, therefore, this day was chosen to be observed as National Naturopathy Day.

Naturopathy: Naturopathy is the oldest healthcare system that combines modern scientific knowledge with traditional and natural medicine. Relying on nature’s healing powers, naturopathy stimulates the human body’s ability to heal itself. It is the science of diagnosis, treatment and healing using natural therapies including dietetics, botanical medicine, homoeopathy, fasting, exercise, lifestyle counselling, detoxification and chelation, clinical nutrition, hydrotherapy, naturopathic manipulation, spiritual healing, environmental assessment, and health.

 

INTERNATIONAL UPDATES:

 

1. Pakistan and Bangladesh First to Receive G7 ‘Global Shield’ Climate Funding: Pakistan, Ghana and Bangladesh will be among the first recipients of funding from a G7 ‘Global Shield’ initiative to provide funding to countries suffering climate disasters, the programme announced at the COP27 summit in Egypt.

Global Shield Funding: The Global Shield (GS), coordinated by G7 president Germany, aims to provide rapid access for climate-vulnerable countries to insurance and disaster protection funding after floods or drought. It is being developed in collaboration with the ‘V20’ group of 58 climate vulnerable economies. Germany has contributed $175.17 million in funding to Global Shield while other countries including Denmark and Ireland have contributed a little over $41 million.  Objective Of the Fund:

a)      The GS will close urgent protection gaps in countries by designing, funding, and facilitating interventions.

b)      The GS aims to rapidly provide pre-arranged insurance and disaster protection funding after events such as floods, droughts and hurricanes hit.

c)       The Global Shield aims to complement, not replace, the progress on ‘loss and damage’.

The Beneficiaries: Bangladesh, Costa Rica, Fiji, Ghana, Pakistan, the Philippines and Senegal as some of the initial recipients of Global Shield packages. Those packages would be developed in the coming months.

 

2. ASEAN Agreed to Admit East Timor as 11th member: The Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) has agreed in principle to admit East Timor as the group’s 11th member, the 10 member-bloc said in a statement, more than a decade after the country requested membership. The half-island nation, officially called Timor Leste, will also be granted observer status at high-level ASEAN meetings, the bloc said after regional leaders met in Phnom Penh for a summit. The country would be the first new member of the regional grouping in more than two decades, since Cambodia was admitted in 1999.

East Timor President Jose Ramos-Horta welcomed the decision, saying a membership would open up his country to wider diplomatic relations with ASEAN’s partners, potentially more foreign direct investment, as well as give Timorese wider travel access within the region. He noted it might take years for East Timor to gain full ASEAN membership and that his administration would have to work on improving their work capacity across the board.

 

3. World Day for prevention of child sexual abuse: 18th November: The UN General Assembly has declared November 18 as the World Day for the Prevention of and Healing from Child Sexual Exploitation, Abuse, and Violence. The new World Day is aimed at bringing global visibility to the trauma of child sexual abuse, with the hope that governments will take action to fight it. According to the World Health Organization (WHO), millions of children experience sexual violence each year.

 

4. World Antimicrobial Awareness Week: 18th to 24th November: World Antimicrobial Awareness Week (WAAW) runs from 18 to 24 November every year. It’s an international initiative to increase awareness of the growing problem of resistance to antibiotics and other antimicrobial medicines. The purpose of the week is to increase awareness of global antimicrobial resistance, encourage best practices among the general public, health workers and policymakers to avoid the further emergence and spread of drug-resistant infections. This year, the theme of WAAW is “Preventing Antimicrobial Resistance Together.” 

World Antimicrobial Awareness Week History: The World Health Organisation launched “World Antibiotic Awareness Week” in 2015 to raise global awareness and promote action to halt the emergence and spread of antibiotic-resistant bacteria. The campaign was rebranded as “World Antimicrobial Awareness Week” in 2020. The World Health Organization (WHO) projects a sense of urgency around the global issue of antibiotic resistance — and with good reason. If you develop an illness or an infection that can’t be treated in the traditional way with antibiotics, you can die.

 

OTHER UPDATES:

 

SPORTS

 

1. Most Valued Team of 2022 T20 World Cup: Kohli, Suryakumar named in the list: The ICC T20 World Cup 2022 is done, and this was one of the most competitive tournaments, according to ICC. England won the tournament by beating Pakistan at the Melbourne Cricket Ground in Melbourne. After the tournament, ICC have decided the most valuable team of the tournament. Virat Kohli and Suryakumar Yadav have been named the Most Valuable Team of the ICC T20 World Cup 2022. Jos Buttler has been named as captain of T20 World Cup team. Hardik Pandya is named the 12th man. Most Valuable Team of the T20 World Cup 2022:

1.      Alex Hales (England)

2.      Jos Buttler (c/wk) (England)

3.      Virat Kohli (India)

4.      Suryakumar Yadav (India)

5.      Glenn Phillips (New Zealand)

6.      Sikandar Raza (Zimbabwe)

7.      Shadab Khan (Pakistan)

8.      Sam Curran (England)

9.      Anrich Nortje (South Africa)

10.  Mark Wood (England)

11.  Shaheen Shah Afridi (Pakistan)

12.  Hardik Pandya (India)

Selection panel: The team was put together by a selection panel featuring commentators, former international players and journalists: Ian Bishop (Convener), Mel Jones (both commentators), Shivnarine Chanderpaul (ICC Hall of Famer), Partha Bhaduri (Journalist, The Times of India) and Wasim Khan (ICC General Manager of Cricket).

 

2. Kenyan Runner Renju Gets Five Years Doping Ban: Keneth Kiprop Renju, winner of the Prague half-marathon in April, has been banned for five-year as the latest in a long list of Kenyan athletes suspended for suspected doping. Keneth Kiprop Renju, who is 26-year-old has been banned for the “presence/use of a prohibited substance (Methasterone)”. Key Points:

a)      Renju’s ban is backdated to May 13 and all his results since March 20 have been annulled. He also won the Lisbon half-marathon on May 8.

b)      A total of 54 Kenyan athletes have been banned for doping including Keneth Kiprop Renju.

c)       The East African country is third on the list by the Athletics Integrity Unit of most athlete suspensions due to doping.

d)      Russia tops the list with 87 athletes, and India is second with 62 suspensions.

e)      Among the top names suspended are 2021 Boston marathon champion Diana Kipyokei and marathon and mountain racer Mark Kangogo.

 

BUSINESS AND ECONOMY

 

1. Reliance Industries to make India’s first multimodal logistics park in Chennai: According to the Ministry of Road Transport and Highways (MoRTH), Reliance Industries Ltd (RIL) has been awarded the project to build India’s first multimodal logistics park (MMLP) in Chennai, Tamil Nadu. A crucial cog in the Centre’s logistics overhaul, the MMLP will be spread over 184 acres and cost Rs 1,424 crore. The project will get adequate connecting infrastructure support through a special purpose vehicle (SPV) formed between central and state agencies. RIL emerged as the winning bidder for the public-private-partnership (PPP) project, with its own investment pegged at Rs 783 crore. The Centre expects the first phase of the project to be completed in two years. About the project:

a)      The project would likely be monitored by the highest levels of the government, as it falls under the high-priority list of projects inaugurated by Prime Minister Narendra Modi under the Centre’s project monitoring system. Moreover, it is one of the several flagship projects announced under the Bharatmala Project of MoRTH, which envisions the building of 35 such MMLPs.

b)      The Centre plans to build 15 of these within the next two years. Under the National Logistics Policy (NLP) and PM-GatiShakti, it wants to bring down logistics costs to under 10 per cent of the GDP in a bid to make exports competitive and supply chains more efficient.

Note: Reliance Industries Limited (RIL) Founded: 8 May 1973; Reliance Industries Limited (RIL) Founder: Dhirubhai Ambani; Reliance Industries Limited (RIL) Headquarters: Mumbai, Maharashtra; Reliance Industries Limited (RIL) CMD: Mukesh Ambani; Reliance Industries Limited (RIL) Director: Nita Ambani.

 

2. Wholesale Price Index Inflation in October Eases to 8.39 %: Wholesale price-based inflation eased in October to 8.39 per cent year-on-year, compared to 10.70 per cent in September, helped by a fall in commodity prices. Declining for the fifth consecutive month, that Wholesale Price Index (WPI) reading is the lowest since March 2021 and below a double-digit rise for the first time in 18 months. Key Points:

a)      WPI inflation has been in double digits since April 2021, with the September reading coming in at 10.70 per cent and 13.83 per cent in October 2021. This year the WPI touched a record high of 15.88 per cent in May.

b)      Compared to September, when food inflation rose by 11.03 per cent, it was 8.33 per cent in October. Similarly, vegetable inflation last month was 17.61 per cent, less than half of the 39.66 per cent rise in September.

c)       Wholesale inflation in October was 4.42 per cent for manufactured goods and 23.17 per cent for the “Fuel and Power” basket.

 

AWARDS AND HONOURS

 

1. 53rd IFFI: Spanish Film Director and writer Carlos Saura to be given Satyajit Ray Lifetime Achievement Award: Spanish filmmaker Carlos Saura, who received the Golden Bear for Best Director at the Berlin International Film Festival for Deprisa Deprisa, along with two Silver Bears for La caza and Peppermint Frappe, a BAFTA for Carmen and three awards at Cannes, among several others, will be honoured with the Satyajit Ray Lifetime Achievement Award and an eight-film retrospective at IFFI.

About the 53rd IFFI: The 53rd edition of the International Film Festival of India (IFFI) is set to be held between November 20 and 28. According to the official statement, The IFFI has also announced the line-up for its Indian Panorama segment in which several feature and non-feature films will be showcased.

Opening Film and Closing Film: The Austrian film ‘Alma and Oskar’, directed by Dieter Berner, will open the annual festival while Krzysztof Zanussi’s ‘Perfect Number’ is the closing film.

Country Focus: France is the ‘Spotlight’ country and 8 films will be screened under ‘Country Focus’ package.

Indian Panorama: The ‘Indian Panorama’ will open with Prithvi Konanur’s Kannada film ‘Hadinelentu’, while ‘The Show Must Go On’ by Divya Cowasji will flag off the non-feature film section. There will be special screenings of Pan Nalin’s Chello Show—The Last Film Show, India’s official entry to the Oscars in the Best Foreign Language category and Madhur Bhandarkar’s India Lockdown.

Homage: The ‘Homage’ section will include fifteen Indian and five international films. Tributes will be paid to Bharat Ratna Lata Mangeshkar, singer-composer Bappi Lahiri, Kathak maestro Pt. Birju Maharaj, actors Ramesh Deo, Shivkumar Subhramanium, T. Rama Rao, Vatsala Deshmukh, Maheshwari Amma, Salim Ghouse, singer KK, director Tarun Majumder, director-producer Ravi Tandon and Saawan Kumar Tak, actor and theater artist Nipon Goswami, actor and film maker Pratap Pothen, actor Krishnam Raju and singer Bhupinder Singh.

In the International section, homage will be paid to the film geniuses Bob Rafelson, Ivan Reitman, Peter Bogdanovich, Douglas Trumbell and Monica Vitti.

 

2. Ministry of Youth Affairs & Sports announced National Sports Awards 2022: Ministry of Youth Affairs & Sports announced the National Sports Awards 2022. The awardees will receive their awards from the President of India at a specially organized function at Rashtrapati Bhavan on 30th November 2022. Based on the recommendations of the Committee and after due scrutiny, Government has decided to confer awards upon the following sportspersons, coaches and entities. List of awardees:

Major Dhyan Chand Khel Ratna Award: Shri Sharath Kamal Achanta (Table Tennis)

Arjuna Awards for outstanding performance in Sports and Games:

1.      Ms Seema Punia (Athletics)

2.      Shri Eldhose Paul (Athletics)

3.      Shri Avinash Mukund Sable (Athletics)

4.      Shri Lakshya Sen (Badminton)

5.      Shri Prannoy HS (Badminton)

6.      Shri Amit (Boxing)

7.      Ms Nikhat Zareen (Boxing)

8.      Ms Bhakti Pradip Kulkarni              (Chess)

9.      Shri R Praggnanandhaa (Chess)

10.  Ms Deep Grace Ekka (Hockey)

11.  Ms Shushila Devi (Judo)

12.  Ms Sakshi Kumari (Kabaddi)

13.  Ms Nayan Moni Saikia (Lawn Bowl)

14.  Shri Sagar Kailas Ovhalkar (Mallakhamb)

15.  Ms ElavenilValarivan (Shooting)

16.  Shri Omprakash Mitharval (Shooting)

17.  Ms Sreeja Akula (Table Tennis)

18.  Shri Vikas Thakur (Weightlifting)

19.  Ms Anshu  (Wrestling)

20.  Ms Sarita   (Wrestling)

21.  Shri Parveen (Wushu)

22.  Ms Manasi Girishchandra Joshi (Para Badminton)

23.  Shri Tarun Dhillon (Para Badminton)

24.  Shri Swapnil Sanjay Patil  (Para Swimming)

25.  Ms Jerlin Anika J    (Deaf Badminton)

 

Dronacharya Award for outstanding coaches in Sports and Games: Regular Category:

1.      Shri Jiwanjot Singh Teja (Archery)

2.      Shri Mohammad Ali Qamar (Boxing)

3.      Ms Suma Siddharth Shirur (Para Shooting)

4.      Shri Sujeet Maan (Wrestling)

 

Dronacharya Award for outstanding coaches in Sports and Games: Lifetime Category:

1.      Shri Dinesh Jawahar Lad (Cricket)

2.      Shri Bimal Prafulla Ghosh (Football)

3.      Shri Raj Singh (Wrestling)

 

Dhyan Chand Award for Lifetime achievement in Sports and Games:

1.      Ms Ashwini Akkunji C. (Athletics)

2.      Shri Dharamvir Singh (Hockey)

3.      Shri B.C Suresh (Kabaddi)

4.      Shri Nir Bahadur Gurung (Para Athletics)

 

Maulana Abul Kalam Azad (MAKA) Trophy: Guru Nanak Dev University, Amritsar

Daily GK Update- 17th Nov, 2022

NATIONAL UPDATES:

 

1. 41st India International Trade Fair begins in New Delhi: The 41st edition of the India International Trade Fair (IITF) has started at Pragati Maidan in New Delhi. Commerce and Industry Minister Piyush Goyal inaugurated the fair. The fair will continue till the 27th of this month. This year the theme of the trade fair is Vocal For Local, Local to Global.

About the 41st India International Trade Fair:

a)      The 14-day mega event assumes a special significance as it coincides with celebrations of ‘Azadi Ka Amrit Mahotsav’.

b)      Twenty-nine States and Union Territories are participating in the event. Bihar, Jharkhand and Maharashtra are Partner States while Uttar Pradesh and Kerala are participating as Focus States in the fair.

c)       Besides, various Central Ministries, Departments, Commodity Boards and PSUs are participating in this event to showcase their achievements.

d)      NITI Aayog Member (Health) Dr V K Paul inaugurated the Health Pavilion at the 41st India International Trade Fair in New Delhi. The theme of this year’s pavilion of the Ministry of Health and Family Welfare is- Heal in India, Heal by India.

e)      The Health Pavilion showcases various initiatives, schemes and achievements of the Union Health Ministry. This includes the recently launched PM TB-Mukt Bharat Abhiyan, National Universal Immunisation Programme and Ayushman Bharat Pradhan Mantri Jan Arogya Yojana.

 

2. Wangala Festival: 100 Drum Festival of Meghalaya: Wangala Festival of Meghalaya is one of the most popular festivals among the Garos of Meghalaya. Wangala Festival is a harvest festival that is held in honor of Saljong, the Sun-God of fertility. The celebrations of the Wangala Festival mark the end of a period of toil, which brings good output to the fields. The beginning of the Wangala Festival also denotes the onset of winter. Key Points:

a)      The Wangala Festival is also known as 100 drum festival.

b)      Wangala Festival is the occasion when the tribals offer sacrifices to please their main deity Saljong (The Sun God).

c)       The festival is celebrated for two days and sometimes continues for weeks.

d)      The ceremony performed on the first day is known as “Ragula” which is performed inside the house of the chief.

e)      The second day is called “Kakkar”. Younger and older sections dressed in colorful clothes with feathered headgear dance to the tune of music played on long oval-shaped drums.

f)        The Wangala Festival is the occasion to relax and for days the hills and valleys echo with the extraordinary beat of drums. The popular dance forms performed during the festival, have certain subtle variations.

 

3. Indian Railways Accomplishes Electrification of 82% of the Total BG network: The Indian Railways said it completed the electrification of 82 per cent of its broad gauge network. The national transporter said it achieved 1,223 route km of electrification in the 2022-23 financial year till October 2022, as compared to 895 route km (RKMs) during the corresponding period of FY 2021-22.

The railway is working steadily towards achieving net zero Carbon Emissions by 2030 to become the world’s largest Green Railway. “The Indian Railways has embarked upon an ambitious plan of electrification of its complete Broad Gauge network which would not only result in a better fuel energy usage resulting in increased throughput, reduced fuel expenditure but also savings in precious foreign exchange,” the ministry said in a statement.

Current Situation: As on October 31, out of 65,141 RKM of broad gauge (BG) network of Indian Railways, 53,470 BG RKM have been electrified, which is 82.08 per cent of the total BG network.

 

4. 1995-batch Senior IAS officer Gaurav Dwivedi appointed Prasar Bharati CEO: Senior IAS officer, Gaurav Dwivedi was appointed the Chief Executive Officer of public broadcaster Prasar Bharati. A 1995-batch officer of Chhattisgarh cadre, Mr. Dwivedi will have a five-year tenure from the date he assumes charge. Earlier, Mr. Dwivedi was the Chief Executive Officer of MyGovIndia, the citizen engagement platform of the government. He replaces Shashi Shekhar Vempati.

About the Prasar Bharati: Prasar Bharati is India’s state-owned public broadcaster, headquartered in New Delhi. It is a statutory autonomous body set up by an Act of Parliament and comprises the Doordarshan Television Network and Akashvani All India Radio, which were earlier media units of the Ministry of Information and Broadcasting.

Note: Prasar Bharati Founded: 23 November 1997, New Delhi; Prasar Bharati Headquarters: New Delhi.

 

5. National Epilepsy Day: 17th November: Each year, on November 17, National Epilepsy Day is marked in India to raise awareness of the condition. National Epilepsy Day 2022 is observed to raise public awareness of epilepsy. Every year, November is observed as the Epilepsy Awareness Month to educate and aware people about the signs, symptoms and impact of this dreadful disease. According to the Epilepsy Foundation, the theme of National Epilepsy Awareness Month (NEAM) 2022 is “There is no NEAM without ME”.

Notably: International Epilepsy Day is observed every year on the Second Monday of February across the world. In 2022, International Epilepsy Day falls on February 14, 2022.

Epilepsy: The neurological condition epilepsy is characterised by irregular brain activity that results in seizures or episodes of strange behaviour, sensations, and occasionally loss of consciousness. Epilepsy can attack any person. Men and women of different ages, races, and cultural backgrounds can develop epilepsy.

Note: International Bureau for Epilepsy President: Francesca Sofia; International Bureau for Epilepsy established: 1961.

 

INTERNATIONAL UPDATES:

 

1. 17th G20 Summit Begins in Bali, Indonesia: World leaders from across the planet, including Prime Minister Narendra Modi, US President Joe Biden, and Chinese President Xi Jinping, have converged in Indonesia, for the 17th Group of 20 (G20) Summit, taking place in the city of Bali. The two-day summit is themed “Recover Together, Recover Stronger” and focuses on global economic recovery, global health architecture, digital transformation, sustainable energy transition and climate change, among other topics.

The conference could possibly see Modi-Xi interacting one-on-one since the Galwan border clash in June 2020. In the list of firsts, US President Biden met with his Chinese counterpart for the first time since taking office. Their meeting came amid a time of uncertainty and increased tensions between the superpowers.

About G20: The G20, or Group of Twenty, is an intergovernmental forum made up of 19 countries and the European Union. It focuses on major global economic issues such as international financial stability, climate change mitigation, and sustainable development. The G20 presidency for the year 2022 lies with Indonesia.

 

2. Natasa Pirc Musar Elected Slovenia’s First Female President: Natasa Pirc Musar, won the second round of Slovenia’s Presidential elections. Natasa Pirc Musar becomes the first female President of the country. She won 58.86 percent of votes in the runoff, while the opposition right-wing politician and the former Foreign Minister Andze Logar won 46.14 percent of votes.

Key Points:

a)      The new President of Slovenia, an EU, and NATO member state will replace the Borut Pahor. Borut Pahor was formerly a fashion model who served two five-year terms and is often referred to in public as the Instagram President for his use of the social network.

b)      Natasa Pirc Musar is the new President, he formerly was a TV representative who became a lawyer and campaigned on human rights rules of law and social welfare issues.

c)       Natasa Pirc Musar is a Slovenian Attorney and book author, former Information Commissioner, Journalist, and the former President of Slovenia’s Red Cross.

d)      She is best known for her rulings and the books on freedom of information, high-profile legal cases, in which she represented Slovenia-born Melania Trump, the Social Democratic Political Party of Slovenia, and other notable clients.

 

3. $4.2 Billion Fuel Costs Saved by India with Solar Power: India has saved around $4.2 billion in fuel costs through solar power generation in the first half of 2022. Along with this, India has saved about 19.4 million tonnes of coal. The Centre for Research on Energy and Clean Air, and the Institute for Energy Economics and Financial Analysis found that the top 10 economies with solar capacity are now within Asia. The five countries include India, China, South Korea, Vietnam, and Japan. Key Points:

a)      From January to June 2022, Asian countries including India, China, Japan, South Korea, Vietnam, Philippines, and Thailand avoided 9 percent of total fossil fuel costs.

b)      In India, solar generation avoided $4.2 billion in fuel costs in the first half of the year.

c)       India also avoided the need for 19.4 million tonnes of coal which would have further stressed an already strained domestic supply.

d)      China has saved over $34 billion as solar met 5 percent of the total electricity demand and avoided around $21 billion in additional coal and gas imports during the first half of 2022.

e)      Japan has the second highest impact with over $5.6 billion avoided in fuel costs.

f)        In South Korea, solar power generated 5 percent of the country’s electricity avoiding potential fossil fuel use costing $1.5 billion.

 

4. World Philosophy Day: 17th November: World Philosophy Day is commemorated on the third Thursday of November every year. This year it will fall on November 17. The United Nations Educational, Scientific, and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) proclaimed it an international day in 2005. However, that was not always the case. World Philosophy Day was first celebrated on November 21, 2002. UNESCO aimed to raise public awareness about philosophy and how vital it is, not only to connect the world today but to the past and present, as well as for a better understanding of the future. The theme for the 2022 World Philosophy Day is ‘The Human of the Future’.

 

OTHER UPDATES:

 

SPORTS

 

1. Kabaddi World Cup 2025 to be Hosted by West Midlands in England: The Kabaddi World Cup will be held in the West Midlands region of the United Kingdom. The Kabaddi World Cup 2025 will be hosted out of Asia for the first time announced by the World Kabbadi Federation (WKF). The region will host the sport’s most prestigious global tournament which will feature the world’s best kabaddi players from leading men’s and women’s teams from India, Iran, and Pakistan. The Kabaddi World Cup 2025 will take place in the West Midlands during the first quarter of 2025. Key Points:

a)      The Kabaddi World Cup 2025 will be the first edition after the 2020 edition that could not be held due to Covid-19.

b)      The previous three editions of the Kabaddi World Cup were all held in India with the hosts emerging as the winner of the three editions.

c)       Kabaddi World Cup 2025 will be organized by England Kabbadi, Scottish Kabaddi, and the British Kabbadi League.

d)      The West Midlands Growth Company (WMGC), the region’s official economic development agency will support and Champion the event to ensure its impact is felt across the West Midlands and the UK.

 

2. New Zealand’s Greg Barclay unanimously re-elected as Chairman of ICC for 2 years: New Zealand’s Greg Barclay unanimously re-elected as the International Cricket Council (ICC) chairman for another two-year term after his rival, Zimbabwe Cricket (ZC) chairman Tavengwa Mukuhlani, pulled out of the contest late. Barclay, who served his first stint as ICC chair between 2022 and this November, will now be in the position until 2024. Barclay, an Auckland-based commercial lawyer, was originally appointed as the ICC Chair in November 2020. He was previously the Chair of New Zealand Cricket (NZC) and was a director of the ICC Men’s Cricket World Cup 2015.

Other Important Appointment: Besides Barclay’s re-election, Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) secretary Jay Shah was elected as the head of ICC’s all-powerful Finance and Commercial Affairs (F&CA) committee at the board meeting. Shah will have the responsibility of heading ICC’s most important committee. Al the major financial policy decisions are taken by the F&CA committee before it is ratified by the ICC board.

 

BUSINESS AND ECONOMY

 

1. Per Capita Income Rose in Real Terms by 33.4% Since Enactment of NFSA: Centre to SC: Per capita income of population in India has increased in real terms by 33.4 per cent since the enactment of National Food Security Act (NFSA) in 2013, the Centre has told the Supreme Court. The Union government said this rise in per capita income of people has taken a large number of households to higher income class.

Referring to the increase in per capita income, the Centre said the upper limit of 75 per cent for rural and 50 per cent for urban population who were considered vulnerable in 2013-14, would have gone down considerably. The Union government also informed the top court that about 4.7 crore ration cards have been added in the last eight years under NFSA.

About NFSA: The government has notified the National Food Security Act, 2013 on September 10, 2013 with the objective to provide for food and nutritional security in human life cycle approach, by ensuring access to adequate quantity of quality food at affordable prices to people to live a life with dignity. The Act provides for coverage of up to 75 per cent of the rural population and up to 50 per cent of the urban population for receiving subsidised foodgrains under Targeted Public Distribution System (TPDS).

 

2. India’s Industrial Output Jumps 3.1% in September: India’s industrial output, as measured by the Index of Industrial Production (IIP), grew 3.1 per cent in September, supported by a double-digit increase in electricity generation. This is compared with a contraction of 0.8 per cent in the previous month and a growth of 4.4 per cent in September 2021. Key Points:

a)      According to the latest data from the Ministry of Statistics & Programme Implementation, the country’s industrial production during April-September 2022 jumped 7 per cent, compared with 23.8 per cent in the year-ago period.

b)      India’s electricity sector output grew in double-digits at 11.6 per cent year-on-year to 187.4 on the IIP in September, mining saw a 4.6 per cent jump to 99.5, and manufacturing posted a 1.8 per cent rise to 134.3, according to the official data.

c)       Consumer durables saw a contraction in output over the last two months, contrary to the typical growth period ahead of the festive months with increasing demand. Consumer durables output slipped 4.5% in September after falling 2.5% in August.

 

AWARDS AND HONOURS

 

1. Nobel laureate Venki Ramakrishnan honoured UK’s royal Order of Merit: India-born Nobel laureate Professor Venki Ramakrishnan has been awarded the prestigious Order of Merit by Britain’s King Charles III in recognition of his distinguished service to science. The 70-year-old UK-based molecular biologist is among six appointments made to the historic order by the late Queen Elizabeth II before her death in September and the first to be appointed by Charles. The Order of Merit is an exclusive mark of honour conferred by the British sovereign.

About the Order of Merit:

a)      The Order of Merit, founded in 1902 by King Edward VII, is conferred on individuals of exceptional distinction in the armed forces, science, arts, and literature, or for the promotion of culture based on the personal choice of the monarch.

b)      It is restricted to 24 members at any given time and the other new recipients this week include: broadcaster Baroness Floella Benjamin, architect Sir David Adjaye, nursing expert Dame Elizabeth Anionwu, University of Oxford professor Margaret MacMillan and geneticist and biologist Sir Paul Nurse are the other recipients of the honour.

c)       Other members of the Order include Sir David Attenborough, the famed British conservationist, artist David Hockney, former House of Commons Speaker Betty Boothroyd and World Wide Web founding computer scientist Sir Tim Berners-Lee.

 

2. Kerala Tourism won “Responsible Tourism Global award” at the World Travel Mart: The Kerala Tourism has bagged the prestigious Responsible Tourism Global award at the World Travel Mart held in London. State Tourism Minister PA Mohammed Riyas received the award on behalf of the department at London. The award was given for the STREET project implemented by the Responsible Tourism Mission under the Kerala Government.

About the STREET project:

a)      STREET is an acronym for Sustainable, Tangible, Responsible, Experiential, Ethnic, and Tourism hubs, which was implemented by the Responsible Tourism Mission under the Government of Kerala on March 31, 2022. The STREET Project is an initiative that promotes water conservation and protection with public participation.

b)      Under the project, the deepening and cleaning of canals and other water bodies take place to promote tourism, as Kerala is famous for its backwaters and also preserve the water bodies to be maintained in good condition.

c)       The ‘street’ initiative is a water protection and conservation project in Tourism sector implemented with public participation. The project aims to deepen the canals and various waterbodies and clean them for the purpose of tourism activities, the tourism department.

Note: Kerala Governor: Arif Mohammad Khan; Kerala Capital: Thiruvananthapuram; Kerala Chief minister: Pinarayi Vijayan.

 

OBITUARIES

 

1. Mehran Karimi Nasseri who lived in Paris airport for 18 years passes away: An Iranian refugee, Mehran Karimi Nasseri, who lived for 18 years in Charles de Gaulle Airport in Paris and whose intriguing tale inspired the 2004 Steven Spielberg film “The Terminal,” passed away in that same airport. The cause of death, in Terminal 2F, was a heart attack, a representative for the airport. His exact age was not immediately known, but he was in his late 70s. Why Mehran Karimi Nasseri lived in that airport?

a)      Early on, he said he was expelled from his homeland for antigovernment activity in 1977 because, as a student in England, he had protested against the government of Shah Mohammed Reza Pahlavi. When he returned to Iran, he found himself imprisoned and soon exiled, he said.

b)      He bounced around Europe for a few years with temporary refugee papers before arriving in Belgium, where he was given official refugee status in 1981. Mr. Nasseri traveled to Britain and France without difficulty until 1988, when he arrived at Charles de Gaulle Airport with a one-way ticket to London, a few clothes, about $500 and no passport.

c)       He told the airport authorities that his papers had been stolen at a Paris train station. Waiving the usual rules, the authorities let him fly to Heathrow Airport in London. But there, British immigration officials refused to let him enter the country, and he was returned to Charles de Gaulle.

d)      Mr. Nasseri could not prove who he was or offer proof of his refugee status, so he moved into a holding area in the airport for travelers without papers.

e)      He was there for days, and then weeks and months. As the months turned into years, Mr. Nasseri became trapped in a legal twilight zone. In the 1990s, the French authorities insisted that he was on French soil illegally, but they could not deport him because no country would accept him.