1. Defence Minister Rajnath Singh co chair the first India ASEAN defence ministers meeting in Cambodia
Tags: place in news Defence Summits
Indian defence minister Rajnath Singh arrived in Cambodia on 21 November 2022 to participate in the to co-chair the first India-ASEAN Defence Ministers’ Meeting and attend the 9th ASEAN Defence Ministers’ Meeting Plus (ADMM Plus).This year, India and Cambodia are celebrating 70 years of diplomatic ties.
On 22 November he along with the Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of National Defence of Cambodia General TEA Banh co-chaired the first India-ASEAN Defence Ministers’ Meeting to commemorate the 30 years of ASEAN-India Dialogue Relations. Also the year 2022 is being celebrated as the ASEAN-India Friendship Year to commemorate the 30 years of ASEAN-India Dialogue Relations.
He will also attend the 9th ASEAN Defence Ministers’ Meeting Plus (ADMM Plus) to be held on 23 November 2022.
Cambodia is the current chairman of the ASEAN (Association of South East Nation) and all ASEAN related summits and conferences are being hosted by it. Both the 9th ASEAN Defence Ministers’ Meeting Plus (ADMM Plus) and India-ASEAN Defence Ministers’ Meeting will be held at Siem Reap, Cambodia. Siam Reap is the second largest city of Cambodia after its capital Phnom Penh.
Angkor Wat
Siem Reap province of Cambodia is home to Angkor Wat. It is a world heritage site and is the world's largest religious structure, covering some 400 acres. It is dedicated to Hindu gods and goddesses. Archaeological Survey of India (ASI) is helping in the preservation of the Temple.
ASEAN Defence Ministers’ Meeting Plus (ADMM Plus)
The ADMM-Plus is a platform for ASEAN and its eight Dialogue Partners Australia, China, India, Japan, New Zealand, Republic of Korea, Russia and the United States (collectively referred to as the "Plus Countries"), to strengthen security and defence cooperation for peace, stability, and development in the region.
The first ADMM-Plus was convened in Ha Noi, Viet Nam, on 12 October 2010.
Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN)
It is an association of 10 countries of SouthEast Asia. They are Brunei, Cambodia, Indonesia, Laos, Malaysia, Myanmar, the Philippines, Singapore, Thailand and Vietnam. The headquarters of ASEAN: Jakarta, Indonesia.
2. Over 60 people dead in the Indonesian earthquake
Tags: place in news Science and Technology International News
A 5.6-magnitude earthquake killed more than 60 people and injured hundreds in Indonesia's West Java province on 21 November 2022. However the death toll is likely to rise further as many are still trapped under the rubbles.
The epicentre was near the town of Cianjur in West Java, about 75 km (45 miles) southeast of the capital, Jakarta.
Indonesia lies across the "Pacific Ring of Fire", a highly seismically active zone, where different plates on the Earth's crust meet and create a large number of earthquakes and volcanoes.
In 2004, a 9.1 magnitude quake off Sumatra Island in northern Indonesia triggered a tsunami that struck 14 countries, killing 226,000 people along the Indian Ocean coastline, more than half of them in Indonesia.
Earthquake
Earthquakes happen when the plates of the earth collide with each other. The earth's lithosphere consists of 7 major plates and they float over the molten surface of the upper mantle. When they collide energy waves are released which causes vibration on the surface of the Earth known as Earthquake.
The location below the earth’s surface where the earthquake starts is called the hypocenter, and the location directly above it on the surface of the earth is called the epicenter.
Earthquakes are recorded by instruments called seismographs. The recording they make is called a seismogram.
The scale for measuring earthquakes is called the Richter scale. It is a mathematical scale used to measure the intensity of earthquake waves. It ranges from 0 to 9. However it can be more than 9.
3. Shtrunash exercise conducted by the South Western command of the Indian Army in Rajasthan
Tags: place in news Defence
The South Western Command of the Indian Army conducted an Integrated Fire Power Exercise,“SHATRUNASH’’in Thar desert of Rajasthan on 21 November 2022.
The exercise witnessed use of multifarious firing platforms in an integrated manner involving both ground & aerial manoeuvres.
Various actions included insertion of troops, offensive ground actions involving comprehensive coordination incorporating contemporary technologies in a multi domain environment.
Real time communication and sharing of common operating pictures amongst various participants to overcome emerging threats were practiced & skills were honed.
South Western Command of Indian Army: Jaipur
General Officer Commanding In Chief of the South Western Command : Lieutenant General A S Bhinder
4. Prof. Venu Gopal Achanta becomes the 7th Indian to be elected as a member of International Committee for Weight and Measures
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Prof. Venu Gopal Achanta, Director, CSIR-National Physical Laboratory (CSIR-NPL), New Delhi, has been elected as a member of the International Committee for Weights and Measures (CIPM). The 27th General Conference on Weights and Measures (CGPM) meeting was held on 15-18 November, 2022 at Paris, France.
Prof. Achanta is among the 18 members elected from different countries and he is the 7th Indian to be elected to the CIPM. The first Indian to be elected as a member of CIPM was Dr. K.S. Krishnan, the founder Director of CSIR-NPL. The last Indian to be elected was Prof. E. S. R. Gopal, the then Director, and CSIR-NPL (1991-1997).
At present, 64 countries are members of CGPM and it meets every 4 years at the International Bureau of Weight and Measure (BIPM), France.
The CIPM is a supreme international committee which functions under the authority of the General Conference on Weights and Measures (CGPM).
CGPM was set up under the Meter Convention signed on 20th May 1875 in Paris. It is responsible for development and implementation of International Systems of Unites, universally abbreviated as SI.
The CSIR-NPL, the National Metrology Institute (NMI) of India was established by the Council of Scientific and Industrial Research (CSIR), New Delhi on January 4, 1947. The Government of India enacted the “Standards of Weights and Measures Act” for the first time in 1956 to ensure that every citizen has access to uniform standards of weights and measures based on the SI units. India became the member of the CGPM in 1957.
5. Government to hold the 25th National e-Governance Conference in Jammu
Tags: place in news National Summits
The 25th National e-Governance conference will be held at the Shri Mata Vaishno Devi University at Kakryal in Katra town of Reasi district in Jammu region on 25 and 26 November 2022. The 24th National e-Governance conference 2021 was held on 7 &8th January 2021 at Hyderabad, Telangana.
The conference will be inaugurated by Dr. Jitendra Singh, Union Minister of State (Independent Charge), Ministry of Science and Technology, Ministry of Earth Sciences, Minister of State in the Prime Minister’s Office, Minister of State of Personnel, Public Grievances & Pensions, Department of Atomic Energy and Department of Space, Government of India.
26th November is celebrated as the Constitution Day in the country to commemorate the adoption of the Constitution of India. As part of the celebrations Union Minister, Dr. Jitendra Singh will administer reading of the Preamble to the Constitution with all participants on 26th November 2022.
Who is organising the Conference
The Department of Administrative Reforms· & Public Grievances (DARPG) and Ministry of Electronics & Information Technology (MeitY), in association with the Union Territory Government of Jammu and Kashmir is organizing the conference.
Nearly 2000 officers from across the country are likely to attend the two-day long conference.
Theme of the Conference
The theme of the 25th National e-Governance conference is “Bringing Citizens, Industry and Government Closer”.
The application and use of Information technology and communication (ICT) in governance is known as e-governance. It is makes governance transparent and efficient. Some of the examples of e-governance are Digital India, Aadhaar, and National Portal of India etc.
6. India to take over Chairmanship of the Global Partnership on AI from France
Tags: place in news Science and Technology Summits
India will take over the Chairmanship of the Global Partnership on Artificial Intelligence (GPAI) from France during the third edition of the annual Global Partnership on Artificial Intelligence (GPAI) being held in Tokyo, Japan on 21 November 2022. India will be chairman for the 2022-23 period.
France will symbolically hand over the chairmanship to the Minister of State for Electronics and Information Technology Rajeev Chandrasekhar who is representing India at the 2day (21-22 November) Tokyo summit meet.
AI which stands for artificial intelligence refers to systems or machines that mimic human intelligence to perform tasks and can iteratively improve themselves based on the information they collect.
Artificial Intelligence is expected to contribute 450 to 500 billion US dollars to India’s GDP by 2025 accounting for 10 per cent of the country’s 5 trillion dollar GDP target. It is expected to contribute 967 billion US dollars to the Indian economy by 2035.
What is Global Partnership in Artificial Intelligence?
It was launched on June 15, 2020, with fifteen members as its founding member. India is one of the founding member country of Global Partnership in Artificial Intelligence (GPAI).
The initiative facilitates international cooperation on artificial technology by bringing together on a single platform, experts from fields such as science, industry, civil society, governments, international bodies, and academia.
At present, GPAI has twenty-five member Countries. They are : Australia, Belgium, Brazil, Canada, Czech Republic, Denmark, France, Germany, India, Ireland, Israel, Italy, Japan, Mexico, the Netherlands, New Zealand, Poland, the Republic of Korea (South Korea), Singapore, Slovenia, Spain, Sweden, the United Kingdom, the United States, and the European Union (EU).
7. 22nd FIFA men’s football World cup kicks off in Qatar
Tags: place in news Sports
The 22nd FIFA men’s world cup was formally declared open at a colourful ceremony held at the Al Bayt Stadium in Al Khor, Qatar on 20 November. It is for the first time that an Arab country is hosting the football tournament.
India was represented by Vice President Jagdeep Dhankhar. The opening ceremony witnessed performances of J Balvin, Robbie Williams, Jason Derulo, Clean Bandit, Sean Paul, Nora Fatehi, Black Eyed Peas, Jungkook of BTS, Nicki Minaj, Maluma and Myriam Fares.
The noted Hollywood actor Morgan Freeman was the narrator at the opening ceremony.
The FIFA World Cup 2022 will be held in Qatar from 20 November to 18 December 2022.
32 countries from five continents are participating in the Tournaments.
The teams are host Qatar, Ecuador, Senegal, the Netherlands, England, Iran, USA, Wales, Argentina, Saudi Arabia, Mexico, Poland, France, Australia, Denmark, Tunisia, Spain, Costa Rica, Germany, Japan, Belgium, Canada, Morocco, and Croatia, Brazil, Serbia, Switzerland, Cameroon, Portugal, Ghana, Uruguay, and South Korea.
France is the current world champion having won it in 2018 world cup held in Russia.
8. Carlos Saura and Chiranjeevi honoured at the 53rd International Film Festival of India 2022
Tags: Festivals place in news Awards Person in news
Renowned Spanish film Director Carlos Saura and Telugu film superstar Chiranjeevi were honoured at the 53rd International Film Festival of India (IFFI) 2022. The 53rd IFFI which is being held in Panaji, Goa and was inaugurated by the Union Minister for Information & Broadcasting and Youth affairs & Sports Anurag Thakur on 20 November 2022.
The 53rd IFFI being held in Panaji from 20-28 November 2022 is being organised by National Film Development Corporation and Entertainment Society of Goa.
Satyajit Ray Lifetime Award
Celebrated Spanish film Director Carlos Saura has been honoured with the prestigious Satyajit Ray Lifetime Achievement award. His daughter Anna Saura accepted the award on behalf of the eminent filmmaker . He has 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.
IFFI Indian Film Personality of the Year Award for 2022
Actor Producer Chiranjeevi Konidela has been chosen for the IFFI Indian Film Personality of the Year Award for 2022. Chiranjeevi has starred in more than 150 feature films in Telugu, as well as some films in Hindi, Tamil and Kannada.
He is regarded as one of the most successful and influential actors of Telugu cinema.
In 2006, he was honoured with the Padma Bhushan, India's third-highest civilian award, for his contributions to Indian cinema.
Waheeda Rahman, Rajinikanth, Ilaiyaraaja, S. P. Balasubrahmanyam, Amitabh Bachchan, Salim Khan, Biswajit Chatterjee, Hema Malini and Prasoon Joshi have been honoured with this award in the past.
9. First Unani medicine Regional Center of Northeast inaugurated in Silchar, Assam
Tags: place in news Person in news State News
The Union Minister of Ayush and Ports, Shipping & Waterways Sarbananda Sonowal inaugurated the new, state of the art complex of Regional Research Institute of Unani Medicine (RRIUM) in Silchar, Assam on 20 November 2022. It is the first Unani medicine regional center in the North-East. The new complex is spread over an area of 3.5 acres built with an investment of Rs 48 crores.
The newly built complex of RRIUM, which will be under Central Council for Research in Unani Medicine (CCRUM), the apex government organization for research in Unani Medicine,
The RRIUM, besides providing a wide range of patient care services, will also focus on conducting scientific research on different aspects, fundamental and applied, of Unani medicine, and on diseases that are more prevalent in the North East. The centre is also equipped to screen patients with Non-Communicable Diseases (NCDs) like cardiac, pulmonary, stroke, cancer and diabetes.
Unani System of Medicine
The Unani System of Medicine owes its origin to Greece. The roots of this system go to Egypt and its sister civilization Mesopotamia. It was further adopted by the Arabs, and was developed and improved tremendously by them.
The Unani System of Medicine was introduced to India by the Arabs in the eighth century.
To promote Unani Medicine in India, the government of India set up the Central Council for Research in Unani, Medicine (CCRUM). Now it comes under the Ministry of Ayush (Ayurveda, Yoga, Unani, Siddha, and Homoeopathy).
10. Amit Shah proposes a permanent secretariat for counter terror financing at the ’No Money for Terror' conference iin New Delhi
Tags: place in news Summits Person in news
The Indian Home Minster Amit Shah proposed a permanent secretariat for institutions focused on countering terror financing built on the ‘No Money for Terror’ conference initiative. He was speaking at the closing session of the third 'No Money for Terror' conference in New Delhi on 19 November 2022.
The two day (18 and 19) conference was organized by India’s premier anti-terrorism agency, National Investigation Agency (NIA).
Amit Shah said that ‘India has sensed the need for permanency of this unique initiative of NMFT (no money for terror), in order to sustain global focus on countering the financing of terrorism.’ He offered India as the host of such a proposed secretariat.
Quoting the International Monetary Fund and World Bank report he said that “criminals across the world launder close to $2 trillion to $4 trillion every year. A major part of this goes in fuelling terrorism.”
However many of the delegates which participated in the conference feels that it will duplicate the other International anti-terror body Financial Action Task Force (FATF).
A total of 72 countries and close to 15 multilateral anti-terror organisations attended the third edition of the conference. China did not attend the conference, while Pakistan was not invited.
Sri Lanka and Jamaica have called for institutionalizing the conference annually.
The first meeting of this kind took place in Paris, France, in 2018, and the second one took place in Melbourne, Australia, in 2019.
