1. Giorgia Meloni to become the first female Prime Minister of Italy
Tags: Person in news International News
A coalition of the right wing alliance has won a majority in the recently held Italian parliamentary election on 25 September 2022.
The coalition has won 235 seats in the 400 member Italian Parliament's lower house, Chamber of Deputies.
The Brother of Italy party led by Giorgia Meloni emerged the largest single party with 118 seats.
She is likely to be the first female Prime minister of Italy after the foundation of the Italian Republic in 1946.
She will be the 31st Prime Minister of Italy.
The Italian parliament has two houses. The upper house called the Senate has 200 members and the lower house called the Chamber of deputies has 400 members.
President of Italy: Sergio Mattarella
Currency of Italy: Euro
Capital of Italy: Rome
2. Prime Minister Modi arrives in Japan to attend the state funeral of former Japanese PM Shinzo Abe
Tags: Person in news International News
Prime Minister Narendra Modi has reached Tokyo on 26 September 2022 to participate in the state funeral of the former Japanese Prime minister Shinzo Abe to be held on 27 September 2022.
Shinzo Abe was shot dead on 8 July 2022 while campaigning for a parliamentary election.
The state funeral to be held in Budokan will be attended by representatives of over 100 countries including 20 heads of state or head of government.
Pm Modi would meet separately with his Japanese counterpart Fumio Kishida and Shinzo Abe's wife in Japan.
Indian and Japan relationship during Shinzo Abe leadership
- PM Modi and Shinzo Abe shared very close ties and the latter had gone on record to call PM Modi his most dependable friend. The close ties between the two leaders helped bolster Indo-Japan ties to a special strategic and global partnership.
- In 2017, he visited Ahmedabad to lay the foundation of India's first bullet train (from Ahmedabad to Mumbai).
- He was also the chief guest at the Republic Day parade in 2014 during the UPA government.
- He addressed the joint session of the Indian Parliament in 2007.
- He was given India's second-highest civilian award Padma Vibhushan in 2021.
Japan
- Japan is also called as Nihon or Nippon
- It is an archipelago in the western Pacific Ocean in East Asia.
- It is composed of four main islands Hokkaido, Honshu, Shikoku, and Kyushu. Honshu is the largest island of Japan.
- It is separated from the Asian mainland by the Sea of Japan.
- Its highest mountain is Mount Fuji.
- It is the third largest economy in the world after the United States and China.
- It is the only country in the world where atom bomb was dropped. In 1945 the U.S. dropped atomic bomb on Hiroshima on 6 August (bomb name Little Boy) and Nagasaki on 9 August (Bomb name Fat Man).
Prime Minister: Fumio Kishida
Capital of Japan: Tokyo
Currency of Japan: Yen
3. A red alert issued in the Philippines due to Super Typhoon Noru
Tags: International News
Officials issued a red alert on September 25 as Super Typhoon Noru advanced in the Philippines.
Important facts
As the cyclone devastated the country's eastern islands, citizens have been asked to evacuate high-risk areas immediately.
Due to the Typhoon, winds gusting up to 240 kilometers per hour have increased the risk of landslides, floods and cyclones in the capital Manila.
The intensity of the cyclone has increased by 90 kmph in 24 hours.
A warning has also been issued for the island of Luzon in the Philippines.
Fishermen in Quezon province have been advised not to venture into the sea due to Typhoon Noru.
In December 2021, Cyclone Rai caused widespread destruction in the Philippines and killed around 400 people.
Cyclone 'Noru' is believed to be the most powerful cyclone to hit the Southeast Asian country this year.
About the Philippines
It is a country located in Southeast Asia.
The official name of this country, made up of a group of islands located in the western Pacific Ocean, is 'Republic of the Philippines'.
Its capital is Manila.
The Philippines is bounded on the east by the Philippines Ocean, on the west by the South China Sea, and on the south by the Celebes Sea.
4. India’s first ‘flex fuel’ car, Toyota sedan
Tags: National National News
India's first 'flex fuel' car, the Toyota sedan is all set to be unveiled later this month. India will join the club of countries (Germany, France and Brazil) that are already using flex-fuel engines for their cars.
What is a Flex Fuel Vehicle?
Currently, flex-fuel is being seen as an alternative to petrol-diesel.
It is an internal combustion fuel prepared by combining gasoline and methanol or ethanol.
Flex Fuel Vehicles (FFVs) are capable of running on 100% petrol or 100% bio-ethanol or a combination of both.
Both fuels are stored in the same common tank.
The most prominent commercially available FFV in the world market is the ethanol flexible-fuel vehicle.
Benefits of Flex Fuel
Made using ethanol blending, this fuel rapidly reduces harmful pollutants such as carbon monoxide, sulphur and carbon and nitrogen oxides.
India is dependent on imports for 80 percent of petrol and diesel. With the introduction of flex fuel, dependence on other countries will end.
Ethanol production can also increase in our country because we have better production rates of sugarcane and maize. These are the major sources of ethanol production.
This will also benefit the farmers financially.
Its cost will also be less because it will cost less to prepare it.
5. Union Agriculture Minister lays foundation stone of NSC organic seed farm in Morena, MP
Tags: National State News National News
The Union Minister of Agriculture and Farmers Welfare, Narendra Singh Tomar, on 25 September laid the foundation stone of an organic seed farm of the National Seed Corporation (NSC) at Morena.
Important facts
The Central Government has decided to set up a farm at Morena (MP) for the production of organic seeds by reclamation of the land in the rough area.
For this, the Government of Madhya Pradesh has allotted 885.34 hectares of land in 4 villages of Morena (Gadora, Jakhauna, Rithora Khurd and Gorkha) to the Union Agriculture Ministry.
This land is a rough area of Chambal and farming was not possible due to the ravines in the area.
On completion of this, new organic seeds of oilseeds will be available to the farmers of Madhya Pradesh.
With this farm farmers will be introduced to modern technology, they will get high yielding seeds and their socio-economic status will improve.
De-notification of 207 hectares of land
He said that the Ministry of Environment, Forest and Climate Change has taken a major decision to recommend de-notification of 207 hectares of land in the National Wildlife Sanctuary of Chambal.
Due to de-notification, this area will be outside the sanctuary area, due to which sand will be available at cheap prices for construction/development works at the local level and this will also create new employment opportunities.
National Seed Corporation (NSC)
NSC is a Schedule ‘B’-Miniratna Category-I company.
It is wholly owned by the Government of India under the administrative control of Department of Agriculture Cooperation & Farmers Welfare, Ministry of Agriculture and Farmers Welfare.
It was established in March-1963 to undertake production of foundation and certified seeds.
Presently, it is producing certified seeds of about 621 varieties of 80 crops.
6. INS Sunayna in Seychelles
Tags: Defence International News
INS Sunayna entered Port Victoria Seychelles on 24 Sep 22 to participate in the annual training exercise Operation Southern Readiness of Combined Maritime Forces (CMF).
Important facts
This reaffirms the commitment of the Indian Navy to maritime security in the Indian Ocean region.
It also marks the first participation of an Indian Navy ship in the CMF exercise.
The ship is scheduled to participate as an associate participant in the capacity building exercise organized by the CMF.
Representative delegations from USA, Italy, Australia, Canada, New Zealand and ships from UK, Spain and India are participating in the joint training exercise.
INS Sunayna
It is the second Saryu-class patrol vessel of the Indian Navy.
It was designed and constructed indigenously by the Goa Shipyard Limited.
It is designed for fleet operations, coastal and offshore patrol, maritime surveillance and monitoring of sea lines of communication, and offshore asset and maintenance work.
In June 2018, it was deployed as part of "Operation Nistar", a HADR mission to evacuate Indian citizens from cyclone-hit Socotra islands.
About Combined Maritime Forces (CMF)
It is a multi-national naval partnership to promote security, stability and prosperity across approximately 3.2 million square miles of international waters.
Its main focus areas are counter-narcotics, counter-smuggling, suppressing piracy, encouraging regional cooperation etc.
7. Significant positive impact on India-UAE trade from India-UAE CEPA
Tags: International Relations International News
The India-UAE Comprehensive Economic Partnership Agreement (CEPA) that came into force on 1 May 2022 is creating a significant positive impact on India-UAE trade.
Important facts
Indian exports to the UAE, excluding petroleum products, grew from US$ 5.17 billion during June-August 2021 to US$ 5.92 billion during June-August 2022.
It denotes an increase of 14% of Indian exports.
India’s global non-petroleum exports during the same period (Jun-Aug 2022) grew by 3% on an annual basis.
This implies that the growth rate of India's non-petroleum exports to UAE is about 5 times that of India's non-petroleum exports to the world.
According to the Commerce and Industry Ministry Indian imports from the UAE during the same period also grew from 5.56 billion dollar to 5.61 billion dollar.
India-UAE Comprehensive Economic Partnership Agreement (CEPA)
It was signed on 18 February 2022, during the India-UAE Virtual Summit.
It came into force on 1 May 2022.
It provides for an institutional mechanism to encourage and improve trade between the two countries.
CEPA is a type of free trade agreement that covers trade in services and investment and negotiations on other areas of economic partnership.
8. Housing and Urban Affairs Ministry (MoHUAM) launch Swachh Toycathon
Tags: National Government Schemes National News
%20launch%20Swachh%20Toycathon%20copy.jpg)
On 26 September, the Ministry of Housing and Urban Affairs launched Swachh Toycathon, a unique competition to make toys from waste.
Important facts
The competition will be open to individuals and groups to bring innovation to the design of toys using dry waste.
The focus will be on the design of those toys, on the basis of which a large number of toys can be made.
These toys will have to comply with the minimum safety standards.
The competition will be hosted on MyGov innovate India portal.
Center for Creative Learning IIT-Gandhinagar will be the knowledge partner of this competition.
Due to the economic development, income growth and many innovations in the country, the demand for toys has increased tremendously.
The National Toy Action Plan-2020 has been launched to establish India as a global toy hub and promote traditional handmade toys.
National Toy Action Plan-2020
The government has prepared a National Toy Action Plan involving 14 ministries to make the domestic toy industry competitive.
It aims to make India self-reliant in the toy sector and increase the presence of domestic toys in the global market.
The Department for Promotion of Industry and Internal Trade and 14 Ministries are implementing various aspects of the scheme.
9. Piyush Goel attends G 20 ministers WTO Dispute Settlement reforms meeting in Bali
Tags: place in news Summits International News
The Indian Commerce minister Piyush Goel in a tweet said that he participated in a discussion on WTO’s Dispute Settlement Reform that was convened by the United States Trade Representative (USTR) Katherine Tai on the sidelines of the G20 ministerial meeting in Bali, Indonesia on 21 September 2022.
The 12th World Trade Organization (WTO) ministerial conference held in Geneva, Switzerland from 12-17 June 2022, had promised to revive the dispute settlement body in the next two years.
WTO Dispute Settlement System
WTO is a global body which was set up in 1995 to promote rule based trading systems in the world and it also settles trade related disputes between the member countries.
A member country can complain against another member country to the WTO if it believes that the country is not following WTO rules regarding trade.
The Dispute Settlement Mechanism is a two tier process in the WTO.
First, the member countries are encouraged to settle their dispute through consultation.
If this fails then the WTO’s Dispute Settlement Body appoints a panel to look into the dispute.
The countries have the right to appeal against the ruling of the panel to an Appellate Body set up by the Dispute Settlement Body. The ruling of the Appellate body is binding on the countries of WTO.
Objection of the United States to the Dispute Settlement System
The United States government has blocked the appointment of members to the Appellate Body since 2019. The Appellate body structure is at present not working but the panel system is still functioning.
The United States wants to abolish the Appellate system of the WTO as it believes that it has become synonymous with litigation and has become prolonged, complicated and expensive.
However the developing countries are of the view that a two tier dispute settlement system is essential for the functioning of the WTO dispute settlement system.
World Trade Organisation (WTO)
- It was set up on 1st January 1995 replacing the General Agreement on Tariff and Trade (GATT).
- Its main purpose is to promote rule based trading systems in the world and it also settles trade related disputes between the member countries.
- The headquarters of WTO is in Geneva, Switzerland.
- There are 164 member countries.
- Director General of WTO : Dr Ngozi -Okonjo-Iweala of of Nigeria
- Report released by WTO : World Trade Report
10. India exports first consignment of vegetable based meat products to US
Tags: National National News
India has exported the first consignment of plant-based meat products from Nadiad in Kheda district of Gujarat to California.
IMPORTANT FACTS -
- The first shipments exported to the US from Nadiad include vegetarian food products like momos, mini samosas, patties, nuggets, spring rolls, burgers.
Due to the rich fiber and low cholesterol content, vegan food products are becoming alternative food products around the world.
The Agricultural and Processed Food Products Export Authority (APEDA) said that they are working towards promoting plant-based meat products without interfering in the traditional animal-based meat export market.
APEDA plans to promote a variety of vegetarian food products, including pancakes, snacks and cheese, to Australia, Israel, New Zealand and other countries in the coming months.
About “APEDA” :
The Agricultural and Processed Food Products Export Development Authority (APEDA) was established by the Government of India under the Agricultural and Processed Food Products Export Development Authority Act passed by the Parliament in December 1985.
This authority functions under the Ministry of Commerce and Industry.
Headquarters- New Delhi
Chairman- Dr. M. Angamuthu
