1. India wins vice presidency of International Electrotechnical Commission
Tags: National National News
India has won the post of Vice-Chairman of the International Electrotechnical Commission (IEC) and Chairman of the Strategic Management Board (SMB) for the term 2023-25.
Important facts
The meeting of the International Electrotechnical Commission (IEC) was recently held in San Francisco, USA, which was voted on by all the members of the IC. India got more than 90 percent votes.
India's representative in the IC and various technical committees of the Bureau of Indian Standards (BIS) were elected.
Vimal Mahendru will be the IEC Vice President representing India.
BIS has representation in the policy and administrative bodies of the International Organization for Standardization (ISVO) and the IC.
BIS ensured that India's point of view was understood on important strategic and policy issues. It also provided opportunities for harmonisation with international best practices of national standardisation.
International Electrotechnical Commission (IEC)
Founded in 1906, the IEC (International Electrotechnical Commission) is the world’s leading organisation for the preparation and publication of international standards for all electrical, electronic and related technologies.
The Standardization Management Board is the apex administrative body of the IC, responsible for technical policy matters.
2. India and Gulf Cooperation Council to resume FTA talks
Tags: International Relations Economics/Business
India's Industry and Trade Minister Piyush Goyal said on 24 November that India and the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) have agreed to resume talks on a free trade agreement.
Important facts
Both sides have agreed to expedite the necessary legal and technical requirements for the formal resumption of FTA negotiations.
The FTA will be a comprehensive economic partnership that will cover different aspects of trade.
Goyal said the GCC is currently India's largest trading partner bloc with bilateral trade expected to exceed USD 154 billion in the financial year 2021-22.
bilateral trade in services between India and the GCC was worth 14 billion US dollars in the last financial year.
GCC countries contribute almost 35 per cent of the country's oil imports and 70 per cent of gas imports.
About Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) :
It is a political and economic alliance of six Middle Eastern countries—Saudi Arabia, Kuwait, the United Arab Emirates, Qatar, Bahrain, and Oman.
It was established in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, in May 1981.
Its aim is to achieve coordination, cooperation and integration and Arab regional unity among these countries.
The GCC member states have a total GDP of over USD 3.464 trillion and a total population of 54 million.
3. Former ISI chief Asim Munir appointed new chief of Pakistan Army
Tags: Person in news International News
Former Inter-Services Intelligence (ISI) agency chief Lt Gen Asim Munir has been appointed as the new chief of the Pakistan Army on 24 November by Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif, succeeding Gen Qamar Bajwa.
Important facts
He replaced outgoing General Qamar Javed Bajwa on 29 November.
Bajwa was appointed army chief in 2016 for three years. In the year 2019, he was given a three-year extension.
Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif wrote to President Alvi to appoint Lt. Gen. Munir as the Chief of Army Staff (COAS) and Lt. Gen. Sahir Shamshad Mirza as the Chief of the Joint Chiefs of Staff Committee (CJCSC).
With the approval of Munir's name by the President, the process of appointment was completed.
Lt Gen Munir has served as the chief of the two most powerful intelligence agencies Inter-Services Intelligence (ISI) and Military Intelligence (MI).
However, his tenure as ISI chief was the shortest ever and within eight months he was replaced by Lt Gen Faiz Hameed in 2019 at the behest of the then Prime Minister Imran Khan.
The CJCSC is the highest authority in the hierarchy of the armed forces, but major powers, including deployment, appointments and transfers of troops, rest with the Chief of Army Staff. Because of these powers, the army chief is the most powerful.
Pakistan has been in existence for more than 75 years and the country has been under military rule for more than half of that time. In such a situation, the army has been interfering a lot in the security and foreign policy matters of the country.
4. Second stealth-guided missile destroyer delivered to Indian Navy
Tags: Defence National News
The second ship of Project 15B stealth guided missile destroyer being built at Mazagon Dock Shipbuilders Limited (MDL), was delivered to the Indian Navy on 24 November.
Important facts
When commissioned, the ship will be christened INS Mormugao.
The contract for four ships of Project 15B was signed on January 28, 2011.
The project is a follow-up to the Kolkata class (Project 15A) destroyers commissioned in the last decade and the lead ship of the project - INS Visakhapatnam has already been commissioned into the Indian Navy on November 21, 2021.
Designed by the Warship Design Bureau, Indian Navy’s in-house organisation and built by Mazagon Dock Shipbuilders Ltd in Mumbai, the four ships of the project are christened after cities from four corners of the country — Visakhapatnam, Mormugao, Imphal and Surat.
The foundation stone of Mormugao was laid in 2015 and the ship was launched on 17 September 2016.
About Second stealth-guided missile destroyer
The ship is 163 metres long and 17 metres wide, displaces 7400 tonnes when fully loaded and has a maximum speed of 30 knots.
The overall indigenous content of the project is around 75 per cent.
The class of destroyers armed with indigenous weapons includes-
Medium Range Surface-to-Air Missiles (BEL, Bangalore)
BrahMos Surface-to-Surface Missiles (BrahMos Aerospace, New Delhi)
Indigenous Torpedo Tube Launchers (Larsen & Toubro, Mumbai)
Anti-Submarine Indigenous Rocket Launchers (Larsen & Toubro, Mumbai)
76mm Super Rapid Gun Mount (BHEL, Haridwar)
5. India expresses commitment to peace, security and prosperity in the Indo-Pacific region
Tags: Summits International News
India participated in the 22nd Council of Ministers's meeting of the Indian Ocean Rim Association (IORA) held at Dhaka in Bangladesh on 23 November, 2022.
Important facts
India voiced its strong commitment to the strengthening of the Indian Ocean Rim Association (IORA) to promote peace, security and prosperity in the Indian Ocean Region and in the Indo-Pacific.
The Indian delegation was led by Minister of State for External Affairs Dr. Rajkumar Ranjan Singh.
He also highlighted India's contribution as coordinator of IORA priority areas of Disaster Risk Management (DRM) and science, technology and innovation for capacity building and strengthening of IORA Secretariat.
On the challenges posed by climate change, the Minister highlighted the initiatives of LiFE - Lifestyle for Environment and International Year of Millet in 2023.
Indian Ocean Rim Association (IORA)
It is an international organisation consisting of coastal states bordering the Indian Ocean.
It has been formed with the aim of increasing cooperation among the countries of the Indian Ocean Region and making joint efforts for sustainable development.
It includes 21 countries along the coast of the Indian Ocean including India and 7 dialogue partners.
These 21 countries include India, Australia, Iran, Indonesia, Thailand, Bangladesh, Malaysia, South Africa, Mozambique, Kenya, Sri Lanka, Tanzania, Singapore, Mauritius, Madagascar, United Arab Emirates, Yemen, Seychelles, Somalia, Comoros and Oman.
It was formed in 1997 and its secretariat is in Mauritius.
6. Anwar Ibrahim sworn in as the country's new prime minister in Malaysia
Tags: Person in news International News
Malaysia's opposition leader Anwar Ibrahim was sworn in as the country's tenth Prime Minister on 24 November.
Important facts
The new leader was appointed by King Al-Sultan Abdullah.
With this, the political uncertainty that continued for several days after the general elections with a fractured mandate in Malaysia has come to an end. Anwar took oath in a simple ceremony at the National Palace.
Anwar's Alliance of Hope won the election with 82 seats but fell short of the 112 seats needed for a majority.
Former Prime Minister Muhyiddin's Malay-centric Perikatan Nasional (National Alliance) managed to win 72 seats due to unprecedented support from the Malay community in the election.
The Pan-Malaysian Islamic Party emerged as the largest party in the coalition, winning 49 seats.
The coalition led by the United Malays National Organization (UMNO), which won 30 seats in the election, agreed to support the coalition led by Anwar.
About Malaysia
Capital : Kuala Lumpur
Currency : Malaysian ringgit
7. Sher Bahadur Deuba elected for consecutive 7th time from Dadeldhura district
Tags: Person in news International News
Prime Minister and President of the Nepali Congress Sher Bahadur Deuba on 23 November was elected for the consecutive 7th time from the home district of Dhankuta.
Important facts
The counting of votes continues for parliamentary and provincial elections in the country.
Senior Nepali Congress leader Deuba defeated an independent candidate Sagar Dhakal by a margin of over 12 thousand votes.
The parliamentary and provincial elections were held on 20th of November in Nepal.
It was the second general election since the promulgation of the constitution in 2015.
The first round of elections held in 2017 did not live up to the expectations of Nepalese voters as the government did not last long.
8. Europe announces name of world's first disabled astronauts
Tags: Science and Technology International News
The European Space Agency announced the name of the first "parastronaut" on 23 November in a major step towards allowing people with physical disabilities to work and live in space.
Important facts
The 22-nation European Space Agency said it selected former British Paralympic runner John McFall as part of a new generation of 17 recruits selected for astronaut training.
He will participate in a feasibility study designed to allow ESA to assess the conditions needed for people with disabilities to participate in future missions.
Five new astronauts have been roped in to take part in the training after ESA replenished its astronaut ranks for the first time since 2009.
The EAS received 257 applications for the role of an astronaut with a disability, designated a "parastronaut".
McFall, who lost his right leg due to a motorcycle accident at the age of 19, won a bronze medal in the 100 metres at the 2008 Beijing Paralympic Games.
9. Pre-launch celebration of International Year of Millets held in New Delhi
Tags: Festivals National News
A pre-launch celebration of the International Year of Millets held on 24 November in New Delhi.
Important facts
The Department of Agriculture and Farmers Welfare (DA&FW) and the Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) are hosting this special event.
External Affairs Minister Dr S Jaishankar and Agriculture Minister Narendra Singh Tomar attended the event.
During the event, both the ministers shared the government's vision for the successful conduct of the International Year of Millets 2023.
High Commissioners and Ambassadors of over 60 countries attended the pre-launch ceremony.
Its main objective is to spread awareness about Indian Millets and associate with other countries for the successful global celebration of the International Year of Millets in 2023.
Recently at the G20 summit in Bali, Prime Minister Narendra Modi highlighted the benefits of millet saying that millet can solve the problem of global malnutrition and hunger.
He also highlighted that India is promoting natural farming and re-popularizing nutritious and traditional food grains like millets for sustainable food security.
10. AYUSH market grows from US$ 3 billion to US$ 18 billion
Tags: Economy/Finance National News
Union AYUSH Minister Sarbananda Sonowal addressing the 6th Confederation of Indian Industry-CII, AYUSH Conclave 2022 in New Delhi on November 23, 2022 said that under the leadership of Prime Minister Narendra Modi AYUSH market will grow from USD 3 billion to USD 18 billion level.
Important facts
He was addressing the gathering at the 6th Confederation of Indian Industry, CII, AYUSH Conclave 2022 in New Delhi.
He emphasised on how AYUSH can play a vital role in realising the dream of 'New India' by providing holistic health care and medical care to its citizens.
Sonowal pointed out that several reforms are underway in research strategies, nature of practice and education, which will lead to growth in this field.
He urged the new generation to study AYUSH systems in depth.
The Ministry of AYUSH, in collaboration with the World Health Organization (WHO), has established a number of standards for the AYUSH system.
These benchmarks will be beneficial for all the stakeholders, especially the industry related to AYUSH systems.
6th CII Ayush Conclave 2022
The 6th CII Ayush Conclave 2022 was organised by Confederation of Indian Industry (CII) with the support of the Ministry of Ayush in New Delhi.
Key stakeholders of the AYUSH system discussed topics such as regulatory roadmap, research and development in the AYUSH sector, branding, promotion and marketing of AYUSH products.
Confederation of Indian Industries (CII)
It is a business lobby group of top business houses in India.
It was set up in 1895.
It works to create and sustain an environment conducive to the growth of industry in India, partnering industry and government alike through advisory and consultative processes.
Headquarters: New Delhi
President: Sanjiv Bajaj
