1. World Population crosses 8 billion on 15 November 2022: United Nations
Tags: National International News
According to the United Nations (UN) the world human population has crossed the 8 billion mark on 15 November 2022 and it is expected to grow to 10.4 billion by 2080’s. The United Nations attributed the rise in population to a gradual increase in human longevity due to improvements in public health, nutrition, personal hygiene, and medicine.
Historical growth of Human Population
- According to the UN Population Fund , it took 12 years for the global population to go from 7 billion to 8 billion.
- In less than 100 years since 1930, the world population has grown four times.
- The global human population crossed the billion milestone in 1804 and it took another 126 years to cross the 2 billion population mark in 1930.
- It crossed the 3 billion mark in the next 30 years, 4th billion in the next 14 years and the 5th billion in the next 13 years.
- The annual population growth rate was highest between 1963 and 1972, at over 2 per cent.
- The growth rate has declined since then, and has fallen below 1 per cent since 2021.
Future Projections of Human population growth
- According to the United Nations it will take around 15 years until 2037 for it to reach 9 billion.
- It has been projected that the world population could grow to nearly 8.5 billion in 2030, 9.7 billion in 2050, and 10.4 billion in 2100.
- More than half of the projected increase in global population till 2050 will be concentrated in Congo, Egypt, Ethiopia, India, Nigeria, Pakistan, Philippines, and Tanzania.
- India is projected to cross China as the world’s most populous country during 2023.
- The most populous regions on Earth are Eastern and South-Eastern Asia with 2.3 billion people and Central and Southern Asia with 2.1 billion people. India and China
According to the World Bank population projection:
- In 2022 China and India account for over a third of the world’s population, with China‘s share at 18.2 per cent and India’s at 17.7 per cent.
- The world’s third most populous country, the United States of America and the fourth most populous Indonesia at present in 2022, have a share of 4.2 per cent and 3.5 percent of the global population respectively.
- This is expected to change by 2050, with India having the world’s highest population share at 16.8 percent, while China’s population share would have declined by over 4.2 per cent.
- India is projected to add over 2.3 billion people by 2050, while China’s population is projected to decline from 2030 onwards.
- At present Asia has the largest share of the world’s population, Africa is home to the youngest population with a median age of just 20, and Europe will have the oldest population on the globe with a median age of around 43.
2. Union Minister of Power & New and Renewable Energy launches the Green Energy Open Access portal
Tags: National National News
The Union Minister for Power and New and Renewable Energy, RK Singh, launched the Green Energy Open Access Portal through video conferencing on November 11, 2022, in continuation of several initiatives of the Government of India to promote clean and green energy.
Important facts
This portal will allow electricity consumers with a sanctioned load of 100 kW or more to get the supply of renewable energy.
Under the new system, any consumer with a sanctioned load of 100 kW or more "can get renewable energy through an open access portal from any renewable power generation plant set up by him or any developer."
This open access has to be given within 15 days. An application for open access can be made on this portal.
These stakeholders include Open Access Participants, Traders, Power Exchanges, National/Regional/State Load Despatch Centres, Central/State Transmission Utilities.
The portal provides a transparent, simplified, uniform and streamlined process for providing open access to green energy.
This will be instrumental in making electricity markets more convenient and enabling integration of renewable energy (RE) resources into the grid.
Objectives of the Portal
The portal aims to ensure affordable, reliable, sustainable and green energy for all. Consumers can now easily access renewable energy.
Green Energy Open Access Rules, 2022
The Ministry of Power had notified the Electricity (Promotion of Renewable Energy through Green Energy Open Access) Rules- 2022 on June 6, 2022.
The objective of these rules is to promote production, purchase and consumption of green energy including electricity from waste to power plants.
As per the rules, green open access is allowed to any consumer and the open access transaction limit for green energy has been reduced from 1 MW to 100 kW so that even small consumers can buy renewable energy through open access.
3. Union Minister of Power & New and Renewable Energy launches the Green Energy Open Access portal
Tags: National National News
The Union Minister for Power and New and Renewable Energy, RK Singh, launched the Green Energy Open Access Portal through video conferencing on November 11, 2022, in continuation of several initiatives of the Government of India to promote clean and green energy.
Important facts
This portal will allow electricity consumers with a sanctioned load of 100 kW or more to get the supply of renewable energy.
Under the new system, any consumer with a sanctioned load of 100 kW or more "can get renewable energy through an open access portal from any renewable power generation plant set up by him or any developer."
This open access has to be given within 15 days. An application for open access can be made on this portal.
These stakeholders include Open Access Participants, Traders, Power Exchanges, National/Regional/State Load Despatch Centres, Central/State Transmission Utilities.
The portal provides a transparent, simplified, uniform and streamlined process for providing open access to green energy.
This will be instrumental in making electricity markets more convenient and enabling integration of renewable energy (RE) resources into the grid.
Objectives of the Portal
The portal aims to ensure affordable, reliable, sustainable and green energy for all. Consumers can now easily access renewable energy.
Green Energy Open Access Rules, 2022
The Ministry of Power had notified the Electricity (Promotion of Renewable Energy through Green Energy Open Access) Rules- 2022 on June 6, 2022.
The objective of these rules is to promote production, purchase and consumption of green energy including electricity from waste to power plants.
As per the rules, green open access is allowed to any consumer and the open access transaction limit for green energy has been reduced from 1 MW to 100 kW so that even small consumers can buy renewable energy through open access.
4. The third edition of Coastal Defence Exercise 'Sea Vigil-22' began on 15 November
Tags: Defence National News
The third edition of the two-day 'Sea Vigil-22' is commencing on the eastern seaboard from November 15 as part of an all-India coastal defence exercise.
Important facts
The exercise was conceptualised in the year 2018 among various measures initiated to enhance maritime security since the 26/11 Mumbai attacks.
The exercise will be conducted along the country's 7,516 km long coastline covering India's Exclusive Economic Zone (EEZ).
The exercise will involve all coastal states, union territories and other maritime stakeholders including fishing and coastal communities.
The exercise is being conducted by the Indian Navy in coordination with the Indian Coast Guard (ICG) and the ministries tasked with maritime activities.
This exercise is a build-up towards the major Theatre Level Readiness Operational Exercise (TROPEX), which is conducted by the Indian Navy every two years.
'Sea Vigil' and 'TROPEX' together will cover the entire spectrum of maritime security challenges.
Assets from the Indian Navy, Coast Guard, Customs and other maritime agencies will participate in the 'Sea Vigil' exercise.
Apart from the Defense Ministry, the Ministry of Home Affairs, Ports, Shipping and Waterways, Petroleum and Natural Gas, Fisheries, Animal Husbandry and Dairying, Customs and other Central/State agencies are also assisting in the conduct of this exercise.
The exercise will provide a realistic assessment of India's strengths and weaknesses, which will help further strengthen maritime and national security.
5. Mehran Karimi Nasseri who lived in Paris airport for 18 years dies
Tags: place in news Person in news International News
The 77-year-old Iranian refugee Mehran Karimi Nasseri, whose ordeal inspired the 2004 movie “The Terminal” starring Tom Hanks and Catherine Zeta-Jones died on 13 November 2022, inside the Paris Charles de Gaulle Airport, where he had previously lived for 18 years.
Mehran Karimi Nasseri died around noon local time of a heart attack, a spokesperson for the Paris airport authority said on 14 November 2022.IR
Nasseri was born in 1945 in the Iranian province of Khuzestan. He left Iran in 1970’s to search for his British mothers. He was expelled from many European countries including the United Kingdom, the Netherlands and Germany for not having the correct immigration documents.
In 1988, French authorities stopped him at the Paris airport as he tried to pass through without identity papers. Caught in an immigration trap, he soon set up a makeshift home of his own in the airport and lived for many years in Terminal 1 of Paris’s Charles de Gaulle Airport.
He was offered a residence permit by France but was unable to adjust to life outside the airport. He eventually came back to the Airport’s Terminal 2F and died later.
6. The Pandemic Fund sponsored by World Bank and WHO officially launched at the G20 meeting
Tags: place in news International News
The Pandemic Fund sponsored by the World Bank and World Health Organisation was officially launched at Bali, Indonesia on 13 November 2022 at the sidelines of the G-20 Joint Finance and Health Ministers’ Meeting.
The high-level speakers included Indonesia’s Finance Minister Sri Mulyani Indrawati, World Bank Group President David Malpass, WHO Director-General Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus, and United States Treasury Secretary Janet Yellen among others.
Pandemic Fund
The Pandemic Fund has been established by the World Bank in association with the World Health Organisation (WHO) in September 2022.
The fund has been set up to provide assistance to the low and middle income countries to strengthen their preparedness and response (PPR) to the future epidemics and pandemics.
The fund will be used to build and strengthen infrastructure in these countries so that they are better prepared to face the risks of future epidemics and pandemics like covid.
Till date according to the World Bank the fund has received a commitment of $1.4 billion from 24 donor countries including India.
Structure of the Fund
The World Bank will serve as the Pandemic Fund’s trustee and host the Secretariat, which will include technical staff seconded from the World Health Organization (WHO).
The Governing Board of the Pandemic Fund will be advised by A Technical Advisory Panel headed by WHO. It will comprise leading experts to assess and make recommendations on the technical merits of proposals for funding, ensuring linkages to the International Health Regulations, as part of the broader global PPR architecture.
7. U.S. climate envoy John Kerry launches carbon offset plan
Tags: Environment International News
U.S. climate envoy John Kerry on November 9 has unveiled a new carbon offset scheme called Energy Transition Accelerator (ETA) for climate finance.
About Energy Transition Accelerator (ETA)
Energy Transition Accelerator (ETA) will be developed by the US along with the Bezos Earth Fund and the Rockefeller Foundation and receive inputs from public and private sectors.
It would allow companies to finance clean energy projects in developing countries and earn carbon credits that they can use to meet their own climate goals.
This will allow companies to have a financial edge over their competitors in the race to meet climate goals.
Its objective is to put out of use coal plants and accelerate the use of renewable energy.
This can certainly be good for renewable energy projects and for coal plants that are too old and unviable and which India wants to shut down.
The ETA is projected to operate until 2030, potentially expanding to 2035.
8. Pakistan and Bangladesh will be among first to receive G7 'Global Shield' climate funding
Tags: Environment International News
Pakistan, Ghana, Bangladesh, Costa Rica, Fiji, Philippines and Senegal will be among the first recipients of funding from a G7 'Global Shield' initiative to provide funding to countries suffering from climate disasters. It was announced by Germany on 14 November 2022 at the ongoing COP27 summit in Egypt.
Global Shield climate Finance
It was launched by the G 7 countries (United States of America, Canada, France, Italy, United Kingdom and Japan) at the COP27 summit in Egypt on 14 November 2022.
The Global Shield will be coordinated by Germany and is being developed in collaboration with the 'V20' group of 58 climate vulnerable economies.
Aim of the fund
- The fund will be used to help low-income and vulnerable countries to deal with climate induced calamities.
- It aims to strengthen social protection schemes and climate risk insurance so when an extreme weather event like flooding occurs, countries can access aid quickly and recover.
- Germany has announced that it will contribute USD 172 million to the fund. However the size of the fund has not been disclosed.
Demand for special Loss and Damage Fund
- Global warming induced climate change has badly affected the developing countries who don't have the resources to deal with such natural calamities like floods, drought etc.
- The developing countries have been demanding that the polluting countries (Developed countries) shall pay for the loss and damage suffered by the poor developing countries due to climate change.
- After years of resistance by the developed countries, they have agreed to discuss a special loss and damage fund in the COP 27 meeting being held in Sharm -el Sheik ,Egypt from 6-18 November 2022.
- The "Global Shield" initiative is being seen as one of step to address such funding.
9. In Slovenia, Natasa Pirc Musar elected the country’s first female President
Tags: Person in news International News
In Slovenia, Natasa Pirc Musar has been elected the country’s first female President after beating her conservative rival in the second round of elections on November 13.
Important facts
Ms. Pirak Musar got about 54 percent of the votes, while Logar got about 46 percent.
He defeated Anze Logar, former foreign minister and a veteran of conservative politics.
A prominent lawyer, Pirk Musser, represented former US First Lady Melania Trump in Slovenia on copyright and other matters.
She campaigned on issues of human rights, rule of law and social welfare.
Pirk Musser, 54, will be the first woman to serve as president after Yugoslavia broke up and Slovenia became independent in 1991.
She will replace President Borut Pahor, a centrist politician who has already served two terms as president.
About Slovenia
Prime Minister - Robert Golob
Capital - Ljubljana
Currency - Euro
Official Language - Slovene
10. India International Trade Fair begins at Pragati Maidan in New Delhi
Tags: Festivals Economy/Finance National News
The 41st India International Trade Fair (IITF) began on November 14, 2022 at Pragati Maidan in New Delhi.
Important facts
Commerce and Industry Minister Piyush Goyal inaugurated the fair, which will run till November 27.
The theme of the year 2022 trade fair is 'Vocal for Local, Local to Global'.
This 14 day mega event has a special significance as it coincides with the celebration of 'Azadi Ka Amrit Mahotsav'.
Twenty nine states and union territories are participating in this program. Bihar, Jharkhand and Maharashtra are the partner states in the fair while Uttar Pradesh and Kerala are participating as focus states.
Twelve countries including Afghanistan, Bangladesh, Bahrain, Belarus, Iran, Nepal, Thailand, Turkey, UAE and UK are participating in the fair.
Around 2500 domestic and foreign exhibitors are participating in the trade fair to showcase their products and services.
The first five days (November 14-18) of the trade fair are exclusively reserved for business days.
'General public day' is reserved from 19 to 27 November.
About India International Trade Fair
It is an annual fair organised by India Trade Promotion Organization (ITPO) at Pragati Maidan, Delhi.
This fair was first organised in Delhi in the year 1980 and since then, it is an annual event which is much awaited by the people all over the country.
The fair provides a platform to the manufacturers, traders, exporters and importers of the country to showcase their products.
