1. HAL and BEL in the top 100 defence companies list of SIPRI
Tags: Reports Defence International News
Two Indian government owned defence companies Hindustan Aeronautics Limited (HAL) and Bharat Electronics Limited (BEL) have been included by the Stockholm International Peace Research Institute((SIPRI) in its list of 100 top defence companies in the world 2021. In a report released by SIPRI on 5 December 2022 HAL was ranked 42nd with $3.3 billion in arms sales and HAL was ranked at 63rd Rank with $1.8 billion sales in 2021.
HAL is the manufacturer of fighter aircrafts like LCA Tejas, Su-30MKI, helicopters like LCH Prachand etc, and trainer aircrafts for the Indian Air Force. BEL manufactures advanced electronics equipment for the armed forces.
Last year apart from HAL and BEL, Indian Ordnance Factories were included in the top 100 defence companies.
Highlights of SIPRI report
In 2021, the total arms sales of the world’s Top 100 totalled $592 billion in 2021, marking an increase of 1.9 per cent in their arms sales compared with 2020.
The United States has 40 companies in the top 100 defence companies in the world.
The top 5 companies are all American.
China has 8 companies in the top 100 companies.
Country-wise, in the 2021 list,
- US companies topped with a share of 51 per cent of the total arms sales, followed by Chinese companies with 18 per cent,
- UK firms with 6.8 per cent, and
- French companies with 4.9 per cent share.
Russian companies garnered only 3 per cent of the global share.
India is the world’s second-biggest importer of weapons after Saudi Arabia and is also the world’s third-biggest spender on defence after the US and China.
Stockholm International Peace Research Institute (SIPRI)
SIPRI is an independent international institute dedicated to research into conflict, armaments, arms control and disarmament. It is funded mainly by the Swedish Government.
It was set up in 1966
Headquarters: Solana, Sweden
2. 18th Joint Working Group meet between India, Bangladesh on security, border management
Tags: International Relations International News
A two-day 18th Joint Working Group (JWG) meeting on security and border management between India and Bangladesh started on 5 December in Delhi.
Important facts
Both sides will discuss strengthening the bilateral mechanism to deal with the menace of terrorism and extremism in all its forms.
Both sides will also discuss issues to develop mechanisms to further hasten the process of verification of nationality, and status of prisoners lodged in jails of either country.
The Indian delegation for the JWG meeting is being led by Piyush Goyal, Additional Secretary in the Ministry of Home Affairs (MHA).
An Additional Secretary level officer is also heading the group of eight-member Bangladeshi delegation which will discuss the issues of common concern of the two neighbouring countries that share a 4,096 km border.
This Additional Secretary level meeting is related to the preparation in advance for the Home Secretary level talks between India and Bangladesh.
The 17th Home Secretary level talks between India and Bangladesh and the meeting of the Joint Working Group between the two countries were held in Dhaka on November 16-17, 2015 to discuss the security and border management-related issues.
The Indian delegation was led by the then Union Home Secretary Rajiv Mehrishi and the Bangladesh delegation was led by the then Senior Secretary, Ministry of Home Affairs, Dr Md. Mozammel Haque Khan.
3. G7 price cap on Russian oil comes into force, Indian not to be affected: Hardeep Singh Puri
Tags: Economy/Finance International News
The Group of 7 countries (G7) price cap of $60 per barrel on the Russian seaborne oil came into effect on 5 December 2022. Seaborne oil means petroleum crude oil which is transported through tankers. It doesn't include Russian oils transported through pipelines. Russia however has refused to accept the decision of the G7 countries.
The G7( The United States of America, Canada, France, Germany, Italy ,United Kingdom and Japan) attempt to target Russian oil supplies is seen as an attempt by the western countries to limit the Russian ability to finance its war on Ukraine .
Russia which is the world’s second largest exporter of petroleum oil in the world after Saudi Arabia attacked Ukraine on 24 February as it accused Ukraine of genocide in the Eastern part of Ukraine . Western countries are supporting Ukraine and in an effort to cripple the Russian war effort, have imposed a series of sanctions on Russia.
Oil Price Cap
The G7 countries, Australia and the European Union have agreed to impose a $60 per barrel price cap on Russian crude oil transported through sea.
The G7 agreement allows Russian oil to be shipped to third-party countries using G7 and EU tankers, insurance companies and banks, only if the cargo is bought at or below the $60 per barrel cap.
However Industry players and a U.S. official said in October that Russia can access enough tankers to ship most of its oil beyond the reach of the cap, underscoring the limits of the most ambitious plan yet to curb Russia's wartime revenue.
Impact on India
The Union Minister of Petroleum and Natural Gas Hardeep Singh Puri has said that the decision of the G7 countries will not impact India.
He said that ‘Russia is not our top supplier of oil; our traditional top suppliers are Iraq, Saudi Arabia, and the UAE”. In 2021-22, India imported 53 percent of its oil from these countries. In 2022-23, between April and September, 52 percent of India’s crude oil imports came from these countries,”
He said that if Russia refuses to sell crude oil at the capped price or cuts down production, it will affect the global supply chain. It will put pressure on producing countries to meet the energy demand, resulting in a spike in crude prices.
4. Air Pollution second largest cause of death & disability in Bangladesh: World Bank
Tags: Reports International News
According to a World Bank report released on 4 December, 2022, air pollution is the second largest cause of death and disability in Bangladesh and costs about 3.9 to 4.00 percent of the country’s GDP.
Important facts
According to report air pollution caused the death of between 78,000 to 88,000 thousand people in Bangladesh in 2019.
Bangladesh was ranked as the most polluted country in the world, and Dhaka as the second most polluted city each year between 2018 and 2021.
The report found that major construction sites and traffic in Dhaka have the highest levels of pollution.
In these places, particulate matter (PM2.5), which is considered the most dangerous to health, exceeds WHO air quality guidelines (AQG) by an average of 150 percent, which is equivalent to smoking about 1.7 cigarettes per day.
The second highest concentration of PM2.5 levels is found near brick kilns in Greater Dhaka, which is 136 percent above the WHO AQG – equivalent to smoking 1.6 cigarettes per day.
In Bangladesh, Dhaka is the most polluted division while Sylhet is the least polluted.
The western regions (Khulna and Rajshahi) are more polluted than the eastern ones (Sylhet and Chattogram).
Exposure to high levels of air pollution increases the risk of difficulties in breathing, cough, respiratory tract infections, depression, and other health conditions.
The World Bank report said children under five, the elderly and people with diabetes, heart or respiratory disease are most vulnerable.
5. Jindal Shadeed Group to set up a $3 billion green steel plant in Oman
Tags: Economy/Finance International News
The Jindal Shadeed Group has announced that it will invest more than $3 billion to set up a green steel plant in a special economic zone in the southern port city of Duqm, Oman. The hydrogen-ready steel project will have a capacity to produce 5 million tonnes of steel a year. The proposed new green steel plant will use natural gas for the production of steel.
Jindal Shadeed Group is a wholly owned subsidiary of Naveen Jindal’s Jindal Steel and Power Limited (JSPL) Company. It also has a 2 million tonnes steel per annum steel plant at Sohar in Oman.
What is Green Steel?
Green steel is the manufacturing of steel without the use carbon intensive fossil fuels. The steel is produced by using low-carbon energy sources such as hydrogen, natural gas, coal gasification, or electricity instead of the traditional carbon-intensive manufacturing route of coal-fired plants.
Why the need for Green steel?
Steel is one of the most used metals in the modern Industrial sectors. It is used to make household items, cars, defence equipment etc. The Steel Industry is one of the major contributors to global warming. Around 75 per cent of steel globally is made in coal-fired blast furnaces, which releases large amounts of carbon dioxide into the atmosphere contributing to global warming.
To reduce the carbon emission the government is encouraging the steel companies to use hydrogen or low carbon energy sources for production of steel.
Green Steel and India
The iron ore and steel industry globally accounts for around 8 percent of total CO2 emissions on an annual basis, whereas in India, it contributes 12 percent to the total CO2 emissions.
India has committed itself to achieve net zero carbon emission by 2070 and if India has to achieve that target then the Indian steel industry needs to reduce its emissions to net-zero by 2070.
Anil Agarwal-owned Vedanta company has signed an agreement with IIT-Bombay to develop technology for producing green steel using hydrogen.
Jindal Steel & Power Ltd (JSPL) plans to develop its Odisha plant into the largest and greenest facility in the world. The company claims to be the first steelmaker in the world to build coal gasification to produce steel using clean coal technologies.
6. Dr Jitendra Singh led the Indian delegation at the Abu Dhabi Space Debate
Tags: International Relations International News
Dr Jitendra Singh, Minister of State for Atomic Energy and Space, led the Indian delegation to the Abu Dhabi Space Debate, which began in the United Arab Emirates on 5 December. He addressed the inaugural session along with Israeli President Isaac Herzog.
Important facts
In this two-day international meeting, Dr. Jitendra Singh participated in the Ministerial level meeting on 'Role of Foreign Policy in Enabling Space Diplomacy and International Cooperation'.
He also discussed ways to strengthen bilateral space cooperation with Sarah Al Amiri, UAE Minister of State for Advanced Technology and Chairperson of the UAE Space Agency.
During the conversation, Dr. Singh also discussed the joint startup venture between India and UAE on cutting edge and emerging space technology.
The Indian Space Research Organization (ISRO) and the UAE Space Agency (UAESA) signed an MoU in 2016 regarding cooperation in the exploration and uses of outer space for peaceful purposes.
UAE's first nanosatellite- 'Nayif-1' was launched by PSLV from Sriharikota to collect environmental space data.
UAE's achievements in the space sector
The UAE is an emerging space power and has made rapid progress in the last 25 years of its space journey.
In July 2020, the UAE sent its Mars mission into space named 'Hope Probe', which entered Mars orbit in February 2021.
The UAE is the first Arab country and the sixth country in the world to achieve this feat.
UAE is planning to launch Rasheed Rover or Emirates Lunar Mission soon.
In September 2019, Hanzala Al Mansoori from the United Arab Emirates became the first astronaut to go into space when he went to the International Space Station (ISS) for eight days via a Russian spacecraft from Kazakhstan.
This year, another astronaut from the United Arab Emirates was selected to travel to the ISS aboard NASA's crew rotation flight, SpaceX Crew-6, for a period of six months.
About UAE
Capital : Abu Dhabi
Currency: Emirati Dirham
President : Sheikh Mohamed bin Zayed Al Nahyan
7. Indonesia raises volcano warning to highest after Semeru erupts
Tags: Environment place in news International News
The Indonesian authorities raised the warning on Semeru volcano to the highest level on 4 December 2022 after an eruption spewed a column of ash high into the air.
The eruption in the Semeru volcano located in the East Java province follows a series of earthquakes on the west of the island, including one last month that killed more than 300 people.
The eruption started on 3 December 2022 and the plume from the volcano reached a height of 50,000 feet (15 km).
The Indonesian authorities have started the evacuation of people including children and seniors, living near the volcano.
Mount Semeru last erupted in December 2021, killing at least 69 people. At that time the eruption had left entire streets filled with mud and ash, swallowing homes and vehicles, with nearly 10,000 people seeking refuge.
Indonesia sits on the Pacific Ring of Fire, where the meeting of continental plates causes high volcanic and seismic activity.
Indonesia has around 142 volcanoes and it has the largest population (86 lakh) in the world living within 10 km close range to volcanoes.
8. 3 Indian-Origin Women Scientists Among Australia's "Superstars of STEM"
Tags: Person in news International News
Three Indian-origin women among 60 scientists, technologists, engineers and mathematicians have been selected as Australia's 'STEM Superstars'.
Important facts
It is an initiative aimed at breaking the gendered perceptions of society about scientists.
In 2022, three Indian-origin women to be recognized as STEM superstars are Neelima Kadiala, Dr. Ana Baburamani and Dr. Indrani Mukherjee.
Apart from Indians, women scientists of Sri Lankan origin have also been selected in this.
About Australia’s ‘Superstars of STEM'
Each year Science and Technology Australia (STA), the country's apex body in this field and representing more than 105,000 scientists and technologists, selects 60 Australian experts working in science, technology, engineering and mathematics (STEM).
Neelima Kadiyala
Kadiala is an IT Program Manager at Challenger Limited and has 15 years of experience across multiple industries including Financial Services, Telco and FMCG.
She moved to Australia in 2003 as an international student to pursue a Master of Business in Information Systems.
Dr. Ana Baburamani
Baburamani is Scientific Adviser in the Department of Defense - Science and Technology Group and has always been fascinated by how the brain develops and functions.
Baburamani completed her PhD at Monash University and has spent 10 years as a post-doctoral researcher in Europe.
Dr. Indrani Mukherjee
Ms Mukherjee is a geologist at the University of Tasmania and focuses on what drove the biological transition.
She is working as a postdoctoral researcher in Tasmania, as well as in the areas of public outreach, geoscience communication and diversity initiatives.
9. Scientists revive nearly 48,500-year-old 'Zombie Virus' from bottom of frozen lake in Russia
Tags: Science and Technology International News
French scientists have warned of the onset of another outbreak after they revived a 48,500-year-old zombie virus buried under a frozen lake in Russia.
Important facts
It has broken the previous record of a 30,000-year-old virus discovered by the same team in Siberia in 2013.
This report is published in the New York Post.
The new research was prepared by Jean-Marie Alempic, a microbiologist at the French National Center for Scientific Research.
It has been said in the report that due to the survival of this zombie virus, a more devastating situation can arise in plants, animals and humans.
Scientists have expressed the possibility of another epidemic like corona due to the survival of this virus.
Threat of melting glacier
According to the report, due to global warming, permanently frozen ice is melting, which covers a quarter of the northern hemisphere.
This has a destabilising effect on organic matter that has been frozen for millions of years, including deadly microbes.
Research has shown that part of this organic matter includes revived cellular microbes (prokaryotes, unicellular eukaryotes) as well as viruses that have been dormant since prehistoric times.
What is a Zombie Virus?
Zombie virus is the term given to a virus that is frozen in ice and therefore dormant.
Research mentions 13 viruses, each of which has its own genome.
It is called Pandoravirus Yedoma which is 48,500 years old and has the ability to infect other organisms.
It was discovered at the bottom of a lake in Yukechi Alas in Yakutia, Russia.
All of the zombie viruses have the potential to be infectious and hence pose a health danger.
Scientists believe that epidemics like Covid 19 will become more common in the future.
10. Russia refuses to give Pakistan 30-40 percent discount on crude oil
Tags: International News
On 1 December, Russia denied Pakistan a 30–40 percent discount on Russian crude oil after the Pakistani delegation demanded a reduction in the price during talks in Moscow.
Important facts
Earlier this week, a Pakistani delegation demanded oil concessions during talks in Moscow.
Pakistani officials said that they should also be given oil with a discount of 30-40 per cent on the price like India.
Pakistan's official delegation was on a three-day visit to Moscow starting on the 29th of November.
Russia also promised to consider Pakistan's demand and to share its mind later on through diplomatic channels.
Russian crude oil can be processed in Pakistan's refineries, and in the past one private refinery had used Russian crude oil to deliver finished products.
Russia can offer crude at the rates it is providing to its large client countries, which are reliable and sound economies, at a suitable time.
