1. Paralympics-IPC suspends Russian, Belarusian committees with immediate effect
Tags: Sports Sports News International News
The International Paralympic Committee has suspended the National Paralympic Committees (NPCs) of Russia and Belarus with immediate effect on November 17, 2022, dashing the hopes of para-athletes competing in the 2024 Paralympics.
Important facts
Earlier athletes from both countries were barred from competing in the Beijing 2022 Winter Paralympics in March.
Russia's suspension was passed by 64 votes against 39 at the IPC's Extraordinary General Assembly in Berlin.
The suspension of the NPC of Belarus passed by 54 votes against 45.
Both NPCs have been suspended for "inability to comply with their membership obligations under the IPC constitution".
Due to the suspension, NPC Russia and NPC Belarus lose all rights and privileges of IPC membership, as per the IPC constitution.
The Russian team was also banned from the Rio Paralympics in 2016 over doping.
NPC Russia and NPC Belarus have the right to appeal against this decision.
About International Paralympic Committee
It was established on 22 September 1989 as an international non-profit organisation.
It is an athlete-centred organisation composed of an elected Governing Board, a Management Team and various Standing Committees and Councils.
Its objective is to enable Paralympic athletes to achieve sporting excellence and to inspire and excite the world.
Headquartered - Bonn, Germany
President - Andrew Parsons
2. India wins Excellence in Family Planning Leadership (EXCELL) Award-2022
Tags: Awards International News
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India is the only country to have received the Leadership in Family Planning (EXCELL) Awards-2022 in the 'country category' at the International Conference on Family Planning held in Pattaya city, Thailand.
Important facts
India has made significant progress in adopting modern contraceptive methods, which have helped couples make choices about family planning.
These are reflected in the National Family Health Survey (NFHS) - 5 data.
As per NFHS-5 data, the total contraceptive prevalence rate (CPR) in the country has increased from 54 per cent to 67 per cent as compared to NFHS-4.
Similarly, unmet needs for family planning showed a significant decline from 13 percent to 9 percent.
International Conference on Family Planning (ICFP)
It serves as a strategy for family planning and reproductive health worldwide.
It is the world’s largest scientific conference on family planning and reproductive health.
The last conference was held in 2018 at Kigali, Rwanda.
After 2009, this conference organised every two years.
The first conference was held in Kampala, Uganda, in 2009.
It provides an opportunity to engage with civil society, youth organisations, academia, governments, businesses, cities, parliaments, trade unions to disseminate knowledge, celebrate successes and recognize progress made towards universal access to family planning systems, services and products.
3. Army Chief General Manoj Pandey received guard of honour at Les Invalides in Paris
Tags: International Relations Defence International News
Army Chief General Manoj Pande who is on a four-day visit to France, received a Guard of Honour at the Les Invalides in Paris on 17 November, 2022.
Important facts
General Manoj Pande held talks with his French counterpart General Pierre Schille and discussed issues of mutual interest during his visit to the European country.
The Chief of Army Staff is on a visit to France from 14 to 17 November.
Gen Pande left for France on November 14 on a four-day visit with an aim to further strengthen the "bond of trust" between the Indian and French armies amid the rapidly evolving security matrix and geopolitical situation.
General Pande held extensive talks with the top military brass of France including the Chief of the Defence Staff, the Chief of the Army Staff and the Commander of the Land Combat Forces.
About France
France is located on the western edge of Europe
Prime minister: Élisabeth Borne
President: Emmanuel Macron
Capital: Paris
Currency: euro
4. MoU signed for exhibition of “Silver Treasures from Denmark and India” in the year 2023
Tags: International News
An MoU was signed between the National Museum, New Delhi and the Danish Museum Kolding for the exhibition “Silver Treasures from Denmark and India” on 17th November, 2022 in New Delhi.
Important facts
The exhibition will showcase the finest collection of silver from Museum Kolding and National Museum in New Delhi in March 2023.
The collaboration and exhibition is under the recently agreed Cultural Exchange Program between India and Denmark for the years 2022 to 2026.
The exhibition "Silver Treasures from Denmark and India" focuses on Danish and Indian silver artefacts, where both the museums will showcase the best silver items from their collections.
A total of 200 best displayed items will be selected in the exhibition.
For the first time, visitors to the National Museum will be able to see the parallel traditions of Indian and Danish silverware.
Major Museums of India
National Museum, New Delhi
National Gallery of Modern Art, Bengaluru
Victoria Memorial Hall, Kolkata
Asiatic Society, Kolkata
National Museum of Natural History, New Delhi
About Denmark
Denmark is a country in northern Europe. It is made up of the Jutland Peninsula and more than 400 islands in the North Sea.
Prime Minister: Mette Frederiksen
Capital: Copenhagen
Currency: Danish krone
Danish Monarch: Queen Margrethe II
Official Language: Danish
5. India, Australia convene fifth bilateral Cyber Policy Dialogue in New Delhi
Tags: International Relations International News
India and Australia held their fifth bilateral cyber policy dialogue on November 17, 2022 in New Delhi.
Important facts
The Cyber Policy Dialogue was held under the aegis of the India-Australia Framework on Cyber and Cyber-Enabled Critical Technology Cooperation and Action Plan 2020-2025 for Comprehensive and Deepening Cyber Cooperation.
The dialogue was co-chaired by Joint Secretary (Cyber Diplomacy Division) Muanpuii Saiawi from the Ministry of External Affairs.
The Indian delegation consisted of senior officials from the National Security Council Secretariat (NSCS), the Ministry of Home Affairs (MHA), the Ministry of Electronics and Information technology (MEITY), the Department of Telecommunications (DoT) and CERT-In.
The Australian delegation included senior officials from the Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade, the Department of Home Affairs, the Department of Industry, Science and Resources and the Australian Federal Police.
Both sides agreed to explore opportunities for collaboration with the private sector and academia, including the Australia-India Cyber and Critical Technology Partnership.
In addition, India and Australia will jointly organise a Cyber Bootcamp and Cyber and Tech Policy Exchange in collaboration with Indo-Pacific partners and the 6th India-Australia Cyber Policy Dialogue will be held in 2023.
Agenda of Dialogue
The Cyber Policy Dialogue provides a bilateral forum to discuss high-profile issues of mutual interest.
It discussed strategic priorities, cyber threat assessment, capacity building for next generation telecommunications (including 5G technology) and cooperation in the Indo-Pacific region, and the latest developments in cyber at the United Nations.
About Australia
Prime Minister: Anthony Albanese
Governor-General: David Hurley
Capital: Canberra
Currency: Australian dollar
6. 8th Norway-India Joint Working Group Maritime meeting
Tags: International News
8th India-Norway Joint Working Group Maritime meeting was held on18th November,2022 in Mumbai.
Important facts
In the meeting discussion was held on use of alternative fuels like green ammonia and hydrogen for futuristic shipping.
Important discussions took place on Norway-India cooperation on a green maritime future. Both the countries presented their vision and plans for the Green Sea Zone.
Additional Secretary Ministry of Ports,Shipping and Waterways (MoPSW) highlighted that the maritime trade with Norway dates back since 1600.
Norway has technical expertise in the maritime sector and India has maritime sector development capabilities and a large pool of trained seafarers, making the two countries natural complementary partners.
India is part of the Norway Green Voyage 2050 project, both sides agreed on the will, dedication, partnership and capacity building to achieve common goals.
India is a signatory to the Hong Kong Convention for the Recycling of Ships.
Minister of Ports,Shipping and Waterways - Sarbananda Sonowal
India-Norway Joint Working Group
India-Norway Joint Working Group (JWG) on Maritime meetings are being held on a regular basis.
The 7th JWG on Maritime was held in Oslo (Norway) in November, 2019.
During the 7th meeting issues related to cooperation in shipbuilding, enhancement of skill of seafarers and environment friendly ships were discussed.
Kingdom of Norway
It is a Northern European country and lies in the Scandinavian Peninsula. Scandinavian islands consist of Norway and Sweden.
It is one of the largest exporters of crude oil and natural gas in the world .It has significant oil and gas reserves in North Sea.
Prime Minister: Jonas Gahr Støre
Capital: Oslo
Currency: Norwegian krone
7. Wipro the first Indian company to set up European Work Council
Tags: Economy/Finance International News
The Indian IT giant company Wipro has reached an agreement with its employee representative to set up a European Works Council (EWC). It has become the first Indian company to set up an European works councils for its workers in Europe.
The 27 member European Union has mandated the companies which have more than 1000 employees across the European Union countries to set up EWC. Wipro which is in the business of IT (Information Technology)outsourcing has more than 1000 employees in the 13 European Union member countries.
European works councils (EWCs) are standing bodies that facilitate the information and consultation of employees in Europe. It provides an opportunity to employees of the company to be informed and consulted on the transnational companies’ strategy and status.
The first meeting of the Wipro EWC will take place in the first quarter of 2024 where the EWC will elect its chairman and select committee members.
WIPRO
It is a diversified Indian multinational company.
It was set up as Western India Vegetable Products limited company by Mohamedhusain Hasham Premji in 1945. It later changed its name to WIPRO and diversified in the business of Information Technology under Azim Premji.
It is now one of the top IT companies of India which is present in more than 100 countries of the world.
Chairman: Rishad Premji
Headquarters: Mumbai
8. Climate Change Performance Index 2023
Tags: International News
The 18th edition of the Climate Change Performance Index -2023, compiled by German watch and the Climate Action Network, was released on 15 November, 2022.
Important facts
India has improved by two places to rank eighth among 63 countries in the Climate Change Performance Index (CCPI) 2023.
India's two-place jump can be attributed to lower emissions and increased use of renewable energy.
The report track climate performance of the European Union and 59 countries, which together account for over 92 per cent of the greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions in the world.
The rankings from Germanwatch, the NewClimate Institute and the Climate Action Network are based on the efforts countries are making to halve their emissions by 2030.
The report ranked no country for the first three places because "no country performed well enough in all index categories to receive a high overall rating.
Denmark is placed fourth, Sweden fifth and Chile sixth in the ranking.
India earned a high rating in the GHG Emissions and Energy Use categories, while it got a medium rating in Climate Policy and Renewable Energy sections.
China, now the world's biggest polluter, fell 13 places to 51st in this year's ranking and received a very low rating overall because of its coal-fired power plants.
The US rose by three ranks to the 52nd place.
Iran (63rd), Saudi Arabia (62nd) and Kazakhstan (61st) fared the worst.
About Climate Change Performance Index (CCPI)
It is developed by not-for-profit organisations German watch and New Climate Institute (Germany) together with the Climate Action Network (CAN International).
It is an important tool for increasing transparency in international climate strategy and enables comparison of climate protection efforts and progress made by individual countries.
9. Indian company ReNew signs an agreement with the Egyptian government to set up Green Hydrogen plant in Egypt
Tags: Environment Economy/Finance International News
The Indian company ReNew Power Private Limited , has signed an agreement with the Egyptian government to set up a green hydrogen manufacturing facility at the Suez Canal Economic Zone in Egypt on 15 November 2022.The company will invest $8 billion in the project in phases.
Green Hydrogen refers to the breaking down of the water molecule into hydrogen and oxygen using renewable sources of energy.
ReNew Power has partnered with Elsewedy Electric S.A.E. (Elsewedy) for this project. Elsewedy is a leading integrated energy solutions provider in the Middle East and Africa, which will be the local co-developer for the project.
Highlights of the project
According to the agreement, ReNew will set up a plant with a capacity to produce 20,000 tonne green hydrogen a year, which will later be raised to 220,000 tonnes, by relying on renewable energy sources.
The project is scheduled to be implemented in phases, the first of which will be a pilot to produce 20,000 tonne green hydrogen, through a 150 MW electrolyser equipped with 570 MW of renewable energy to produce 100,000 tons of green ammonia annually.
What is Green Hydrogen, Brown Hydrogen, Blue Hydrogen?
Hydrogen is the first and the smallest element in the periodic table.
Depending upon the production method the colour of the hydrogen can be Green, Brown, Blue or Grey.
Green Hydrogen
It refers to the breaking down of the water molecule into hydrogen and oxygen using renewable sources of energy. Renewable source of energy means which can be used again and again like solar power, hydel, wind energy etc. It contains no carbon which is responsible for global warming.
Grey Hydrogen
Grey hydrogen is created from natural gas, or methane, using steam methane reformation. It produces Hydrogen and Carbon dioxide which is released in the atmosphere.
Blue Hydrogen
Blue hydrogen is produced mainly from natural gas, using a process called steam reforming, which brings together natural gas and heated water in the form of steam. It produces hydrogen and carbon dioxide.
Black and Brown Hydrogen
When black coal or lignite (brown coal) is used in the hydrogen-making process it is called as black or brown coal.
ReNew Company
ReNew is one of the largest renewable energy independent power producers globally. ReNew develops, builds, owns and operates utility-scale wind energy, solar energy and hydro projects.
As of October 10, 2022, ReNew has a gross total portfolio of 13.4 GW of renewable energy projects across India, including commissioned and committed projects.
The company has also announced investing one lakh crore in renewable energy projects, including battery storage in both Maharashtra and Karnataka.
Founder Chairman and CEO of the Company: Sumant Sinha
10. US imposes $1.4 mn fine on Air India over delay in refunds
Tags: International News
Tata Group-owned Air India has been fined $1.4 million in penalties for delayed refunds amounting to $121.5 million for delayed or cancelled flights, under an order from the US Department of Transportation.
Important facts
Under US law, airlines and ticket agents have a legal obligation to refund consumers in the event of a flight cancellation or a passenger not accepting the option offered.
According to US regulations, it is illegal for an airline to deny refunds and instead provide vouchers to such consumers.
The US Department of Transportation received a large number of complaints from air travellers that airlines had failed to provide timely refunds after cancellations or significant changes to flights.
The US Department of State has fined six airlines over delayed refunds, in what has been called a "historic" enforcement action.
The fine imposed on Air India is the third highest after Denver-based Frontier and TAP Portugal.
Apart from Air India, Frontier, TAP Portugal, Aero Mexico, EI AI and Avianca Airlines have also been fined by the US government.
