An Indian Foreign Service (IFS) officer from the 2004 batch, "Shri Bandaru Wilsonbabu", presently the Indian ambassador to the Republic of Madagascar has been concurrently accredited as the next ambassador to the Union of Comoros, the Ministry of External Affairs said on Thursday(17th Nov 2022). 

 

He is expected to take up the assignment shortly. The Comoros is an independent country made up of 3 islands in southeastern Africa.

 

About the Comoros : The Comoros is a volcanic archipelago off Africa’s east coast, in the warm Indian Ocean waters of the Mozambique Channel.

The nation state’s largest island, Grande Comore (Ngazidja) is ringed by beaches and old lava from active Mt. Karthala volcano.

Around the port and medina in the capital, Moroni, are carved doors and a white colonnaded mosque, the Ancienne Mosquée du Vendredi, recalling the islands’ Arab heritage..

Source : ANI

International Men's Day is celebrated on November 19 to raise awareness about the health of men and also to highlight their socio-economic, cultural, and political achievements. The day also celebrates the positive value that men bring to the world and motivates them to become positive role models.

The day was first celebrated by Dr Jerome Teelucksingh in 1999, according to the International Men's Day website. Teelucksingh was a history lecturer at the University of West Indies in Trinidad and Tobago.

 

Indian men's advocate Uma Challa, a mother of two, has also made significant contributions to popularising the day. She is the founder of several organisations and pioneered the celebration of International Men's Day in India in 2007, despite being oblivious about the origin of the date. By observing the day, Ms Challa aimed at underlining the abuse faced by some men over the alleged bias. 

 

International Men's Day 2022 Theme : This theme for International Men's Day 2022 is "Helping men and boys". The theme aims to celebrate the positive contribution of men to this world, families, and communities and promote their well-being.

 

Significance :  Be it a father, brother, or husband, men play major roles in their lives. International Men's Day is dedicated to these men and enables them to bring to light the issues they face. It is aimed at ensuring good emotional, physical, social, and spiritual health of men. However, the day is not just about celebrating men but also improving gender relations and promoting gender equality..

Source : NDTV

World Toilet Day is celebrated on November 19 every year to raise awareness about people living without access to safely managed sanitation and initiate action to tackle the global sanitation crisis.

* The UN General Assembly declared World Toilet Day an official UN day in 2013 after Singapore had tabled the resolution.

 

World Toilet Day theme 2022 : The theme of World Toilet Day 2022 is "Let’s make the invisible visible."

 

World Toilet Day significance : Today, 3.6 billion people are still living with poor-quality toilets that ruin their health and pollute their environment.

* Over 800 children under age five die from diarrhoea linked to unsafe water, sanitation and poor hygiene.

* Even where toilets are there, overflows and leaves from pipes and septic systems and dumping or improper treatment lead to untreated waste spreading into the environment.

* Everyone should have access to a toilet connected to a sanitation system that effectively removes and treats human waste.

* Inadequate sanitation systems spread human waste into rivers, lakes and soil.

* "Safe sanitation protects groundwater. Toilets that are properly sited and connected to safely managed sanitation systems, collect, treat and dispose of human waste, and help prevent human waste from spreading into groundwater," United Nations said.

* It added, "Sanitation must withstand climate change. Toilets and sanitation systems must be built or adapted to cope with extreme weather events so that services always function and groundwater is protected."

* The UN website states, "Sanitation action is urgent. We are seriously off track to ensure safe toilets for all by 2030. With only eight years left, the world needs to work four times faster to meet our promise."

Source : Times now News

Ukrainian Infrastructure Minister Oleksandr Kubrakov said on Thursday(17th Nov 2022) that the Black Sea grain deal between Ukraine and Russia will be extended for another 120 days.

 

He said continuing the grain export agreement brokered by Turkey with the UN was "another important step in the global fight against the food crisis."

 

Russia's Foreign Ministry also confirmed that the deal would be extended "without changes in terms of scope" to the current agreement.

 

* UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres welcomed the agreement "by all parties to continue the Black Sea Grain Initiative to facilitate the safe navigation of export of grain, foodstuffs and fertilizers from Ukraine."

 

* Guterres also emphasized the necessity to remove remaining obstacles to export food and fertilizer from Russia.  

 

* "Both agreements signed in Istanbul three months ago are essential to bring down the prices of food and fertilizer and avoid a global food crisis," Guterres said. 

 

* Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan praised the extension of the deal. "It has been clearly seen how important and beneficial this agreement is for the food supply and security of the world," he wrote on Twitter.

 

* Top European Union officials also welcomed the extension, with European Council President Charles Michel describing it as "good news for a wold that badly needs access to grain and fertilizers."

 

* European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen said the breakthrough "helps avoid global food shortages and brings down prices despite Russia's war."..

Source : DW

Chief Election Commissioner of India "Shri Rajiv Kumar" has been invited by Election Commission of Nepal as International Observer for the forthcoming elections to Nepal’s House of Representatives and Provincial Assembly.

Elections are scheduled in Nepal on 20th November, 2022 for the Federal and Provincial elections to elect 275 members of the Federal Parliament and 550 seats of the seven Provincial Assemblies.

 

Shri Rajiv Kumar will be leading a delegation of ECI officials as State guest in Nepal from 18th November to 22nd November, 2022. During his visit Shri Kumar would be visiting Polling stations at Kathmandu and areas around.

 

ECI also has a similar International Election Visitors Program where members from other Election Management Bodies are invited to experience firsthand our General and Assembly Elections held periodically.

 

The Election Commission of India has always been in the forefront with fellow Election Management Bodies (EMBs) and relevant international organizations/associations in promoting the cause of democracy worldwide, through bilateral as well as multilateral interactions and has always endeavored to promote contacts, facilitate exchange of knowledge and sharing of best practices with a view to strengthen democratic institutions and processes.

ECI’s India International Institute of Democracy and Election Management (IIIDEM) has by far trained more than 2200 officers from 109 countries of whom 70 officers from Nepal have also been trained as part of capacity building initiatives. A capacity building program for 25 officials from Election Commission of Nepal is also scheduled to be held from 13th to 24th March 2023 at IIIDEM..

Source : PIB

LinkedIn Chief Executive Officer "Ryan Roslansky" is gearing up for growth for the social-networking site in markets such as India, even as it prepares for economic headwinds more broadly by pausing hiring.

 

* India has become LinkedIn’s fastest-growing market as more companies and advertisers come online, with sales in the country rising at a 50% year-on-year clip, Roslansky told Bloomberg TV on Thursday(17th Nov 2022) on the sidelines of the Bloomberg New Economy Forum in Singapore.

* “What’s going to happen in the next 10 years in India is being written right now," he said.

 

* The business networking service owned by Microsoft Corp. is looking abroad for new growth opportunities as the worsening economic climate weighs on its US home market. He said LinkedIn has paused hiring to prepare for tougher conditions.

 

* The majority of LinkedIn’s growth is happening outside of the United States, he said, adding that new members are joining the networking site in markets such as India, Indonesia and Western Europe..

Source : Mint

Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Saturday(19th Nov 2022) inaugurated the first Greenfield airport in Arunachal Pradesh - the "Donyi Polo Airport" - 25km away from Itanagar. A greenfield airport is one which is built from scratch on a new (undeveloped) site. 

 

The airport is expected to play a major role in improving connectivity and will also contribute to the growth of trade and tourism in the region, Dilip Sajnani, Director of Airport Authority of India told.

 

The Donyi Polo Airport, Itanagar will be inaugurated. This is the 1st greenfield airport in the state. Commerce and connectivity will gain immensely from this project,” PM Modi tweeted on Friday evening.

 

 

1. The airport has been developed in an area of over 690 acres at a cost of more than ₹640 crore. It has a 2,300 m long runway and is well-suited for all-weather day operations, as per a government statement.

 

2. The name of the airport reflects the traditions and rich cultural heritage of Arunachal Pradesh and the age-old indigenous reverence to the Sun ('Donyi') and the Moon ('Polo') in the state, the Prime Minister's Office (PMO) highlighted in the release ahead of the launch.

 

3. The airport terminal is a modern building, which promotes energy efficiency, renewable energy and recycling of resources. The terminal at Hollongi has been constructed approximately at a cost of ₹955 crore over an area of 4,100 sq m and has a peak handling capacity of 200 passengers per hour.

 

4. The Donyi Polo Airport is the fourth operational airport in Arunachal Pradesh, PM Modi said during the launch event. "Seven airports have been developed since 2014," PM Modi said during the inauguration.

 

5. The foundation stone for this airport was laid by PM Modi in 2019.

 

 

Meanwhile, the launch event also witnessed PM Modi dedicating 600 MW Kameng Hydro Power Station to the nation. The power station has been developed at a cost of more than ₹8,450 crore and the project aims to turn Arunachal Pradesh into a power surplus state. The project is in line with India's commitment to move towards green energy initiatives and will also benefit the National Grid in terms of grid stability and integration..

Source : Hindustan Times

* “Homer” was chosen by the Cambridge Dictionary as the word of the year for 2022, citing Wordle as its source of inspiration.

* When the word “homer” was a response in the word game Wordle, it was searched almost 75,000 times during the first week of May 2022.

 

* The term “homer” in the context of the game does not allude to the Greek poet and author or a Simpsons character, but rather to an informal American English term for a baseball “home run.”

 

* Homer, a word, which is only known to Americans.

 

* Homer is short for a home run which means a point scored in baseball when you hit the ball, usually out of the playing field, and are able to run around all the bases at one time to the starting base..

* Cambridge Dictionary as the word of the year for 2022 : Homer

* Cambridge Dictionary as the word of the year for 2021 : Perseverance

* Cambridge Dictionary as the word of the year for 2020 : Quarantine

* Cambridge Dictionary as the word of the year for 2019 : upcycling

* Cambridge Dictionary as the word of the year for 2018 : nomophobia


Source : Times of India

Tamil Nadu’s Forest Department has introduced an elephant death audit framework to put in place a more detailed and transparent process for recording and monitoring elephant deaths in the State.

 

The broad objectives of Elephant Death Audit Framework (EDAF), the first-of-its-kind initiative in the country, are threefold, said Supriya Sahu, Additional Chief Secretary, Environment, Climate Change and Forests.

 

Reason : Detailed and transparent process for recording and monitoring elephant deaths.

 

The document also help to study the conditions of avoidable and unnatural deaths, while preparing developing preventative strategies.

 

It also specifies a methodical standard process for carrying out an autopsy to ascertain the causes of an elephant's demise..

Source : The Hindu

Tripura chief minister "Dr Manik Saha" Thursday(17th Nov 2022) said his government is working to ensure all central and state-sponsored schemes reach every doorstep and launched a new portal, ‘Amar Sarkar’, to act as a bridge between the people and the government.

 

While launching ‘Amar Sarkar’ at the Muktadhara auditorium in Agartala, the chief minister said, “The state government is ‘Amar Sarkar’ or a government of every single citizen. Our government is constantly working to fulfil people’s expectations and solve their problems.

We want to provide benefits of all central and state-sponsored schemes to the people and this is possible only through technology. To ensure this, the portal is being launched to help people register problems and complaints through village committee officials. The portal will work as a bridge between the people and the government.”

 

A total of 78 departments, including the panchayat department, has been included in the webportal. Saha further stressed on ‘Nashamukt Tripura’ and said development is not possible under the influence of intoxication.

 

Deputy chief minister and panchayat minister Jishnu Devvarma in his speech stressed on imparting proper training for using the portal..

Source : Indian Express