Daily Current Affairs, 22nd November 2018

1) EAM Sushma Swaraj On A 2-Day Visit To Laos

•External Affairs Minister Sushma Swaraj is on a 2-day visit to Laos. During her visit, Ms Swaraj will co-chair the 9th Meeting of India-Laos Joint Commission on Bilateral Co-operation with her counterpart Saleumxay Kommasith.

•The two sides will review the entire gamut of bilateral relations covering areas of Defence, Agriculture, Trade and Investment, Science and IT, Energy and Mining among others. Ms Swaraj will also call on the Prime Minister of Laos, Mr Thongloun Sisoulith.

2) 12th World Congress on Mountain Medicine Held Kathmandu

•The 12th World Congress on Mountain Medicine started in Kathmandu, the capital of Nepal. The theme of the 4-day congress is “Mountain Medicine in the Heart of the Himalayas”.

•The biennial event mainly focuses on science and research aspects of high altitude medicine. The flagship event of the International Society for Mountain Medicine (ISMM) is being held first time in Nepal and hosted by Mountain Medicine Society of Nepal (MMSN). 

3) HRD Ministery Launched Institution’s Innovation Council

•HRD Minister Prakash Javadekar launched the Institution’s Innovation Councilthrough video conferencing in New Delhi. The purpose of formation of network of Institution’s Innovation Councils (IICs) is to encourage, inspire and nurture young students by exposing them to new ideas.

•More than one thousand Higher Education Institutions have already formed IICs in their campuses to promote innovation.

4) ConMac 2018 Starts in Kathmandu

•The Embassy of India in Nepal and Confederation of Indian Industry (CII)organized an exhibition of construction equipment and technology-ConMac 2018 in Bhaktapur near Kathmandu, Nepal. With more than 200,000 sq ft of display area, the exhibition is poised to be Nepal’s largest exhibition of construction equipment.

•Nepal’s Minister for Physical Infrastructure and Transport Raghubir Mahaseth will inaugurate the event. Ambassador of India to Nepal Manjeev Singh Puri will be the Guest of Honour. The exhibition aims to further enhance high level engagements between construction industry of the two countries.

5) South Korean Kim Jong Yang Named New Interpol President

•South Korea’s Kim Jong-yang has been elected as Interpol’s next president, edging out a longtime veteran of Russia’s security services, Alexander Prokopchuk, who was strongly opposed by the US, Britain and other European nations.

•Prokopchuk is a general in the Russian interior ministry and serves as an Interpol vice-president. Interpol’s 94 member states chose Kim at a meeting of their annual congress in Dubai. He will serve until 2020.

6) Voreqe Bainimarama Sworn in As Fiji’s Prime Minister

•Voreqe Bainimarama has Sworn in as Fiji’s Prime Minister for four more years after winning an election with a reduced majority. Voreqe Bainimarama was affirmed prime minister in a ceremony in the capital Suva after his FijiFirst Party won just over half the votes in the recent election.

•Bainimarama first seized power in a military coup in 2006 and refashioned himself as a legitimate leader after winning an election in 2014.

7) Millie Bobby Brown Named Youngest-Ever UNICEF Goodwill Ambassador

•The United Nations children’s agency UNICEF appointed Millie Bobby Brown, the star of hit Netflix series “Stranger Things”, as its youngest ever goodwill ambassador on Tuesday and the 14-year-old had a message for world leaders: “Listen to us.”

•The appointment – marked on World Children’s Day at United Nations Headquarters and the Empire State Building in New York – makes the 14-year-old UNICEF’s youngest-ever Goodwill Ambassador.

8) India, Russia Finalize USD 500 million Deal for Construction of 2 Warships

•India and Russia sealed a USD 500 million deal for construction of two missile frigates in Goa for the Indian Navy, sending a clear signal of continuing with high-level defence collaborations notwithstanding the US warnings of sanctions.

•The agreement for manufacturing of the two Talvar-class warships was signed between defence PSU Goa Shipyard Ltd (GSL) and Russia’s state-run defence major Rosoboron export under the government-to-government framework for defence cooperation.

9) CSE Wins Indira Gandhi Peace Prize

•Centre for Science and Environment (CSE) has won this year’s Indira Gandhi Prize for Peace, Disarmament and Development, an award conferred by Indira Gandhi Trust each year on the late Prime Minister’s birth anniversary.

•The international jury for the awards was headed by former President Pranab Mukherjee.The CSE was established in 1980 under the leadership of the late Anil Agarwal and is presently headed by Sunita Narain.

10) Airports Authority of India Signed Pact With USTDA

•State-run Airports Authority of India (AAI) has inked an agreement with the US Trade and Development Agency (USTDA) to develop a roadmap for modernization of its air traffic services.

•Air traffic services (ATS) comprises air traffic management (ATM) and communication, navigation and surveillance (CNS). The collaboration is aimed at developing a CNS/ATM roadmap for the AAI for modernization of the national airspace system (NAS).

11) MAHE Wins International Green Apple Silver Award

•Manipal Academy of Higher Education won silver in the International Green Apple Award for Environmental best practice 2018. The award was received by Derrick I. Joshua, Assistant Director, Environment Sustainability, MAHE at a ceremony at the Houses of Parliament, London.

•MAHE was selected for the award from 800 global nominations which competed to pick the greenest individuals, companies, councils and communities.