CRZ approved the construction of Pulicat bridge
Expert Appraisal Committee of the Ministry of Environment approved a proposal by the Highways Department for the construction of the bridge for the people of Pasiyavaram island on Pulicat Lake to the mainland. The committee, while granting Coastal Regulation Zone (CRZ) clearance for the bridge, with a width of 7.5 m to meet the IRC requirements, and costing Rs. 18.2 crore, noted that it was informed that the Pulicat Sanctuary Eco-Sensitive Zone (ESZ), that starts from the inter-state boundary of Tamil Nadu and Andhra Pradesh, is about 2 km away from the proposed bridge site.
DU has been ranked A+ in the NAAC review
Delhi University has been ranked A+ in the National Assessment and Accreditation Council (NAAC) review held in the last week of October. The grading provided by the council is crucial for funds and grants allotted to a university by the University Grants Commission (UGC). The grading provided by the council is crucial for funds and grants allotted to a varsity by UGC. Last year, the Jawaharlal Nehru University was ranked A++ in the NAAC review. DU got a Cumulative Grade Point Average (CGPA) of 3.28. The CGPA for A++ accreditation is between 3.51 to 4.
First Global Aviation Summit to be held in Mumbai
Supported by ICAO, IATA, ACI and CANSO, the 1st Global Aviation Summit will be held on January 15 and 16, 2019 at The Grand Hyatt in Mumbai. It aims to focus on the celebration of ‘Flying for All’ and to provide a platform to the aviation fraternity to highlight the challenges of the sector in the newly-developing growth spots.
Shooter Esha Singh beats Bhaker, Heena to win 3 national golds
India’s 13-year-old shooter Esha Singh beat the likes of Manu Bhaker and Heena Sidhu to win three gold medals in women’s air pistol events at the 62nd National Shooting Championships. The 13-year-old won the Women’s, Youth Women’s and Junior Women’s 10m Air Pistol competitions at the event.
EU sets goal to be climate neutral by 2050
The European Union sets a goal to become the first major economy to be ‘Climate Neural’ by 2050 after that the emissions of greenhouse gases need to be offset by planting trees or burying the gases underground. As per the European Union, this target can be achieved by using Solar and Wind Energy for electricity generation.
Chidaoba wrestling, Jamaican reggae, Irish hurling got UNESCO heritage tag
The Intergovernmental Committee for the Safeguarding of the Intangible Cultural Heritage, meeting in Mauritius until 1 December, inscribed six elements on the Representative List of the Intangible Cultural Heritage of Humanity. The newly inscribed elements are: ♦ Chidaoba, wrestling in Georgia, ♦ Ireland – Hurling—Hurling is a field game played by two teams using a wooden stick (hurley) to strike a small ball (sliotar) between the opposing team’s goalposts, ♦ Reggae music of Jamaica, ♦ Japan – Raiho-shin, ritual visits of deities in masks and costumes, ♦ As-Samer in Jordan, ♦ Traditional spring festive rites of the Kazakh horse breeders.
RComs Jio deal gets approved with a rider
The Supreme Court (SC) asked the Department of Telecom (DoT) to give a No-Objection Certificate (NoC) to Reliance Communications (RCom) to sell its spectrum to Reliance Jio, provided a corporate guarantee of Rs.1,400 crore is furnished by its group firm in favour of the government by December 2. A bench headed by Justice R.F.Nariman said the NoC should be given to Reliance Communications Ltd. (RCom), an Anil Ambani Group firm, by the DoT if Reliance Realty furnishes the corporate guarantee within two days. The DoT filed a petition against the order of the Telecom Disputes Settlement and Appellate Tribunal (TDSAT) which had allowed the debt-ridden RCom to sell spectrum to Reliance Jio without providing the bank guarantee of about Rs. 2,900 crore to the DoT. No Objection Certificate (NoC): ♦ NoC is a type of legal certificate issued by any agency, organization, institute or, in certain cases, an individual ♦ It does not object to the covenants of the certificate ♦ The certification is a requirement at most government-based departments predominantly from the Indian subcontinent
Indian Owl Festival, Indias first owl fest, held in Pune
The Indian Owl Festival, India’s first owl fest, was held at Pingori village in Purandar taluka of Pune, Maharashtra. The festival was organized by Ela Foundation. It created awareness on owl conservation and feature art forms like pictures, paintings, lanterns, lamp shades, posters, origami, stitched articles, poems and stories on owls.
Fourth India-Mozambique Joint Commission meeting held in New Delhi
India-Mozambique Joint Commission on Economic, Cultural, Scientific and Technical Cooperation held its 4th session in Jawaharlal Nehru Bhawan, New Delhi. The meeting was chaired by the External Affairs Minister of India, Sushma Swaraj, and the Minister of Foreign Affairs & Cooperation of the Republic of Mozambique, Mr. Jose Condungua Antonio Pacheco. Bilateral relations between the two countries were reviewed. In 2017, India was the largest destination for Mozambican exports, which accounted for 35% of its total export revenue. Tica-Buzi Highway funded by Indian credit-line of about 150 million US Dollars was implemented recently in Mozambique.
Bajrang Punia and Vinesh Phogat included in the top Rs 30-lakh Grade A contract
Bajrang Punia, Vinesh Phogat and Pooja Dhanda have been offered Wrestling Federation of India’s (WFI) first-ever Grade ‘A’ contract system with a top pay bracket of Rs 30 lakh, while two-time Olympic medallist Sushil Kumar and Rio Games bronze winner Sakshi Malik have been placed in Grade ‘B’ with a financial support of Rs 20 lakh each annually. The wrestlers’ contracts will be up for review after a year’s time.
Y.K.Koo resigns as MD and CEO of HMIL
Y.K.Koo, the present Managing Director and Chief Executive Officer, Hyundai Motor India Ltd. (HMIL) resigned his position as he is to move back to Korea to take up a new role after completing a three-year term in India. He has been with the Hyundai Motor Company for more than 34 years, handling different assignments. He has served HMIL for over nine years. Seon Seob Kim, head of business operations division, will replace Mr.Koo as the MD & CEO of Hyundai Motor India Ltd. (HMIL).
Modi meets Trump, Putin and May ahead of G20 summit
Prime Minister Narendra Modi interacted with U.S. President Donald Trump, Russian President Vladimir Putin, and British Prime Minister Theresa May ahead of the G-20 summit in Buenos Aires. The brief exchange of views took place before the first trilateral meeting between Mr. Modi, Mr. Trump and Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe scheduled for later in the day. Mr. Modi had held separate bilateral meetings with Chinese President Xi Jinping, Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman, and UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres. Mr.Modi and Mr.Xi discussed joint efforts to further enhance mutual trust and friendship. Asserting that the Wuhan meeting was a milestone in India-China ties, Mr. Modi told Mr. Xi that he was looking forward to host him for an informal summit next year.
Abhinav Bindra 1st Indian to receive Blue Cross from ISSF
India’s Olympic gold medal-winning shooter Abhinav Bindra became the first Indian to be honoured with the Blue Cross by the International Shooting Sport Federation (ISSF) for his contribution to the sport of shooting. The Blue Cross is the highest laurel for shooters given by the ISSF. Bindra won an Olympic gold (2008), a World Championship gold (2006), 7 CWG medals and 3 Asian Games medals. He was given the Arjuna award in 2000, the Rajiv Gandhi Khel Ratna in 2001 and the Padma Bhushan in 2009.
Union Government launches Bhasha Sangam to introduce school students to 22 Indian languages
The Government launched ‘Bhasha Sangam’, a unique initiative to introduce school students to 22 Indian languages. Bhasha Sangam launched under Ek Bharat Shreshtha Bharat. It is a programme for schools and educational institutions to offer multilingual exposure to students in Indian languages. The main aim is to improve linguistic tolerance and respect and promote national integration.
US, Mexico and Canada sign new trade deal to replace NAFTA
US President Donald Trump, Mexican President Enrique Peña Nieto and Canadian PM Justin Trudeau signed the new US-Mexico-Canada Agreement (USMCA) which will replace the 24-year-old North American Free Trade Agreement (NAFTA). USMCA will govern over a trillion dollars worth of trade between the three countries. The new agreement requires that 40% of cars eventually be made in countries that pay autoworkers at least $16 an hour – that is, the US and Canada and not Mexico – to qualify for duty-free treatment under the trade pact.
DAIC And JNU Sign MoU To Facilitate Research Activities & Policy Formulation
Dr. Ambedkar International Centre (DAIC), 15 Janpath, New Delhi, and Jawaharlal Nehru University, New Delhi, signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) to facilitate and enhance research activities and policy formulation aimed at Socio-economic Transformation and Sustainable Development.
