Important News: International |
ASEAN-India Maritime Exercise
Why in news: India recently sent two frontline warships to participate in the first ASEAN-India Maritime Exercise (AIME-2023).
A.AIME-2023 is the first time India has joined the exercise with ASEAN, though there have been separate exercises with ASEAN countries.
B.Objective: To enhance interoperability and exchange of best practices among the participating navies. With AIME-2023, India has become the fourth ASEAN dialogue partner to conduct the ASEAN+1 maritime exercise, after Russia, China and the US.
C.The first exercise will be held off the coast of Singapore and will have events in port and at sea off the coast of Singapore.
D.Two major warships of the Indian Navy - indigenously built destroyer INS Delhi and the recently built Shivalik-class advanced stealth frigate INS Satpura are part of the exercise.
E.It is a regional intergovernmental organization consisting of ten Southeast Asian countries. It was established with the signing of the Bangkok Declaration in 1967.
F.Objective: To promote inter-governmental cooperation and facilitate economic, political, security, military, educational and socio-cultural integration between its members and other Asian states.
G.Members: Indonesia, Malaysia, Philippines, Singapore, Thailand, Brunei, Laos, Myanmar, Cambodia and Vietnam.
(SOURCE – LIVEMINT)
Everest annual ITS ranking
Why in news: Global IT research firm Everest Group has released its annual Peak Matrix Service Provider of the Year Awards for information technology (IT) services.
A.The ranking recognizes large IT service providers with more than $2 billion in annual revenue that have demonstrated superior capabilities and service strategies.
B.For the seventh consecutive year, Accenture has secured the number one position in the rankings, followed by Tata Consultancy Services (TCS), Capgemini, Wipro and HCLTECH. TCS moved up to the second spot, while Capgemini and Wipro each jumped three places in the rankings compared to last year.
C.The 2023 ITS rankings saw major ups and downs, with Capgemini moving from sixth to third place, while Wipro moved from seventh to fourth. Infosys, on the other hand, slipped from second to seventh, while HCL moved from fourth to fifth and Cognizant from fifth to sixth.
D.New entrants to the ITS leaderboard this year include LTImindtree (No. 10), EY (No. 18), Orange Business Services (No. 19), and EPAM (No. 20). Meanwhile, UST Global and EXL dropped out of the list in 2023.
E.The ITS rankings also recognise Star Performers of the Year, achieving the largest positive relative movement year-over-year on peak matrix evaluations. This year's star performers include LTIMINDTREE, TCS, Capgemini and HCLtech.
The top 3 ITS challengers in the 2023 awards are Mphasis, Virtusa and Genser. Genser is also recognized as the Top ITS Challenger Star Performer for achieving the greatest cumulative upward mobility on the Top ITS Challengers list.
F.Accenture has retained the top spot for the seventh consecutive year. TCS has improved from the third position last year to the second position. Capgemini climbed three places to third. Wipro moved up to the fourth position from seventh last year. HCL Tech has slipped to the fifth position from the fourth position last year.
G.Cognizant slipped a notch to sixth.
Infosys was the biggest loser and slipped from second place last year to seventh this year.NTT Corporation and IBM swapped positions, with NTT taking eighth place and IBM coming in ninth. LTIMindtree ranked tenth in its top 10 for 2023, as a new entrant.
(SOURCE – INDIAN EXPRESS)
Shuttle diplomac
Why in news: In diplomacy and international relations, shuttle diplomacy is the action of an outside party in serving as an intermediary between (or among) principals in a dispute, without direct principal-to-principal contact
A.Shuttle diplomacy refers to a type of diplomacy where an intermediary travels back and forth between two or more parties to facilitate negotiations and resolve disputes.
B.It is often used when direct interaction between parties is not possible for political, geographical or security reasons. For example, efforts by the then U.S. Secretary of State Henry Kissinger in the 1970s to broker peace talks between Israel and Egypt. Kissinger flew back and forth between Jerusalem and Cairo, meeting with leaders on both sides to mediate the ceasefire and eventually the Camp David agreement.
C.Recently, the term "shuttle diplomacy" has been used to describe the efforts made by Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida and South Korean President Yoon Suk Yol to improve relations between their two countries.
D.Usage : Such words can be asked directly in the preliminary examination or in the International Relations/International Relations Act. Can be used mainly in essay paper.
(SOURCE – ECONOMIC TIMES)
Important News: National |
Global Buddhist summit in New Delhi.
Why in news: Recently, the Ministry of Culture in partnership with International Buddhist Confederation (IBC) has organized the 1st Global Buddhist Summit 2023.
A.The two-day summit was attended by Buddhist monks from various countries. The conference was attended by eminent scholars, Sangh leaders and dharma seekers from across the world.
B.It includes 173 international participants, including 84 union members and 151 Indian delegates, including 46 union members, 40 nuns and 65 delegates from outside Delhi.
C.Theme: Responses to Contemporary Challenges: Philosophy for Praxis.
D.The summit aims to discuss important global issues of today and seek answers in Buddha Dhamma based on universal values.
E.It aims to establish a platform for general Buddhist scholars and dharma masters. It seeks to delve into Buddha's message for peace, compassion and harmony with the aim of working towards universal peace and harmony in accordance with the core values of religion and to produce a document for further academic research, to study its feasibility for use as a tool for conducting international relations on a global stage.
(SOURCE – NEWS ON AIR)
“Har Ghar Dastak” campaign
Why in news: Har Ghar Dastak 2.0 campaign began across the country to ensure that all eligible beneficiaries receive full Covid-19 vaccination.
A.The campaign pays special attention to vaccination of people aged 12 to 14 years and precautionary doses for those above 60 years of age.
B.The first Har Ghar Dastak campaign was launched in November 2021. So far, 193.6 crore doses of vaccines have been administered across the country. About 96.3 per cent of people aged 15 years and above have received at least one vaccination dose and 86.3 per cent have received both doses.
C.The Union Health Ministry expressed concern over the slow pace of Covid vaccination.
D.The campaign aims to vaccinate all eligible population groups across the country for the first, second and precautionary doses through door-to-door campaigns. The campaign will focus on: old age homes, colleges, schools (for out-of-school coverage of children aged 12 to 18), brick kilns, prisons, etc.
E.Unicef is supporting this Health Ministry in this campaign. The ministry had pointed out that sub-optimal coverage of persons with precautionary doses for people aged 60 years and above, as well as slow coverage speed for those between the ages of 12 and 14 years is a matter of great concern.
F.This second round of the campaign will focus on children in the age group of 12 to 18 years. The campaign will also include a school-based campaign that includes private, government and informal schools such as day care schools, madrasas, etc. A round of this campaign will also be organized for those whose schools are closed for summer vacations.
(SOURCE –NEWS ON AIR)
Front-running
Why in news: SEBI has banned five entities, including an employee of the Life Insurance Corporation of India (LIC), from the securities market for ‘front-running’
A.The Securities and Exchange Board of India (SEBI) has banned five entities, including an employee of Life Insurance Corporation of India (LIC), from the securities market for 'front-running'
B.Front-running is an illegal practice in the stock market where an individual or entity trades based on advanced information obtained from a broker or analyst before it is made available to its clients.
C.For example, suppose a broker receives a large order from the client to buy shares of Company X. Before placing an order on behalf of the client, the broker can purchase shares of Company X for his personal account, knowing that the client's order will raise the price of the shares. Once the price of shares rises, the broker can sell its shares at a profit.
(SOURCE – NEWS ON AIR)
Important News: State |
Digital Tripura project
A.The Digital Tripura project aims to provide training to the Nodal Officers of all government departments to make all administrative work transparent, fast, and paperless.
B.Other examples of paperless governance projects are e-Office (Andhra Pradesh), e-Tendering (Maharashtra), M-Governance (Kerala) Online Land Records System (Haryana), e-Stamping (Karnataka) etc.
C.Usage: such examples can be quoted in Governance/Essay Papers to show how technology can be used to bring positive changes in the lives of citizens by providing smart and people-friendly governance.
(SOURCE –The Hindu)
Important News: Days |
International day of argenia 2023
Why in news: Every year on May 10, the International Day of Argania or the International Day of Argan Trees is celebrated worldwide to promote awareness and understanding of the environmental importance of argan trees.
A.In 1988, UNESCO declared the Organery Biosphere Reserve, which is the endemic production area of the argon tree, as a designated area. Additionally, in 2014, UNESCO inscribed all knowledge and information about the argon tree in the representative list of the intangible cultural heritage of humanity.
B.In addition, in December 2018, the Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) acknowledged the argon-based agro-silvo-pastoral system within the Et Souab-et Mansur region in Morocco as a globally important agricultural heritage system.
C.Finally, in 2021, the UN General Assembly unanimously adopted a resolution submitted by Morocco, co-sponsored by the UN's 113 member states, to declare May 10 as the International Day of Argentina, recognizing the importance of the argan tree and raising awareness of its global environmental significance.
D.The argan tree, which is native to Morocco's sub-Saharan region, especially the southwest, grows in arid and semiarid regions and is known for its resilience to harsh environments marked by water scarcity, erosion risk, and poor soil.
E.It is the defining species of the organerie woodland ecosystem, which is rich in endemic flora and is of vital importance not only in terms of conservation, but also for research and socio-economic development.
F.Argan Tree Woodlands offer forest products, fruits
and fodder, all of which are vital to the economy and livelihood of people in the region. The leaves and fruits are edible and highly valued, and serve as an important fodder reserve for livestock during periods of drought.
G.Trees are also used as fuel wood for heating and cooking. Argan oil, which is extracted from the seeds of the tree, is world-renowned and has various applications, especially in traditional and complementary medicine, as well as in the culinary and cosmetic industries.
(SOURCE – TIMES OF INDIA)
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