1 India and Guyana signed ten agreements to enhance cooperation in health, hydrocarbons, agriculture and related matters
During the state visit of Prime Minister Narendra Modi to the South American country Guyana, India and Guyana signed 10 important agreements . These agreements include important areas such as energy, agriculture, health, digital transformation and cultural cooperation . The most important agreement between the two countries was in the field of hydrocarbons , in which agreement was reached on cooperation in the supply of crude oil, natural gas, infrastructure development and capacity building. This agreement will strengthen India’s energy security. At the same time, in the agricultural sector, both the countries agreed to improve agriculture and related industries through the exchange of scientific information, resources and experts. Meanwhile, a three-year cultural exchange program (2024-27) was also signed which will promote cooperation in areas such as theater, music, fine arts, literature and museum development. This will strengthen the cultural ties of the two countries. In the field of health, an agreement was reached on the Indian Pharmacopoeia, which will enable the health ministries of both countries to share drug regulation and best practices. At the same time, an agreement was reached under the Jan Aushadhi Yojana (PMBJP) which will help in providing affordable medicines to CARICOM countries. The India Stack for Digital Transformation MoU was signed which focuses on sharing India’s successful digital solutions and capacity building, training and pilot projects. An agreement was also reached to implement a digital payment system like UPI in Guyana. An agreement was signed between Prasar Bharati and Guyana’s National Communication Network to collaborate and share content in the fields of culture, science, sports and news broadcasting. Lastly, an agreement was signed between Guyana’s National Defence Institute (NDI) and India’s Rashtriya Raksha University (RRU) which will promote research, education and training in national security and defence studies.
2 Dominica conferred its highest national honour ‘Dominica Award of Honour’ to Prime Minister Narendra Modi
Dominica has conferred its highest national honour – ‘ Dominica Award of Honour ‘ – on Prime Minister Narendra Modi . Dominica’s President Sylvanie Berton presented this award in recognition of Prime Minister Modi’s contribution to Dominica during the Covid pandemic and his dedication towards strengthening the partnership between the two countries.
3 Guyana and Barbados will give highest honor to PM Modi
On November 20, the Guyana government announced to confer the country’s highest national award ‘The Order of Excellence ‘ on PM Modi . Apart from this, Barbados will also honour him with the ‘ Honorary Award of Freedom of Barbados’ . It is noteworthy that before reaching Guyana, Prime Minister Modi completed his visit to Nigeria, where he held successful bilateral talks with President Tinubu . During this visit, Nigeria conferred its highest honour ‘Grand Commander of the Order of the Niger’ (GCON) to Prime Minister Modi.
4 Negotiations on FTA between India and UK will resume in 2025
The talks on the Free Trade Agreement (FTA) between India and Britain will resume in the new year 2025. This was announced after the meeting between PM Modi and UK Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer during the G20 summit held in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil. A statement issued by the British government said that Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer has announced that the UK-India trade talks will resume in the new year. Negotiations for the proposed FTA between the two countries began in January 2022. So far 14 rounds of talks have taken place between the two sides. However, many controversial issues are yet to be resolved. According to the Commerce Ministry, the FTA talks will resume discussions from the progress achieved earlier and will try to bridge the gaps to complete the trade deal faster. India’s trade relations with Britain are growing steadily. According to the latest data from April to September 2024, India’s exports to the UK have increased by 12.38 per cent to reach $7.32 billion as compared to $6.51 billion in the same period of the year 2023. The UK is a priority country for India to achieve the export target of one trillion dollars by the financial year 2029-30, with exports expected to reach $30 billion by 2029-30.
5 Delhi University alumnus Harini Amarasooriya becomes Prime Minister of Sri Lanka
On November 18, Harini Amarasuriya was made the new Prime Minister of Sri Lanka . She took charge as the 16th Prime Minister . Amarasuriya is the third woman to hold the post of Prime Minister in Sri Lanka . Before her, Sirimavo Bandaranaike (3 times) and Chandrika Kumaratunga (1 time) have been the women Prime Ministers of the country. Harini Amarasuriya has become the Prime Minister of Sri Lanka but she has studied from India. She has done her higher education from Delhi University, India . In the year 1988-89, the situation in Sri Lanka became violent due to the Tamil movement. During this time schools and colleges were closed. In such a situation, Harini Amarasuriya came to India for further studies. In the year 1991, she took admission in the prestigious Hindu College of Delhi University, from where she received a bachelor’s degree in sociology. After this, she did her PhD in Social Anthropology from Edinburgh University.
6 National Public Broadcaster Prasar Bharati launches its OTT platform Waves
National public broadcaster Prasar Bharati has launched its OTT platform Waves . It was unveiled at the opening ceremony of the 55th International Film Festival of India (IFFI) in Goa . Along with meeting the growing demand for digital streaming services, Waves aims to refresh old memories while adopting modern digital trends. Waves includes classic shows like Ramayan, Mahabharat, Shaktimaan and Hum Log. This platform will connect the audience to the cultural and emotional heritage of India. Prasar Bharati Chairman Navneet Kumar Sehgal said that Waves is unique compared to other OTT platforms. It also provides clean and family entertainment along with other services.
7 Union Minister Dr. Jitendra Singh launched the first indigenous antibiotic drug called Naphthromycin for resistant infections
Union Minister for Science and Technology Dr Jitendra Singh launched the first indigenous antibiotic drug called Naphithromycin for resistant infections . Addressing the event in New Delhi , Mr Singh said that a three-day treatment of Naphithromycin is a game-changer against pneumonia , which is responsible for more than 2 million deaths worldwide every year. The Indian-made antibiotic Naphithromycin has been developed in collaboration with Biotechnology Industry Research Assistance Council, a unit of the Department of Biotechnology and has been marketed as Micnaf . It is the country’s first indigenously developed antibiotic aimed at tackling antimicrobial resistance.
8 Delhi Metro Rail Corporation signed a Memorandum of Understanding with Archaeological Survey of India-ASI
Delhi Metro Rail Corporation signed a Memorandum of Understanding with Archaeological Survey of India-ASI . Under this agreement , tickets for ASI protected monuments can now be purchased through Momentum 2.0 Delhi Sarathi App . DMRC said that the objective of this partnership is to provide a single platform for the purchase of both ASI monument tickets and DMRC travel tickets. According to DSRC, a QR based ticket system will be developed, which will make entry into Delhi Metro service and ASI protected monuments seamless.
9 55th International Film Festival of India begins
IFFI 2024 started in Goa from 20 November . It will screen 180 international films from 81 countries . The festival will run till 28 November. Australia has been named as the ‘Country of Focus’ in the 55th International Film Festival of India . The ‘Country of Focus’ segment is the key feature of IFFI, which shows the best contemporary films of a country. 7 Australian films selected in IFFI will be screened, which will include drama, powerful documentaries, thrillers and comedy films. The 55th IFFI is showcasing the best films from around the world, including those that have received global acclaim. The major films to be screened at this year’s festival include The Room Next Door (Venice Golden Lion winner), Dahomey (Berlin Golden Bear winner), Toxic (Locarno Golden Leopard winner), and All We Imagine as Light (Cannes Grand Prix winner).
10 Women’s Asian Champions Trophy: Indian women’s hockey team defeated China in the final
India defeated China 1-0 in the final of the Asian Women Hockey Champions Trophy held at Rajgir of Nalanda district in Bihar . After the first half remained goalless, Deepika scored a goal on a penalty corner awarded to India in the first minute of the second half, thus infusing enthusiasm among the spectators present in the packed Bihar Sports University Stadium. In the first semi-final of the Women’s Asian Hockey Championship held at Rajgir International Hockey Stadium in Bihar, China entered the final by defeating Malaysia 3-1. In the second semi-final, India entered the final by defeating Japan. India remained undefeated and won all the matches in the league matches. India defeated Japan, South Korea, Malaysia, Thailand and China in the league matches.
11 22 Grand Slam champion Rafael Nadal retires from tennis
Spanish tennis player Rafael Nadal retired from tennis . He played the last match of his career in Davis Cup on November 19 at his home ground Malaga , although he lost it. He was defeated by 80th ranked Netherlands player Botic van de Jadschulp 6-4, 6-4. Nadal had already announced his retirement, saying that he would say goodbye to tennis after the Davis Cup final in Malaga. Rafael won 22 Grand Slams and is the second tennis star to do so . In terms of winning the most Grand Slams, Serbia’s Novak Djokovic is the one who has won 24 Grand Slam titles so far. Switzerland’s legendary tennis player Roger Federer retired just 4 years ago. Federer won 20 Grand Slam titles.
12 Blind Cricket World Cup: India withdrawn from Blind T20 World Cup to be held in Pakistan
Captain Durga Rao Tompakki expressed the team’s sentiment after India pulled out of the fourth T20 Blind Cricket World Cup scheduled to be held in Pakistan from November 22 to December 3, 2024, stressing their passion, pride and commitment to future opportunities. The decision comes a week after the BCCI informed the International Cricket Council (ICC) that India will not travel to Pakistan for the 2025 Champions Trophy early next year after not getting approval from the Indian government. India have won the Blind T20 World Cup in the last three editions (2012, 2017 and 2022) that were held in India, defeating Pakistan in the finals of the first two editions and Bangladesh in their most recent win in 2022.
