NATIONAL NEWS

World's First Vedic Clock to be Installed in Ujjain

• Madhya Pradesh education minister Mohan Yadav laid the foundation stone of the world’s first Vedic Clock at the 300-year-old Jiwaji Observatory in Ujjain, Madhya Pradesh.

• The Jiwaji observatory was constructed by Maharaja Sawai Raja Jaisingh of Jaipur in 1719.

• The clock to be built at an estimated cost of Rs 1.62 crore aims to make people familiar with the Vedic time calculation.
• The Vedic clock will be based on Vedic calculation of the time, in which the 24 hours of the day are divided into Muhurats.
• There will be a dedicated mobile application for the readings of the Vedic Clock, and citizens will be able to use it on their smartphones, computers, televisions and other devices.

Mangarh Dham was Designated a National Monument

• Mangarh Dham in Rajasthan’s Banswara District has been designated as a National Monument by Prime Minister Shri Narendra Modi.
• Mangarh Dham is a symbol of tribal perseverance and sacrifice, and it is the shared legacy of Rajasthan, Gujarat, Maharashtra and Madhya Pradesh.
• At the event, Prime Minister Narendra Modi paid respect to Bhil freedom fighter Shri Govind Guru.

INTERNATIONAL NEWS

G-7 Foreign Ministers Meeting

• The Group of 7 (G7) Foreign Minister’s meeting was held at the German town of Muenster on 04 November and 05 November 2022.

• German foreign minister Annalena Baerbock hosted the foreign ministers of United States, France, the United Kingdom, Japan, Italy and Canada.

• Germany is currently the President of the G-7 group.

• The G7 (Group of Seven) is an organisation of the world's seven largest advanced economies, which dominate global trade and the international financial system.

• Germany invited Ghana, Kenya and the African Union to join the G7 meeting for discussions on climate change, infrastructure, democracy and addressing conflict and humanitarian crises.

BANKING

Aditya Birla Health Insurance and IDFC FIRST Bank

• Aditya Birla Health Insurance Co. Limited. (ABHICL), the health insurance subsidiary of Aditya Birla Capital Limited (ABCL), a leading non-bank financial services conglomerate announced its bancassurance partnership with IDFC FIRST Bank.

• The partnership is for the distribution of health insurance products through the Bank’s state-of-the-art digital platform and its wide distribution network.

• This bancassurance partnership will help further strengthen ABHI’s distribution and unlock growth opportunities through the Bank’s wide network.

• This tie-up will help reach the extended market base with ‘Health First’ insurance solutions thereby increasing insurance penetration.

Aditya Birla Sun Life Partners with Karza

• Aditya Birla Sun Life Insurance (ABSLI) partnered with Karza Technologies and a few other technology vendors to launch end-to-end onboarding journeys of customers on the WhatsApp platform.

• It will allow customers to select premium amount, term, illustration generation and premium payment within the WhatsApp journey only.

• The use of Karza’s next-generation tech solutions by Aditya Birla Sun Life Insurance to comply with KYC norms, extract data through APIs and even get confirmation from customers is a revolution in itself.
• This solution will enable customers to purchase insurance products using WhatsApp within 5 minutes with secured KYC verification and an encrypted chat option provided by WhatsApp.

SPORTS

Asian Squash Team Championship Title

• The Indian men’s squash team led by Saurav Ghosal won its first ever title at the 21st Asian Squash Team Championships 2022.
• The Indian men’s team defeated Kuwait 2-0.
• The Hong Kong and Malaysian teams jointly shared the third position.
• The 21st Asian Squash Team Championships was organized by the Asian Squash Federation at Cheongju, South Korea from 31 October to 04 November 2022.
• The women's title was won by Hong Kong which defeated Malaysia in the final. The Indian and South Korean team shared the third spot.

BWF Para World Championships 2022

• Paralympic champion Pramod Bhagat and teenager Manisha Ramadass won gold for India at the BWF Para Badminton World Championship 2022.

• The BWF Para Badminton World Championship 2022 for badminton players with disabilities was held in Tokyo, Japan from 01 to 06 November 2022.

• India ended the championship with 16 medals.

AWARDS & PRIZES

Ezhuthachan Puraskaram 2022

• Noted Malayalam novelist Sethu (A. Sethumadhavan) has been honoured with the Ezhuthachan Award for the year 2022.

• It is the highest literary award of the Kerala Sahitya Akademi and is given for lifelong contribution to literature.

• Sethu was selected for the award by a committee headed by Kerala Sahitya Akademi president K Satchidanandan.

• He has been honoured with Kendra Sahitya Akademi and Kerala Sahitya Akademi Awards.

• It has been named after Thunchaththu Ramanujan Ezhuthachan, a 16th century devotional poet, considered to be the father of Malayalam language.

• The award carries Rs 5 lakh and a citation.

APPOINTMENTS & RESIGNATIONS

New President of FIH

• Mohammad Tayyab Ikram of Macau was elected as the new President of the International Hockey Federation (FIH) on 05 November 2022.

• He is also at present the Chief Executive Officer of the Asian Hockey Federation.

• The term of the newly elected President Mohammad Tayyab Ikram will be of two years.

• Mohammad Tayyab Ikram defeated Marc Coudron of Belgium to become the new President of FIH.

DEFENCE NEWS

The Maritime Partnership Exercise PASSEX

• The Maritime Partnership Exercise PASSEX between the Indian Navy and the Royal Australian Navy concluded in Bay of Bengal.
• The PASSEX involving the India Naval Ship Jalashwa and Kavaratti and the Royal Australian Navy ships HMAS Adelaide and HMAS Anzac was held on 02 and 03 November 2022.
• The Royal Australian Navy ship HMAS Adelaide and HMAS Anzac visited Visakhapatnam from 30 October to 01 November 2022. This was part of Australia’s Indo-Pacific Endeavour 2022 (IPE 22).
• A passing exercise is done by two navies so as to ensure that two navies participating in it are able to smoothly coordinate and communicate in times of any disaster or war.

IMPORTANT DAYS

World Tsunami Awareness Day

• World Tsunami Awareness Day is observed every year on 05 November.
• Its aim is to create awareness about this deadly disaster.
• The theme for the year 2022 day is 'Early warning and early action before every tsunami'.
• In December 2015, the United Nations General Assembly designated 05 November as World Tsunami Awareness Day.
• The first World Tsunami Awareness Day was observed worldwide on 5 November 2016.
• This awareness day was organised in New Delhi in collaboration with the Asian Ministerial Conference for Disaster Risk Reduction 2016 and the United Nations Disaster Risk Reduction in New Delhi.

OBITUTARY

Independent India's First Voter Shyam Saran Negi

• Independent India’s first voter Shyam Saran Negi passed away in Himachal Pradesh. He was at the age of 106.
• Shyam Saran Negi, exercising his right to vote had voted for the 34th time in his life on 2 November 2022.
• He had cast his vote in the 14th Himachal Pradesh Legislative Assembly election through postal ballot paper at his home in Kalpa, Kinnaur district of Himachal Pradesh.
• Shyam Saran Negi voted for the first time in India's general elections in 1951 and has voted sixteen times in the Lok Sabha elections.
• He was also made the brand ambassador by the Election Commission.