National News

Kolkata International Film Festival

• Kolkata International Film Festival has announced France as the focus country for its 30th edition, which will screen films at 20 venues across the city from December 5 to 11.

About Kolkata International Film Festival

Telemedicon 2024

• Telemedicine Society of India and Department of Telemedicine, PGIMER jointly inaugurated Telemedicon 2024, focusing on “Virtual Healthcare and Role of AI” with Dr. Biman Saikia leading the inaugural session on AI in Healthcare.

About Telemedicine Society of India

100th anniversary of Belgaum Congress session

• Congress general secretary KC Venugopal announced that the Congress Working Committee would celebrate the 100th anniversary of Mahatma Gandhi's presidency at the 1924 Belgaum session, the only Congress session he presided over.

About Indian National Congress

Bihar leads in U-Win Portal

• Bihar leads in administering the most vaccine doses to infants and pregnant women via the U-Win portal, followed by Uttar Pradesh, Madhya Pradesh, Maharashtra, and Odisha.

About U-Win

Economy and Banking

India’s GDP Growth rate

• India continues to be the fastest-growing major economy with a GDP growth of 5.4% in the second quarter (July-September) of the current financial year, according to data released by the Ministry of Statistics.

ASSOCHAM-AGRO report

• The ASSOCHAM-AGRO report estimates that India's economic transformation by 2047 will be driven by the manufacturing and services sectors, which will employ 67% of the workforce and contribute 75% of GDP. India's nominal GDP is expected to grow from $3.5 trillion in 2023 to $22.8 trillion, growing at 7.5% annually.

About ASSOCHAM

9 One Stop Centres for Indian Women

• In a written reply in Lok Sabha, Minister of State for Women and Child Development Savitri Thakur said the government has approved setting up of 9 One Stop Centres (OSCs) for assistance to Indian women in distress abroad, which includes 7 OSCs with shelter homes in Bahrain, Kuwait, Oman, Qatar, UAE and Saudi Arabia (Jeddah and Riyadh) and 2 OSCs without shelter homes in Toronto and Singapore.

Crystal Meth

• Indian Navy in collaboration with the Sri Lankan Navy successfully seized around 500 kg of narcotic substance called Crystal Meth in the Arabian Sea.

About Indian Navy

India-ADB Loan agreement

• The Centre and Asian Development Bank signed a US$ 98 million loan agreement to improve horticulture farmers’ access to certified disease-free planting material.

About Asian Development Bank

Art and Culture

Hornbill Festival

• Sikkim has been declared as the partner state for the 2024 Hornbill Festival, which is held annually to celebrate and preserve the cultural heritage of the Naga tribes.

About Hornbill Festival

Megong Festival

• Meghalaya will host the two-day Megong Festival 2024, celebrating Garo culture with music, folk dances, indigenous sports, handlooms, handicrafts and cuisine. It is named after the Megong flower that blooms in abundance in the Garo Hills.

About Meghalaya

Tibetan Artists Festival

• First ever Tibetan Artists Festival was inaugurated in Dharamshala.

About Tibet

Mahabodhi Festival

• Minority Affairs Minister Kiren Rijiju will inaugurate the two-day Mahabodhi Festival at the Great Stupa, a UNESCO World Heritage Site in Sanchi, Madhya Pradesh.

About Sanchi Stupa

Shunyata: Emptiness exhibition

• Union Minister of Culture and Tourism, Gajendra Singh Shekhawat, inaugurated the exhibition 'Shunyata: Emptiness' at the National Museum.

Environment

Guidelines for Silica Mining

• The National Green Tribunal (NGT) has directed the Central Pollution Control Board (CPCB) to draft comprehensive pan-India guidelines for silica sand mining and silica washing plants within three months.

About National Green Tribunal

Tree Census

• The Supreme Court emphasized the importance of conducting a tree census in the national capital Delhi and proposed the establishment of an authority to supervise the work performed by the tree officer under the Delhi Preservation of Trees Act, 1994.

About New Delhi

Sports

Northeast Para Games

• Tripura Paralympics team bagged 23 medals, including 9 golds, at the Northeast Para Games held in Guwahati.

8 states in Northeast India

International News

UAE joined Eurasian Group to combat Money Laundering as observer

• The United Arab Emirates became the first country in the region to join the Eurasian Group (EAG) as an observer to combat money laundering and terrorist financing.

About UAE

3rd ASEAN-India Music Festival

• Union Minister of State for Foreign Affairs Pabitra Margherita inaugurated the 3rd ASEAN-India Music Festival in Delhi.

About ASEAN-India Music Festival