Bhutan Bird Festival from November 13-15, promises to highlight not only the area's amazing birds but also its distinct culture and locally produced goods.

Following a three-year hiatus, Tingtibi, Zhemgang will come alive with colourful celebrations in honour of the victorious return of the Bhutan Bird Festival.

According to Bhutan Live, this much-awaited event, which is slated to take place from November 13-15, promises to highlight not only the area's amazing birds but also its distinct culture and locally produced goods.

India and Netherlands have signed a Memorandum of Intent (MoI) for cooperation on medical product regulation and enhance the quality of medical products and health care services for both countries, at Hague in Netherlands. The MoU was signed during the meeting between  Union Minister of State for Chemicals and Fertilizers  Bhagwant Khuba and  Minister of Health, Welfare and Sports of  Netherlands, Ernst Kuipers. An Indian delegation led by Mr Khuba is in Netherlands to participate in the second World Local Production Forum (WLPF) meeting being held in the Hague from 6th of November till today. 

The World Local Production Forum is a platform created at the initiative of WHO with the aim of increasing access to medicines and other health technologies. During his visit, Mr  Khuba also visited the Port of Rotterdam which is Europe's largest port and discussed with the officials about the port's hydrogen hub plans. Rotterdam is poised to become a hub in hydrogen production and transportation. He also shared about India's Green Hydrogen Mission.

The 6th Session of India-Ethiopia Joint Trade Committee (JTC) was conducted in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia from 6-7 November, 2023. The meeting was co chaired by the Economic Advisor, Department of Commerce, Ministry of Commerce and Industry, Government of India, Ms. Priya P. Nair and the Lead Executive of the International and Regional Trade Integration, Ministry of Trade & Regional Integration, Ethiopia, Mr. Tages Mulugeta. Ambassador of India to Ethiopia, Shri Robert Shetkintong and other senior officials from both sides also participated in the JTC.

Both sides agreed to expeditiously address all issues impeding bilateral trade and facilitate trade promotion between the two countries. The Indian side invited the Ethiopian side to collaborate on the Unified Payment Interface (UPI) of India with Ethswitch of Ethiopia. Further, the Indian side also urged Ethiopia to explore the possibility of settlement of trade transactions in local currency which will help boost bilateral trade and conserve foreign exchange. The deliberations of the 6th Sessions of India-Ethiopia JTC were cordial and forward-looking, reflecting the traditionally friendly and special relations between the two countries.

Dabur India Limited on Thursday announced the appointment of Sushil Chandra, former Chief Election Commissioner of India and former chairman of the Central Board of Direct Taxes (CBDT), as an additional director in the category of non-executive independent director.

Chandra has been appointed as an independent director for a period of five years, subject to the approval of shareholders. With this, the company will now have ten independent directors on its board.

In a landmark development, Swedish defence giant Saab has achieved a significant milestone by becoming the first foreign company to secure 100 per cent Foreign Direct Investment (FDI) approval for a defence project in India. According to The Economic Times, Saab has been given the green light to establish a new manufacturing facility in India, which will focus on producing shoulder-fired rockets.

This approval comes at a time when India has been gradually opening up its defence sector to foreign investment.

India allows only up to 74 per cent FDI in the defence sector under the automatic route, with additional clearance available on a case-by-case basis.

The UN International Organization of Migration (IOM) reported that the number of people who have been internally displaced in the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) has risen to 6.9 million. In the eastern province of North Kivu, nearly a million people have been displaced due to the ongoing conflict with the rebel group, Mouvement du 23 Mars (M23).

The conflict in the DRC dates back to the 1990s when it went through two civil wars in 1996 and 1998. The conflict erupted in the wake of the Rwandan genocide in 1994 where ethnic Hutu extremists killed nearly one million minority ethnic Tutsis and non-extremist Hutus. Since then, the eastern DRC, bordering Rwanda, has been facing insurgency perpetrated by several rebel militant groups. According to the UN, besides M23, more than 120 insurgent groups are active in the eastern provinces of North Kivu, South Kivu, Ituri and Tanganyika. Violence by several militant groups over territory and natural resources, extrajudicial killings by security forces and rising tensions with neighbouring countries have killed thousands. Tensions between the DRC and neighbouring Rwanda continue to increase as both countries accuse each other of supporting ethnic Tutsi and Hutu-led rebel groups respectively.

In a significant endorsement of the integration of Yoga therapy into the healthcare system, Union Minister for Ayush and Ports, Shipping, & Waterways Shri Sarbananda Sonowal inaugurated additional Yoga Therapy Rooms today at Morarji Desai National Institute of Yoga’s (MDNIY) premises located in New Delhi. The event highlighted the institute’s dedication to the promotion and propagation of Yoga and holistic well-being.

Addressing the event, Shri Sonowal highlighted the imperative inclusion of yoga therapy in daily lifestyles as a means to enhance self-awareness, self-realisation and overall holistic health. He emphasized that this ancient wisdom developed by India over a thousand years ago should be shared with every corner of the world, with India taking a leading role in addressing global health challenges.

The World Health Organization (WHO) on Tuesday released the Global TB report and it revealed that although the tuberculosis response is recovering from the COVID-19 pandemic, accelerated efforts are needed to meet new targets.

According to the report, India accounted for the highest number of tuberculosis (TB) cases in the world in 2022, making up 27 percent of the global burden. The report also revealed that among the top eight high-burden countries, India was at the forefront with 2.8 million TB cases in 2022, with a case-fatality ratio of 12 percent.

Union home and cooperation minister Amit Shah on Wednesday launched ‘Bharat Organics’ brand of newly created National Cooperative Organics Limited (NCOL) and asserted that it will not only be the “biggest undertaking” of the country in the next 5 years but also emerge as the “most trusted and biggest brand” in the world’s organic product market in coming years.

Ensuring availability of certified organic products in the market, Shah said there would be 439 laboratories across the country by the next year, which will provide “great convenience to the farmers in getting their products certified” and also to NCOL in purchasing the certified products.

The Army is looking at phasing out its ageing fleet of Cheetah and Chetak choppers starting 2027, and considering induction of the light utility helicopters as the replacement besides exploring the option of leasing, sources said.

The Army Aviation Corps is currently operating around 190 Chetak, Cheetah and Cheetal helicopters, they said.

While the Army will be getting around 100 light utility helicopters (LUH), it is also looking at the option of taking choppers on lease to meet its requirement.