The unemployment rate in urban areas of the country decreased from 7.2% in July-September, 2022 to 6.6% in July–September 2023 according to the Periodic Labour Force Survey (PLFS) conducted by the National Sample Survey Office (NSSO).

• The survey for the period July-September, 2023 was released  by the Union Labour Ministry.
• For persons of age 15 years and above, the unemployment rate was 6.6% while it was 6% for male category.
• For the female category, it decreased from 9.4% in July–September last year to 8.6% in this year for the same quarter. In the previous quarter this year too, it was 6.6% for persons of all age groups.

World AIDS Day is an occasion to reiterate the fact that the world can successfully overcome the deadly disease caused by Human Immunodeficiency Virus (HIV). Every year, it is celebrated on December 1 to spread awareness about Acquired Immune Deficiency Syndrome (AIDS) and support those living with the disease.

• This year World AIDS Day 2023 theme is  ‘Let communities lead.’  As per the WHO official website, this year’s theme is more than a celebration of the achievements of communities, it is a call to action to enable and support communities in their leadership roles.
• There are 39 million people around the world living with HIV - the virus that causes AIDS. Of them, 20.8 million are in eastern and southern Africa and 6.5 million are in Asia and the Pacific.
• The UN first set out in 2015 the target of ending AIDS as a public health threat by 2030.

Drone manufacturer Garuda Aerospace has secured the second type certificate for medium category drones from the Directorate General of Civil Aviation, the company said .

Henry Kissinger, a controversial Nobel Peace Prize winner and diplomatic powerhouse whose service under two Presidents left an indelible mark on U.S. foreign policy, died on 27 November 2023, according to Kissinger Associates Inc.

• Kissinger died at his home in Connecticut, Kissinger Associates said.
• Kissinger had been active past his centenary, attending meetings in the White House, publishing a book on leadership styles, and testifying before a Senate committee about the nuclear threat posed by North Korea.
• In the 1970s, he had a hand in many of the epoch-changing global events of the decade while serving as secretary of state under Republican President Richard Nixon.
• The German-born Jewish refugee's efforts led to the diplomatic opening of China, landmark U.S.-Soviet arms control talks, expanded ties between Israel and its Arab neighbors, and the Paris Peace Accords with North Vietnam.
• Kissinger's reign as the prime architect of U.S. foreign policy waned with Nixon's resignation in 1974. Still, he continued to be a diplomatic force under President Gerald Ford and to offer strong opinions throughout the rest of his life. 
• Henry Kissinger was awarded the Nobel Peace Prize, jointly with Le Duc Tho, for negotiating a cease-fire in Vietnam in 1973.

The 2023 UN Climate Change Conference will convene from 30 November to 12 December 2023 in Dubai, United Arab Emirates (UAE). On the opening day of COP28 in Dubai , 196 parties adopted the decision to operationalise the Loss and Damage fund, approving the draft text adopted by the transitional committee in Abu Dhabi earlier this month — a move widely seen as a win for developing countries. 

• The initial corpus of the fund will be over $400 million, well short of the $400 billion estimates suggest will be needed every year, causing some experts to question the long-term sustainability and viability of the fund. 
• The UAE, the COP28 presidency, pledged $100 million to the fund, Germany, $100 million, the UK £40 million to the fund and £25 million for other funding arrangements for loss and damage, the US $17.5 million, Japan, $10 million, and the EU, €225 million. The money is expected to help poor and developing countries deal with the impact of the climate crisis.
• The World Bank will be interim trustee of the fund which will be conferred with legal personality and capacity as necessary for discharging its roles and functions; in particular, it will have the legal capacity to negotiate, and conclude and enter into a hosting a

The Centre on Thursday ( 28 November) approved a Rs. 1658.17 crore recovery and reconstruction plan for Joshimath in Uttarakhand which was affected by landslide and ground subsidence earlier this year.

Nagaland celebrated its 61st statehood day on Friday ( 01 December 2023), chief minister Neiphiu Rio underscored the need for early resolution of the decades-old Naga political issue.

• In a message to the people on the eve of the statehood day celebrations, Governor La Ganesan lauded the inherent sense of community in the Naga people.
• As Nagaland celebrated its 61st statehood day on Friday, chief minister Neiphiu Rio underscored the need for early resolution of the decades-old Naga political issue.
• Addressing the statehood day event in the state capital Kohima, Rio reiterated his government’s strong commitment to facilitate a peaceful resolution and urged the Government of India, Naga political groups and other stakeholders to find ways of overcoming their “remaining differences” and to arrive at a peaceful and early solution to the peace process.

The French government conferred the prestigious Chevalier dans l’Ordre des Arts et des Lettres (Knight of the Order of Arts and Letters) on city-based scholar Arshia Sattar at its consulate in Bengaluru.

This distinction comes in recognition of her outstanding achievements in the field of literature as a translator and a writer as well as her deep commitment to the promotion of literature as director of the literary residency, Sangam House.

• This award honours her continued commitment to cultural relationship and cooperation between diverse literary worlds.
• Arshia Sattar, in her career as a translator, has engaged with the great masterpieces of Indian literature: The Ramayana, The Mahabharata, and The Tales from Kathasaritsagara.
• In addition to that, she has written several books for children, including The Mahabharata for Children, which was awarded the Sahitya Akademi Prize for Children’s Literature in 2022.
• In 2008, she co-founded the literary residency, Sang am House, along with David William Gibson, with the vision of creating a supportive space for writers expressing themselves in regional languages, where they can interact with contemporaries from other cultures and share their perspectives.