The 14th edition of the Indo-US Joint Special Forces exercise ‘Vajra Prahar, 2023’ began at the joint training node in Meghalaya’s Umroi Cantonment on Tuesday(21 November 2023).

• The 20-day joint exercise between aims to share best practices and experiences in areas such as joint mission planning and operational tactics.
• During the course of the next three weeks, both sides will jointly plan and rehearse a series of special operations, counter-terrorist operations, airborne operations in simulated conventional and unconventional scenarios in mountainous terrains.
• The exercise serves as a platform to enhance interoperability and strengthen defence cooperation between the armies of India and the United States of America, the release added.

The Indian Navy successfully launched the Missile Cum Ammunition Barge, LSAM 10 (Yard 78), the fourth in the series of 08 x Missile Cum Ammunition Barges, on November 20, 2023.

• The barge is part of a project undertaken by MSME Shipyard, M/s SECON Engineering Projects Pvt Ltd (SEPPL), Visakhapatnam, for the Indian Navy. 
• The launch event took place at Guttenadeevi, East Godavari, Andhra Pradesh, the designated launch site of M/s SEPPL. The launching ceremony was presided over by Cmde Shanmugam Sabesan, Commanding Officer (East).
• The contract for the construction of 08 x Missile Cum Ammunition Barges was formalized between the Ministry of Defence (MoD) and M/s SECON Engineering Projects Pvt Ltd, Visakhapatnam, on February 19, 2021.
• Designed and built indigenously, the Barges adhere to the relevant Naval Rules and Regulations of the Indian Register of Shipping (IRS). 

The Ministry of Tourism, Government of India, is organizing the 11th edition of the International Tourism Mart in Shillong, Meghalaya, from November 21 to 23.

• The International Tourism Mart is an annual event held by the Ministry in one of the North Eastern States on a rotational basis, with the objective of providing a bigger platform for the North Eastern stakeholders to interact with their counterparts from both within the country and overseas markets.
• The Mart also create awareness about the tourism potential of the North East Region (NER) and highlight its unique tourism products, rich biodiversity, and unique intangible heritage, including local traditions, dance forms, arts, handicrafts, and handlooms, to a domestic and international audience.
• The event is scheduled to be inaugurated by Union Minister of Tourism, Culture, and DoNER, G. Kishan Reddy, and will be attended by North-Eastern Tourism Ministers, Senior Officials of North-Eastern States, State Governments, and Heads of the Tourism and Hospitality Associations.
• The earlier editions of this Mart have been held in Guwahati, Tawang, Shillong, Gangtok, Agartala, Imphal, Kohima, and Aizwal. Shillong will be hosting this event for the second time since its inception. An approximate number of 100 delegates, including domestic and international, would be participating in the event.

The University of Jammu has launched the historic ‘College on Wheels’ also known as Jammu and Kashmir 'Gyanodaya Express', a transformative educational journey that has set off with more than 700 girls on a unique learning adventure.

• The historic Gyanodaya Express was flagged off by Lieutenant Governor of Jammu and Kashmir, and Chancellor University of Jammu, Manoj Sinha on Sunday from Katra Railway Station, Reasi district, Jammu. 
• In his address at the flagging off ceremony on Sunday, the Lt governor commended the unique and unprecedented effort of the Higher Education Council, University of Jammu, and everyone associated with the initiative aims at empowering approximately 700 girl students from across Universities of the Union Territory.  
• Gyanodaya Express will travel through various states and it will be an educational pilgrimage for the students.
• The journey endeavors to dissolve boundaries of classrooms, streams and evolve education by providing immersive, collaborative, and project-based learning experiences.

The Centre for Research on Start-ups and Risk Financing (CREST), an Institute of Eminence Research Centre at IIT Madras, has introduced India’s inaugural information platform dedicated to incubators and accelerators. 

• Dr. Jayesh Ranjan formally launched the ‘Incubators’ platform in Hyderabad. He commended CREST, IIT Madras, and YNOS for addressing the information gap within the start-up ecosystem.
• Developed in collaboration with YNOS, an IIT Madras-incubated start-up, the platform consolidates comprehensive data on the nation’s active incubators and accelerators.
• Previously, with approximately 1,000 active incubators in India, entrepreneurs faced challenges due to scattered and inaccessible information. The new AI-powered platform, named ‘Incubators,’ seeks to simplify this process, assisting start-up founders in identifying, comparing, and analyzing suitable incubators effortlessly.
• The ‘Incubators’ platform aims to contribute significantly to the success of emerging ventures. The platform emphasizes on the crucial link between the growth of the Indian start-up ecosystem and a robust incubator network.

Union Minister for Information and Broadcasting, Youth Affairs & Sports, Shri Anurag Singh Thakur inaugurated the 17th Film Bazar the largest South Asian film market at Marriott Resort, Goa on 20th November 2023.

• In its 17th year, the Film Bazaar has become an indispensable cornerstone of the IFFI, transcending borders and evolving into one of Asia’s biggest film markets, the minister added. 
• The 10 recommended films from a variety of genres to be showcased in Film Bazaar at IFFI 54TH including documentary, horror, climate crisis, fiction etc. The films are in English, Hindi, Bengali, Marwari, Kannada, and Maori (New Zealand language).
• This year, the Film Bazaar has a newly curated “VFX & Tech Pavilion” which intends to make the filmmakers aware of the latest innovations, to explore the possibilities of storytelling by not just the traditional way of “taking the shot”, but also “creating the shot”. 
• The Film Bazaar showcases the official selection of the feature-length projects of the Co-Production Market from India, Bangladesh, Sri Lanka, USA, UK, Singapore, Germany, France, Poland, Luxembourg and Israel.
• The selected filmmakers will be pitching their projects to International and Indian producers, distributors, festival programmers, financiers, and sales agents at the open Pitch.
• Initiated by National Film Development Corporation (NFDC), Film Bazaar has evolved into South Asia’s largest film market, connecting local film makers to the global producers and distributors. 

Union minister Sarbananda Sonowal on Tuesday (21 November) said more than Rs 1100 crore was granted for the development of 25 inland waterways projects in the Northeast region.

• Sonowal, the Union Minister for Ports, Shipping, Waterways and Ayush directed officials to accord top priority to critical projects of his ministries in the Northeast and ensure their completion by January 2024. 
• The minister was chairing a review meeting here of ongoing projects of his ministries in the northeastern region.
• Of the 25 inland waterways projects in the region, 15 programmes worth Rs 850 crore were granted for Assam, Sonowal said.

West Bengal chief minister Mamata Banerjee, at the Bengal Global Business Summit 2023 in Kolkata, declared former cricketer and ex-president of the Board of Control for Cricket in India Sourav Ganguly, as the “Brand Ambassador of Bengal.” 

The Bengal Global Business Summit, an annual event, has attracted participation from several hundred companies across 17 countries, including the UK, US, Australia, Korea, Japan, Germany, and France. The two-day summit commenced .

Bengal Global Business Summit 2023

• Chief minister Mamata Banerjee, while opening the Bengal Global Business Summit 2023 in Kolkata, unveiled a series of new policies aimed at doubling the state's exports, upgrading logistical infrastructure, and fostering renewable energy manufacturing.
• Banerjee also introduced initiatives promoting biofuels and a new sub-sea cable landing station in Digha to bolster internet connectivity in the eastern region.
• The summit's inauguration saw a gathering of prominent business leaders, including Mukesh Ambani of Reliance Industries, Sanjeev Goenka from the energy sector, and Rishad Premji of Wipro.

The International Academy of Television Arts & Sciences presented Emmys to television creators and performers from nine countries at the 51st International Emmy Awards in New York City.

The Gala was attended by television professionals from around the world and hosted by actor & comedian Rhys Darby.

• The Directorate Award was presented to Ektaa R. Kapoor, Co-Founder of Balaji Telefilms by Dr. Deepak Chopra.
• Actor-comic Vir Das won the International Emmy Award for his stand-up special Vir Das: Landing in the best comedy category, the organisers said.
• The 51st International Emmy Awards Gala was held at the New York Hilton Midtown in New York City on late Monday night. 
• This was the second nomination and maiden win in the segment for Das, who shared the trophy with popular British teen sitcom Derry Girls season three. 

Ekta Kapoor wins

Renowned producer Ekta R Kapoor was honoured with the International Emmy Directorate Award for significant contribution to the world of arts and entertainment. Kapoor, co-founder of production house Balaji Telefilms, said she is delighted to receive the prestigious award. She is the first Indian woman filmmaker to be bestowed with the recognition.

The Uttar Pradesh government announced it would construct a cricket stadium in the pacer’s village - Sahaspur Alinagar in Amroha district.

• Following the stellar performance by pace bowler Mohammad Shami, who has emerged as the highest wicket taker in the ongoing ICC world Cup 2023,
• As per official sources, the decision came on the instructions of UP CM Yogi Adityanath after Shami’s exemplary performance in the ongoing tournament.
• His seven-wicket haul in the semi-final match against New Zealand at Wankhede stadium in Mumbai helped India through to the final of the tournament .

World Television Day is observed globally on November 21 to highlight the crucial role of visual media and its growing influence on decision-making. The invention of television is credited to Scottish engineer John Logie Baird in 1924.

• In 1996, the United Nations held the first World Television Forum, designating November 21 each year as World Television Day. 
• National telecast in India began in 1982, coinciding with the introduction of color television in the Indian market. At that time, the sole national channel was the government-owned Doordarshan.
• The first and longest-running Indian television program, ‘Krishi Darshan,’ debuted in 1967, while iconic series like ‘Ramayana’ and ‘Mahabharata’ marked significant milestones. Other popular shows included ‘Hum Log,’ ‘Wagle Ki Duniya,’ and ‘Buniyaad.’
• The advent of television revolutionized communication and information consumption.

Microsoft today announced the appointment of Aparna Gupta as the Global Delivery Center (GDC) leader, which is a part of the Industry Solutions Delivery and the broader Microsoft Customer and Partner Solutions (MCAPS) organisation.

• In her new role as GDC leader, Gupta will spearhead customer innovation and delivery excellence, cloud growth acceleration with top-tier talent, industry depth, and partner ecosystem, said Microsoft in a statement.
• The Global Delivery Center (GDC) is the delivery arm of Industry Solutions Delivery and has since scaled to two more locations - Bangalore and Noida, along with a worldwide presence.
• Six years ago, Gupta joined Microsoft as the India lead for Commercial Software Engineering (CSE), now ISE. Over the years, she has established the Customer Success Unit (CSU) as a new segment in MCAPS India.
• Most recently, she served as the Customer Success Leader in the India and South Asia Area.

The best in global television was honoured in New York on Monday night (Tuesday morning in India) at the 2023 International Emmy Awards. The 56 nominees for this year’s awards came from 20 countries across six continents. 

International Emmy Awards 2023 Complete Winners List

• Best Drama Series: “The Empress”
• Best Actress: Karla Souza in “La Caida” (Dive)
• Best Actor: Martin Freeman in “The Responder”
• Best TV Movie/Mini-Series: “La Caida” (Dive)
• Best Non-Scripted Entertainment: “A Ponte – The Bridge Brasil”
• Best Short-Form Series: “Des Gens Bien Ordinaires” (A Very Ordinary World)
• Best Live-Action – For Kids: “Heartbreak High”
• Best Factual And Entertainment For Kids: “Built To Survive”
• Best Documentary: “Mariupol: The People’s Story”
• Best Sports Documentary: “Harley and Katya”
• Best Arts Programming: “Buffy Sainte-Marie: Carry It On”
• Best Telenovela: “Yargi” (Family Secrets)
• Best Animation for Kids: “The Smeds and The Smoos”