1) Sushma Swaraj 3 Nation Visit: Co-Chairs Meeting of India-Indonesia Joint Commission
•External Affairs Minister Sushma Swaraj who is visiting Indonesia as part of her three-nation tour, co-chaired the fifth meeting of the India-Indonesia Joint Commission with her Indonesian counterpart Retno Marsudi.
•Both the countries agreed to work together for a balanced and sustainable trade by providing greater market access, both in goods and services.
2) West Bengal CM Unveils Official Emblem of West Bengal Government
•West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee unveiled the official emblem of the state government, which was recently approved by the centre.
•The logo highlights the Ashoka emblem on the top with the theme of "Biswa Bangla" at the centre. Ms Banerjee has also contributed to the design of the emblem. This new logo will be used in all government documents, including government letterheads.
3) World Book Fair Begins in Delhi
•The World Book Fair started in New Delhi. Environment issues like climate change, global warming, and water pollution will be the main theme for this year’s Fair.
•The annual book fair will see around 800 publishers from across the country in different languages. Apart from the EU nations, more than 40 countries are participating in the book fair.
4) Himalayan Hydro Expo 2018 Kicked off at Kathmandu
•The Himalayan Hydro Expo 2018 kicked off at Kathmandu, the capital Nepal. President of Nepal Bidya Devi Bhandari inaugurated the exhibition. Delegates from various countries including India, China, Austria, Czech Republic and Norway are participating in the expo.
•The basic objective of Expo is to unleash massive hydropower potential of Nepal and bring all stakeholders under one roof.
5) Iceland Becomes 1st Country to Legalise Equal Pay
•Iceland has become the first country in the world to legalise equal pay between men and women. In Iceland now it will be illegal to pay men more than women for the work.
•Under the new rules, companies and government agencies employing at least 25 people will have to obtain government certification of their equal-pay policies.
6) RBI Introduces New Rs10 Banknote in Mahatma Gandhi Series
•The Reserve Bank of India will shortly issue Rs10 denomination banknotes in the Mahatma Gandhi (New) Series.
•The new denomination has the motif of Sun Temple, Konark on the reverse. The base colour of the note is Chocolate Brown. The dimension of the banknote will be 63 mm x 123 mm.
7) Defence Ministry Clears Arms Procurement Contracts worth Rs2,420 crore for Navy and Army
•Defence Ministry has cleared contracts worth 2,420 crore rupees for Navy and Army which includes the procurement of P-8I Training Solution and Low-Intensity Conflict Electronic Warfare System (LICEWS).
•The training solution accurately simulates P-8I aircraft and mission systems. It will help Indian Navy train and realistically rehearse for sophisticated missions involving P-8I aircraft. The procurement of LICEWS will be done from Bharat Electronics Limited for 470 crore rupees.
8) India GDP Growth Likely at 6.5% in 2017-18: CSO
•The Indian economy will expand by 6.5% in 2017-18, according to the new data of the government’s Central Statistics Office (CSO). It had released its first advance estimate for India’s GDP growth rate in the current financial year.
•The economy had grown by 6.3% in the September quarter, after slumping to a three-year low of 5.7% GDP growth in the June quarter as the implementation of goods and services tax (GST) and demonetisation took their toll. The Indian economy grew at 7.1% in 2016-17.
