Notes:
The Shanghai Cooperation Organisation meeting was recently held in the city of Dushanbe, the capital of Tajikistan.
India’s External Affairs Minister S. Jaishankar participated in the meeting, representing India. He urged the SCO to stop terror financing. Foreign Ministers of Russia, China and Pakistan also attended the meeting. Situation in Afghanistan as well as public health and economic recovery were discussed.

Notes:
The Union Cabinet chaired by the Prime Minister Narendra Modi has approved the Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) between the Ministry of Steel of the Republic of India and the Ministry of Energy of the Russian Federation on cooperation regarding Coking Coal.
Coking Coal is used for Steel making. The MoU shall benefit the steel sector in India by reducing their input cost and cost of steel in domestic market. The Cabinet also approves MoU between India and Denmark for cooperation in health and medicine.

Notes:
The Union Cabinet has given its approval for changing the name and mandate of North Eastern Institute of Folk Medicine (NEIFM) as North Eastern Institute of Ayurveda & Folk Medicine Research (NEIAFMR).
The NEIFM is located in Pasighat, Arunachal Pradesh. It was established for systemic research, documentation of traditional folk medicine and medicinal practices of the region.

Notes:
Union Minister Piyush Goyal was appointed as the Leader of the House in the Rajya Sabha, filling the vacancy created by Thaawarchand Gehlot, who is now the Governor of Karnataka.
Piyush Goyal, who is a Rajya Sabha member from Maharashtra, is in charge of several Ministries including Commerce and industry, Consumer affairs, food and public distribution, and Textiles. The Leader will play a key role in ensuring the smooth functioning of the House and better coordination with all parties.

Notes:
The Union Cabinet has approved the Eleventh Extension of the term of the Commission constituted under Article 340 of the Constitution to examine the issue of Sub-categorization within Other Backward Classes (OBCs) in the Central List by 6 months, up to 31st January 2022.
The commission, which took charge on October 11, 2017, is headed by retired Delhi High Court Chief Justice G Rohini.