3-4 Sept 2015
3 sept
IGAD-PLus brokered Peace Agreement came into effect in South Sudan
IGAD-PLus brokered Agreement on the Resolution of the Conflict in the Republic of South Sudan came into effect on 29 August 2015. South Sudan is the youngest nation and came into existence in 2011.
The agreement was signed by the president of South Sudan Salva Kiir Mayardit and the leader of the armed faction SPLM/A-IO Riek Machar Teny.
The objective of the agreement is to end the inter-ethnic Dinka-Neur conflict started in December 2013 that led to the killing of around 1 lakh civilians.
The conflict was an outcome of power struggle between the incumbent president Kiir (Dinka) and former vice-president Riek (Neur) that later turned into inter-ethnic conflict.
The agreement is comprehensive in the sense it deals with power sharing at the centre and provinces, role of military in the country among others.
About IGAD-PLus
• The grouping is a loose association of member countries that are involved in the peace process of South Sudan.
• The Intergovernmental Authority on Development (IGAD) forms the core of the grouping.
• IGAD is an eight-country trade bloc in Africa. It includes governments from the Horn of Africa (Djibouti, Ethiopia, Somalia and Eritrea), Nile Valley (Sudan and South Sudan), and the African Great Lakes (Kenya and Uganda).
• IGAD was established in 1986 and is headquartered in Djibouti City.
• IGAD-PLus includes IGAD Partners Forum (IPF), African Union (AU),the United Nations (UN), the European Union (EU), the Troika (Norway, UK and USA), Australia, China, Denmark, Japan, Netherlands, Sweden and Turkey.
Low-cost device to monitor air quality unveiled by UNEP in Nairobi
The United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP) on 31 August 2015 unveiled a low-cost device to monitor air quality in the Kenyan capital Nairobi. It costs around 1500 US dollars per unit.
It is a low-cost device in the sense that it is expected to cost up to 100 times less than existing solutions.
Key features of the monitoring device
• It is capable of collecting all the vital parameters of air quality.
• It has built-in Global Positioning System (GPS) that enables it to connect to the UNEP Live platform that monitors air quality from 2000 stations located across the world on real-time basis.
• It can measure the concentration of particulate matter ranging from 1 to 10 microns in diameter (PM 1 - PM 10), including PM 2.5, considered by the WHO to have the greatest effect on human health.
• It also records the concentration of sulphur and nitrogen oxides and can be extended to measure other gases such as ozone.
Importance of the device
Each year, air pollution causes 7 million premature deaths around the world, with outdoor pollution responsible for more than half of that total.
Further, around 88 percent of deaths related to outdoor pollution occur in low- and middle-income countries that lack basic infrastructure related to air quality monitoring that are mostly preventable.
Hence, the device is expected to play a pivotal role in generating environment related data that will be helpful to policymakers and pubic in general in improving air quality.
Low-cost device to monitor air quality unveiled by UNEP in Nairobi
The United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP) on 31 August 2015 unveiled a low-cost device to monitor air quality in the Kenyan capital Nairobi. It costs around 1500 US dollars per unit.
It is a low-cost device in the sense that it is expected to cost up to 100 times less than existing solutions.
Key features of the monitoring device
• It is capable of collecting all the vital parameters of air quality.
• It has built-in Global Positioning System (GPS) that enables it to connect to the UNEP Live platform that monitors air quality from 2000 stations located across the world on real-time basis.
• It can measure the concentration of particulate matter ranging from 1 to 10 microns in diameter (PM 1 - PM 10), including PM 2.5, considered by the WHO to have the greatest effect on human health.
• It also records the concentration of sulphur and nitrogen oxides and can be extended to measure other gases such as ozone.
Importance of the device
Each year, air pollution causes 7 million premature deaths around the world, with outdoor pollution responsible for more than half of that total.
Further, around 88 percent of deaths related to outdoor pollution occur in low- and middle-income countries that lack basic infrastructure related to air quality monitoring that are mostly preventable.
Hence, the device is expected to play a pivotal role in generating environment related data that will be helpful to policymakers and pubic in general in improving air quality.
Logo for 2020 Tokyo Olympics Games scrapped amid plagiarism accusation
Four-colour logo of Tokyo 2020 Olympics Games was scrapped by Games Organising Committee on 1 September 2015. The logo was scrapped amid allegations by a Belgian graphic designer Olivier Debie that it was plagiarised from his work.
Debie claimed that the design was similar to his 2013 logo for the Theatre de Liege.
The logo unveiled in August 2015 was based around the letter T and a red circle representing a beating heart, which resembled the Japanese flag.
Earlier in July 2015, a new Olympic Stadium design by architect Zaha Hadid was scrapped amid a row over its cost.
Tokyo 2020 Olympics is scheduled to be held from 24 July - 9 August 2020.
4th India-Bhutan Development Cooperation Talks for the 11th Five Year Plan held in New Delhi
The fourth India-Bhutan Development Cooperation Talks for the 11th Five Year Plan of Bhutan was held on 2 September 2015 in New Delhi.
The Indian delegation was led by Sujata Mehta, Secretary (M&ER) and the Bhutanese delegation was led by Dasho Tshering Dorji, Foreign Secretary of Bhutan.
During the talks, both sides reviewed the overall progress of Project Tied Assistance (PTA) projects and agreed to a reprioritized list of projects.
Further, the two sides agreed to hold the next annual Development Cooperation Talks in 2016 in the Bhutanese capital Thimphu.
About Annual Development Cooperation Talks
• These are the umbrella mechanism for discussing Government of India’s bilateral developmental assistance to Bhutan.
• India has committed 2800 crore rupees as PTA, 850 crore rupees for Programme Grant and 850 crore rupees for Small Development Projects (SDPs) for Bhutan’s 11th Five Year Plan (July 2013 - June 2018).
• A total of 85 PTA projects and 485 SDPs have been broadly agreed for implementation during the current Plan period.
Bazmi Husain appointed as Chief Technology Officer of ABB India Ltd
Bazmi Husain was on 2 September 2015 appointed as Chief Technology Officer (CTO) of ABB India Ltd. Husain is a power and automation expert and has been with ABB for more than 30 years. Currently, he is working as Managing Director of ABB in India.
As a CTO, he will report to ABB’s CEO Ulrich Spiesshofer and will begin work as CTO with effect from 1 January 2016. He will be based in Bangalore office of ABB India along with an office in Switzerland.
He will be responsible for overseeing all aspects of ABB’s global Research and Development, which serves the entire company, its scientists and engineers.
Husain joined ABB in 1981 and managed a variety of local business units and divisions in India and Singapore before taking responsibility for ABB’s Corporate Research Center (CRC) in India in 2002. From 2009 to 2011, Husain was head of ABB’s Smart Grid industry segment initiative.
About ABB India Ltd
• With locations in seven countries, ABB brings together an international team of highly skilled scientists across a variety of disciplines. ABB spends 1.5 billion US dollars annually on R&D and employs around 8500 technologists.
• ABB India is a part of ABB (www.abb.com), a leader in power and automation technologies that enable utility, industry, and transport and infrastructure customers to improve their performance while lowering environmental impact.
• The ABB Group of companies operates in roughly 100 countries and employs about 140000 people.
PHDCCI launched Intellectual Property Rights Facilitation Centre for MSMEs in Lucknow
PHDCCI on 2 September 2015 launched Intellectual Property Rights Facilitation Centre (IPFC) for Micro Small and Medium Enterprises (MSMEs) in Lucknow, Uttar Pradesh.
The focus of the centre is to nurture innovative activities in the MSME located in Uttar Pradesh.
PHD Chamber of Commerce and Industry (PHDCCI) is a New-Delhi based multi-state agency engaged in the promotion of industry, trade and entrepreneurship.
Objectives of the IPFC
• To enable MSMEs in understanding, Identifying & using Intellectual Property for Competitive Advantage.
• To Provide Services such as IP Protection, IP Awareness & Training, Counseling & Advisory Services.
• To hand hold MSME for identifying Intellectual Property in their day to day business & leverage it for Business Excellences.
• To provide MSME, the strategic management of Technology and IPR
• To create a delivery mechanism for comprehensive awareness & training in IPR to all stake holders of IP in the corresponding states
The functions of the IPFC are: IPR Protection Facilitation, IP Capacity Building: Awareness & Training, IP Information Services and IP Counselling & Advisory Services.
A commemorative plaque joined Tree of Peace and Unity to mark end of WW-II
A commemorative plaque was placed by the Tree of Peace and Unity on 2 September 2015 to mark the end of World War-II (WW-II) in Asia and the Pacific.
The Tree of Peace and Unity, a weeping cherry tree, was planted on international soil in May 2014 at the United Nations (UN) headquarters in New York, the USA.
The tree was planted to mark the 70th anniversary of the end of the WW-II in Europe.
WW-II was a global war that lasted from 1 September 1939 to 2 September 1945 killing millions of military personnel and innocent civilians worldwide.
The UN was an outcome of the war aimed at reducing hostilities among countries and restoring peace and stability.
Forward Markets Commission to be merged with SEBI with effect from 28 Sept 2015
Union Government on 28 August 2015 notified the merger of commodities market regulator Forward Markets Commission (FMC) with Securities and Exchange Board of India (SEBI). Its merging will be effective from 28 September 2015.
For this purpose, the government repealed the Forward Contracts Regulation Act (FCRA) 1952 and made a way to shift the Regulation of Commodity Derivatives Market to SEBI under Securities Contracts Regulation Act (SCRA) 1956.
An official press release said, Finance Minister Arun Jaitley, in his Budget speech, had announced the merger of FMC with the capital market regulator SEBI to strengthen the regulation of commodity futures market.
A unified regulator for commodities and capital markets will help streamline monitoring of commodity futures trading and curb wild speculations.
NASA and USAID launched SERVIR-Mekong to monitor environment in Southeast Asia
NASA and the United States Agency for International Development (USAID) on 31 August 2015 launched SERVIR-Mekong, to serve the countries of the Mekong River Basin: Cambodia, Laos, Myanmar, Thailand and Vietnam.
It is a joint project that is aimed at strengthening regional environmental monitoring in the above five countries in the lower Mekong region of Southeast Asia. The SERVIR-Mekong will aid climate resilience, food and water security.
The SERVIR-Mekong hub is located at the Asian Disaster Preparedness Center in Bangkok, Thailand. It joins a growing global community of scientists and decision-makers using publicly available data from space assets to address critical regional issues.
The SERVIR program helps governments and development stakeholders in incorporating Earth observations and geospatial technologies into natural disaster response to improve food security, safeguard human health and manage water and natural resources.
The other partner partners of the SERVIR-Mekong consortium are the Asian Disaster Preparedness Center of The Netherlands; the Stockholm Environment Institute in Sweden and the Spatial Informatics Group of Pleasanton, California.
SERVIR global demand support is provided by Development Alternatives Incorporated, headquartered in Bethesda, Maryland.
About SERVIR
• SERVIR was developed in coordination with the Group on Earth Observations, an alliance of more than 90 nations collaborating to build a global Earth-observing system to benefit society's needs. SERVIR is a Spanish term that means to serve.
• This program was initiated in 2005 by researchers at NASA's Marshall Space Flight Center in Huntsville, Alabama which continues to house the SERVIR Coordination Office.
• The first SERVIR hub was launched in 2005 in Panama City, Panama and served the Mesoamerican region and the Dominican Republic.
• SERVIR is operated by the Earth Science Division's Applied Sciences Program in NASA's Science Mission Directorate in Washington.
Book titled Globalisation, Democratization and Distributive Justice presented to Hamid Ansari
Globalisation, Democratization and Distributive Justice: Professor Mool Chand Sharma
Book titled Globalisation, Democratization and Distributive Justice was presented to Vice President Hamid Ansari on 2 September 2015. The book has been authored by Mool Chand Sharma, Professor of Law at Delhi University and presently the Member of 20th Law Commission of India.
The book acknowledges talks about measures like Employment Guarantee Act, Right to Education Act and Food Security Act. It also says that some of the recent steps taken on economic and fiscal side like introduction of Goods and Services Tax, schemes related to financial inclusion and others along with initiatives like Make in India, Digital India, Skill India and Swachchh Bharat Abhiyan can prove catalyst in this regard.
The author also highlights the need of taking idea of Distributive Justice beyond rhetoric and ensuring that rising aspirations do not get transformed into frustration ultimately leading to cynicism against the system itself. It also believes that all this cannot be achieved without sustained high growth.
Canada entered first technical recession in six years
Pulled by falling energy prices and economic troubles in China, Canadian economy entered into the first technical recession in six years. This was revealed by Canada’s national statistical agency Statistics Canada on 1 September 2015.
Technical recession means negative economic growth by a country’s gross domestic product (GDP) for two consecutive quarters.
From this viewpoint, as revealed by Canada Statistics, Canadian economy retreated at an annual pace of 0.5 percent during Quarter 2 (April-June 2015) which followed a decline of 0.8 percent in GDP growth during the Quarter 1 (January – March 2015).
The last time the Canadian economy saw the technical recession was in 2009, when GDP was pulled back by 8.7 percent in the first quarter and 3.6 percent in the second.
Further, it is the only Group of Seven (G-7) nation in economic retreat and the figures are the weakest since the 2008 global financial crisis. Canada is the world's 11th-biggest economy and the United States' biggest trading partner.
Comment
This news of recession on economic front of the country may carry trouble for Prime Minister Stephen Harper and his Conservative Party ahead of the elections scheduled to be held on 19 October 2015. Harper is campaigning for a fourth term on a record of economic growth.
Russia rejected French proposal to limit veto power of UNSC’s permanent members
Russia on 2 September 2015 dismissed a proposal of France asking United Nations Security Council (UNSC) permanent members to limit the use of the veto power at least in cases involving mass atrocities that demands action.
Russian Ambassador Vitaly Churkin said that it would oppose the proposal as it is not a workable proposition. He argued that declaring mass atrocities could become a political tool, and raised questions about who would be empowered to make that determination.
France's idea was welcomed by some 70 non-veto wielding member-states at the United Nations; however, China and the United States have also expressed reservations.
Veto Power and UNSC
Veto power at UNSC relates to the five permanent members also known as the Permanent Five, Big Five, or P5. These are Britain, China, France, Russia and United States.
The Big 5 were accorded with veto power so as to enable them to prevent the adoption of any substantive resolution, as well as decide which issues fall under substantive title. The power is exercised when any permanent member casts a negative vote on a substantive draft resolution.
Abstention or absence from the vote by a permanent member does not prevent a draft resolution from being adopted.
Veto power can be termed as the de-facto control over the UNSC by the five nations, since the creation of UN in 1945. But in recent times calls for re-thinking its use have mounted as the world body celebrates its 70th anniversary in 2015.
Second Australia-India Defence Minister’s dialogue concluded in New Delhi
Second Australia-India Defence Minister’s dialogue concluded in New Delhi on 2 September 2015. The meet was chaired by visiting Australian Minister of Defence Kevin Andrews and Defence Minister Manohar Parrikar.
The meet was followed by a delegation level talk to discuss issues of shared strategic interest and the current state of the bilateral defence relationship between the two countries. After the talks the two sides issued the following joint statement.
Key points of the Joint Statement
• The Ministers affirmed their desire to continue to broaden and deepen the bilateral defence relationship based on shared strategic interests and to implement the action plan outlined in the Framework for Security Cooperation agreed to by the Prime Ministers Narendra Modi and Tony Abbott on 18 November 2014.
• The Ministers also discussed the centenary of the First World War and recalled the contribution made by the Indian and ANZAC forces during the Gallipoli campaign.
• Given both nations' interest in the Indian Ocean and its vital importance to regional and global trade, the Ministers acknowledged the importance of freedom of maritime navigation and agreed that maritime security should remain a key component of the bilateral defence relationship.
• Australia and India agreed to continue to cooperate through joint work as part of the ASEAN Defence Ministers' Meeting Plus construct.
• The Ministers also agreed to continue enhancing relationship between Indian and Australian navies, through bilateral ship visits, exchanges as also through Indian Ocean Naval Symposium and such other fora.
• The first Navy-to-Navy Bilateral Maritime Exercise will be held by end of September 2015 to foster greater interoperability and cooperation between both nations and further contribute to maritime security.
• Royal Australian Navy participation in the Indian Navy International Fleet Review in February 2016 and the continuation of the Bilateral Maritime Exercise on a biennial basis.
• The commencement of a partnership between our respective peacekeeping centres. This will start with closer engagement to enhance knowledge sharing and mutual capacity building.
• Increased Air Force cooperation on aviation safety and air worthiness, including subject matter experts' exchanges, to progress mutual understanding and improve capability.
• The establishment of a Joint Working Group on Defence Research and Material Cooperation.
• Closer Air Force engagement, including Indian attendance at the Royal Australian Air Force exercise PITCH BLACK.
• The creation of a closer Counter-Improvised Explosive Device (CIED) relationship, commencing with a regular subject matter expert exchange.
Over 3 Trillion trees currently thrive on Earth: Study
As per the new study conducted by a team of researchers, there are over 3 trillion trees on the earth. The study was published in the journal Nature on 2 September 2015 with a title Mapping tree density at a global scale. The study was conceived by TW Crowther and HB Glick.
As per the study, the global number of trees is approximately 3.04 trillion, an order of magnitude higher than the previous estimate. The previous estimate was 400 billion trees and that rough count was based on satellite images peering down from space.
Crowther and colleagues used 429775 ground-based measurements along with satellite measurements and computer models to get a more accurate figure.
Findings of the Study
• Out of 3 trillion trees, approximately 1.39 trillion exist in tropical and subtropical forests, with 0.74 trillion in boreal regions and 0.61 trillion in temperate regions.
• Based on projected tree densities, it is estimated that over 15 billion trees are cut down each year. That is a net loss of 10 billion trees a year. At that rate, all of Earth's trees will be gone in about 300 years.
• The global number of trees has fallen by approximately 46 percent since the start of human civilization. Before human civilization, Earth had about 5.6 trillion trees.
• The Biome-level trends in tree density demonstrate the importance of climate and topography in controlling local tree densities at finer scales, as well as the overwhelming effect of humans across most of the world.
Union Government launched Indian Wind Resource Atlas as an online GIS tool
Union Government on 2 September 2015 launched the Indian Wind Resource Atlas at 100 metre level. The Atlas will help policy makers at Centre and State Governments to deal with issues related to tariff fixation, transmission, grade frequency, etc.
It will also help in providing better infrastructure for the investors. The Indian Wind Atlas is an important online GIS (Geographic Information System) tool for identification of the regional and local wind energy potential in India.
It contains average annual values of Wind Speed, Wind Power Density and Capacity Utilization Factor (CUF) calculated for an average 2 MW turbine at 100 m. In the atlas the resultant layers are at very high resolution and joint frequency tables have been derived for the entire country at 500 m resolution.
Also, high resolution Re-analysis data set has been used for the study- NCEP/CFSR which enhanced the accuracy of the mapping. The Atlas uses dynamic meso-micro coupled WRF modelling technique.
Making of the Wind Energy Sector & Resource Atlas
• The Atlas making included usage of scientific combination of satellite and one of the world’s largest number of measured (1300 locations ) ground data.
• Under the direction of Union Ministry of New and Renewable Energy (MNRE), National Institute of Wind Energy created an online GIS based wind resource atlas at with scientific rigor and based on authentic latest available data-sets of wind as well as land geographically spread across India.
• NIWE had already performed the potential estimation study corroborating meso-scale derived wind maps and micro-scale measurements and released Indian Wind Atlas at 50m and indicative values at 80m hub heights with 5km resolution in April 2010 in collaboration with RISO-DTU, Denmark.
• The potential assessment presently has been carried out at a very high (10times finer than 5km) resolution of 500m, using the advanced meso-micro coupled numerical wind flow model and with the corroboration of almost 1300 actual measurements spread all over India.
• The land information has been taken through land availability estimation using authentic data sources of Land Use Land Cover (LULC) in GIS format with detailed information available from Bhuvan Atlas
HIV prevention drug PrEP showed positive results
PrEP: A drug designed to help people at risk of contracting HIV
Pre-exposure prophylaxis (PrEP), a drug designed to help people at risk of contracting HIV, was recently in news on 3 September 2015 as the practical tests have shown that people who took the drug stayed HIV-free.
Findings of the Tests conducted
• Scientists studied 650 people who took the drug over a 32-month period.
• The majority of the users were homosexual men as the group was more likely to report having multiple sex partners than non-users. All of them remained HIV free.
• The study adds to a global bank of evidence that PrEP is an effective method of curbing the spread of HIV. America's Centre for Disease Control has stated that if taken properly, the drug can reduce risk of HIV by 92 percent.
Pre-exposure prophylaxis (PrEP)
• PrEP is a treatment for people who do not have HIV but who are at substantial risk of getting it. It can be used to prevent HIV infection by taking a pill every day.
• The pill (brand name Truvada) contains two medicines (tenofovir and emtricitabine) that are used in combination with other medicines to treat HIV.
• When taken consistently, PrEP has been shown to reduce the risk of HIV infection in people who are at high risk by up to 92 percent. PrEP is much less effective if it is not taken consistently.
• It is a powerful HIV prevention tool and can be combined with condoms and other prevention methods to provide even greater protection than when used alone.
4 sept
InSPA, global alliance of 107 sunshine countries to be launched in New Delhi
InSPA: International Agency for Solar Policy & Application
The term InSPA was in news in the first week of September 2015 as the Union Government is planning to launch the global alliance on solar energy at a conclave in New Delhi.
The conclave will be held in the third week of November 2015 ahead of the COP-21 of The United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCC) in Paris.
InSPA stands for International Agency for Solar Policy & Application. Its launch event is expected to be attended by 107 member countries that are located between tropic of cancer and tropic of capricorn including China and Australia.
The members of the grouping are also called as sunshine countries as they receive high solar energy round the year.
The grouping will provide a common platform to learn from mutual experiences, Research and Development and for evolving common financial solutions and administrative solutions.
India’s leadership role in the launch of the grouping is coincided with the recent revision in the target of the Jawaharlal Nehru National Solar Mission (JNNSM).
Under the mission, India is expected to reach the production of 1 GW or 1 lakh MW of solar energy (compared to 20000 MW as per the previous target) by 2022 with an approximate investment of 6 lakh crore rupees.
Maharashtra government approved ordinance to amend MPDA Act, 1981
The Maharashtra Government on 1 September 2015 gave a nod to an ordinance for amending the Maharashtra Prevention of Dangerous Activities (MPDA) Act, 1981.
The ordinance would enable the government to put sand mafias behind the bars without any bail for one year by amending the MPDA 1981 Act.
The decision was taken at the weekly cabinet meet chaired by Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis.
Features of the Ordinance
• The ordinance would be issued to amend the act and include sand smuggling as well as smugglers in the section II of the act. At present the act vows to prevent the disruptive activities from slumlords, bootleggers, drug offenders and video pirates while the amendment would enable government to act against the sand mafias and food-grain mafias.
• Culprits arrested in illegal sand mining cases will not get bail for one year after their arrest.
• Tampering of the public distribution system (PDS) mechanism and foodgrain mafias will be brought under the ambit of this Act.
Llyod's City Risk Index 2015-2025 released
Llyod's City Risk Index 2015-2025 was released on 3 September 2015. The Index is the first of its kind as it quantified the expected loss to cities’ Gross Domestic Product (GDP) from various natural and manmade threats.
While Taipei topped the Index with 181 billion US dollars, Mumbai is expected to face maximum risk in India with 47 billion US dollars potential loss.
About the Index
• It quantified the losses by using the GDP@Risk methodology that took into account 301 major cities across the globe and 18 major threats for the 2015-2025.
• The threats were divided into three categories viz., Natural (cyclones & earthquakes), Manmade (Market crash & nuclear accident) and Emerging (Cyber attack & Plant epidemic).
• It was produced for Lloyd’s by the Cambridge Centre for Risk Studies at the University of Cambridge Judge Business School.
Highlights of the Index
• The selected 301 countries together are expected to see a loss of 4.56 trillion US dollars out of 372.56 trillion US dollars of total GDP during 2015-25 from 18 threats together.
• The share of emerging cities (cities outside G8) in the total loss is projected at around 72 percent.
• Nearly half of the Total GDP@Risk is linked to manmade threats, including Market crash, Cyber attack, Power outage and Nuclear accident.
• Taipei, Tokyo, Seoul, New York, Hong Kong, Shanghai and London, have significant levels of economic exposure to catastrophic events.
• Top 5 threats are: market crash, human pandemic, windstorm, earthquake and flood in the decreasing order of their threat potential.
• In an increasingly interconnected and technologically dependent world, four Emerging threats – Cyber attack, Human pandemic, Plant epidemic and Solar storm – account for more than one fifth of the total GDP@Risk.
• Combined exposure to Market crash, Oil price shock and Cyber attack represents more than 60 percent of the Total GDP@Risk in both New York and Paris.
Index with respect to India
• Ten cities viz., Mumbai, Delhi, Kolkata, Chennai, Hyderabad, Bengaluru, Surat, Kanpur, Pune and Ahmedabad were selected for the survey.
• Mumbai will face maximum risk with 47 billion US dollars as human pandemic and terrorism will become its top threats.
• Delhi will be facing next highest threats with 44 billion US dollars total loss during 2015-2025.
Insurance solutions
In order to mitigate the potential risks the survey advocates insurance as the major solution. As per the study 1 percent rise in insurance penetration translates into a 13 percent reduction in uninsured losses – and 22 percent reduction in taxpayers’ contribution following a disaster.
Flood, human pandemic, oil shocks, cyber attacks, market crash will be the major threats to the Indian cities.
China held victory day parade to commemorate WW-II victory over Japan
China on 3 September 2015 held a special military parade to commemorate the 70th anniversary of its victory over Japan during the World War II (WW-II) in 1945.
It was held at the historic Tiananmen Square in the capital Beijing and was attended by many foreign dignitaries including the United Nations Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon and Russian president Vladimir Putin.
In the parade, China’s military might was showcased including the anti-ship carrier killer missile Dongfeng-21D.
During the occasion, Chinese President Xi Jinping announced to reduce the strength of the People's Liberation Army (PLA) by 3 lakh by 2017.
At present, the PLA is the world's largest military with 2.3 million members. China (130 billion US dollars) also has the second biggest defence budget after the USA (530 billion US dollars).
About WW-II
• It was a global war that lasted from 1 September 1939 to 2 September 1945 killing millions of military personnel and innocent civilians worldwide.
• The war was between the Allies (the USA, the UK, Russia, China, France, etc) and the Axis (Germany, Japan, Italy, etc).
• Japan launched a full-scale invasion of China in 1937 that claimed 14 million Chinese lives.
• China’s victory over Japan in 1945 was a crucial event that led to the end of war in Asia and the Pacifics.
11th Session of India-United Arab Emirates Joint Commission meet concluded
11th session of the India-UAE Joint Commission Meeting for Technical and Economical Cooperation was held on 2 September to 3 September 2015, in New Delhi. The UAE team had reiterated its commitment to undertake extensive investments in India. Al-Nahyan co-chaired the meet of the Joint Commission with External Affairs Minister.
The meet was held during the visit of His Highness Sheikh Abdullah Bin Zayed Al-Nahyan, Minister of Foreign Affairs of United Arab Emirates to India. Al-Nahyan also led a delegation of senior officials and captains of leading UAE business houses to India.
During the visit, Al-Nahyan also met with the Prime Minister Narendra Modi, External Affairs Minister Sushma Swaraj, Minister of Defence Manohar Parrikar, Minister for Railways Suresh Prabhu, and National Security Adviser Ajit Doval.
Highlights of the decisions made and issues discussed during Joint Commission Meeting
• The two sides agreed to increase the bilateral trade by 60 percent over the next five years.
• The two sides also agreed to encourage the investment institutions of the UAE to raise their investments in India, including through the establishment of UAE-India Infrastructure Investment Fund, with the aim of reaching a target of 75 billion US dollar.
• The two sides agreed to work for early establishment of the planned India-UAE Joint Fund for investments in the infrastructure sector in India.
• An India-UAE Joint Business Council was inaugurated by the two Foreign Ministers
• The two sides signed MOUs on cooperation in the areas of Higher Education & Scientific Research; Tourism, Specifications and Measures, for cooperation between the respective Telecom Regulatory Authorities and also between the Federation of Indian Chambers of Commerce and Federation of UAE Chambers of Commerce & Industry.
Besides, the two sides also discussed subjects in areas like, Trade & Commerce; Investments; Finance & Banking; Energy, Hydro-carbons, Petrochemicals & Fertilizers; Defence and Space; Transport, Civil Aviation, Ports & Meteorogy; Health & Agriculture, Education, Culture & Tourism; Security and Combating Crime; Immigration, Consular and Indian Community related issues and arrived on agreements to enhance our cooperation in these areas.
India-UAE relation
India and UAE enjoy strong bonds of friendship, which are founded on millenia-old cultural, religious and economic interaction between the two regions. The two countries are one of the largest trade partners for each other and have made robust investments with each other. UAE is the sixth largest source of India’s oil imports and hosts a 2.6 million-strong Indian Community.
Vinod Dasari appointed as President of Society of Indian Automobile Manufacturers
Vinod Dasari was on 3 September 2015 appointed as President of the Society of Indian Automobile Manufacturers (SIAM), an automobile industry body. Dasari is the Managing Director of Ashok Leyland.
Other Appointments
• Arvind Saxena, President of General Motors India, was elected as the Vice-President of the organisation.
• Kenichi Ayukawa, Maruti Suzuki India Managing Director and CEO, was appointed as the Treasurer of SIAM.
Society of Indian Automobile Manufacturers (SIAM)
• SIAM is the apex Industry body representing leading vehicle and vehicular engine manufacturers in India.
• It facilitates dialogue between the industry, government, national as well as international organisations.
• It also works closely with concerned stakeholders and helps evolve rules, regulations and policies related to the automobile industry.
R Sampanthan became first tamilian to lead opposition in Sri Lankan parliament in 32 years
Tamil National Alliance (TNA) leader R Sampanthan on 3 September 2015 became the first tamilian to lead the opposition of in the Sri Lankan parliament after a gap of 32 years.
An announcement was made in this regard by the speaker Karu Jayasuriya in the house.
Apart from R Sampanthan, A Amirthalingam of the Tamil United Liberation Front (TULF) was the only other tamilian to hold the position. He was the leader of the opposition between 1977 and 1983.
Sampanthan was first elected to Parliament from Trincomalee in 1977 on the ticket of the Federal Party.
Till now, he served as a Member of Parliament (MP) for more than 22 years.
Treat Group A officers of paramilitary forces as organised services: Delhi HC
The Delhi High Court (HC) on 3 September 2015 directed the Union Government to treat Group A officers of all paramilitary forces as organised services.
The directive was given by a division bench of Justice Kailash Gambhir and Justice Najmi Waziri while hearing a batch of petitions filed by serving and retired officers.
The judgment will benefit around 10000 officers belonging to various paramilitary forces including the Central Reserve Police Force (CRPF), Border Security Force (BSF), Indo-Tibetan Border Police (ITBP), etc. of the Union Ministry of Home Affairs (MHA).
By virtue of being part of the Organised Group A officers, they will be entitled to get many additional benefits including financial benefits like Non-Functional Upgradation (NFU) from 2006.
Union Government cancelled FCRA registration of NGO Greenpeace
Union Government cancelled the registration of Greenpeace India under the Foreign Contribution Regulation Act (FCRA), 2010. This move of the government will make the NGO ineligible to receive funds from abroad, which means it may force it to close down its operations in India.
In an affidavit submitted to Delhi High Court on 3 September 2015, the Union Home Ministry said Greenpeace violated FCRA by mixing its foreign and domestic contributions.
Meanwhile, the NGO that has accused the Government of trying to shut it down and termed the action as an attempt to silence campaigns and said it will not be deterred.
The high court will hear Greenpeace plea challenging the suspension of its licence under FCRA apart from freezing of its bank accounts on 4 September 2015.
Greenpeace’s FCRA registration was suspended on 9 April 2015 for allegedly violating norms by opening five accounts to use foreign donations without informing the authorities.
The court had on 27 May 2015 allowed it to use two of its accounts for receiving and utilising domestic donations for day-to-day functioning.
Beach resort of Bodrum, Turkey; Witness to Syrian refugee crisis
Bodrum: A port city and beach resort in the southwestern Aegean Region of Turkey.
Bodrum port city was in news on 3 September 2015 as pathetic images of a three year old boy Aylan Kurdi’s body was seen lying on its shore.
The Aegean Sea is a subdivision of the Mediterranean Sea and lies between Greece in the north and Turkey in the south.
Aylan Kurdi was part of lakhs of Syrians who are trying to leave Turkey and reach more promising nearby islands like kos (22 km from Bodrum) and Lesbo of Greece; then to mainland Greece or Serbia; then to Hungary and finally up to Germany in the northern Europe.
As per an estimate, Turkey is home to nearly 2 millions of Syrians who fled the country to escape from the ongoing civil war.
The armed conflict began in March 2011 between the forces loyal to Syrian President Bashar al-Assad and those opposed to his rule. The conflict was further aggravated since the involvement of the Islamic State of Iraq and Syria (ISIS) in 2014.
The violence has so far led to the death of around 2 lakh civilians and internal displacement of 7.6 million people.
It has also led to the biggest refugee crisis in the recent memory as around 3.9 million people are seeking refuge in neighboring countries of Turkey, Lebanon, Jordan and Iraq.
Further, the refugee crisis is also spreading to the Europe in recent times that is evident from thousands of deaths in the Mediterranean Sea, unrest in Hungary, Serbia, Greece, etc due to inward flux of Syrian refugees.
SEBI notified SEBI (Listing Obligations and Disclosure Requirements) Regulations, 2015
The Securities and Exchange Board of India (SEBI) on 2 September 2015 notified SEBI (Listing Obligations and Disclosure Requirements) Regulations, 2015 (Listing Regulations) after following the consultation process.
A time period of ninety days has been given for implementing the Regulations. However, two provisions of the regulations, which are facilitating in nature, are applicable with immediate effect. These are:
(i) passing of ordinary resolution instead of special resolution in case of all material related party transactions subject to related parties abstaining from voting on such resolutions, in line with the provisions of the companies Act, 2013
(ii) re-classification of promoters as public shareholders under various circumstances.
The Listing Regulations have been sub-divided into two parts (a)substantive provisions incorporated in the main body of Regulations;(b) procedural requirements in the form of Schedules to the Regulations.
The Regulations have been structured to provide ease of reference by consolidating into one single document across various types of securities listed on the Stock exchanges.
Highlights of the Listing Regulations
Guiding Principles (Chapter II): The regulations start by providing broad principles for periodic disclosures by listed entities and also have incorporated the principles for corporate governance. These principles underline specific requirements prescribed in different chapters of the Regulations. In the event of the absence of specific requirements or ambiguity, these principles would serve to guide the listed entities.
Common obligations applicable to all listed entities (Chapter III):Obligations which are common to all listed entities have been enumerated. These include general obligation of compliance of listed entity, appointment of common compliance officer, filings on electronic platform, mandatory registration on SCORES, etc.
Obligations which are applicable to specific types of securities (Chapter III to IX): Obligations which are applicable to specific types of securities have been incorporated in separate chapters.
Obligations of stock exchanges and provisions in case of default (Chapter X & XI): Stock Exchanges have been given responsibility to monitor compliance or adequacy or accuracy of compliance with provisions of these regulations and to take action for non-compliance.
Ease of Reference: The related provisions have been aligned and provided at a common place for ease of reference. All disclosures required to be made on the website of the listed entity have been enumerated at a single place for ease of reference and all requirements pertaining to disclosures in annual report have been combined.
Streamlining and segregation of initial issuance/listing obligations:In order to ensure that there is no overlapping or confusion on the applicability of these regulations, pre-listing requirements have been incorporated in respective regulations. These provisions pertain to allotment of securities, refund and payment of interest, 1 percent Security Deposit (in case of public issuance), etc.
Alignment with provisions of Companies Act, 2013: Wherever necessary, the provisions in Listing Regulations have been aligned with those of the Companies Act, 2013.
Listing Agreement: A shortened version of the Listing Agreement (2 page approximately) will be prescribed which will be required to be signed by a company getting its securities listed on Stock Exchanges. Existing listed entities will be required to sign the shortened version within six months of the notification of the regulations.
NASA and ISRO jointly working on NISAR mission
NISAR mission: NASA-ISRO Synthetic Aperture Radar mission
NASA-ISRO Synthetic Aperture Radar (NISAR) mission was in news recently as its first Joint Steering Group (JSG) meeting was held on 21 July 2015.
NISAR is a dedicated US and Indian InSAR mission, in partnership with ISRO, optimized for studying hazards and global environmental change.
As part of it NISAR satellite, which will be the first radar imaging satellite to use dual frequency, is expected to be launched during the year 2021. The satellite will also be used for remote sensing to observe and understand natural processes of the Earth.
The aim and objectives of NISAR mission are:
• Design, Develop and launch a Dual frequency (L Band (24-centimeter wavelength Polarimetric Synthetic Aperture Radar) and S Band (12-centimeter wavelength Polarimetric Synthetic Aperture) Radar Imaging Satellite.
• Explore newer application areas using L and S band microwave data, especially in natural resources mapping & monitoring; estimating agricultural biomass over full duration of crop cycle; assessing soil moisture; monitoring of floods and oil slicks; coastal erosion, coastline changes and variation of winds in coastal waters; assessment of mangroves; surface deformation studies due to seismic activities etc.
In this joint mission, JPL/NASA will be responsible for design & development of L-band SAR, 12m unfurlable antenna, GPS system and data recorder.
On the other hand, ISRO will be responsible for design & development of S-band SAR, Spacecraft Bus, data transmission system, Spacecraft integration & testing, launch using GSLV and on-orbit operations.
The cost of the project would be shared between the two space agencies. Cost of ISRO’s work share is estimated at 788.00 crore rupees whereas cost of JPL’s work share is expected to be around 808 million US dollars.
Implementation Arrangement (IA), defining the roles and responsibilities of ISRO and was signed by the two agencies in September 2014. ISRO has completed the Baseline Design Reviews of Spacecraft and S-band SAR payload. JPL has successfully completed the Mission Concept and Key Decision Point reviews.
Haryana bagged Skoch Order-of-Merit National award for implementing e-governance initiatives
Haryana on 3 September 2015 bagged the Skoch Order-of-Merit national award for implementation of six e-Governance and IT initiatives in the state.
The award will be presented to the state government during the 41st Skoch Summit - Transformative Governance, scheduled to be held on 22-23 September 2015 in New Delhi.
The information in regard to the award was provided by Chief Minister Manohar Lal Khattar in the state assembly on the second day of the monsoon session of Haryana Vidhan Sabha.
Besides, the Chief Minister also informed that with a view to providing time-bound and hassle-free services, the state government had notified 163 services which would be delivered to the citizens at their doorsteps.
About Skoch Digital Inclusion Awards
Skoch Digital Inclusion Award is given by Skoch Consultancy Services Private Limited, a strategy and management consulting firm founded in 1997.
It is an initiative to recognise the e-Governance initiatives of the Central Government, State, Local Governments, their various departments and undertakings, and their technology and solution providers in both the government and corporate sector.
These Awards recognise the best applications of technology in the various sectors of governance.
J&K High Court ordered CBI probe into multi-crore JKCA scam
High Court of Jammu and Kashmir on 4 September 2015 ordered CBI probe into the multi-crore scam in the state's cricket association. The scam occurred during the tenure of former Chief Minister Farooq Abdullah as its President.
CBI has been asked to complete the multi-crore scam within six months.
A division bench of the court, comprising Chief Justice N Paul Vasanthakumar and Justice Bansi Lal Bhat, pronounced the order on a PIL filed by two cricketers into the scam in Jammu and Kashmir Cricket Association (JKCA) that had surfaced in 2012. The two cricketers who filed the PIL are Majid Yaqoob Dar and Nissar Ahmad Khan.
Earlier, the alleged scam was being investigated by a special investigation team of police but it failed to conclude the probe for nearly 3 years.
The court in its 17 page order, observed that the Crime Branch being a limb of the Home Department of the state government, may not be able to stand up to the might, influence and clout enjoyed by the accused. That’s why it asked the CBI to take the investigation in hand and bring the same to a logical conclusion as expeditiously as possible, preferably within six months.
Andhra Pradesh Assembly passed Andhra Pradesh Special Courts Bill, 2015
The Andhra Pradesh Assembly on 3 September 2015 passed the Andhra Pradesh Special Courts Bill, 2015 for the constitution of special courts to facilitate time bound disposal of corruption cases and attachment of assets.
The Bill will enable the State to recover wealth amassed by the corrupt public servants through exploitation of public property or in a benami manner.
The Special Courts Bill will ensure time-bound trial of the economic offences and will pave way for the State to recover the properties earned illegally and utilise them for the development of the State and for public good and purpose. Under Prevention of Corruption Act, State had no power to attach properties.
In the 11 charge sheets filed against economic offences in the State, 43000 crore rupees corruption money was involved and now the state government will recover these properties under the Special Courts Bill.
Other Bills passed in the Assembly
Along with the Andhra Pradesh Special Courts Bill, 2015, few other bills were also passed. These are:
• Andhra Pradesh (Telangana Area) Horse Racing and Betting Tax Regulation
• Andhra Pradesh Farmers' Management of Irrigation Systems (Amendment) Bill
• Andhra Pradesh Protection of Depositors of Financial Establishments (Amendment) Bill
Marvan Atapattu resigned as Head Coach of Sri Lanka Cricket team
Marvan Atapattu on 3 September 2015 announced his resignation as head coach of Sri Lanka cricket team. His resignation was accepted by the Sri Lanka’s Cricket Board.
He resigned just two-days after the team’s Test series loss to India at home. The series loss was their first to India on home soil since 1993. Apart from this, Sri Lankan team has lost four Tests out of six since June 2015.
Atapattu first became the batting coach of Sri Lanka cricket team in 2011 and in April 2014 he was made interim head coach of the team following Paul Farbrace resignation.
In September 2014, he was made the head coach of the team making him the first full-time coach of the team in 15 years.
Atapattu, as head coach of the team oversaw Sri Lanka's Test series win over England in June 2015. This was first test series win of the nation in 16 years that to in England itself.
Attapattu as a Cricketer
Atapattu led Sri Lanka in 18 Tests during his playing career and made 5502 runs in 90 Test matches of which 249 was his highest test score. In ODI he played 249 matches and scored 8529 run of which 132 not out was the highest score.
Commemorative coins of Rs 125, Rs 10 released in honour of former President S Radhakrishna
Prime Minister Narendra Modi on 4 September 2015 released two commemorative coins of 125 rupees and 10 rupees in the memory of former President Sarvepalli Radhakrishnan.
Modi released the coins at a function of his interaction with the central school students at Zorawar hall, Manekshaw Centre in New Delhi. The interaction session was organised on the eve of Teachers Day, which is celebrated across India on 5 September 2015.
Teachers Day celebrates the birthday of India's second President and scholar Dr Radhakrishnan.
To the Brink and Back: India's 1991 Story by Jairam Ramesh
To the Brink and Back: India's 1991 Story: Jairam Ramesh
The book titled To the Brink and Back: India's 1991 Story was in news in the first week of September 2015. It was written by former Union Environment and Forest Minister (Independent Charge) Jairam Ramesh.
The book deals with fast-paced changes in the economic sector introduced by the duo P V Narasimha Rao and Manmohan Singh in 1991.
It was the first hand account in the sense it narrates author’s observations when he was part of the Prime Minister’s Office (PMO) during first 90 days of the Narasimha Rao’s government.
It also holds key documents and notes, placed for the first time in the public domain; the personal papers of Narasimha Rao; private conversations with Manmohan Singh; Parliament proceedings; and the minutes of seminal Congress meetings.
At present, Jairam Ramesh is Chair of the Future Earth Engagement Committee, a research platform on global sustainability. He is also a member of the Rajya Sabha from Andhra Pradesh.
He also authored Mobilising Technology for World Development (Co-editor, 1979), Making Sense of Chindia: Reflections on China and India (2005) and Green Signals: Ecology, Growth, and Democracy in India (2015).
Shane Watson retired from Test cricket
Australian all-rounder Shane Watson announced his retirement from Test cricket on 6 September 2015. He announced his retirement immediately after his calf injury cut short his one-day international tour of Britain.
He stated that he will continue his international career in the One-Day Internationals and Twenty20 Internationals.
34-year-old Watson's 10-year Test career came to an end at the Ashes opener at Cardiff, which England won by 169 runs. His 30 and 19 with the bat and failure in taking a wicket made him to lose his place for the rest of the series.
Shane Watson and his Test cricket career
Shane Robert Watson nicknamed Watto is an Australian professional cricketer who plays as a right-handed batsman and a right-handed fast medium bowler. He debuted for the Australian cricket team in 2002, playing his first One Day International against South Africa. He debuted in the test cricket on 2 January 2005 against Pakistan at Sydney.
He captained his country in one test and nine one-day internationals.
He batted in 109 innings of 59 test matches and scored 3731 runs of which 176 was his highest score. He also bowled in 93 innings of those matches and took 75 wickets.
Watson's retirement follows Australia Test captain Michael Clarke's move to retire from all forms of cricket in the wake of the Ashes series defeat in England.
Mercedes driver Lewis Hamilton of Britain won 2015 Italian Grand Prix of Formula 1
Lewis Hamilton of Britain and Mercedes racing driver on 6 September 2015 won the 2015 Formula 1 Italian Grand Prix title. The final race was held at Monza near Milan in Italy.
While Hamilton topped the table, Sebastian Vettel (Ferrari) and Felipe Masse (Williams) were at the second and third positions respectively.
Sergio Perez (Mexico) and Nico Hulkenberg (Germany) of Force India stood at the 5th and 6th positions respectively.
For Hamilton, it was the third victory at the Monza circuit, where he earned his first and second titles in 2012 and 2014 respectively.
It was also the seventh title in the 2015 season for Hamilton as he won the titles in Australia, China, Bahrain, Canada, the UK, Belgium and Italy.
Hamilton won more races compared to any other British driver in the history of Formula One and is currently 5th on the all-time list, with 40 wins.
Union Government announced One Rank One Pension scheme for ex-servicemen
The Union Government on 5 September 2015 announced One Rank One Pension (OROP) scheme for ex-servicemen. The scheme was pending for nearly four decades.
Though the scheme was announced in February 2014, it was not implemented till date as the modalities of the scheme were not finalized.
What is OROP?
In simple terms, OROP implies that uniform pension be paid to the armed forces personnel retiring in the same rank with the same length of service, regardless of their date of retirement.
At present, ex-servicemen receive differential pensions as it is calculated on the basis of their salary at the time of their retirement.
Differential payments occur as the salaries of personnel are frequently revised on the basis of pay commission’s recommendations.
For example, personnel who retired in 1990 receive fewer pensions compared to their juniors who retired in 2006 though they retired at the same rank with same length of service.
Features of OROP scheme
• Pension will be re-fixed for all pensioners retiring in the same rank and with the same length of service as the average of minimum and maximum pension in 2013.
• The benefit will be given with effect from 1 July 2014 to the ex-service men of all the three forces.
• Those drawing pensions above the average will be protected.
• In future, the pension would be re-fixed every 5 years.
• Arrears will be paid in four half-yearly installments.
• All widows, including war widows, will be paid arrears in one installment.
• Personnel who voluntarily retire will not be covered under the scheme.
• The estimated cost to the exchequer would be 8000 to 10000 crore at present, and will increase further in future.
To resolve further issues related to the implementation of the scheme especially those of inter-service issues of three forces, the government also announced to form a one member judicial committee that will give its report in six months.
Teacher’s Day celebrated across India on birth anniversary of Dr S Radhakrishnan
5 September: Teacher’s Day
Teacher’s Day was celebrated on 5 September 2015.To mark the occasion, the president of India Pranab Mukherjee presented National Awards to meritorious teachers.
Also, he inaugurated the Be A Teacher programme of the Delhi government at the Dr Rajendra Prasad Sarvodaya Vidyalaya in the President’s Estate in New Delhi.
Under the programme, successful leaders from all walks of life - judiciary, civil services, media, medicine, entrepreneurship, etc– will volunteer themselves to spare some quality time to share their experiences with students of government schools.
Teacher's day was created in 1962 to mark the birth anniversary of the second president of India Dr S Radhakrishnan, who was also an academician and teacher.
The World Teachers’ Day
It is important to note that every country has its own Teacher’s day, which is celebrated on different dates. But there is also the World Teachers’ day that was created by the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO).
Every year, 5 October is celebrated as the World Teachers’ Day. A different theme is selected for every year to celebrate and honour the teachers of the world.
G-20 Finance Ministers and Central Bank Governors Meet held in Turkey
The G-20 Meeting of Finance Ministers and Central Bank Governors was held for two days on 4 September and 5 September 2015 at Ankara in Turkey.
The meeting was attended by the Finance Ministers and Central Bank Governors of the G20 members, invited countries, and the heads and senior representatives of the relevant international organizations.
India was represented by the Union Finance Minister Arun Jaitley and the governor of Reserve Bank of India (RBI) Raghuram Rajan.
The meeting reviewed the issues pertaining to current global economy including devaluation of Chinese currency (Yuan) and likely impact of change in interest rates by the Federal Reserve of the USA.
Further, it also discussed financial agenda of the Antalya Summit of the G20 leaders scheduled to be held in November 2015 in Turkey.
About G-20 Major Economies
The Group of Twenty (G20) is the premier forum for its members’ international economic cooperation and decision-making. Its membership comprises 19 countries plus the European Union.
G20 leaders meet annually, additionally during the year Finance Ministers and Central Bank Governors meet regularly to discuss ways to strengthen the global economy, reform international financial institutions, improve financial regulation, and discuss the key economic reforms that are needed in each of the member countries.
The G20 started in 1999 as a meeting of Finance Ministers and Central Bank Governors in the aftermath of the Asian financial crisis. In 2008, the first G20 Leaders Summit was held, and the group played a key role in responding to the global financial crisis.
It consists of the US, Argentina, Australia, Brazil, the UK, Canada, China, France, Germany, India, Indonesia, Italy, Japan, Mexico, South Korea, Russia, Saudi Arabia, South Africa, Turkey, and the European Union.
Music Composer Aadesh Shrivastava died
Bollywood singer and music composer Aadesh Shrivastava died on 5 September 2015 at the Koliaben Dhirubhai Ambani hospital in Mumbai. He was undergoing treatment for cancer for the last five years.
He was 49.
He is survived by wife Vijeta Pandit and two sons, Avinesh and Avitesh.
Aadesh Shrivastava
Aadesh Shrivastava born on 4 September 1966 was a music composer and singer of Indian music. Over the course of his career, he had composed music for over 100 Hindi films.
He has composed music for films like Chalte Chalte, Baabul, Baghban, Kabhi Khushi Kabhi Gham, Rajneeti and others. His chart buster songs were Kya Ada Kya Jalwe Tere Paro, Haathon Mein Aa Gaya Jo Kal, Gustakhiyaan, Gur Nalon Ishq Mitha, Mora Piya and others.
G20 launched W20 to enhance role of women in business
The G20 grouping on 6 September 2015 launched the W20 (Women20) in Ankara, Turkey. The focus of the W20 is to enhance the role of women in business.
Though the grouping was created in April 2015 it was formally launched on the sidelines of the G-20 Meeting of Finance Ministers and Central Bank Governors.
G20 is a group of major economies formed to bring together systemically important industrialized and developing economies to discuss key issues in the global economy.
The mandate of W20 is to advance and realize recent G20 commitments on
• Achieving women’s full economic and social participation (Los Cabos Leaders’ Declaration, 2012).
• Enhancing women’s financial inclusion and education (St Petersburg Leaders’ Declaration, 2013).
• Reducing the participation gap between women and men in G20 countries by 25 per cent by 2025, taking into account national circumstances (Brisbane Leaders’ Declaration, 2014).
It is in addition to the existing official engagement groups of the G20-B20 (Business20), C20 (Civil society20), L20 (Labour20), T20 (Think20) and Y20 (Youth20).
Gulden Turktan was appointed as the first president of the group.
She is one of the founders and President of the Women Entrepreneurs' Association in Turkey (KAGIDER), and is currently a member of its Executive Board.
Music Composer Aadesh Shrivastava died
Bollywood singer and music composer Aadesh Shrivastava died on 5 September 2015 at the Koliaben Dhirubhai Ambani hospital in Mumbai. He was undergoing treatment for cancer for the last five years.
He was 49.
He is survived by wife Vijeta Pandit and two sons, Avinesh and Avitesh.
Aadesh Shrivastava
Aadesh Shrivastava born on 4 September 1966 was a music composer and singer of Indian music. Over the course of his career, he had composed music for over 100 Hindi films.
He has composed music for films like Chalte Chalte, Baabul, Baghban, Kabhi Khushi Kabhi Gham, Rajneeti and others. His chart buster songs were Kya Ada Kya Jalwe Tere Paro, Haathon Mein Aa Gaya Jo Kal, Gustakhiyaan, Gur Nalon Ishq Mitha, Mora Piya and others.
G20 launched W20 to enhance role of women in business
The G20 grouping on 6 September 2015 launched the W20 (Women20) in Ankara, Turkey. The focus of the W20 is to enhance the role of women in business.
Though the grouping was created in April 2015 it was formally launched on the sidelines of the G-20 Meeting of Finance Ministers and Central Bank Governors.
G20 is a group of major economies formed to bring together systemically important industrialized and developing economies to discuss key issues in the global economy.
The mandate of W20 is to advance and realize recent G20 commitments on
• Achieving women’s full economic and social participation (Los Cabos Leaders’ Declaration, 2012).
• Enhancing women’s financial inclusion and education (St Petersburg Leaders’ Declaration, 2013).
• Reducing the participation gap between women and men in G20 countries by 25 per cent by 2025, taking into account national circumstances (Brisbane Leaders’ Declaration, 2014).
It is in addition to the existing official engagement groups of the G20-B20 (Business20), C20 (Civil society20), L20 (Labour20), T20 (Think20) and Y20 (Youth20).
Gulden Turktan was appointed as the first president of the group.
She is one of the founders and President of the Women Entrepreneurs' Association in Turkey (KAGIDER), and is currently a member of its Executive Board.
Indian boxer Vikas won silver medal in 75 kg category at 2015 Asian Boxing Championships
Indian boxer Vikas Krishan (75kg) on 5 September 2015 won the silver medal in the 2015 Asian Boxing Championships. In the summit clash at Bangkok, Thailand, Vikas was defeated 0-2by reigning Youth Olympic champion Bektemir Melikuziev of Uzbekistan.
With Vikas' silver, India finished their campaign with one silver and three bronze medals. L Devendro Singh (49kg), Shiva Thapa (56kg) and Satish Kumar (+91kg) won the bronze medals.
Overall, India with 16 points finished off the campaign with creditable fourth among the record 28 countries which participated in the Asian Boxing Championships.
The top three table-toppers were Kazakhstan (42 points), Uzbekistan (38 points) and hosts Thailand (17 points) respectively.
Also, six Indians made the cut for October 2015 World Championships, the first qualifying event for the Rio 2016 Olympics. Besides the medallists, the other two who qualified for the world event were Manoj Kumar (64kg) and Madan Lal (52kg).
Thailand's military-appointed National Reform Council rejected the draft of the new constitution
Thailand's Junta-appointed reform council on 6 September 2015 shot down a controversial new constitution drafted after 2014’s coup. This rejection could delay the return of democracy to the country by April 2017 at the earliest.
The 247-member National Reform Council rejected the draft charter by 135 votes to 105, with seven abstentions. The draft was rejected mainly due to a clause that enabled a 23-member panel to take over government during a national crisis.
As a result of the draft charter being voted down, the National Reform Council's term will end and a new 21-member constitution drafting committee will be set up. It will have 180 days to draft a new charter.
After the new drafting committee finishes its work, a new draft constitution will be put for a public referendum in four months. Until a new constitution can be drafted, the military government retains its substantial powers.
The military abolished previous constitution after it toppled Prime Minister Yingluck Shinawatra in May 2014 after months of political unrest, and since then the government is functioning under a temporary charter.
Since the end of absolute monarchy in 1932, Thailand has seen number of new constitutions. If the new constitution would have been passed, it would have become the 20th constitution of Thailand.
Puducherry government announced annual Teacher's Day awards
Puducherry Government on 5 September 2015 announced the annual State Best Teachers’ Awards 2015. 20 teachers from four regions of the Union Territory were awarded in different categories.
Chief Minister N Rangasamy distributed the awards to encourage the teaching community and also to recognise their professional competence and achievement in the field of education at various levels.
Winners of the year’s Best Teacher awards in different categories were
• Dr S Radhakrishnan Award: Two awards each were given at two levels, that is, Primary (up to standard VIII) and Secondary level (up to standard IX to XII). These are
a) Winners at the Primary level award: R Sivakumar Headmaster Government Primary School, Irulansandai and G Krishnamoorthy, Headmaster Government Girls Primary School, Bahour.
b) Winners at the Secondary level: R Kulasegaran, Trained Graduate Teacher GGHSS, Kadhirkamam and NM Saminathan, Lecturer in Economics, Sinnatha Govt. Girls Higher Sec. School, Muthialpet.
• The Chief Minister’s Special Awards: These awards are given to a language teacher, four women teachers and a technical teacher.
a) Best Language Teacher: K Thamban, Lecturer in Hindi, VN Purushothaman Government Higher Sec. School, Palloor, Mahe.
b) Women Teachers: M Sandacoumary, Primary School Teacher, Government Primary School, Murungapakkam; R Anita, Trained Graduate Teacher, Arutchelvi Ayee Ammal, Government Girls Middle School, Mutharapalayam; R Vijayarani, Trained Graduate Teacher, Thanthai Periyar GHSS; Kovilpathu, Karaikal and Peddinty Padmavathi, Trained Graduate Teacher (Telugu), Kamala Nehru GGHS, Yanam.
c) Technical Teacher: M Sankar, Physical Education Teacher, Jeevanandam GHSS, Karamanikuppam, Puducherry.
• The Education Minister’s Regional Awards: These awards are given to six teachers in Puducherry, two in Karaikal and one each in Mahe and Yanam. Winners in different school
a) Puducherry: Soundarapandian, Computer Science Teacher from Jeevanandam GHSS, Karamanikuppam; K Latha, Headmistress, Government Girls’ Primary School, Bahour; P Kandiban, Trained Graduate Teacher, Government Middle School, Andiyarpalayam; V Rajaram and P Sahayamary Fathima, Trained Graduate Teachers, Thiru. Vi. Ka. Government Higher Secondary School; Arumathapuram and K Sidharthan, Headmaster, Arjuna Subbaraya Naicker, Government Middle School, Muthialpet.
b) Karaikal: S Ravindran, Trained Graduate Teacher, GGHS, Tirumalairayan Pattinam and J Krishnan, English Lecturer, Thanthai Periyar GHS, Koyilpathu.
c) Mahe: K Radhakrishnan, Mathematics Lecturer, Jawaharlal Nehru GHS.
d) Yanam: GV Suryanarayana, Headmaster, Rajiv Gandhi GHSS.
The State/Regional Awardees were awarded with a cash prize of 10000 rupees and a certificate on the occasion of Teachers’ Day Celebration on 5 September.
Bala Tripura Sundari Devi Temple renovated under India-Nepal Economic programme inaugurated
Indian Ambassador to Nepal, Ranjit Rae on 5 September 2015 inaugurated the newly renovated Bala Tripura Sundari Devi Temple at Tripurakot. It is situated on the bank of glacial river Thuli Bheri in Dolpa district of Nepal.
The temple was constructed with 33.3 million Nepali rupees financial support from the Indian government.
Shree Bala Tripura Sundari Devi Temple is a historic structure said to be more than 900 years old, having great socio-cultural relevance in the life of the people of the Dolpa district. The renovation of the temple has upgraded the old structure with improved facilities for 20000 pilgrims visiting the temple every year.
Besides, Rae also inaugurated school building of Shree Chandannath HS School, Khalanga Bazar, in Jumla district, constructed with Government of India at a grant assistance of 24.94 million Nepali Rupees.
Established in 1951, and upgraded to Higher Secondary school in 2006 Shree Chandannath HS School is one of the important educational institutions of this remote district in Nepal’s mid western region.
This is the first development project undertaken by Government of India in Jumla District.
Apart from this, the Union Government also extended its assistance of around 300 million Nepali rupees for renovation, restoration, updation of various religious, cultural and historical sites of Nepal.
Background
These initiatives were undertaken by Indian government as part of theIndia-Nepal Economic programme, which has an outlay of over 75 billion Nepali rupees with more than 502 large and small development projects completed or currently being implemented in almost all the districts of Nepal.
These development projects mainly in the sectors of education, health and infrastructure development have been undertaken in response to local needs, and in partnership with the Government of Nepal.
Prime Minister Modi inaugurated extension of Delhi Metro Line till Faridabad
Prime Minister Narendra Modi on 6 September 2015 inaugurated the extension of Delhi Metro connecting Badarpur to Escorts Mujesar in Faridabad.
This extension till Faridabad, an industrial hub in Haryana would allow hassle-free travel for around two lakh daily commuters between the national capital and the industrial hub in Haryana.
The total cost of the project from Badarpur to Escorts Mujesar was to the tune of 2500 crore rupees.
Out of this, 1557 crore rupees was borne by the Haryana Government, while 537 crore rupees was contributed by the Union Government and 400 crore rupees was spent by Delhi Metro.
The Badarpur-Escorts Mujesar line comprises of nine stations. These are Sarai, NHPC Chowk, Mewala Maharajpur, Sector-28, Badkal Mor, Old Faridabad, Neelam Chowk Ajronda, Bata Chowk and Escorts Mujesar. All these are elevated and located on either side of the Delhi-Mathura Road (NH-2).