9-10 APRIL 2016
North East-ASEAN Business Summit concluded
in Imphal
09-APR-2016
The first-ever three-day North East-ASEAN (Association of Southeast Asian Nations) Business Summit concluded at the City Convention Centre in Imphal, Manipur. It was held from 7 April to 9 April 2016.
It was organised with an aim to attract investment from both domestic and foreign firms to the North-East states of India. It also tried to increase productivity and generate employment in the region.
Bangladesh Commerce Minister Tofail Ahmed was the chief guest at the inaugural session of the Summit while Manipur Speaker Thokchom Lokeshwar Singh presided over the function.
The summit was organized by Manipur Commerce and Industries Department in collaboration with the Union Ministries of External Affairs and Development of North-Eastern Region (DoNER), Indian Chamber of Commerce (ICC) and Indian Chamber of Service Industries (ICSI).
The Business Summit explored the possibility of trade and Commerce with ASEAN countries under Act East Policy of the Government.
It gave a platform to all potential investors in different sectors such as Food Processing, Horticulture, Tourism, Handloom and Handicraft, Startups, Entrepreneurship etc., to have a better understanding about the investment environment & potential of North East.
It saw participation of delegates from the member nations of the ASEAN, viz., Myanmar, Vietnam, Cambodia, Philippines, Singapore, Thailand, Malaysia, Indonesia, Lao PDR, Brunei and eight North-East states of the country are participating in the Summit.
Saudi Arabia, Egypt to build bridge across Red
Sea
09-APR-2016
Saudi Arabia and Egypt on 8 April 2016 agreed to build a bridge over the Red Sea. The announced bridge will connect the two countries.
The planned bridge would help in boosting commerce between the two allied countries. It will also connect the two continents, Africa and Asia, and result in increasing trade between the two continents to unprecedented levels.
The announcement was made by Saudi Arabia's King Salman bin Abdulaziz after meeting Egyptian President Abdul-Fattah al-Sisi at the President’s Ittahidiya Palace. King Salman, 80-year-old monarch, is on a five-day long visit to Egypt.
Egyptian President Abdul-Fattah al-Sisi, who earlier presented the King with the ceremonial Nile Collar, Egypt’s highest honour, said the bridge would be named after the Saudi king as King Salman bin Abdel Aziz Bridge.
A Red Sea bridge linking the two countries has been proposed several times before, but has failed to become a reality. The idea of a causeway (bridge) between the two countries had been floated since the 1980s but in the past it never crossed its planning stage.
Previous plans for the bridge's route suggested a 32-kilometre span across the Tiran Strait, at the entrance of the Red Sea Gulf of Aqaba, which would allow for a commute between the two countries in just 20 minutes.
Scott Kelly to write memoir titled Endurance:
My Year in Space and Our Journey to Mars
09-APR-2016
Endurance: My Year in Space and Our Journey to Mars: Scott Kelly
NASA astronaut Scott Kelly will write a memoir titled Endurance: My Year in Space and Our Journey to Mars, as announced on 6 April 2016. The book will be published by Alfred A. Knopf.
Scott returned to Earth in March 2016 after spending almost a year aboard the International Space Station (ISS).
The memoir will offer a glimpse of Scott’s journey to space and his life aboard the ISS. He will also recount the obstacles he encountered along the way, his early struggles in school, his training as a Navy test pilot, and the work required to become an astronaut and live in space for one year.
Scott’s arguments in favour of more space travel, both government-sponsored and private, will also be included in the book.
The book will be published in November 2017.
About Scott Kelly
• Scott Joseph Kelly is an engineer, retired American astronaut and a retired U.S. Navy Captain.
• He commanded the International Space Station on Expeditions 26, 44 and 45.
• His first spaceflight was as pilot of Space Shuttle Discovery during STS-103 in December 1999.
• In November 2012, Scott was selected, along with Mikhail Korniyenko, for a special year-long mission to the International Space Station. Their year in space commenced 27 March 2015 with the start of Expedition 43, continued through the entirety of Expeditions 44 and 45, both of which Scott commanded.
• He passed command to Timothy Kopra on 29 February 2016, when the ISS year long mission ended.
• He returned to Earth aboard Soyuz TMA-18M on 1 March 2016.
• In October 2015, he set the record for the total accumulated number of days spent in space by an American astronaut. For the ISS year long mission, he spent 340 consecutive days in space. • His identical twin brother, Mark Kelly, is a former astronaut. The Kelly brothers are the only siblings to have travelled in space.
FIFA released Coca-Cola World Rankings 2016
09-APR-2016
Federation Internationale de Football Association (FIFA) on 7 April 2016 released the April 2016 edition of the FIFA or Coca-Cola World Ranking.
A total of 171 games were taken into account for the Ranking which includes 51 qualifiers for Russia 2018 and 60 continental qualifiers and 60 international friendlies.
Argentina Men’s Soccer team stood at world number one, pushing back the Belgium team to second position. This is the first time since November that Belgium have lost top spot after taking it from the South American side in November 2015.
Meanwhile, India lost their last two World Cup qualifiers against Iran and Turkmenistan and dropped down to 162.
The next FIFA or Coca-Cola World Ranking will be published on 5 May 2016.
Summary of the Rankings
|
Leader |
Argentina |
|
Moved into top ten |
Uruguay (9th, up 2) |
|
Moved out of top ten |
Austria (11th, down 1) |
|
Matches played in total |
171 |
|
Most matches played |
El Salvador, Iraq, Panama, Syria, Trinidad and Tobago, United Arab Emirates (three matches each) |
|
Biggest move by points |
Morocco (plus 131 points) |
|
Biggest move by ranks |
Guinea-Bissau (up 45 ranks) |
|
Biggest drop by points |
Cape Verde Islands (minus 169 points) |
|
Biggest drop by ranks |
Aruba (down 24 ranks) |
World Bank Group adopted Climate Change
Action Plan
09-APR-2016
The World Bank Group (WBG) on 7 April 2016 adopted the Climate Change Action Plan. The plan was designed to help countries meet their Paris COP21 pledges and manage increasing climate impacts.
It sets targets for 2020 in high-impact areas, including clean energy, green transport, climate-smart agriculture, and urban resilience.
COP 21 under UNFCCC adopted Paris
Agreement on Climate Change
Highlights of Climate Change Action Plan
• The climate-related share of WBG’s portfolio will be increased from 21 to 28 percent by 2020 in response to client demand, with total financing of potentially 29 billion US dollars per year by 2020.
• The bank will support countries in translating their Nationally Determined Contributions (NDCs) into climate policies and investment plans into actions and in mainstreaming climate considerations into policies and budgets.
• The IFC, a member of the group, will crowd in private sector finance by significantly scaling up its own investments— from 2.3 billion to about 3.5 billion US dollars in 5 years.
• By 2020, it will have mobilized at least $13 billion per year in external private sector investments through its operations.
• Multiple instruments will be deployed to de-risk renewable energy investments, with a cumulative target of adding 20 GW in renewable energy generation over 5 years.
• The WB will “green” grids with the aim to enable the addition of 10 GW of variable renewable energy over 5 years and ensure that all energy investments are adapted to climate change.
• The WB will aim to mobilize 25 billion US dollars of commercial funding for clean energy over the next five years.
• It will pursue urban mobility and low-carbon, multimodal transport operations in all regions and aim for 2 billion US dollars in lending for adaptation between 2016 and 2020.
• The focus will be on integrating climate into urban planning, among others, by developing tools and knowledge products through the Global Platform for Sustainable Cities and aim to roll these out in at least 30 cities by 2020.
• Climate-smart agriculture profiles and investment plans will be developed by 2020 for at least 40 countries.
• By 2020, the WBG aims to have assisted 20 countries in enhancing their capacity to innovate in climate sectors and increase industrial competitiveness in response to climate change. Haryana Government appointed two-member inquiry panel to probe into Jat quota stir
10-APR-2016
Haryana government on 8 April 2016 constituted a two-member Commission of Inquiry, headed by former Jammu and Kashmir High Court Chief Justice S N Jha, to probe conspiracy behind violent incidents during Jat agitation from 18 to 23 February 2016.
The agitation in form of violence, arson and violation of human rights in Rohtak, Jhajjar, Sonepat, Jind, Hisar, Kaithal and Bhiwani during Jat Reservation Agitation left 30 people dead and heavy damage to property.
The commission headed by Justice (Retd.) Jha will have former IPS officer NC Padhi as its member. It has been asked to submit its report within six months from the date of its first hearing.
• The commission will inquire into facts and circumstances relating to violence leading to loss of lives, damage to properties, both private and public during the agitation in several towns of Haryana.
• The commission will find out if there was any deep rooted conspiracy, if any, to damage the social fabric of the society.
• The Commission shall also inquire into the complaints or allegations made before it by any individual or association.
It shall devise and specify its own procedure for conduct of the inquiry subject to provisions of the Commissions of Inquiry Act, 1952. The headquarters of the Commission shall be at Chandigarh.
Sajibu Cheiraoba celebrated with religious
fervor in Manipur
10-APR-2016
Sajibu Cheiraoba, a traditional festival that marks New Year of theMeiteis (majority ethnic group) of Manipur, was celebrated on 8 April 2016. It was celebrated with cultural gusto and religious fervor in Manipur.
Sajibu Cheiraoba is celebrated annually on the first day of Sajibu month (first lunar day of the lunar month Sajibu (March/April)). On this day, people arrange a joint family feast in which traditional cuisines are offered to local deities at the entrance gates of the houses.
After meals, people start climb the Cheiraoching located inChingmeirong or tops of nearby hills in the afternoon to offer prayers. As per belief they think that it would elevate them to greater heights in their worldly life.
Later in night, Thabal Chongba, a local folk dance is also being organized at different locations of Manipur valley.
Rajasthan Urban Land (Certification of Titles)
Bill, 2016 passed
10-APR-2016
Rajasthan Assembly in first week of April 2016 passed the Rajasthan Urban Land (Certification of Titles) Bill, 2016. With this, Rajasthan also became the first state to bring and pass a land title bill.
The Bill that will give a clear title to the owner and reduce litigations in the courts was passed by voice vote. The bill aims at curbing fraud practices in sale and purchase of non-agricultural land in urban areas by issuing a certificate of ownership for a nominal fee.
Features of the Bill
• The state residents living in urban areas, which are governed by the municipalities or state development authorities, can seek a certificate of ownership of their lands by paying a nominal fee to the state government.
• The state government will set up an authority which will be headed by an Indian Administrative Service Officer.
• It will seek all the documents from the landowners, and will verify it against records held by the state.
• The authority will first issue a provisional certificate, for which the state will not stand guarantee. If there are no objections or dispute arises, the authority will issue a certificate and a map to the owner with state guarantee.
Union Government approved country’s first
Metrino Pod Taxi project for Gurgaon
10-APR-2016
The Union Government on 8 April 2016 approved country’s firstMetrino Pod project for Gurgaon, for which the state government would not have to pay anything. The work on this project would start by 1 June 2016.
Haryana Public Works (Building and Roads) Minister, Rao Narbir Singh said that the National Highway Authority of India has also submitted the feasibility report for this Metrino Pod taxi project. The fare of Metrino Pod taxi would be similar to that of the Metro.
The pilot project will span a 13km stretch from the Gurgaon-Delhi border to Badshapur Mod on Sohna Road and is estimated to cost 850 crore rupees.
Metrino Pod project
The project called the Metrino is a PRT system in which pods will be suspended from an overhead rail. Every pod can take up to five passengers. For the pilot project route, 16 stations have been planned, starting near Ambience Mall.
A personal rapid transit (PRT) network is made up of small automated vehicles running at close intervals on a guideway with docking stations for passengers to get on and get off. While a pod can accommodate up to five people, there is also an option to hire an entire pod that will take a passenger straight to the destination, skipping the scheduled stops. The average speed of the pods is 60kmph.