1. Nepal became a founding member of the International Big Cats Alliance
Tags: International News
Nepal has become a founding member of the International Big Cats Alliance launched by India on 13 April.
An Overview of the News
The alliance was launched under India's initiative, and during the launch event, Nepal's Energy Minister Shakti Bahadur Basnet presented a letter indicating Nepal's membership as a founding member to India's Forest and Climate Change Minister Bhupendra Yadav. Handed over
The International Big Cats Alliance aims to conserve seven big cat species including tigers, lions, leopards, snow leopards, cheetahs, jaguars and pumas.
Nepal's tiger population has seen a significant increase, increasing from 121 in 2010 to 335 in 2022.
Nepal successfully achieved its target of doubling the tiger population by 2022, as done during the first Tiger Summit in 2010 in St. Petersburg.
About the International Big Cats Alliance
The International Big Cat Alliance (IBCA) was launched by the Prime Minister of India, Shri Narendra Modi on April 9, 2023, for the conservation of seven big cat species including tiger, lion, leopard, snow leopard, cheetah, jaguar, and puma.
The alliance aims to reach 97 range countries covering the natural habitats of these big cats and strengthen global cooperation and efforts for their conservation.
Ministers from Bhutan, Bangladesh, Cambodia, Kenya, Nepal, Ethiopia and Malaysia expressed their support for India's efforts in alliance and conservation.
About Nepal
The kingdom of Nepal was established by the Shah dynasty.
It is a landlocked country in South Asia.
Prime Minister - Pushpa Kamal Dahal
President - Ram Chandra Paudel
Capital - Kathmandu
Currency - Nepalese Rupee
2. Buzi Bridge in Mozambique inaugurated by External Affairs Minister Dr. S. Jaishankar
Tags: International News
On 14 April, India's External Affairs Minister Dr. S. Jaishankar virtually inaugurated the Buzi Bridge built by India in Mozambique.
The bridge is part of the 132 km long Tika-Buzi-Nova-Sofala road project and was constructed by India.
An Overview of the News
The bridge represents the strong bond of friendship and solidarity between India and Mozambique.
Dr Jaishankar took a train ride from Maputo to Machava in an Indian made train and showcased India's contribution to the development of Mozambique's rail infrastructure.
About Mozambique
Mozambique is located in southeastern Africa, with the Indian Ocean to the east and several neighbouring countries to the north, northwest, west, and southwest.
The Portuguese arrived in 1498 and colonised Mozambique for four centuries before the country gained independence in 1975.
Mozambique descended into a civil war from 1977 to 1992, but has since held multi-party elections and become a relatively stable presidential republic.
Christianity is the largest religion in Mozambique, with Islam and African traditional religions also present.
Government - Unitary major-party semi-presidential republic
President - Filipe Nyusi
Prime Minister - Adriano Maleiane
Capital - Maputo
Official language - Portuguese
Currency - Mozambican metical
3. India opens its 16th Visa application center in Bangladesh's Kushtia
Tags: International Relations International News
The High Commission of India opened its 16th Visa application center in Kushtia town of Southwestern Bangladesh on 16th April.
An overview of the news
The new Indian Visa Application Center (IVAC) was inaugurated by High Commissioner Pranya Verma.
Mahbubul Alam Hanif, MP from Kushtia-3 was also present on this occasion.
This will provide greater ease and convenience to residents of Kushtia and its surrounding areas seeking visa services to visit India.
Continuous efforts are being made to improve visa facilities for the people of Bangladesh.
The new center will further strengthen people-to-people contact.
It will serve as a new platform to promote tourism, trade and people-to-people exchanges between India and Bangladesh.
The High Commission of India operates its largest Visa Operations Center in the world in Bangladesh.
Bangladesh accounts for the largest number of foreign tourists in India, including those availing medical, tourism, business and student visa facilities.
In the year 2019-20, more than 16 lakh visas were issued in Dhaka.
People’s Republic of Bangladesh
Capital: Dhaka
Prime Minister: Sheikh Hasina Wazed
President: Mohammad Shahabuddin
Currency: Taka
4. India, Peru hold 2nd Joint Commission Meeting
Tags: International News
The 2nd India-Peru Joint Commission Meeting was held in New Delhi on 15th April.
An overview of the news
In the meeting both sides reviewed their traditionally friendly relations and discussed ways to take forward cooperation in areas of mutual interest including trade and investments.
The meeting was co-chaired by Saurabh Kumar, Secretary (East) in the Ministry of External Affairs and Ignacio Higueras, Deputy Minister of Foreign Affairs of Peru.
They also discussed regional and multilateral issues of current relevance and underlined cooperation between the two countries in multilateral fora and international organizations.
The two sides also agreed to exchange visits and hold a series of business, cultural, educational and other bilateral events as part of celebrations to mark the 60th anniversary of diplomatic relations.
About Peru
Peru is the third-largest country in South America after Brazil and Argentina.
The world’s largest rainforest, the Amazon covers nearly half of Peru.
Capital: Lima
President: Dina Boluarte
Currency:Nuevo Sol
Official Language :Spanish, Quechua
5. Bangladesh's capital Dhaka recorded the highest temperature in 58 years
Tags: International News
Bangladesh's capital city Dhaka had its hottest day on 15 April in 58 years with the temperature rising to 40.4 degrees Celsius.
An overview of the news
This is the highest temperature since 1965 when the highest temperature was recorded at 42 degree Celsius.
The mid-western city of Chuadanga recorded a maximum temperature of 42.2 degrees on 15th April.
Bangladesh experienced its highest temperature of 44.5 degrees at Jashore in 1964.
On 15th April, a severe heatwave was experienced in several districts of Bangladesh including Dhaka, Faridpur, Manikganj, Bagerhat, Pabna, Jashore, Chuadanga, and Kushtia.
The extraordinary heat wave in Bangladesh continues over large parts of the country.
People’s Republic of Bangladesh
Capital: Dhaka
Prime Minister: Sheikh Hasina Wazed
President: Mohammad Shahabuddin
Currency: Taka
6. Piyush Goyal addresses India – France Business Summit
Tags: International Relations International News
Union Minister of Commerce and Industry Piyush Goyal addressed the India-France Business Summit and CEO Roundtable in Paris, France on 11 April.
An overview of the news
The Embassy of India, Paris, France, in association with the Confederation of Indian Industry (CII), the Mouvement des entreprises de France(MEDEF) and the Indo French Chamber of Commerce and Industry(IFCCI), organised the India – France Business Summit.
Sessions were held on the following topics-
Building a Green Future
Critical and Emerging Technologies: The New Strategic Frontier
Defence Cooperation: Securing a Shared Future Through Atmanirbhar Bharat
France and India: Springboard to Europe and Indo-Pacific
CEOs Roundtable
Trade between India and France
Bilateral trade with France has reached US$ 10.75 billion in the last decade and has shown steady growth. Both sides have taken forward the discussions on the India-EU Trade and Investment Agreement.
Agreements worth about $16 billion have been signed at the trade summit.
Nearly 1,000 French companies are present in India while over a hundred Indian businesses have established a presence in France.
India, France bilateral relations
France is the first country with which India started a strategic dialogue after its 1998 nuclear tests.
Both sides recognized the importance of discussing the India-EU Trade and Investment Agreement.
In 2005, an agreement was signed to build six Scorpene submarines in India with the help of France.
There has been an agreement between the Government of France and India for 36 Rafale aircraft.
About France
President: Emmanuel Macron
Prime minister: Élisabeth Borne
Capital: Paris
Currency : euro
7. Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman to attend the Spring Annual Meetings of IMF- World Bank
Tags: Economy/Finance International News
Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman is on a visit to the USA to attend the Spring Annual Meetings of the International Monetary Fund (IMF) - World Bank.
An overview of the news
Finance ministers and central bankers from around the world will participate in the meeting.
The meeting is scheduled to take place from April 9 at the IMF headquarters in Washington DC.
On the sidelines of the Spring Annual Meetings, Sitharaman will hold bilateral talks with her respective counterparts from G20 countries and heads of other delegations.
Sitharaman and Reserve Bank of India Governor Shaktikanta Das will jointly chair the 2nd G20 Finance Ministers and Central Bank Governors, FMCBG meeting on April 12.
About 350 delegates from G20 members, 13 invited countries and various international and regional organizations will participate in the meeting.
They will engage in multilateral discussions centered around a broad spectrum of global issues.
Agenda of the meeting
The focus will be on addressing food and energy insecurity, managing global debt vulnerabilities, strengthening multilateral development banks, mobilizing finance for climate action, and accelerating progress on international tax and financial sector issues.
About the Meeting
Spring Meetings will be held on April 14 - 16, 2023 at Washington, D.C.
The World Bank Group (WBG) plays a key role in the global effort to end extreme poverty and promote shared prosperity.
Towards achieving these goals the organization is organizing this meeting.
This meeting is the primary opportunity to raise awareness and participation on these topics and to advance the agenda on key issues.
8. Bangladesh gets 450 MW power from Adani
Tags: International News
The Bangladesh Power Development Board received 450 MW of electricity from Adani Power, a subsidiary of the Indian Adani Group, on a trial basis.
An Overview of the News
Power is supplied from Adani's power plant in Godda, Jharkhand.
Bangladesh has been importing electricity from India since 2013, and now receives 1,000MW daily from Baharampur in West Bengal and 160MW from Suryamoni in Tripura.
Adani and BPDB completed the transmission line ahead of the test run, and the Power Grid Company of Bangladesh installed a substation at Bogra to transmit power from the Godda plant and a 134 km transmission line from the Chapainawabganj border.
As per the MoU signed between Adani Power and BPDB in 2015, the entire production from the project can be supplied to Bangladesh.
Director of Public Relations of Bangladesh Power Development Board - Mohammad Shamim Hasan
About Bangladesh Power Development Board (BPDB)
It is a government agency responsible for the development and management of the country's power sector.
BPDB was established in 1972 under the Ministry of Power, Energy and Mineral Resources, Government of Bangladesh and the agency is responsible for generation, transmission and distribution of electricity in the country.
The mission of BPDB is to provide reliable, affordable and quality power supply to all citizens of Bangladesh.
The agency manages a significant portion of the country's electricity generation capacity, including thermal, hydro and renewable energy sources.
The agency is also involved in the development of power transmission and distribution infrastructure including substations, transmission lines and distribution networks
BPDB is committed to the promotion of renewable energy sources in Bangladesh, including solar, wind and biomass energy.
Headquarters - Wapda Building, Motijheel C/A, Dhaka, Bangladesh
Parent Department - Ministry of Power, Energy and Mineral Resources
9. Ukraine's President awarded Order of the White Eagle, Poland's highest honour
Tags: Awards International News
Ukraine's President Volodymyr Zelensky was awarded the Order of the White Eagle, Poland's highest award.
An Overview of the News
The award was given to him for his exceptional services to protect security, resilience and human rights.
The Order of the White Eagle is a prestigious and highly regarded decoration of the Republic of Poland, awarded for outstanding civil and military contributions to the country.
It is considered the oldest and highest decoration in Poland, whose history dates back to the 14th century.
In recent years, the award has been awarded to individuals who have made a significant contribution to Polish–Ukrainian relations and to the promotion of democracy and human rights in the region.
About Ukraine
It is located in Eastern Europe, bordered by Russia to the east and northeast, and is the second largest country in Europe, covering approximately 600,000 square kilometres.
Ukrainian culture has influences from Slavic, Byzantine and European traditions.
Capital - Kyiv
Official language - Ukrainian
About Poland
A country located in Central Europe, bordered by Germany to the west, the Czech Republic and Slovakia to the south, Ukraine and Belarus to the east, and the Baltic Sea, Lithuania and Russia to the north.
The country is divided into 16 administrative regions, known as provinces, each with its own government and parliament.
Poland has a total area of 312,696 km², making it the ninth largest country in Europe and the fifth most populous member state of the European Union.
Poland is also a member of several international organisations including the United Nations, NATO, and the World Trade Organization.
Capital - Warsaw
Official language - Polish
10. IFC to stop funding new coal-powered electricity projects
Tags: International News
The International Finance Corporation (IFC), the private sector arm of The World Bank, has said it will not support investments in new coal projects.
An overview of the news
The announcement has come as a big relief to those campaigning for a clean energy transition.
In the year 2020, IFC unveiled a policy that required its clients to reduce their exposure to coal projects by 2025 and to zero by 2030.
There was no talk of stopping new investments in that policy, but now the situation has changed with this new announcement.
A new update to IFC's Green Equity Approach (GEA) policy explicitly bars its financial intermediaries clients (such as commercial banks) from investing in coal.
IFC lends money to banks and other financial institutions which in turn lend to infrastructure and energy projects.
IFC has given loans of about $5 billion to about 88 financial institutions in India.
About International Finance Corporation (IFC)
It was established in 1956 as a member of the World Bank Group.
A member of the World Bank Group, the International Finance Corporation (IFC) provides financing for private enterprise investment in developing countries.
Its focus is the elimination of poverty through economic development, but critics claim it is more focused on profits than people.
In fiscal year 2021, IFC invests $31.5 billion in financial initiatives.
