1. Bangladesh PM Sheikh Hasina confers ‘Friends of Liberation War’ honour on Edward M Kennedy
Tags: Awards International News
Bangladesh Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina posthumously awarded the prestigious 'Friends of Liberation War' honour to former US Senator Edward M Kennedy in Dhaka on 31 October for his contribution to the liberation of Bangladesh.
Important facts
The honour was handed over to his son Edward M. Ted Kennedy Jr.
Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina remembered with gratitude the contribution of Edward Kennedy Sr.
He said Kennedy Sr. took a bold step against the genocide committed by Pakistan on innocent Bengali people despite the role of the US government during the 1971 Liberation War.
She said Kennedy Sr. had worked hard to suspend military and economic aid to Pakistan until the end of the war.
Liberation War of 1971
In the 1950s, Pakistan was ruled by a military-bureaucratic rule that ruled the entire country (East and West Pakistan) in an undemocratic manner.
The Bengalites had no political representation in this system of governance.
This dominance of West Pakistan was challenged by the Bengalis during the general elections of 1970.
In the general election of 1970, the Awami League of East Pakistan's Sheikh Mujibur Rahman got a clear majority.
West Pakistan was not ready for any leader of East Pakistan to rule the country.
On March 26, 1971, West Pakistan launched Operation Searchlight in East Pakistan.
As a result, lakhs of Bangladeshis had to take refuge in India.
The Pakistani army had to face defeat due to the bravery of the 'Muktiwahini Sena' and Indian soldiers who fought for the independence of Bangladesh.
On 6 December 1971, a new nation Bangladesh was born out of 13 days of war with the intervention of India.
2. S Jaishankar participated in the virtual meeting of the Heads of Government of the SCO
Tags: International News
External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar represented India at a virtual meeting of the Council of Heads of Government (CHG) of the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation (SCO) on 1 November 2022.
Important facts
The 21st Meeting of SCO Council of Heads of Government (CHG) is being held on 1 November 2022 in the virtual format.
The meeting was attended by SCO Member States, Observer States, Secretary General of the SCO, Executive Director of the SCO Regional Anti-Terrorist Structure (RATS), Turkmenistan and other invited guests.
India remains actively engaged in various SCO activities and dialogue mechanisms in the region as well as other multilateral cooperation within the SCO framework.
The leaders of the SCO member states met for the summit meeting in Samarkand, Uzbekistan on 16 September 2022.
The meeting was attended by Prime Minister Narendra Modi and the Samarkand Declaration was adopted.
Member countries also called for the improvement of SCO activities and the development of efficient transport corridors for interconnectivity.
Shanghai Cooperation Organisation (SCO)
It is a permanent intergovernmental international organisation.
It was founded in 2001.
The SCO Charter was signed in 2002, and came into force in 2003.
It is a Eurasian political, economic and military organisation.
Its aim is to maintain peace, security and stability in the region.
China, Russia and four Central Asian states – Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Uzbekistan and Tajikistan – were founding members of the SCO.
Official Languages - Russian and Chinese
Chairmanship - On the basis of rotation for a year by Member States
The Council of Heads of Governments (CHG) is the second-highest council in the organization.
3. Union Minister Hardeep Puri attends the Abu Dhabi International Petroleum Exhibition & Conference
Tags: Person in news International News
Union Minister for Petroleum and Natural Gas and Housing and Urban Affairs Hardeep Singh Puri attended the Opening Ceremony of the Abu Dhabi International Petroleum Exhibition & Conference (ADIPEC-2022) on 31 October 2022 at Abu Dhabi. United Arab Emirates.
Hosted by ADNOC(Abu Dhabi National Oil Company), ADIPEC is one the world's leading events of the energy industry and aims to provide insights on the latest trends affecting an evolving global energy system including the global economy, energy supply as well as next generation of energy solutions.
Mr Singh who was on a day visit to the United Arab Emirates (UAE) held bilateral discussion with his counterparts from UAE, Suhail Mohamed Faraj Al Mazrouei, Minister of Energy and Infrastructure, and Dr. Sultan Ahmad Al Jaber, Minister of Industry & Advanced Technology, MD & Group CEO, ADNOC, to strengthen energy cooperation within the overall framework of India-UAE Strategic Partnership.
The Minister also inaugurated the India Pavilion, set up jointly by Federation of Indian Petroleum Industry (FIPI) and Confederation of Indian Industry (CII).
India- UAE Trade Relations
- UAE is an important trade partner of India with which India has a Comprehensive Economic Partnership Agreement to promote free trade in goods and services.
- UAE is the third largest trading partner of India after China and the United States.
- UAE is the second largest export market for India after the United States.
- UAE was the second largest source of imports for India after China. The US is the third largest source of imports.
- India ranks as the UAE’s number one trading partner for non-oil exports, accounting for nearly 14 percent of the UAE’s total non-oil exports globally.
United Arab Emirate (UAE)
- It is a federation of seven Emirates of Abu Dhabi, Dubai, Sharjah, Ras Khaimah, Ajmain, Fujairah, Umm -Al-Quwain. It is an Arabian country.
- Abu Dhabi is the largest of the emirates and is the centre of UAE oil business.
- It is situated in the West Asia /Middle East region of the world in the Arabian Peninsula.
- UAE in its present form came into existence in 1971.
Capital of UAE: Abu Dhabi
Currency: Emirati Dirham
President of UAE: Sheikh Khalifa bin Zayed bin Sultan Al Nahyan. He is the king of Abu Dhabi.
4. Brazilian Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva wins 3rd term as the President of Brazil
Tags: Person in news International News
The leftist leader Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva of the Worker Party won his third term as the President of Brazil after narrowly defeating the incumbent President Jair Bolsonaro in a runoff election. Declaring the result on 30 October 2022 the Supreme Electoral Court of Brazil, declared Lula as the next President. Lula secured 50.9% of votes against 49.1% for Bolsonaro and he received more than 60 million votes, the most in Brazilian history.
The 77-year-old Lula's will take oath of his office on 1 January 2023 for another 4 year term.
Runoff Election
Under the Brazilian constitution a candidate has to win more than half of the votes polled and if none of the candidates secure the required votes then there is another round of voting called run off polls.
In the runoff polls the top two candidates who secures the maximum votes can contest again for the post.
In the first round of voting held on 2 October 2022 neither Lula nor Bolsonaro got the required votes. Hence the runoff election was conducted on 30 October 2022.
Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva
Lula first became the President of Brazil after he won the 2002 election and he was re-elected again in the 2006 election. However he was convicted in a case of corruption in 2017 and was sentenced to 9 and half years to prison. Later he was released from prison after the Federal Supreme Court overturned his conviction.
Pink Tide in Latin America
Lula’s election marks the continuation of the Pink tide in the Latin American politics where the leftist leaders are coming back to power. His victory over far-right president Jair Bolsonaro leaves Brazil joining Colombia, Mexico, Argentina, Chile and Peru in a growing leftist bloc.
Brazil
It is the fifth largest country in the world area wise after Russia, Canada, China, and the United States.
It covers almost half of the South American Continent.
60% of the Amazon rainforest which is considered the lung of the earth lies in Brazil.
Capital: Brasilia
Currency: Brazilian Real
President: Jair Bolsonaro
5. South Korea declares national mourning after Halloween stampede kills 151 people
Tags: International News
South Korea's President Yoon Suk-yeol declared a period of national mourning on 30 October 2022 after a Halloween stampede killed 151 people in a packed nightlife area in the South Korean capital city of Seoul.
At least 151 people, mostly teenagers including foreigners from China, Iran, Uzbekistan and Norway have been killed in one of South Korea’s worst disasters and the world's worst stampedes in decades. The local authorities expect the death toll to rise.
It was the first Halloween event in Seoul in three years to be virtually free of COVID-19 restrictions and social distancing. The stampede happened in an alley near a nightclub in the Itaewon district of Seoul which was packed with people .
Halloween festival
Halloween is based on the Celtic festival Samhain, a celebration in ancient Britain and Ireland that marked the end of summer and the beginning of the New Year on 1st November. Halloween is observed every year on 31 October.
It is believed that during Samhain the souls of those who had died that year travelled to the other world and that other souls would return to visit their homes.
People wear costumes to hide themselves from these wandering souls. Another tradition is the carving of demonic faces on pumpkins.
Republic of Korea (South Korea)
It lies in the Korean peninsula in East Asia.
The Korean peninsula was divided into communist Democratic People’s Republic of Korea (North Korea) and Republic of Korea (South Korea) after the Korean War in 1953.
Capital: Seoul
Currency: South Korean Won
6. Number of TB patients increases worldwide after 20 years: WHO
Tags: Science and Technology International News
According to a World Health Organisation (WHO) report “Global Tuberculosis Report 2022” released on 27 October 2022, the incidence of Tuberculosis (TB) patients worldwide has shown an increasing trend reversing a 20 year trend of decline due to covid pandemic.
According to the WHO a total of 16 lakh people died from TB in 2021 which is an increase of 14% as compared to 2019. In 2019 14 lakh people died due to TB while in 2020 it was 15 lakhs.
The WHO says that due to the ongoing war in different parts of the world, the global energy crisis and the food crisis, the situation of TB may worsen in the coming times. “The first priority should be to restore patient access to TB related services so that the detection and treatment of TB cases can be brought back to 2019 levels,” the report says.
Main Highlights of the WHO Report
- TB is the 13th leading cause of death and the second leading infectious killer after COVID-19.
- About 10 million people became ill with TB in 2021, which is 4.5 percent more than in 2020.
- An estimated 66 million lives were saved through TB diagnosis and treatment between 2000 and 2020.
- Globally, TB incidence is falling at about 2% per year and between 2015 and 2020 the cumulative reduction was 11%.
- Ending the TB epidemic by 2030 is among the health targets of the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs).
- In 2021, the largest number of new TB cases occurred in the South-East Asian Region, with 46% of new cases, followed by the WHO African Region, with 23% of new cases and the WHO Western Pacific with 18%.
India leads the New TB cases
According to the WHO, in 2020, 87% of new TB cases occurred in the 30 high TB burden countries. Eight countries accounted for more than two thirds of the global total.
Maximum new cases were reported from India and followed by, Indonesia, China, the Philippines, Pakistan, Nigeria, Bangladesh and the Democratic Republic of the Congo.
TB related Deaths
India ranks first among the four countries that have the highest number of TB related deaths. It is followed by Indonesia, Myanmar and the Philippines.
The report says that it is possible that TB will once again be the number one cause of death in the world. Last year it was covid -19.
What is TB?
Tuberculosis (TB) is caused by bacteria (Mycobacterium tuberculosis) that most often affect the lungs. Tuberculosis is curable and preventable.
TB is spread from person to person through the air. When people with lung TB cough, sneeze or spit, they propel the TB germs into the air. A person needs to inhale only a few of these germs to become infected.
India and TB
The government has set a target to eliminate TB from India by 2025.
Every year March 24 is observed as World Tuberculosis Day in the world.
World Health Organisation (WHO)
- The World Health Organisation is a specialised agency of the United Nations which was founded on 7 April, 1948.
- Headquarters of WHO : Geneva, Switzerland
- Members : 194 countries
- Director General of WHO: Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus of Ethiopia .
7. Elon Musk finally acquires the micro blogging site Twitter
Tags: Economy/Finance International News
South African born American billionaire Elon Musk on 28 October 2022 completed the acquisition of the microblogging site Twitter for $44 billion.
As part of the agreement, the world’s richest man will pay $54.20 per share to common shareholders and will consequently operate the social media giant as a private entity henceforth.
Billionaire and Chief Executive officer (CEO) of Tesla Elon Musk is now the new owner of Twitter and has fired the social media company’s four top executives, including Indian-origin CEO Parag Agrawal and legal executive Vijaya Gadde.
The 51-year-old has promised to transform Twitter by loosening the service's content moderation rules, making its algorithm more transparent and nurturing subscription businesses, as well as laying off employees.
Background to the deal
On 14 April 2022 Twitter revealed in a securities filing that Musk has offered to buy the company outright for about $44 billion.
On July 8, Musk says he will abandon his offer to buy Twitter after the company failed to provide enough information on the number of fake accounts.
Twitter sued Musk on July 12 to force him to complete the deal.
A court in Delaware, United States asked Musk to close the deal by 28 October 2022.
Twitter Company
The microblogging site was founded in 2006 in California, United States by Jack Dorsey, Evans Williams, Biz Stone and Noah Glass.
The social site provides an online microblogging service that distributes short messages of no more than 280 characters—called tweets.
Headquarters of Twitter: San Francisco, California, United States
8. Cyclone Sitrang
Tags: International News
Bangladesh has been devastated by Cyclone Sitarang, where densely populated, low-lying areas have been badly affected.
Important facts
This cyclone named by Thailand is the first tropical cyclone of the post-monsoon season of 2022.
The India Meteorological Department has predicted that a low pressure area is likely to form over southeast and adjoining east-central Bay of Bengal.
Due to this, the low pressure area may turn into a cyclonic storm which may affect Odisha, West Bengal, northern part of Andhra Pradesh and adjoining areas.
About Cyclone Sitrang
A tropical cyclone is an intense circular storm that originates from warm tropical oceans, characterised by low atmospheric pressure, high winds and heavy rainfall.
The name of this cyclone is given by Thailand.
Cyclone Sitarang comes after Cyclone Asani, which developed in the Bay of Bengal in early May this year.
This will be the second cyclonic storm of 2022.
Cyclones forming in the North Indian Ocean including the Arabian Sea and the Bay of Bengal are named by the IMD.
Thirteen countries – Bangladesh, India, Iran, Maldives, Myanmar, Oman, Pakistan, Qatar, Saudi Arabia, Sri Lanka, Thailand, United Arab Emirates and Yemen – have been warned of tropical cyclones and storm surge by the IMD.
Common names of Cyclone
Hurricanes – In the Atlantic and Eastern Pacific
Typhoons – In Southeast Asia
Cyclone – In the Indian Ocean and Western Pacific around Australia
9. Narendra Singh Tomar presides over the 7th ASEAN-India Ministerial Meeting on Agro-Forestry
Tags: Person in news International News
The 7th ASEAN-India Ministerial Meeting (AIMMAF) on Agriculture and Forestry was held virtually on 26 October 2022. The meeting was co-chaired by the Union Minister for Agriculture and Farmers Welfare, Narendra Singh Tomar.
Agriculture Ministers of Brunei Darussalam, Cambodia, Indonesia, Laos, Malaysia, Myanmar, Philippines, Singapore, Thailand and Vietnam also participated in the meeting.
In the meeting, the progress in implementation of various programs and activities under the Medium Term Action Plan of ASEAN-India Cooperation (Year 2021-2025) was reviewed. The meeting also welcomed the 30th anniversary of ASEAN-India relations.
Association of Southeast Asian Nation (ASEAN)
It is considered to be one of the most successful regional groups in the world.
It was set up in 1967 as a group of South-East Asian nations.
At present there are 10 members in the group. They are:
Brunei, Cambodia, Indonesia, Laos, Malaysia, Myanmar, the Philippines, Singapore, Thailand and Vietnam.
The headquarters of ASEAN: Jakarta, Indonesia.
10. Rishi Sunak appointed as the 57th Prime Minister of the United Kingdom by King Charles
Tags: Person in news International News
King Charles of the United Kingdom appointed Rishi Sunak as the 57th Prime Minister of the United Kingdom on 25 October 2022 at Buckingham Palace in London.
He is the third Prime Minister of this year after Boris Johnson and Elizabeth Truss and will enter Downing Street as the youngest Prime Minister in two centuries. He is 42 years old.
is also the first Asian to become the Prime Minister.
Rishi Sunak who was the Chancellor of the Exchequer (finance minister) during Boris Johnson's regime lost to Elizabeth Truss in a contest to be the next Prime minister.
However he was elected as the leader of the Conservative party after Truss resigned after being in office for just 44 days.
Who is Rishi Sunak?
Rishi Sunak's father and mother are of Punjabi descent and were born in Kenya and Tanzania respectively, which were part of British Empire.
They migrated to the United Kingdom in 1970’s and Rishi Sunak was born in England.
He is married to Akshata Murthy, the daughter of Indian billionaire and one of the founders of Infosys Company, Narayana Murthy.
Important things to know
10 Downing Street
It is the official residence of the Prime Minister of United Kingdom
Buckingham Palace
Buckingham Palace has served as the official London residence of the United Kingdom's sovereigns since 1837 and today is the administrative headquarters of the Monarch.
Robert Walpole is considered to be the first Prime Minister of Britain (1721-1742) and also the first Prime Minister in the world.
