1. PM Modi and Bangladesh PM Sheikh Hasina jointly unveils Unit-I of Maitree Super Thermal Power Project
Tags: International Relations International News
Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Bangladesh Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina jointly unveiled Unit-1 of Maitri Super Thermal Power Project after bilateral and delegation level talks in Delhi on 6 September.
IMPORTANT FACTS -
- The project is being constructed under India's concessional financing scheme.
This will add 1320 MW to the national grid of Bangladesh.
The first unit of the Maitree Super Thermal Power Plant will go into commercial operation early October.
Unit-II of the power plant, also known as the Rampal coal-fired power project, is expected to be commissioned early next year.
India-Bangladesh delegation level talks :
India-Bangladesh delegation level talks under the leadership of PM Modi and Hasina began at Hyderabad House in New Delhi.
The Prime Minister of Bangladesh is on a four-day visit to India to strengthen the multi-faceted ties between the two countries.
ADDITIONAL INFORMATION -
Agenda of the talks :
The agenda for talks between the two countries included connectivity, energy, water resources, trade and investment, border management and security, development partnership and regional and multilateral matters.
Seven MoUs between India and Bangladesh :
Interim bilateral agreement on water sharing of the Kushiyara river
Signing of MoU on Scientific Cooperation between Council of Scientific and Industrial Research (CSIR), India and Bangladesh Council of Scientific Industrial Research (BCSIR).
MoU signed between National Judicial Academy, Bhopal and Supreme Court of Bangladesh to promote capacity building
Ministry of Railways signed an MoU with Bangladesh Railways, under which India will train personnel of Bangladesh Railways in Indian training institutes
MoU signed between ministries of both countries to cooperate in providing IT solutions to Bangladesh Railways
MoU signed between Bangladesh Television and Prasar Bharati
MoU between the two countries for promotion of cooperation in space technology and scientific and research
India - Bangladesh :
Bangladesh and India share an international border of more than four thousand kilometres.
The five states of India Assam, Meghalaya, Mizoram, Tripura and West Bengal touch the border of Bangladesh.
The land boundary between the two sides has been amicably resolved with the ratification of the landmark Protocol to Land Boundary Agreement in 2015.
Bangladesh accounts for the largest share of foreign tourist arrivals in India.
In 2021-22, Bangladesh has emerged as the largest trading partner for India in South Asia and the fourth largest export destination for India.
Bilateral trade between the two countries has increased from $9 billion to $18 billion in the last five years.
2. China became the first country to approve a needle-free, inhaled version of a Covid 19 vaccine. The vaccine has been developed by CanSino Biologics Inc.
Tags: Science and Technology International News
China became the first country to approve a needle-free, inhaled version of a Covid 19 vaccine. The vaccine has been developed by CanSino Biologics Inc.
This is a developing new.
3. Mary Elizabeth Truss to be the new Prime Minister of United Kingdom
Tags: Person in news International News
Mary Elizabeth Truss or Liz Truss has been chosen as the next Prime Minister of the United Kingdom (UK) by her Conservative party on 5 September 2022. She is the third women Prime minister of the UK after Margaret Thatcher and Theresa May. She will be the 56th Prime Minister of the United Kingdom.
The ruling conservative party also known as Tories voted to elect their leader after the current Prime Minister Boris Johnson announced his resignation in July after months of scandal.
Liz Truss who was serving as the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs since 2021 defeated Rishi Sunak by getting 57% of the valid votes cast. She got 81,326 votes while Sunak got 60,399.
Rishi Sunak, former finance minister in the Boris Johnson government, is a person of Indian origin and married to the daughter of Infosys founder N. R. Narayana Murthy.
Boris Johnson will travel to Scotland to meet Queen Elizabeth on 6 September to officially tender his resignation. Truss will follow him and be asked to form a government by the monarch Queen Elizabeth II.
Truss will become the Conservatives' fourth prime minister since a 2015 election.
Truss takes over as the country faces a cost of living crisis, industrial unrest, a recession and war in Europe, where Britain has been a leading backer of Ukraine.
4. UN Security Council Counter-Terrorism Committee will hold special meeting in India focused on new and emerging technologies
Tags: Summits International News
The United Nations has announced that the United Nations Security Council Counter-Terrorism Committee will hold a special meeting in India on 29 October 2022.
The theme of the Conference is: Increasing threat posed by the misuse of new and emerging technologies.
The Special meeting will focus on three areas where there is an increasing threat of abuse by the Terrorist namely
(a) the Internet and social media,
(b) terrorism financing,
(c) unmanned aerial systems (UAS).
UN Security Council :
It is one of the 6 Principal organs of the United Nations. The Security Council has primary responsibility for the maintenance of international peace and security.
It consists of 15 members. Five members, the United States, Russia, China, France and the United Kingdom are permanent members with veto power.
The Remaining 10 members are elected by the General Assembly for two years. They do not have veto power.
5. 64th Ramon Magsaysay award 2022 announced
Tags: Awards International News
The Ramon Magsaysay Award Foundation (RMAF), Manila, Philippines has announced the winners of the 64th Ramon Magsaysay award 2022 on 31 August 2022.
It is given to Individuals and organisation for providing solutions to some of the most challenging problems of human development in Asia or the world.
The award which is considered to be equivalent to the ‘Asian Nobel Prize’ will be given to Tadashi Hattori, Gary Bencheghib, Sotheara Chhim, and Bernadette J. Madrid on 30 November 2022.
Awardee of 2022
Sotheara Chhim
He is from Cambodia. He has been honoured for his role as an Psychiatrist and mental health advocate who has played a key role in providing treatment of thousands of traumatized survivors of the Khmer Rouge's brutal rule and other patients in his country
Tadashi Hattori
He is from Japan. He is an ophthalmologist and humanitarian who has been honoured for his commitment in providing free eye surgeries in Vietnam.
Bernadette J.Madrid
She is a paediatrician from the Philippines. She has been honoured for her work as championing the Filipino child’s right to protection by creating safe spaces for abused children nationwide.
Gary Bencheghib
He is from France. He has been honoured for his work in eradicating marine plastic pollution in Bali, Indonesia.
Ramon Magsaysay Award
- The Ramon Magsaysay Award was founded in 1957 in memory of the Philippines President Ramon Magsaysay who died in a plane crash in 1957.
- The award was established by the American philanthropist Rockfellers Brothers fund.
- The first award was given on 31 August 1958 and Vinoba Bhave of India was amongst the first five awardee.
- It was till 2008 given in 6 categories annually. They were Community Leadership,Public Service, Government Service, Journalism, Literature, and Creative Communication Arts,Peace and International Understanding,Emergent Leadership.
- Starting in 2009, the Ramon Magsaysay Award is no longer being given in fixed Award categories, except for Emergent Leadership.
6. Lok Sabha Speaker Om Birla unveils first statue of Swami Vivekananda in Mexico
Tags: International News
Lok Sabha Speaker Om Birla on 3 September unveiled a statue of Swami Vivekananda at University of State of Hidalgo in Mexico.
IMPORTANT FACTS -
- This is the first statue of Swami Vivekananda in Latin America.
Birla said that the teachings and personality of Swami Vivekananda have inspired people not only in India but across the world.
This statue will be a source of inspiration to the youth to strive and bring change that will take their country to new heights.
Today, people across the world are embracing his ideals and taking a pledge to follow them for the betterment of their lives and society.
Om Birla is leading the Indian Parliamentary Delegation to Mexico.
Om Birla on 2 September also unveiled a statue of freedom fighter Dr Pandurang Khankhoje at Chapingo University in Mexico.
Earlier, the Speaker of the Lok Sabha had inaugurated the Indo-Mexico Friendship Garden in the Mexican Parliament Complex.
About Swami Vivekananda :
Born - January 12, 1863
Childhood Name - Narendranath Dutt
He is best known for his speech at the World Parliament of Religions in Chicago in the year 1893.
Netaji Subhas Chandra Bose called him "the architect of modern India".
He introduced the world to the Indian philosophy of Vedanta and Yoga.
Mexico :
Mexico is a country in southern North America.
It is the third largest country in Latin America after Brazil and Argentina.
President - Andrés Manuel López Obrador
Capital - Mexico City
Currency - Mexican peso
Official Language - Spanish
7. GMR Group to sell its entire 40% stake in Philippines' Cebu airport
Tags: Economy/Finance International News
The New Delhi based Multinational GMR Group, on 2 September 2022, has said that it will divest its entire 40 per cent stake in Cebu international airport in Philippines for a payment of Rs 1,330 crore.
However the GMR will continue to provide consultancy service to the Airport till 2026 and will earn revenue for it.
According to GMR, the company will now focus on high growth opportunities. It will now use the capital to invest in the Kualanamu International Airport at Medan, Indonesia. The Kualanamu International Airport is being developed and operated by GMR Airports International.
Mactan Cebu International Airport
It is the second largest Airport of the Philippines after the Ninoy Aquino International Airport Manila.
In 2014, GMR Infrastructure in partnership with Megawide Construction Corporation of Philippines won the bid to operate and develop the Mactan Cebu International Airport.
Both the Megawide Construction Company and GMR are selling their stake to Aboitiz InfraCapital Inc. of Philippines.
Currency of Philippines: Philippine pesos
GMR Airports International
GMR Airports International is a subsidiary of GMR Infrastructure Ltd
GMR Group operates the IGI Delhi International Airport, Rajiv Gandhi Hyderabad International Airport and Bidar Airport in (Karnataka).
It is building a Greenfield airport at Mopa in North Goa and an International Greenfield Airport at Bhogapuram, Vizianagaram, and Andhra Pradesh.
It is the only Indian company to develop and operate foreign International airport. It is developing airports in Indonesia, Greece.
The GMR group was founded by Grandhi Mallikarjuna Rao. It is in the business of Infrastructure, Energy, transportation etc.
8. United States announces hosting first-ever US-Pacific Island Country Summit
Tags: Summits International News
The United States has announced to host the US-Pacific Island Country Summit for the first time in the last week of this month amid China's growing influence in the Indo-Pacific region.
IMPORTANT FACTS -
- This summit will be held in Washington from 28 to 29 September.
US President Joe Biden will host the summit.
The summit will showcase the United States' deep and enduring partnership with Pacific island countries and the Pacific region that is based on shared history, values, and people-to-people ties.
The conference was announced a week after the US accused Beijing of expanding its nuclear arsenal.
The US has claimed that the process of building an excessive nuclear arsenal by China could harm the stability of the Indo-Pacific region.
The White House has invited 12 Pacific Island countries, including the Solomon Islands, which signed a security pact with China in April 2022.
About Indo-Pacific :
It covers half of the world's population and more than 60 percent of the global GDP.
It is a geopolitical region that spans two regions of the Indian Ocean and the Pacific Ocean.
Extending from the west coast of the United States of America to the west coast of India, the Indo-Pacific is a regional structure of 24 countries.
It includes the tropical waters of the Indian Ocean, western and central Pacific Ocean.
9. Saudi Arabia to launch new national carrier 'RIA'
Tags: International News
Saudi Arabia is finalizing the launch of its new international airline "RIA".
IMPORTANT FACTS -
- The launch of this new project, backed by the Public Investment Fund of Saudi Arabia, has been underway for the past 12 months.
Once launched, it will become Saudi's second national carrier.
It will be based at Riyadh’s King Khalid International Airport.
This is unprecedented in the history of the Saudi Arabian aviation sector.
Saudi Arabia is targeting 30 million international transit passengers by 2030, while it currently stands at less than 4 million.
This will mean the new carrier would need to operate more than 150 routes globally in Europe, North America, South America, Africa and Asia.
This would require an investment of $30 billion.
Emirates currently flies to 158 destinations in 85 countries.
Saudi Arabia :
King - Salman
Capital - Riyadh
Currency - Saudi Arabian riyal
Official Language - Arabic
Official Religion - Islam
10. Canadian student wins 2022 Stockholm Junior Water Prize
Tags: Awards International News
Annabelle M. Rayson, a Canadian student, has won the prestigious Stockholm Junior Water Prize for the year 2022 for her research on ways to treat and prevent harmful algae blooms.
IMPORTANT FACTS :
- Crown Princess Victoria of Sweden, who is the official patron of the award, announced the winner during a ceremony at World Water Week in Stockholm.
Harmful algae bloom (HAB) refers to the uncontrolled growth of algae.
This causes toxic or harmful effects on organisms such as fish, sheep, marine mammals and birds.
About Stockholm Junior Water Prize :
It is an international competition in which students aged 15 to 20 submit solutions to major water challenges.
It has been organised annually since 1997 by the Stockholm International Water Institute in collaboration with Xylem, an American water technology provider.
The award is a part of World Water Week.
