1. Bajram Begaj has elected as the new President of Albania
Tags: Person in news International News
Bajram Begaj, who held the post of Chief of General Staff of the Albanian Armed Forces (AAF), has been elected as the new President of Albania country.
He is the 8th President of Albania and the third President by military rank.
Bajram Begaz will be sworn in as the new President on 25 July 2022 to replace the incumbent President 'Ilir Meta', who will remain in office till 22 July 2022.
About Albania
The Republic of Albania is a country located in northeastern Europe.
Albania is a member of the United Nations, NATO, the European Organisation for Security and Cooperation, the European Council, the World Trade Organisation, the Organisation of Islamic Conference, etc.
The national and ethnic symbol of the Albanian people is "eagle".
In 1967, Albania became the first atheist country in the world.
The capital of the country is "Tirana".
2. NHAI created World Records for laying 75 Km long Bituminous Concrete Road in record 5 days
Tags: International News
The National Highways Authority of India (NHAI) and its contractors entered the Guinness World Records for laying 75 km long continuous bituminous concrete road in a record 5 days.
The work was carried out in a single lane on the NH-53 section between Amravati and Akola in West Vidarbha.
This section was constructed by private contractor Rajput Infracon.
Earlier also Rajput Infracon had created a world record by building a road between Sangli and Satara in 24 hours.
The NH-53 highway passes through the mineral rich region of India.
It connects major cities like Kolkata, Raipur, Nagpur, Akola, Dhule and Surat.
Earlier this record was held by the Public Works Authority of Qatar - Ashghal on February 27, 2019.
The road was part of the Al-Khor Expressway and took 10 days to complete.
3. U.K. PM Boris Johnson faces no-confidence vote
Tags: International News
British Prime Minister Boris Johnson won the trust vote on 6 June. The no-confidence motion was brought by MPs from his ruling Conservative Party. Johnson garnered the support of 59% of his lawmakers. He got 211 votes out of a total of 359 MPs.
What is a No-Confidence Motion?
In a parliamentary democracy, the government can be in power only if it has a majority in the directly elected house.
Article 75(3) of the Constitution of India specifies the rule that the Council of Ministers is collectively responsible to the Lok Sabha.
But there is no mention of a no-confidence motion in the Constitution.
Rule 198 of the Procedure and Conduct of Business in the Lok Sabha provides a mechanism for examining this collective responsibility.
According to this rule, any Lok Sabha MP who has the support of 50 colleagues can move a no-confidence motion against the Council of Ministers.
The MPs who supported the proposal highlight the shortcomings of the government.
The prime minister or minister then responds to the allegations made.
If the government loses the vote of confidence, it is expected to resign.
There is no procedure for bringing a no-confidence motion against the government in the Rajya Sabha.
Process of voting
Voting can be conducted by following mode-
By voice vote the legislators (MPs) respond orally.
By division vote voting is done using electronic gadgets, slips or in a ballot box.
By ballot vote just like how people vote during state or parliamentary elections.
4. Nirmala Sitharaman launched single nodal agency dashboard
Tags: International News
Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman launched the Single Nodal Agency Dashboard on 7th June during the iconic week celebrations of Azadi Ka Amrit Mahotsav in New Delhi.
About Single Nodal Agency (SNA) dashboard
This Single Nodal Agency (SNA) dashboard will provide a platform to the Ministries/Departments to monitor the transfer of funds to the States and their utilisation.
SNA Dashboard is developed by the Public Financial Management System (PFMS).
This is a part of a major public financial management reform that was initiated in 2021 with regards to the manner in which funds for Centrally Sponsored Schemes are released, disbursed and monitored.
This revised process, now referred to as the SNA model, requires each state to identify and designate one SNA for each plan.
All funds for that state in a particular scheme will be deposited in this bank account, and all expenses will be borne by all other implementing agencies linked to this account.
The SNA model ensures that funds for centrally sponsored schemes are allocated to the states in a time bound manner and after fulfilling various conditions.
Significance of SNA Dashboard
It will bring greater efficiency in fund utilisation, tracking of funds, viability and timely release of funds to the states of Centrally Sponsored Schemes.
This will contribute to better cash management of the government.
5. UN agrees to change Turkey’s official name to ‘Türkiye’
Tags: International News
Turkey will henceforth be officially known as 'Turkeys' at the United Nations, after agreeing to Ankara's formal request.
This is a part of a rebranding campaign launched by the Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan in 2021.
Why does Turkey want to change its name?
Turkish President Erdoan argued that instead of matching the name of a bird (Turkey), it better represented the country if it was called Turkiye.
According to the Cambridge English Dictionary, the meaning of turkey is fool or loser.
Erdoan said that Turkiye best represents the culture, civilization and values of the people of this country and it also best expresses them.
The country's government was not happy with the Google search results for the word 'Turkey'.
Some of these results included the large bird that is served for Thanksgiving and Christmas meals in North America.
Countries that changed its name in the past
The Netherlands was changed from Holland in 2020.
Macedonia changed its name to North Macedonia due to a political dispute with Greece.
Swaziland, a landlocked country in Southern Africa changed to Eswatini in 2018.
Iran used to be called Persia, Siam is now called Thailand, and Rhodesia was changed to Zimbabwe.
6. India to contest for re-election to International Telecommunications Union (ITU) Council
Tags: International News
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The Ministry of Communications said in a statement on June 4 that India will contest for re-election to the International Telecommunication Union (ITU) Council.
As a member since 1869, India is contesting re-election, to the International Telecommunications UnionCouncil (ITU), for the term 2023-2026.
Devusinh Chauhan led the Indian delegation to WSIS 2022 in Geneva, Switzerland which was held from May 31 to June 3, 2022.
Chouhan said that India is a connected society and shares ITU's vision to enable ICT to meet SDG 2030.
WSIS 2022 is co-organized by International Telecommunication Union (ITU), United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organisation (UNESCO), United Nations Development Program (UNDP) and United Nations Conference on Trade and Development (UNCTAD).
About International Telecommunication Union (ITU)
ITU is the United Nations specialised agency for information and communication technologies – ICTs.
It was established in the year 1865 to facilitate international connectivity in communications networks.
It is committed to connecting all the world's people.
In line with its mandate and the WSIS outcome documents, it continues playing a key role in WSIS implementation.
Its members come from all over the globe.
Its global membership includes 193 Member States as well as 900 companies, universities, and international and regional organisations.
7. THE Asia University Rankings 2022
Tags: Popular International News
Indian Institute of Science (IISc), Bangalore has been ranked highest (42nd) among 71 Indian universities in the Asia University Rankings 2022 released by Times Higher Education (THE).
616 universities from 31 countries have been included in this latest edition.
India is the third-represented country in the Times Higher Education Asia University Rankings 2022, which includes 71 universities in India.
Only 4 Indian universities have been ranked in the top 100.
There has been a decline in the ranking of all the Indian institutions in the top-100 as compared to the previous year.
Major Indian Institutions and their Ranks in Asia University Rankings 2022
Institute | Rank |
Indian Institute of Science | 42 |
JSS Academy of Higher Education and Research | 65 |
IIT Ropar | 68 |
IIT Indore | 87 |
IIT Gandhinagar | 120 |
Banaras Hindu University | 153 |
Jamia Millia Islamia | 160 |
JNU | 167 |
IIIT Delhi | 177 |
8. Turkey rejects Indian wheat consignment
Tags: International News
Turkish authorities refused permission to an Indian wheat consignment due to phytosanitary concerns.
With the return of this 15 million ton wheat consignment, the difficulties of the traders of India have increased.
Turkey is facing a severe wheat crisis.
The government of Turkey is exploring options to buy wheat from abroad.
Keeping in view the domestic demand, India has decided to ban the export of private wheat.
However, 12 countries have requested India for help.
Despite the export ban, India sent a consignment of 60,000 tonnes of wheat to Egypt.
Why Turkey rejected India's wheat consignment?
Turkey claims that Rubella virus has been found in these wheat.
Despite the wheat crisis in the country as a result of the Russia-Ukraine War, Turkey returned the consignment of Indian wheat.
There is a problem of phytosanitary in the wheat of the consignment.
Phytosanitary means a certificate issued by a competent government authority indicating that the particular material or shipment is free from harmful pests and diseases.
What is Rubella disease in humans?
Rubella is an infectious disease caused by a virus.
Rubella is spread when an infected person coughs or sneezes small droplets filled with germs into the air and on surfaces.
Symptoms may include fever, sore throat and rash on the face and rash that spreads to the rest of the body.
Until the 1960s, Rubella was a common childhood infection.
After the MMR vaccine came to the market, the virus stopped spreading in the United States around 2004.
The virus is still present in Asia, Africa and other parts of the world.
9. U.S. to send medium-range rocket systems to Ukraine
Tags: Defence International News
US President Joe Biden's administration has announced that it will send high-tech medium-range rocket systems to Ukraine.
Ukrainian leaders are constantly demanding this, struggling to stop Russia's growing hold in Ukraine's Donbass region.
Russia is making incremental progress in the Donbass, seeking to annex the remaining parts of the region.
In total, the United States has pledged nearly $5 billion in security aid to Ukraine since the beginning of the Biden administration.
The rocket systems are part of a new $700 million tranche of security assistance for Ukraine from the U S.
About the rocket systems
These include Helicopters, Javelin anti-tank weapon systems, tactical vehicles, spare parts etc.
These rocket systems are capable of attacking Russia.
Any of these weapon systems could shoot down Russian if it was close enough to the border.
Medium-range rockets generally can travel about 45 miles (70 kilometers).
The upgraded rocket system will give the Ukrainian military greater accuracy in targeting Russian assets inside Ukraine.
To Ukraine, the US is planning to send the High Mobility Artillery Rocket System, or HIMARS, which is mounted on a truck and can carry a container with six rockets.
10. India and Sweden Host Industry Transition Dialogue In Stockholm
Tags: International Relations International News
India and Sweden hosted the Industry Transition Dialogue on 2 June in Stockholm as a part of their joint initiative, Leadership for Industry Transition (LeadIT).
The LeadIT initiative focuses on areas that are major stakeholders in global climate action and require specific interventions.
This high level dialogue has made a significant contribution to the United Nations Conference 'Stockholm+50'.
Stockholm +50 is a World Environment Assembly held on 2 and 3 June to commemorate the first United Nations Conference on the Human Environment in 1972.
It sets the agenda for COP27.
Japan and South Africa are the latest members of the initiative.
At present, the total number of LeadIT members is 37, including countries and companies.
Union Minister of Environment, Forest and Climate Change Bhupender Yadav addressed the event.
He said it is a time to celebrate 50 years of collaborative action, as well as a time to introspect on what we have achieved so far and what remains to be achieved.
During the event, India chaired the Round Table Talks on priorities for implementation for 2022-23.
Countries and companies share their initiatives, success stories and plans for the future.
About Sweden
Capital - Stockholm
National Day - 6 June
Parliament - Called ‘riksdag’
Members of parliament - 349 in a single chamber
Head of state - King Carl XVI Gustaf; heir to the throne is Crown Princess Victoria
Total area - 528,447 sq km (fifth largest country in Europe)
Highest mountain - Kebnekaise (2,099 m)
Biggest lake - Vänern (5,650 sq km)
Currency - Swedish krona
