'Save our Ocean, Protect our Future': UN Ocean Conference Begins
United Nations Ocean Conference started in Lisbon, Portugal from June 27-July 1 and will be co-hosted by the Governments of Kenya and Portugal.
The Ocean Conference comes at a critical time as the world is seeking to address many of the deep-rooted problems of our societies laid bare by the COVID-19 pandemic. These problems require major structural transformations and common shared solutions that are anchored in the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs).
To mobilise action, the Conference will seek to propel much needed science-based innovative solutions aimed at starting a new chapter of global ocean action.
Bangladesh PM Hasina Inaugurates Padma Bridge
Bangladesh Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina inaugurated the country's new landmark multipurpose 'Padma Bridge'.
This is the longest bridge in Bangladesh that significantly reduces the distance between the capital city of Dhaka to the Mongla sea port, which is important for regional and international trade.
EU Awards Ukraine and Moldova Candidate Status
Ukraine and Moldova were both granted EU candidate status, President of the European Council Charles Michel announced.
Ukraine applied days after the Russian invasion in February, and the process moved at a record speed.
Its President, Volodymyr Zelensky, hailed the decision.
Candidate status is the first official step towards EU membership. But it can take many years to join and there's no guarantee of success.
Landmark Gun Safety Bill Gets US Senate Nod
A bipartisan package of modest gun safety measures passed the US Senate even as the Supreme Court broadly expanded gun rights by ruling Americans have a constitutional right to carry handguns in public for self-defense.
The landmark court ruling and Senate action on gun safety illustrate the deep divide over firearms in the United States, weeks after mass shootings in Uvalde, Texas, and Buffalo, New York, killed more than 30 people, including 19 children.
The Senate bill, approved in a 65-33 vote, was the first significant gun control legislation to pass in three decades, in a country with the highest gun ownership per capita in the world and the highest number of mass shootings annually among wealthy nations.
Jun 26, 2022
Indonesia to Start Building New Capital City in August
Indonesia will start construction of government buildings at its new capital in August, as President Joko Widodo pushes ahead with his $ 34 billion ambition to build the city from scratch.
The Minister of Public Works and Housing Basuki Hadimuljono told Jokowi as the President visited the site where the state palace would be built. The government will also start developing infrastructure at Nusantara, as the capital will be known, including water systems, sanitation and toll roads.
Indonesia plans to move its capital to East Kalimantan, from Jakarta, to bring more Wealth and development outside of the wealthiest island of Java. Nusantara is being planned as an environmentally friendly city that will use entirely renewable energy, despite the critique that its construction could threaten one of the world's oldest rainforests.
Jun 25, 2022
India Re-establishes Diplomatic Presence in Kabul
India resumed its diplomatic presence in Kabul as it deployed a team in its embassy in the Afghan capital, over 10 months after it pulled out its officials from the mission following the Taliban's capture of power. The Ministry of External Affairs (MEA), in a statement, said an Indian technical team has reached Kabul and was deployed in the embassy there.
The reopening of the embassy came three weeks after an Indian team led by JP Singh, MEA's point person for Pakistan, Afghanistan and Iran, visited Kabul and met acting Foreign Minister Mawlawi Amir Khan Muttaqi and some other members of the Taliban dispensation.
Jun 24, 2022
Commonwealth Heads of Government Meet; S. Jaishankar Leads Indian Delegation
External Affairs Minister S. Jaishankar is on a four-day visit to Kigali in Rwanda from June 22, leading the Indian delegation in the 26th Commonwealth Heads of Government Meeting (CHOGM). Decisions taken at CHOGM guide the work programme of the Commonwealth Secretariat. Leaders of Commonwealth countries meet every two years for the CHOGM but it has been postponed twice due to Covid-19 pandemic.
The theme of this year's summit is – 'Delivering a Common Future: Connecting, Innovating, Transforming'.
The Commonwealth provides an important platform to deepen India's engagement with Commonwealth members, in particular the Small States and Small Island Developing States. India is also one of the largest contributors to the Commonwealth and has assisted the organisation with technical assistance and capacity building.
The Commonwealth is an association of 54 countries in Africa, Asia, the Americas, Europe and the Pacific. Together they are home to one-third of the world's population and the association includes both advanced economies and developing countries.
Jun 23, 2022
The 16th ASEAN Defence Minister's Meeting Kicks Off
The 16th ASEAN Defence Ministers' Meeting (ADMM) kicked off, with discussions focusing on key challenges and security in the region.
Chaired by Cambodian Deputy Prime Minister and Defence Minister Tea Banh, the meeting brought together defence ministers or representatives from all ASEAN (the Association of Southeast Asian Nations) member states.
This was the first in-person meeting in over two years following the Covid-19 pandemic.
ASEAN groups Brunei, Cambodia, Indonesia, Laos, Malaysia, Myanmar, the Philippines, Singapore, Thailand and Vietnam.
PM Modi to Visit Germany for G7 Summit
Prime Minister Narendra Modi will visit Germany on June 26 and 27 to attend the annual summit of G7, which is likely to be attended by US President Joe Biden, British Prime Minister Boris Johnson, French President Emmanuel Macron and Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau among others.
From Germany, Modi will travel to the UAE on June 28 to pay his condolences on the passing away of Sheikh Khalifa bin Zayed Al Nahyan, the former President of the Gulf nation.
Crisis-hit Sri Lanka Plans Donor Conference with China, India and Japan
Sri Lanka called China, India and Japan to a donor conference to drum up more foreign assistance and present an interim budget in August, amid ongoing negotiations with the International Monetary Fund (IMF).
The island nation of 22 million people is struggling with its worst economic crisis in seven decades, unable to import essentials including food, fuel and medicines because of a severe shortage of foreign exchange.
A high-level delegation from India led by Chief Economic Advisor V. Anantha Nageswaran will go to Sri Lanka for talks on additional support from New Delhi, and a team from the U.S. Treasury will visit next week.
The World's Most Liveable Cities
The Austrian capital, Vienna, made a comeback as the world's most liveable city, according to an annual report from the Economist.
Vienna snatched the top spot from New Zealand city Auckland, which tumbled down to 34th place due to coronavirus pandemic restrictions.
Vienna, which slipped to 12th place in our rankings in early 2021 as its museums and restaurants were closed, has since rebounded to first place, the position it held in 2018 and 2019.
Melbourne retained its place as one of the world's most liveable cities, ranking 10th, as other Australian capitals dropped out of the global top 10. Last year Brisbane, Adelaide and Perth were all in the top 10, but they have fallen to 27th, 30th and 32nd respectively.
Sri Lanka Revises Minimum Age for Migrant Domestic Workers
The Sri Lankan government amended the minimum age limit for women leaving for foreign employment as domestic aides to 21 years of age. The decision was announced at the weekly Cabinet meeting. However, the minimum age limit for Saudi Arabia was set at 25 years, and 23 years for the other countries in the Middle East. The minimum age limit announced as 21 for the rest of the Middle East countries other than Saudi Arabia.
On other hand, a team from the International Monetary Fund is in Sri Lanka for crucial bailout negotiations with the crisis-ridden country that is left with virtually no foreign exchange to import food, fuel and medicines. The talks began as schools and government offices shut down for two weeks and switched to working online to conserve fast depleting fuel supplies. The nine-member team has met Prime Minister Ranil Wickremesinghe and will be in the country for 10 days.
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