Panchayati Raj Ministry, UNDP Sign Pact on Sustainable Development Goals
The Ministry of Panchayati Raj and the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) signed a joint statement of understanding on localisation of Sustainable Development Goals.
About 65% of India's population lives in rural areas and the government is increasingly routing the funding of social sector schemes in sectors such as sanitation, housing and solid waste management through rural local bodies. The UNDP has been leading efforts in partnership with the NITI Aayog and the State governments, notably Haryana, Karnataka, Nagaland, Punjab and Uttarakhand, to localise and accelerate the SDGs through its signature solution of Sustainable Development Coordination Centres.
Myanmar Court Sentences Aung San Suu Kyi to 5 Years in Prison
A court in military-ruled Myanmar convicted the country's former leader Aung San Suu Kyi of corruption and sentenced her to five years in prison. Suu Kyi, who was ousted by an army takeover in February last year, had denied the allegation that she had accepted gold and hundreds of thousands of dollars given her as a bribe by a top political colleague. The maximum punishment for the offense is 15 years in prison and a fine.
News of the verdict came from a legal official who asked not to be identified because he is not authorised to release information. Suu Kyi's trial in the capital Naypyitaw was closed to the public, and her lawyers were barred from speaking to media.
India and Maldives to Establish Transmission Interconnection for Renewable Power Transfer
A draft agreement is being prepared for MoU on transmission interconnection under which a technical team from India would visit Maldives to assess its technical feasibility. Thereafter a detailed project report, including for undersea cable route survey and network augmentation, in Male (capital of Maldives) would be prepared jointly with Indian and Maldives agencies.
The proposal was discussed during the meeting between Power and New and Renewable Energy Minister R K Singh and Maldives' Environment, Climate Change and Technology Minister Aminath Shauna in New Delhi. During the meeting, both leaders proposed two Memoranda of Understanding – on energy cooperation and on transmission interconnection under One Sun, One World, One Grid (OSOWOG).
World Bank Agrees to Provide US Dollar 600 Million in Financial Assistance to Sri Lanka
The World Bank agreed to provide Sri Lanka with 600 million US dollars in financial assistance to help meet payment requirements for essential imports. The World Bank would release 400 million dollars "shortly". The World Bank said that it would continue to help Sri Lanka to overcome the current economic crisis. Sri Lanka's worst financial crisis since independence in 1948 was caused by a drastic drop in its reserves that dropped 70 percent over the past two years, hitting 1.93 billion dollars at the end of March 2022. This left Colombo struggling to pay for essentials, including fuel, medicines and food.
The Sri Lankan government has also appealed to multiple countries and multilateral organisations for bridge financing until the IMF comes up with its aid. Thousands of people remained camped outside President Gotabaya Rajapaksa's seafront office to demand his resignation.
Apr 26, 2022
Robert Golob Becomes Prime Minister of Slovenia
Political newcomer liberal Robert Golob defeated Slovenia's three-time Prime Minister conservative Janez Jansa in elections in a country split by bitter political divisions over the rule of law. Golob's Freedom Movement (GS), which he launched only in January, has built on anger with Jansa's regime in the former Yugoslav state. The opposition accuses Jansa of having tried to undermine democratic institutions and press freedoms since he returned to power in 2020.
Emmanuel Macron Gets Reelected as French President, Defeats Rival Marine Le Pen
French President Emmanuel Macron defeated his far-right rival Marine Le Pen by a comfortable margin, securing a second term and heading off what would have been a political earthquake. Macron is the first French president to win a second term for two decades, but Le Pen's result also marks the closest the far-right has ever come to taking power in France and has revealed a deeply divided nation.
The 44-year-old president faces a litany of challenges in his second term, starting with parliamentary elections in June 2022, where keeping a majority will be critical to ensuring he can realise his ambitions to reform France.
The result is narrower than the second-round clash in 2017, when the same two candidates met in the run-off and Macron polled over 66 percent of the vote.
India to Host 21st World Congress of Accountants (WCOA) 2022
Institute of Chartered Accountants of India (ICAI) is set to host 21st World Congress of Accountants (WCOA), the kumbh of accountants, for the first time in 118 years of its existence. The event will be held from November 18 to 21 after outbidding France. About 6000 top accountants from 130 countries will participate in the programme physically.The event will take place in newly built Jio World Convention Centre in Mumbai.
The theme this time would be `Building Trust Enabling Sustainability'
Prasar Bharati Signs MoU with Public Broadcaster of Argentina
Prasar Bharati signed an MoU with the Public Broadcaster of Argentina Radio Television Argentina (RTA) for collaboration in the field of broadcasting. The MoU encompasses a range of fronts in Media and Broadcasting that is set to exemplify the communication and transmission networking of both nations. India and Argentina share cordial relations and developmental partnerships in the areas of political, economic, scientific and technological cooperation.
The Chief Executive Officer of Prasar Bharati, Shashi Shekhar Vempati and the president of RTA, Rosario Lufrano, signed the agreement in the presence of the Indian Ambassador to Argentina Dinesh Bhatia.
Apr 25, 2022
India, Maldives Unveil Sea Navigation Chart
India and Maldives have jointly unveiled the first-ever navigation chart. It helps ships to understand the maritime topography of Maldives Exclusive Economic zones, water depths and which areas to avoid. INS Sutlej is currently deployed to Maldives for undertaking joint hydrographic survey under the MoU on hydrographic cooperation.
The two countries have been working together closely in several bilateral, mini-lateral and multilateral fora such as the Indian Ocean Naval Symposium and the Colombo Security Conclave.
In 2021, India and Maldives signed a pact for the development of a coast guard harbour for maritime security.
Ashwin Yardi, CEO Of Capgemini India Joins UNICEF YuWaah Board As Co-Chair
YuWaah (Generation Unlimited India) in India announced that Ashwin Yardi, CEO of Capgemini in India, joined the organisation, starting immediately, alongside Yasumasa Kimura, UNICEF Representative, as being the co -chair of the organisation.
The YuWaah Board would now serve as a decision-making body, with the majority of founding partners and board members providing time and resources to help the YuWaah Secretariat with money and functional expertise.
They will play a critical role in influencing YuWaah's long-term strategy and execution, as well as actively crafting shared-value partnerships with governments and the private sector to genuinely establish a collaborative platform.
Apr 24, 2022
Pakistan Passes Orders to Scrap China-Pak Economic Corridor Authority
Pakistan's new government initiated a process to abolish the China-Pakistan Economic Corridor Authority, with the planning minister saying it was a "redundant organisation" that wasted resources and thwarted speedy implementation of the ambitious regional connectivity programme.
Planning Minister Ahsan Iqbal passed orders to the concerned officials to begin the process of abolition of the authority following reports that Chinese power producers have shut down 1,980 megawatts of production capacity due to non-clearance of their Rs. 300 billion dues.
The China-Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC) Authority established through an ordinance in 2019 was aimed at accelerating the pace of CPEC-related activities, finding new drivers of growth, unlocking the potential of interlinked production networks and global value chains through regional and global connectivity.
The Nobel prize winner José Ramos-Horta scored a landslide victory in Timor-Leste's presidential election. The victory gives Ramos-Horta his second term in office. He served as president of south-east Asia's youngest country from 2007 to 2012.
The new president faces the daunting task of lifting the country out of poverty. Timor-Leste is still reeling from the economic impact of the Covid-19 pandemic, and the World Bank has said that 42% of the population lives below the poverty line.
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