Australia Strengthening Tech Partnership with India
Australian Foreign Minister Marise Payne said that Australia is strengthening its technology partnership with India through the establishment of a new consulate in Bengaluru and a centre of excellence for critical and emerging technology policy in India.
Her comments came hours after Australian Prime Minister Scott Morrison announced Australia's plan to set up the consulate in his virtual address at the Bengaluru Tech Summit.
Payne said that the consulate will support Australian businesses in one of the world's most important commercial centres.
Apart from its High Commission in Delhi, Australia at present has consulates in Mumbai, Chennai and Kolkata.
India Gets Re-elected to UNESCO Executive Board for 2021-25 Term
India was re-elected to the executive board of the United Nations cultural and education organisation for the 2021-25 term.
India got re-elected to the Executive Board of UNESCO with 164 votes.
In Group IV Asian and Pacific States, Japan, Philippines, Vietnam, Cook Islands and China were also elected.
The UNESCO Executive Board is one of the three constitutional organs of the UN agency (the others being the General Conference and the Secretariat) and it is elected by the General Conference.
India Slips 5 Points in Global Bribery Risk Rankings
India slipped five points in the global bribery risk rankings settling at the 82nd spot among 194 nations analysed for compliance risks businesses face internationally.
The TRACE Bribery Risk Matrix (TRACE Matrix) published measured business bribery risk since 2014 and assigned an overall country risk score based on the combined and weighted score of four domains — business interactions with government; anti-bribery deterrence and enforcement; government and civil service transparency; and capacity for civil society oversight, including the media role.
Denmark, Norway, Sweden, Finland and New Zealand are the top five ranked nations on the TRACE matrix and the least corrupt societies.
Nov 17, 2021
Lawmakers from 20 Nations Oppose China's Nominee to Interpol Committee
Parliamentarians and activists from around the world have launched a global campaign to oppose the candidacy of Hu Binchen, a Deputy Director General at China's Ministry of Public Security, to the Interpol Executive Committee at its General Assembly session later this month.
As many as 50 legislators, from 20 countries, who are part of the Inter-Parliamentary Alliance on China (IPAC) penned a joint letter to their governments raising alarm at China's moves to gain influence over the global policing body.
IPAC is an international, cross-party alliance of parliamentarians from democratic countries focused on relations with the People's Republic of China, and specifically, the Chinese Communist Party.
US Imposes Entry Ban on Nicaraguan President, Officials
The United States imposed an entry ban on Nicaraguan President Daniel Ortega, his vice-president wife and his government, after elections that were internationally dismissed as illegitimate.
Before the November 7 vote, Nicaraguan authorities detained nearly 40 opposition figures, including seven would-be presidential challengers, assuring victory for long-time ruler Ortega and his wife Rosario Murillo.
The repressive and abusive acts of the Ortega government and those who supported it compelle the United States to act.
The United States announced separate financial sanctions against Nicaraguan officials.
Britain and Canada also announced new sanctions against prominent Nicaraguans.
China Overtakes US as World's Richest Country
Global wealth tripled over the last two decades, with China leading the way and overtaking the US for the top spot worldwide.
A report by McKinsey & Co. examines the national balance sheets of ten countries representing more than 60 per cent of the world's income. China accounted for almost one-third of gains in global net worth over the past two decades.
Net worth worldwide rose to $514 trillion in 2020, from $156 trillion in 2000. China accounted for almost one-third of the increase.
Joe Biden, Xi Jinping Discuss Complex Nature of Ties between Two Nations
In their first face-to-face virtual summit, US President Joe Biden and his Chinese counterpart Xi Jinping discussed the complex nature of ties between the two superpowers, as well as the importance of managing competition responsibly.
The summit was also the third between the two leaders since Biden took office in January this. The other two were telephone calls.
Nov 16, 2021
Pakistan and Afghanistan to Resume 'Dosti' Transport Service
Pakistan and Afghanistan have agreed to resume the suspended "Dosti" bus service between the two countries in 2022 after more than five years, a move that would help mitigate the travel woes of people living across the border of the two countries. The decision to resume the bus service was taken during the recent visit by the Afghan delegation.
Nov 15, 2021
Sri Lanka Calls for in-person BIMSTEC Summit, Postpones December Meet
Sri Lanka has called for an in-person BIMSTEC summit, the date of which is yet to be decided. This will be the 5th such summit of the grouping.
BIMSTEC or Bay of Bengal Initiative for Multi-Sectoral Technical and Economic Cooperation has 7 members - India, Nepal, Bhutan, Bangladesh, Myanmar, Thailand, and Sri Lanka. The grouping is more than 20 years old and was formed in 1997. The last summit took place in Kathmandu in 2018 with PM Modi and other member-leaders attending the meet.
Sri Lanka is the chair of the grouping and had earlier proposed holding a virtual summit on 9th December which has now been postponed. Before that it had proposed August for the summit.
This is the 2nd time Colombo had to post the summit, the reason for which has not been given. First April saw BIMSTEC foreign minister meet taking place virtually during which agenda for the leaders' summit was taken up.
Joe Biden Picks Senior Google Health Advisor Robert Califf as FDA Chief
US President Joe Biden picked senior Google Health advisor Dr. Robert Califf as next chief of the Food and Drug Administration (FDA).
Currently, Califf is a professor of medicine at the Duke University School of Medicine, where he previously served as Vice Chancellor and founded the Duke Clinical Research Institute, and works as senior advisor for Verily Life Sciences and Google Health, two divisions of parent company Alphabet.
Dr. Califf is an internationally-recognised expert in clinical trial research, health disparities, healthcare quality, and cardiovascular medicine.
Philippine: Duterte's Daughter Files Candidacy for Vice President Elections
Sara Duterte-Carpio, the daughter of Philippine President Rodrigo Duterte, filed her candidacy for Vice President in the May 2022 elections.
Carpio sent a representative to the Commission on Elections to file her candidacy as substitute vice presidential candidate under the Lakas-Christian Muslim Democrats (Lakas-CMD) that she joined earlier.
Nov 14, 2021
Race to Lead Angela Merkel's Party in German Opposition Takes Shape
A former German Environment Minister announced his second run for the leadership of outgoing Chancellor Angela Merkel's center-right party as the race to lead it in opposition started to take shape.
The Christian Democratic Union has decided to hold a ballot of its entire roughly 400,000-strong membership on who will take over after incumbent Armin Laschet led it to defeat and its worst-ever national election result in September.
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