National & International Events - Current Affairs for January, 2016

PM of India Shri Narendra Modi and French President Francois Hollande laid the foundation of the International Solar Alliance headquartered at Gwalpahari, Gurgaon. GoI has dedicated a 5 acre land in NISE for the ISA Headquarters and contributed INR 175 crore for ISA corpus fund and meeting expenditure for initial 5 years. ISA is part of the PM’s vision to initiate clean and affordable energy for creating a sustainable world.

The 4th India Africa Hydrocarbons Conference concluded in New Delhi today with a resolve to strengthen the relations between India and Africa in all its dimensions, particularly in the Hydrocarbons sector .The 4th India -Africa Hydrocarbons Conference was organised in New Delhi on January 21- 22, 2016. A total of 21 African countries participated in the event. The event saw enthusiastic representation from Africa at various levels including Ministers of Petroleum, Petroleum regulators, CEOs of National Oil Companies and experts in the field of petroleum. The delegations of 9 African countries ¬ Mauritius, Morocco, Algeria, Sudan, South Sudan, Tunisia, Senegal, Equatorial Guinea and Liberia ¬ were headed by the respective Ministers. Senior officials led the delegations from Nigeria, Ghana, South Africa, Egypt, Tanzania, Kenya, Mozambique, Uganda, Libya, Cote d’Ivory, Gabon & Sierra Leone.

Haryana is expecting a spike in foreign investments from China following 8 MoUs being signed with top companies to establish a USD 10 billion industrial park and smart cities in the state during CM Khattar’s trip to get more investors. MoU was signed with which top Chinese companies Wanda Group, China Land Development Company Private Limited, and ZTE Corporation.

Indian and French troops commenced their 8 day counter-terrorism and counter insurgency joint exercise Shakti in Rajasthan on January 8, 2016. French contingent comprising 56 personnel of 35th Infantry Regiment of 7th Armoured Brigade that has participated in Afghan war was part of this exercise. This exercise aims to agin from every body’s rich operational experience. 35th Infantry Regiments origin extends back to 1604 at Lorraine(France).

The Union Cabinet, chaired by the Prime Minister Narendra Modi has given its ex-post-facto approval for the Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) between India and Bangladesh for setting up Border Haats on India-Bangladesh Border. The MoU seeks the following:
- To establish new Border Haats after identification of suitable locations in consultation with Government of Bangladesh and concerned State Governments and
- To modify/revise the terms and condition of the above MoU/Addendum in consultation with relevant State Governments/Central Government agencies and Government of Bangladesh.

The objective of this MoU is to establish mutual cooperation in the field of civil aviation, which will cover, to begin with, the airports of Jaipur and Ahmedabad. This cooperation will be extended to other airports with mutual consent, between India and Singapore. The MoU envisages collaboration with Singapore in areas such as traffic development, commercial development, master planning and design, training and development, cargo handling and management among others.

North Korea has conducted a powerful hydrogen bomb test on 6th January 2015 which will see a huge jump in Pyongyang’s quest for improving still limited nuclear arsenal. South Korea’s spy agency and external nuclear experts however, cast doubt on this announcement. A successful H Bomb will be a major achievement for N. Korea as these bombs are 100 times more powerful than atomic bomb using fission. Within a hydrogen bomb, radiation from nuclear fission explosion will set off a chain of reactions responsible for the blast and consequent radioactivity.

India will pitch for a trade facilitation agreement in services at the WTO and other bilateral FTAs as the sector has massive potential and contributes to the economy of the country. India is forging ahead for a comprehensive trade pact in the services sector which is a key area of interest in the nation. This is with respect to the ongoing free trade agreement negotiations including RCEP/ Regional Comprehensive Economic Partnership and EU.

Following the success of the Rann Utsav, the 2nd edition of the Polo Utsav will be a grander event this year. Festival highlighting ancient forests near Vijaynagar in Sabarkantha district will be held for 2 months commencing from January 9th. Polo Utsav was organised for 15 days last year. The first Polo Utsav was organised in Abhapur in Vijaynagar. Polo Utsav is also called Green Festival and involves numerous attractions such as cycling and adventure sports to promote eco tourism with sustainable livelihood. Located on the border of Gujarat and Rajasthan, Polo is one of the best protected forest stretches close to the Hamav River.

The 103rd Indian Science Congress commenced on 3rd January 2016 with PM Narendra Modi coining the mantra of 5 Es for enquiry and engineering by the scientific community. 5Es need to be at the centre of their equity and engineering for scientists and technologists to prosper. The 5Es are Economy, Environment, Energy, Empathy and Equity. Economy is where one finds cost effective and efficient solutions while environment is the carbon footprint that determines energy on which prosperity relies, the PM said. The 5 Es also coincide with the centenary of Albert Einstein’s general theory of relativity published in 1916 called E=MC^2. Richness of the tradition of the country, consciousness of modern age and strength of commitment to world should create a more sustainable path.

Nigeria on 1st January 2016 launched the 9 meter tall statue of Jesus Christ carved from white marble called Jesus de Greatest. The statue weighs at least 40 tonnes and is 30 feet tall located in Abajah village in southeastern Nigeria. The statue was commissioned by Obinna Onuoha, a local businessman who hired a Chinese company to carve it.