FEBRUARY

INDIA AND WORLD:

Ø  India, Seychelles conduct military exercise Lamitye 2018

Ø  The eighth edition Lamitye 2018, bilateral military exercise between Indian Army and Seychelles People’s Defence Force was held at Mahe Island in Seychelles archipelago. The Seychelles archipelago falls on one of most significant and busiest sea transport routes of the world in Indian Ocean. The Lamitye exercise is conducted biennially between Indian and Seychelles with aim of enhancing military cooperation and interoperability between the two countries. “Lamitye” means friendship in Creole (local dialect of Seychelles). The aim Lamitye 2018 was fighting insurgency, terrorism and piracy threats.

Ø  Inclusive Internet Index 2018: India ranks 47th

Ø  India was ranked 47th out of 86 countries in Inclusive Internet Index (III) 2018 report. India has slipped by 11 positions compared to 36th rank in 2017 III report due to low internet usage and poor quality. The report was commissioned by Facebook in 2017 and is conducted by The Economist Intelligence Unit (EIU). It provides rigorous benchmark of national-level Internet inclusion across four categories: Availability, Affordability, Relevance and Readiness. 2018 edition of report has covered 91% of the world’s population and expanded data set of 86 countries, up from 75 countries in 2017.

Ø  India contributes $1 mn for Tonga devastated by Cyclone Gita: UN

Ø  According to United Nations (UN), India is contributing $1 million for relief efforts in the Pacific Ocean Kingdom of Tonga that was devastated by Cyclone Gita. Of that $500,000 would be given as immediate relief to Tonga and another $500,000 would be allocated to it from the India-UN Development Partnership Fund (I-UNDPF).

Ø  India 7th most targeted nation for Web Application Attacks: Report

Ø  India has been placed at the seventh spot in the list of targeted countries for Web Application Attacks (WAA), according to a new report titled ‘Akamai State of the Internet Security Q4 2017′. The report states that nearly 40 per cent of over 53,000 cyber attacks in India occured in the financial services sector during 2017.

Ø  India ranks 81st in global corruption perception index

Ø  India has been placed at the 81st spot among 180 nations in the global Corruption Perception Index for 2017, which was recently released by Transparency International. The report has, in fact named India among the worst offenders in terms of graft and press freedom in the Asia Pacific region.

Ø  Newborn Mortality Rate: India 12th Worst Among Low-Income Countries

Ø  India has been ranked 12th-worst among 52 low-middle income countries based on the number of children dying within the first month of their birth, which is 25.4 per 1,000 live births. Pakistan is the worst with 45.6 newborn deaths per 1,000 live births, according to the United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF). This is the first time that UNICEF has come out with rankings based on their newborn mortality rate (NMR) (the number of deaths per 1,000 live births). Japan, with an NMR of 0.9 deaths per 1,000 live births, has been ranked the world’s safest country in which to be born followed by Iceland (1) and Singapore (1.1).

Ø  UK and India upgrade joint research on clean water and clean energy

Ø  United Kingdom and India have launched joint research projects on ‘Water Quality Research’ and ‘Energy Demand Reduction in Built Environment’. The ‘Water Quality Research’ programme has 8 projects and ‘Energy Demand Reduction in Built Environment’ programme has 4 projects, with total joint investment of up to £15 million.

Ø  India, Indonesia begin joint drill

Ø  A special task force of Indian Army & Indonesian Army have begun the 6th Garuda Shakti exercise in the West Java province of the archipelago country. Drill aims to build experience sharing in counter-terrorism operations, close quarter combat & other areas of special operations. The exercise b/w Indian & Indonesian Special Forces highlights the increasing trust & cooperation b/w the 2 armies.

Ø  India-Iran sign 9 MoUs to boost bilateral ties

Ø  India and Iran has signed nine agreements in order to further the bilateral cooperation between the two sides. The pacts were signed after delegation level talks between Prime Minister Narendra Modi and visiting Iran President Hassan Rouhani at New Delhi’s Hyderabad house. The two countries inked pacts to enhance cooperation in the areas of taxation, maritime cooperation, health and medicine, trade, agriculture and postal cooperation.

Ø  India slides 16 spots on globalisation index

Ø  According to Global Connectedness Index 2016, India dropped 16 spots to 78 from 62 in 11 years to 2015. India’s 16-place drop was the 2nd worst change among its neighbours in central & south Asia. Georgia fared the best by moving up 43 spots to 56 while Sri Lanka was the worst, dropping 19 spots to 86. The index takes into account international flows of trade, capital, information & people.

Ø  Indian Army to deploy 2,300 personnel to join UN peacekeeping mission in South Sudan

Ø  The Indian Army would be deploying about 2300 personnel in South Sudan, as a part of UN’s peacekeeping mission in the war-torn nation. The announcement was made by Army Spokesperson Col Aman Anand. The mission aims to bring about peace and normalcy in the nation. The Indian army personnel chosen for the mission belong to the Infantry battalion of Garhwal Rifles regiment. The unit will be in operational control of the sensitive Jonglei state of South Sudan.

Ø  India retains top spot as source market for Dubai in 2017

Ø  Dubai witnessed 15% growth in tourist arrivals from India in 2017, hosting 2.1 million visitors, retaining top spot as the source market. It also became the first country to cross the 2 million mark in a single year, according to the latest data published by Dubai’s Department of Tourism and Commerce Marketing (Dubai Tourism). The growth is mainly due to the success of Dubai Tourism’s ongoing collaboration with Bollywood superstar Shah Rukh Khan in the ‘BeMyGuest’ campaign.

Ø  India ranks 44th in Global Intellectual Property Index, US tops

Ø  India increased “substantially” its score in the International Intellectual Property (IP) Index, ranking 44th among 50 nations, according to the US Chambers of Commerce report. India’s overall score has increased substantially from 25% in the 5th edition of the Index to 30% in the 6th edition, according to the annual report prepared by the Global Innovation Policy Centre (GIPC) of the US Chambers of Commerce. Last year, India ranked 43rd out of 45 countries in the Index.
The top 3 countries in the list are-
The USA.
The United Kingdom.
Sweden.

Ø  India Joins Ashgabat agreement

Ø  India joined Ashgabat Agreement on the establishment of an International Transport and Transit Corridor between the Iran, Oman, Turkmenistan, and Uzbekistan. The agreement was signed in 2011, which envisages facilitation of transit and transportation of goods between Central Asia and the Persian Gulf. According to the External Affairs Ministry, the accession to the Agreement would diversify India’s connectivity options with Central Asia and have a positive influence on its trade and commercial ties with the region.

Ø  India slips to 42nd place on EIU Democracy Index, Norway tops

Ø  India has slipped to 42nd place on an annual Global Democracy Index according to the data compiled by the Economist Intelligence Unit (EIU). India has moved down from 32nd place last year. The index ranks 165 independent states and two territories on the basis of five categories: electoral process and pluralism, civil liberties, the functioning of government, political participation and political culture. The list has been divided into four broad categories- full democracy, flawed democracy, hybrid regime and authoritarian regime. North Korea is ranked the lowest at 167th, while Syria is a notch better at 166th place.
The top 5 Countries in the list are-
Norway,
Iceland,
Sweden,
New Zealand and
Denmark.