1) Canada, US, Mexico ink MoU to Cooperate on Climate Change.
- Canada, United States (US) and Mexico have signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU).
- The Mou on Climate Change and Energy Collaboration to tap into energy cooperation among three countries.
- The MoU was signed at the North American Energy Ministers Meeting held in Winnipeg, Canada and hosted by Canada’s Minister of Natural Resources Jim Carr.
About Mou:
- This energy cooperation MoU reflects shared vision of three North American countries for a future where an expanding clean energy sector, a sustainable environment.
- Under the MoU, the three countries will collaborate and share information in key areas such as clean energy technologies, low-carbon electricity and energy efficiency
- Carbon capture, climate change adaptation, use and storage and reducing emissions from the oil and gas sector including from methane (CH4).
- They will also work together to increase policy alignment and ensure that North American energy sector is developed effectively, efficiently and responsibly.
2) India and Sweden inks MoU on technical cooperation in rail sector.
- Union Ministry of Railways and Ministry of Enterprise and Innovation of Sweden have inked a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) on Technical Cooperation in Rail Sector.
- Oscar Stenstrom, State Secretary on behalf of Swedish Government and Girish Pillai, Adviser/ Infrastructure on behalf of Ministry of Railways signed the MoU.
- The MoU aims at developing cooperation activities in the railway area to promote efficiency and sustainability.
- The MoU achieve concrete results with regard to bilateral trade, investment, research and technology transfer.
About MoU:
- Benchmark Railways policy development, organization, regulations and specific characteristics for each country.
- Exchange of knowledge, innovation, technology, technical expertise, sustainable solutions and research.
- Other cooperation projects agreed include tilting coaches/ trains, optimization of maintenance, capacity allocation (time tabling) and improved freight/ combination traffic.
- Training and continuing of education program in maintenance of Rail transport system for Railway engineers and managers.
3) Sindh becomes first Pak province to adopt Hindu Marriage Bill.
- Pakistan’s Sindh Assembly passed the Hindu Marriage Bill making the province the first in the country to allow the minority community to register their marriages.
- The formation of Pakistan, this is the first law that has been passed to safeguard the rights of Hindus. Hindu community in Pakistan is the second largest minority community in the country.
About the Hindu Marriage Bill:
- 18 is the minimum age fixed by the bill adopted in Sindh, Pakistan.
- The bill adopted in Sindh that it is mandatory that a marriage is solemnised after the consent of both male and female.
- According to the bill, every marriage being solemnised under this act will be registered with the union council/ward within 45 days of the solemnization.
- Failing to get the marriage registered will be liable to pay a fine of Rs. 1,000.
- Any marriage will be liable to termination if either spouse converts to another religion.
4) 7th India, Seychelles joint military exercise LAMITYE 2016 begins.
- The 7th edition of India, Seychelles joint military exercise LAMITYE 2016 has begun in Victoria, Seychelles.
- The fourteen day exercise has been conducted at Seychelles Defence Academy (SDA), Victoria till February 28, 2016.
Key points:
- This edition of joint military exercise will be concluding phase of the drill. It will be incorporating a tactical exercise to review the standards of interoperability achieved by both the contingents.
- Indian Army contingent will comprise an infantry platoon and representatives from the Special Forces.
- While, the Seychelles People’s Defence Forces (SPDF) will be represented by 20 personnel from Tazar (Special Forces Unit) and 32 from Seychelles Infantry.
- The exercise is conducted biennially with the aim of enhancing military cooperation and interoperability between the two countries.
5) First Chinese train arrives in Tehran to revive Silk Road.
- The first freight train to resurrect the ancient Silk Road route arrived in Iran from China.
- It took just 14 days for the 32-container train loaded with Chinese goods to complete the 5,900 mile (9,500km) journey from China’s eastern Zhejiang province through Kazakhstan and Turkmenistan.
- Compared to the sea voyage of the cargo ships from China`s Shanghai city to Iran`s Bandar Abbas port city, the travel time of the train was 30 days shorter.
Key points:
- The ancient Silk Road and gives impetus to China’s ambitious One Belt One Road (OBOR) initiative part of revived Silk Road diplomacy.
- This train’s journey was 30 days shorter compared to time taken by sea voyage from Shanghai to the Iranian port of Bandar Abbas.
- China is Iran’s biggest trading partner and accounts for one third of its foreign trade.
- The rail route will boost bilateral trade between both countries.
- Chinese President Xi Jinping and Iranian President Hassan Rouhani had agreed in 2016 to build economic ties worth up to 600 billion US dollars within the next 10 years.
About China :
Capital: Beijing
Currency: Renminbi
President: Xi Jinping
6) United Nations and Colombian Government launched trust fund for peacebuilding needs.
- The Government of Colombia, the United Nations and members of the international community launched a new Multi-Donor Trust Fund of the United Nations for Post-Conflict.
- A new initiative to support national stabilization and confidence building efforts as well as early implementation of the peace agreement.
- The new fund will be managed by a tripartite steering committee.
- The Fund will be managed by the Government and the UN, in close cooperation with interested donors.
- It will especially support conflict-affected areas in the lead-up to and aftermath of possible peace agreements with the Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia-People’s Army (FARC-EP).
7) India participates in Cobra Gold 2016 multilateral exercise.
- A 12-member team of the Indian Army is participating in the “Cobra Gold” multilateral exercises being hosted by Thailand, along with its counterparts from China and Pakistan.
- India has been invited to the exercises as an “observer plus” country.
- And also India’s increasing regional inter-operability with a series of multi-lateral exercises on land and sea.
Heights of 2016 Cobra Gold:
- Cobra Gold 2016 is 35th edition of multilateral exercise in which 35 countries have participated
- Its main theme is humanitarian assistance and disaster relief.
- 8,564 personnel from Thailand, the United Stats, Indonesia, Japan, Malaysia, Singapore and South Korea and other nations are playing various roles in the exercises.
- These exercises come in the backdrop of increased tensions over China’s land reclamation in the South China Sea.
- And informal discussions between India and the U.S. over joint naval patrols.
8) Indo-Myanmar Coordinated Patrol (IMCOR) and Signing of Standard Operating Procedure (SOP).
- India and Myanmar have signed an agreement on standard operating procedure for coordinated patrols in the strategically significant Andaman Sea and Bay of Bengal.
- The fourth edition of the India-Myanmar Coordinated Patrol (IMCOR) was successfully undertaken from February 13-16 along the International Maritime Boundary Line (IMBL) in the Andaman Sea.
- Indian Navy ships Saryu and Bitra, along with Myanmar ships Aung Zeya and FAC 563, participated in the 4th IMCOR.
- During the Closing Ceremony of 4th IMCOR, Indian Navy and Myanmar Navy also singed Standard Operating Procedure (SOP) for IMCOR.
- With this Myanmar became only the third country after Indonesia and Thailand with which India has signed a formal agreement for maritime coordinated patrols.
About Myanmar :
Capital: Naypyidaw
Currency: Burmese kyat
President: Thein Sein
9) World Bank offers $150 million in financing to Zika-affected countries.
- The World Bank has offered $150 million in financing immediately available to help combat the Zika virus outbreak in affected Latin American and Caribbean countries.
- A statement that it stands ready to increase its support if needed, and the initial amount is based on current demands from the affected countries.
- The funding is aimed at supporting the countries in the region that are projected to incur losses up to 3.5 billion US dollars or 0.06 per cent of gross domestic product (GDP) in 2016 due to the spread of Zika virus.
- The World Bank announced funding as it was observed that a group of countries highly dependent on tourism.
- It was notably in the Caribbean could suffer losses in excess of 1 per cent of GDP.
10) China set to ban online content from foreign publishers.
- China is to ban foreign firms from “online publishing” under new rules issued, as the country increasingly seeks to minimise Western influence.
- New Chinese rules coming into effect from March will ban foreign companies from publishing online content without approval from a regulator.
- The regulations define online publishing as the provision over the Internet of books, maps, music, cartoons, computer games and thoughtful text, as well as other content.
- Chinese websites are already among the world’s most censored, with Beijing blocking many foreign Internet services with a system known as the “Great Firewall of China”.
- Regulations posted on a government website, set to go into force next month, state that foreign firms “are not to engage in online publishing”.
- The regulations say any Chinese publishers cooperating with foreign firms to provide online content would need prior approval from the body.
About China :
Capital: Beijing
Currency: Renminbi
President: Xi Jinping
11) Obama approves more sanctions on North Korea to stop its nuclear program.
- President Obama has signed off new expanded sanctions on North Korea over its nuclear programme, after it launched a long-range rocket.
- The country has refused to stop its nuclear programme.
- The sanctions attempt to cut off money North Korea needed to develop miniaturised nuclear warheads. and the long-range missiles.
- Included in the sanction program is $50 million to transmit radio broadcasts into the country over five years and to assist humanitarian projects.
- North Korea recently fired a long-range rocket, which critics a test of banned missile technology.
- State television announced that North Korea had "successfully placed a satellite in orbit".
- The UN Security Council is debating a new resolution against North Korea, the US and the South Korea are trying to increase pressure on the communist regime with unilateral sanctions.
About North Korea :
Capital: Pyongyang
Currency: North Korean won
President: Kim Jong-un
12) US launches anti-dumping probe on tyres from India, Sri Lanka.
- A US investigative body has decided to go ahead with its anti-dumping investigations into a certain category of tyres imported from India and Sri Lanka.
- USITC commissioners after they found that certain category of tyres imported from both countries is damaging domestic industry.
- They have alleged that imports of certain new pneumatic off-the-road tyres are sold at less than fair value in US and are subsidised by the governments of India and Sri Lanka.
- The US Department of Commerce will continue to conduct its investigations on imported products from India and Sri Lanka.
- This is for the first time that anti-dumping investigations have been launched into tyres coming to the US from India, while Chinese tyres have faced a similar probe in the past.
About USA :
Capital: Washington, D.C
Currency: Us Dollar
President: Barack Obama
13) David Cameron declares `special status` for UK in EU deal.
- David Cameron had reached a deal to give the UK “special status” in the EU.
- He also pledged to campaign heart and soul to stay in the EU at a deeply uncertain referendum expected in June.
- At a summit that ran into overtime, EU leaders agreed unanimously on a package of measures aimed at keeping Britain in the 28-nation bloc to avoid a potentially disastrous divorce.
- The deal gave Britain “special status” within the EU and that he achieved his goal to impose tough new restrictions on access to the UK welfare system for EU migrants.
- EU leaders determined to try to keep Britain in the union resolved outstanding disputes over migrant workers’ welfare rights and relations between London and the euro zone
- The new deal provides for a seven-year emergency brake on in-work benefits for EU migrant workers.
- As well as cuts in child benefit for their children living overseas – applicable immediately for new arrivals and from 2020 for the 34,000 existing claimants.
About UK :
Capital: London
Currency: Pound sterling
Prime minister: David Cameron
14) CAR presidential election Faustin Touadera declared winner.
- Faustin Archange Touadera has won the 2016 Presidential election of Central African Republic (CAR).
- Provisional results showed Mr. Touadera received almost 63% of the votes, defeating his opponent Anicet Dologuele who won just over 37%.
- It is estimated that about a fifth of the population became either internally displaced or forced to flee abroad, leaving the country poverty stricken and divided along ethnic and religious lines.
- Faustin Archange Touadera is well-respected former mathematics professor. He had served as former Prime Minister of ex-president Francois Bozize from January 2008 to January 2013.
- Central African Republic is one of the world’s most chronically unstable countries.