Today's Current Affairs-9th September 2022

INTERNATIONAL

In Kyiv, Blinken unveils $2 billion in U.S. military aid for Europe

• S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken made an unscheduled visit to Kyiv, as the Biden administration announced major new military aid worth more than $2 billion for Ukraine and other European countries threatened by Russia. In meetings with senior Ukrainian officials, Blinken said the Biden administration had notified Congress of its intent to provide $2 billion in long-term Foreign Military Financing to Ukraine and 18 of its neighbors, including NATO members and regional security partners, that are “most potentially at risk for future Russian aggression.”
• Pending expected congressional approval, about $1 billion of that will go to Ukraine and the rest will be divided among Albania, Bosnia, Bulgaria, Croatia, the Czech Republic, Estonia, Georgia, Greece, Kosovo, Latvia, Lithuania, Moldova, Montenegro, North Macedonia, Poland, Romania, Slovakia and Slovenia, the State Department said.
• Foreign Military Financing, or FMF, allows recipients to purchase U.S.-made defense equipment, often depending on their specific needs. The financing comes on top of a $675 million package of heavy weaponry, ammunition and armored vehicles for Ukraine alone that Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin announced earlier Thursday at a conference in Ramstein, Germany.
• NATO Secretary-General Jens Stoltenberg and Ukraine’s defense minister as well as officials from allied countries. This contributions bring total U.S. aid to Ukraine to $15.2 billion since Biden took office.

About United Nations:

Founded: 24 October 1945, San Francisco, California, United States

Headquarters: New York, United States

Secretary General: António Guterres

About NATO:

Headquarters: Brussels, Belgium

Founded: 4 April 1949, Washington, D.C., United States

Secretary General: Jens Stoltenberg

Mongolian President Gifts Horse to Rajnath Singh

• The first Indian Defence Minister to visit Mongolia, Rajnath Singh was gifted a majestic horse “Tejas” by President Ukhnaagiin Khurelsukh. Seven years after Prime Minister Narendra Modi received a similar gift from the leadership of this country. In 2015, Prime Minister Modi received a special gift a brown racehorse from his then Mongolian counterpart Chimed Saikhanbileg during his historic visit to this country. The horse was named Kanthaka’.
• Defence Minister Singh is on a five-day visit to Mongolia and Japan with an aim to expand India’s strategic and defence ties with the two countries in the backdrop of evolving regional security matrix and geo-political turmoil.
• The Mongolian President expressed satisfaction with the expansion of relations and cooperation with India, Mongolia’s important third neighbour while pointing out that the official visit of Prime Minister Narendra Modi to Mongolia in 2015, and the ongoing visit of the Defence Minister Singh are important impetus for further development.
• Mongolia is known as the land of the horse, according to the American Museum of Natural History (AMNH).

About Mongolia:

Capital: Ulaanbaatar

Currency: Mongolian tögrög

President: Ukhnaagiin Khürelsükh

Official language: Mongolian

US approves $450 million F-16 fleet sustainment programme to Pakistan

• The Biden Administration has approved a whopping USD 450 million F-16 fighter jet fleet sustainment programme to Pakistan. As a notification to the US Congress, the State Department has made a determination approving a possible foreign military sale of F-16 case for sustainment and related equipment for an estimated cost of USD 450 million, arguing that this will sustain Islamabad’s capability to meet current and future counterterrorism threats by maintaining its F-16 fleet.
• This is the first major security assistance to Pakistan after Trump in 2018 had announced to stop all defense and security assistance to Pakistan alleging that Islamabad was not a partner in its fight against terrorism.
• Pakistan is an important counterterrorism partner, and as part of longstanding policy, the United States provides life cycle maintenance and sustainment packages for US-origin platforms,” a State Department spokesperson said. “Pakistan’s F-16 programme is an important part of the broader United States-Pakistan bilateral relationship.
• According to the Congressional notification, the proposed sale does not include any new capabilities, weapons, or munitions. It said that Pakistan has requested to consolidate prior F-16 sustainment and support cases to support the Pakistan Air Force F-16 fleet by reducing duplicate case activities and adding additional continued support elements.

About United Nations:

Founded: 24 October 1945, San Francisco, California, United States

Headquarters: New York, United States

Secretary General: António Guterres

About Pakistan:

Prime Minister: Shehbaz Sharif 

Capital: Islamabad

Currency: Pakistani rupee

President: Arif Alvi

 NATIONAL

India, China troops begin disengagement from Gogra-Hotsprings in Ladakh

• Indian and Chinese troops have begun disengaging at Patrolling Pillar (15) in the Gogra-Hotspring region of Eastern Ladakh, the government said. Forces of the two countries have been locked in a confrontational position in the area since April 2020. “On 8th September 2022, according to the consensus reached in the 16th round of India China Corps Commander Level Meeting, the Indian and Chinese troops in the area of Gogra-Hotsprings (PP-15) have begun to disengage in a coordinated and planned way, which is conducive to the peace and tranquility in the border areas,” a ‘Joint Statement’ issued by the Ministry of Defence said.
• The 16th Corps Commander Level talks were held on July 17 this year at the Chushul-Moldo border meeting point on the Indian side.
• In April this year, around the time that Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi visited India, the eastern neighbour also sent a proposal to India about disengagement of troops from Patrolling Point 15 in the Hot Spring Area.
• “Multiple rounds of negotiations have taken place at various levels since then and a mutually agreeable formula of disengagement has been reached,” a government source said without revealing further details.
• A ‘joint press release’ issued by the Ministry of External Affairs after the 16th Corps Commander level talks had said, “Building on the progress made at the last meeting on 11 March 2022, the two sides continued discussions for the resolution of the relevant issues along the LAC in the Western Sector in a constructive and forward looking manner.

About China:

President: Xi Jinping 

Capital: Beijing

Currency: Renminbi

Official language: Mandarin

Targeting to developing 300 Gati Shakti Terminals in next five years: Ashwini Vaishnaw

• The Union Cabinet had approved a policy on long-term leasing of Railways’ land as well as a proposal to develop 300 Gati Shakti cargo terminals over the next five years. A senior official said on Thursday that the Railways expect an incremental revenue of at least ₹30,000 crore per annum from freight services when 300 Gati Shakti cargo terminals will be operational.
• The 300 terminals planned by the Union Cabinet are expected to generate employment for 30,000 people directly and 90,000 indirect jobs.
• Union minister Ashwini Vaishnaw talking about the achievements of ‘Gati Shakti Multi-Modal Cargo Terminal (GCT)’ which was launched in December last year, said that the ministry has got a very good response while briefing reporters on the Cabinet decisions. Vaishnav added, “The target of 300 terminals is a very achievable target. We already have 150 firm proposals, about 93 applications have been received to build terminals and about 65 entities have expressed their interest.”
• If an economy is served only by roads, its logistics cost is 17-18% of GDP and if it is served 100% by railways the logistics cost is 6-7%. So the difference is huge.” Noting the benefits railways can provide in cargo, he said, “The railway is highly economical. If we want to reduce the logistics cost of the country, we need to move cargo away from roads and to railways. In India this cost is about 13-14% of GDP presently“.

About Indian railways:

Track length: 67.956 million m

Customer service: 139

Founded: 6 May 1836, India

Headquarters: New Delhi

Founders: Jamsetjee Jejeebhoy, Jagannath Shankarseth

 OBITURY

Queen Elizabeth II, the UK's longest-serving monarch, has died at Balmoral aged 96

• Queen Elizabeth II passes away: Queen Elizabeth II, who reigned the UK for 70 years, passed away at Balmoral at the age of 96. After worries about her health grew early, her family gathered at her Scottish estate. Queen Elizabeth II saw significant social change after ascending to the throne in 1952. The King and the Queen Consort will spend today (08.09.2022) and tomorrow (09.09.22) in Balmoral before departing for London.
• Queen Elizabeth II was in placement under medical supervision, all of her children made their way to Balmoral, which is close to Aberdeen.
• Queen Elizabeth II, who on Tuesday appointed Prime Minister Liz Truss, said she was the “rock” upon which modern Britain was founded and that she had “given us the stability and strength that we required.”
• The prime ministers served during her time in office, including Ms. Truss, who was born 101 years after Winston Churchill, in 1874.
• Queen Elizabeth II came under fire for not publicly commenting after Diana, Princess of Wales, died in a car accident in Paris in 1997.

About United Kingdom:

Government: Parliamentary system,Unitary state, Constitutional monarchy 

Capital: London

Prime Minister: Liz Truss

Currency: Pound sterling

Bhojpuri traditional dance exponent Ramchandra Manjhi passes away, at the age of 97

• Padma Shri awardee Ramchandra Manjhi, whose performance in Bhojpuri folk dance ‘Naach’ for eight decades, has passed away. He was a famous performer of ‘Launda Naach’, a sub-set of ‘Naach’, in which men crossdress as women. His passion for the dance form even in old age has brought him several honours, including Sangeet Natak Akademi Award (2017) and Padma Shri (2021).
• Born in Saran district in Bihar in 1925, Manjhi was the last scion of the legendary Bhikhari Thakur’s ‘Naach’ form of folk dance. He was one of the members of the original troupe of Bhikhari Thakur, known as Shakespeare of Bhojpuri language. Manjhi was presently associated with the Saran-based Bhikhari Thakur Repertory Training & Research Centre, a troupe run by Jainendra Dost, a filmmaker and a renowned artist.

About Bihar:

Governor: Phagu Chauhan

Chief Minister: Nitish Kumar

Capital: Patna

 IMPORTANT DAYS

International Day to Protect Education from Attack 2022: 9^th September

• The International Day to Protect Education from Attack is an international observance established by a unanimous decision of the United Nations General Assembly in 2020. It is observed on September 9 of each year. The purpose of the day is to raise awareness regarding the importance of safeguarding schools as places of protection and safety for students and educators and the need to keep education at the top of the public agenda.
• International Day to Protect Education From Attack aims to safeguard and shape the future of more than 75 million children in the age group of three to 18-year-olds living in 35 countries. This day sends a clear message regarding the importance of safeguarding schools and the safety of students, as well as educators and giving the children constant access to education.
• The day was established by a unanimous decision of the UN General Assembly, calling on UNESCO and UNICEF to raise awareness of the plight of millions of children living in countries affected by conflict. This day was established in 2020 and is supported by UNESCO and UNICEF, and co-sponsored by 62 countries. This day aims to raise awareness of the plight of millions of children living in war-affected countries.

About UNESCO:

Headquarters: Paris, France

Head: Audrey Azoulay

Founded: 16 November 1945

About UNICEF:

Executive Director: Henrietta H. Fore

Founded: 11 December 1946

Headquarters: New York, United States

 RANKING

India ranks 132 in UNDP's Human Development Index, amid a global fall

• A report on the 2021 Human Development Index (HDI) is part of the Human Development Report 2021-2022 released by the United Nations Development Programme. The HDI measures the average achievement of a country in three basic dimensions of human development — a long and healthy life, education and a decent standard of living. It is calculated using four indicators — life expectancy at birth, mean years of schooling, expected years of schooling, and the Gross National Income (GNI) per capita.
• For the first time on record, the global Human Development Index (HDI) has dropped for two years in a row, taking the world back to just after the adoption of the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development and the Paris Agreement.
• Every year a few countries face declines on the HDI, but over 90 per cent of countries saw their HDI value drop in either 2020 or 2021.
• Furthermore, while only a third of very high HDI countries saw a decline in 2021 (compared with over 90 per cent in 2020), about 60 per cent of low and medium HDI and high HDI countries did (in 2021)”, the report notes.
• India ranked 132nd among 191 countries and territories on the 2021 Human Development Index (HDI). In the 2020 report, India had ranked 131st among 189 countries and territories.
• India’s latest HDI value of 0.633 places the country in the medium human development category, lower than its value of 0.645 in the 2020 report. The report attributes the drop in HDI from 0.645 in 2019 to 0.633 in 2021 to India’s falling life expectancy — from 69.7 years to 67.2 years during the survey period.
• India scored 0.123 in the Multi-Dimensional Poverty Index (MPI) with a headcount ratio of 27.9 per cent, with 8.8 per cent population reeling under severe multidimensional poverty.
• Among India’s neighbours, Sri Lanka (73rd), China (79th), Bangladesh (129th), and Bhutan (127th) are ranked above India, while Pakistan (161st), Nepal (143rd), and Myanmar (149th) are worse off.

About UNDP:

Headquarters: New York, United States

Founded: 22 November 1965, United States

Parent organization: United Nations General Assembly

Subsidiary: United Nations Volunteers

 BANKING AND ECONOMY

Adani Group to build 3 giga factories as part of $70 billion clean energy investment

• Asia’s richest man Gautam Adani, a ports-to-power conglomerate will build three Giga factories for manufacturing solar modules, wind turbines, and hydrogen electrolyzers as part of a USD 70 billion investment in clean energy by 2030. Adani group is stepping up investments across the green energy value chain as it aims to become the world’s top renewable energy producer by 2030.
• The new giga factory for power electronics will be in addition to four giga factories announced last year for making integrated solar PV modules that will produce electricity from sunlight, electrolyzers that produce hydrogen from water, fuel cells and batteries to store energy from the grid as well as 20 GW solar energy capacity by 2025 for captive needs.

About Adani Group:

Headquarters: Ahmedabad

Founder: Gautam Adani

Founded: 1988