• 182 Current Affairs were found in Month -Jan 2015 to June 2015 for Type - International
  1. Boston Consulting Group released Global Wealth 2015 Report about status of private wealth in 2014-
    1. Global private financial wealth grew by nearly 12 % in 2014 to total 164 trillion USD.
    2. Over next five years, total private wealth globally will rise by 6 % annually to 222 trillion USD in 2019.
    3. North America with 51 trillion USD remained worlds wealthiest region in 2014 with USA having 28 % of the global total. China and Japan were second and third respectively
    4. Asia-Pacific remained fastest-growing region with private wealth expanding by 29 %. Economic expansion in India and China contributed to this performance. At this rate, Asia Pacific will overtake North America as worlds richest region in 2016.
    5. Japans private wealth was comparatively low at about 2 % in 2014 to reach 14 trillion USD.
    6. In Latin America, growth in 2014 was more than 10 % to nearly 4 trillion USD.
    7. In Middle East and Africa (MEA) region the growth was more than 9 % to reach nearly 6 trillion USD.
    8. USA remained the country with the largest number of UHNW households (Above 100 Million USD Worth) with 5201, followed by China (1037) and UK (1019).
    9. Highest density of millionaires was in Switzerland (135 out of 1000 households were millionaires).
    10. India - Private wealth in India showed solid gain as Indias equity market rose by 23 % in 2014. India had fourth largest UHNW households (928) after USA, China and the UK while there were only 284 UHNW households in India in 2013.
  2.  United Arab Emirates (UAE) launched strategic framework for its newly-established Space Agency. Mohammed Nasser Al-Ahbabi is appointed as Director-General of UAE Space Agency. Framework aimsd to launch satellite missions and first Arab unmanned probe to Mars called Hope Probe by 2021.
  3. 100th year of Albert Einsteins Theory of General Relativity celebrated across the world on 20-03-2015.
  4. 18th round of Boundary issues talks between India and China on held in New Delhi with National Security Adviser Ajit Doval representing India and China represented by Yang Jiechi, State Councellor of China.
  5. 26 African countries signed a Tripartite Free Trade Area (TFTA) agreement in Egypt to create Africas largest free-trade zone. It will cover southernmost tip of Africa i.e. Cape Town (South Africa) to Cairo (Egypt) in north. It will ease up movement of goods across 26 member countries.
  6. 50 founding nations signed agreement of China-led Asian Infrastructure Investment Bank (headquarters - Beijing).
    1. Australia was first country to sign the agreement.
    2. Indian Ambassador Ashok Kantha signed on behalf of India.
    3. India is second largest shareholder with stake of 8.52% and voting share of 7.5%.
    4. Chinas shareholding is 30.34% and it has 26.06% of voting rights.
  7. 800th anniversary of Magna Carta (Charter of Liberties to put a check upon powers of King of England) organized in UK. Main principle in Magna Carta was that Englishmen should be governed by definite laws and not by will of a ruler.
  8. The Vatican signed first accord with Palestine, two years after officially recognizing the Palestinian Authority (PA) as a state. The move has been widely criticized by Israel.
  9. A 2000 year old ancient Water supply system discovered in Jerusalem city of Israel.
  10. Abraj Kudai will be worlds biggest hotel being built in Mecca (Saudi Arabia).
  11. Apple Inc acquired Coherent Navigation to improve its Mapping capabilities.
  12. Artificial Limbs Manufacturing Corporation of India (ALIMCO) signed MoU with M/s Motivation U.K for working together to produce affordable wheel chairs having compliance to WHO guidelines.
  13. As per Data by World Steel Association (WSA), India has overtaken USA as third-largest steel producer in the world after China and Japan with production of 14.56 million tonnes (MT) in first two months of 2015.
  14. As per a report by Power Reactor Information System (PRIS) of International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA), There are thirty one countries in the world which generate electricity from nuclear source. India is ranked 13th in terms of generation and at 7th position in terms of number of reactors in operation.
  15. As per a survey by Beijing Times, around 30 % of the Great Wall of China has disappeared overtime with about 1185 km of the fortification in poor condition.
  16. As per recent study, Dromedary camels under 4 years age are major source of Middle East Respiratory Syndrome (MERS) virus that has severely hit South Korea recently.
  17. Asian Development Bank (ADB) released Asian Development Outlook (ADO) report titled Financing Asias Future Growth.
    1. As per ADO report, India will overtake China in terms growth rate in Financial Year (FY) 2015, and 2016.
    2. Chinas Foracasted growth rate -
      1. 7.4 % in FY 2014
      2. 7.2 % in FY 2015
      3. 7.0 % in FY 2016.
    3. India's forecasted growth rate
      1. 7.4 % - FY 2014
      2. 7.8 % in FY 2015
      3. 8.2 % in 2016
    4. Developing Asia will grow at a steady 6.3% in 2015 and 2016—the same pace as 2014.
  18. Australian National University Scientists found worlds largest asteroid impact zone in Warburton Basin of centrals Australia. 
  19. Australias national airline Qantas has been named as the worlds safest airline by AirlineRatings.com.
  20. Austria filed legal complaint in European Court of Justice against European Commissions approval to UK's Hinkley Point C nuclear power project.
  21. Bahrain's GFH Financial Group signed an agreement with Indian Adani Group for developing a Mumbai Economic Development Zone (MEDZ).
  22. Britain's Cardiff is named as worlds first ‘sustainable fish city.
  23. Britain's House of Commons adopted Bill to amend the Human Fertilisation and Embryology Act (HFEA) to allow creation of babies with DNA from three people.
  24. British Irish Visa Scheme came into force in India that allows Indians to travel to United Kingdom (UK) and Ireland on a single-visit visa from either country.
  25. British Petroleum report for Oil and Gas Consumption 2015 -
    1. United States (US) became largest oil producer in 2014 surpassing Saudi Arabia. USA produced 11.6 million barrels of oil per day (bpd) in 2014 While, Saudi Arabia produced 11.5 million bpd. Russia is third with 10.8 million bpd oil production.
    2. USA also surpassed Russia as largest producer of natural gas. In 2014, USA produced 1,250.4 million tons of natural gas while Russia produced 1,062 million tons.
    3. China remained worlds largest growth market for energy in 2014.
    4. Facts about India - Indias oil production declined 1.3% at .895 Million bpd. Consumption increased 3% (3.8 million bpd).
  26. British sports business magazine SportsPro released Worlds 50 Most Marketable 2015 report-

    1. Rank

      Athlete

      Sport

      Nationality

      1

      Eugenie Bouchard

      Tennis

      Canada

      2

      Neymar

      Soccer

      Brazil

      3

      Jordan Spieth

      Golf

      USA

      4

      Missy Franklin

      Swimming

      USA

      5

      Lewis Hamilton

      Auto Racing

      Great Britain

      6

      Virat Kohli

      Cricket

      India

      7

      Stephen Curry

      Basketball

      USA

      8

      Kei Nishikori

      Tennis

      Japan

      9

      Katarina Johnson-Thompson

      Athletics

      Great Britain

      10

      Usain Bolt

      Athletics

      Jamaica
    2. Indian Cricketer Virat Kohli is placed at 6th and Badminton Player Saina Nehwal ranked at 44th position.
  27. CB Richard Ellis Group (USA) released Global Prime Office Occupancy Costs survey 2015 (top 50 expensive office market spaces ) -
    1. Londons West End continued to be the worlds highest-priced office market.
    2. Connaught Place in New Delhi is fifth costliest office market in the world.
  28. Calbuco volcano of Chile erupted after 42 years.
  29. Canadian Parliament (House of Commons) approved Bill C-51, Anti-Terror Act, 2015 to empowers countrys spy agencies and give the Canadian Security Intelligence Service (CSIS) the ability to operate overseas and make preventative arrests.
  30. China and Australia signed a free trade agreement to ease up access for Australian beef and wine exporters while helping Chinese car and electronics producers to sell in Australia.
  31. China and Pakistan signed an agreement on China Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC) plan worth 46 billion USD. As part of the agreement, China will provide up to 37 billion USD in investment for energy projects to generate 16400 MW of power and Concessional loans will cover nearly 10 billion USD infrastructure projects.
  32. China launched a freight train service between its northeastern city of Harbin and Europe of Length 10000 KMs.
  33. China launched massive Silk Road Infrastructure project worth 79.8 billion USD in northwest province of Gansu as part of Chinas ambitious Silk Route plan that will add more than 60000 kilometres of road network including 4070 km expressways over next six-years..
  34. China quashed bid of Taiwan to become a full member of the Asian Infrastructure Investment Bank (AIIB) for lack of appropriate name.
  35. China's submersible Jiaolong started exploration for active hydrothermal vent for first time in southwestern Indian Ocean.
  36. Chinas National Development and Reform Commission (NDRC) released new action plan One Belt, One Road meant to establish new routes linking Asia, Europe and Africa.
    1. It has two parts, a new Silk Road Economic Belt (SREB) linking China to Europe that cuts through mountainous regions in Central Asia and the Maritime Silk Road (MSR) to link China's port facilities with the African coast and push through Suez Canal into the Mediterranean Sea.
  37. Confederation of Indian Industry (CII) signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with National University of Singapore (NUS) to improve Indias rating on ease of doing business and bring it amongst the top 50 countries in the index.
    1. India is currently at 142nd spot in index of Ease of doing business.
  38. Cyclone Pam Hit Vanuatu, an Oceanian island nation located in the South Pacific Ocean.
  39. Dubais 55-storey tall Maze Tower has been listed in Guinness World Record as worlds largest vertical maze.
  40. Earth Hour 2015 organised by World Wide Fund for Nature (WWF) observed globally on 28 March 2015 from 8:30 pm to 9:30 pm Indian local time with tagline Climate Change. It was ninth edition of Earth Hour starting in 2007.
    1. Earth Hour 2015 was observed across 172 nations and territories and around 1400+ iconic landmarks of the world switched off the lights.
  41. Earthquake of magnitude 7.9 on Richter scale struck Nepal. Reporting of Loss of lives of more than 5000 People. Tremors also felt across India, Bangladesh and Pakistan.
  42. Ernst & Young (EY) released report Global IPO Trends 2015 with focus on global trends in Initial Public Offerings (IPO) in the Quarter 1 Q1 of 2015
    1. Shanghai Stock Exchange (SSE) reached top in Initial Public Offerings (IPO) by raising 5.4 billion USD. Followed by Madrid SE (5.3 billion USD), New York SE (3.5 billion USD), London SE (3.4 billion USD), Bursa Malaysia SE (3 billion USD) and Swiss SE (2.5 billion USD).
  43. European Union (EU) approved empowering its naval forces to combat smugglers from Libya and tackle illegal migration.
  44. European Union decided to lift a seven-month-long ban on the import of mangoes from India on account of health concerns.
  45. European Union launched a three-phase naval operation named EU NAVFOR Med (European Union Naval Force Mediterranean Sea) To stop human traffickers from bringing migrants across the Mediterranean to Europe. 
  46. First Indo-Nepal Friendship Motor Rally concluded at India Gate in New Delhi aimed at strengthening bilateral relations between India and Nepal and spreading the message of road safety.
  47. Flight 4U 9525 of Germanwings Airbus A320, budget carrier airline of Germanys Lufthansa, crashed in French Alps.
  48. Forbes released Global 2000 Companies list of the worlds powerful companies as measured by revenues, profits and market value.
    1. These 2000 companies are from 61 countries with combined revenues of 39 trillion USD, profits of 3 trillion USD, assets worth 162 trillion USD and market value of 48 trillion US dollar.
    2. At the top is Industrial and Commercial Bank of China for third consecutive year. Bank of China jumped 5 spots to the 4th Place. For the first time, Chinas four biggest banks own the top four spots. 
    3. Berkshire Hathaway is at 5th place, making Warren Buffets company largest in USA.
    4. China and USA occupy top 10 spots for a second year in a row. 
    5. USA has most (579) companies in the top 2000 List. China second (232 ), Japan third (218) and UK fourth (95) companies
    6. Among Continents, Asia at top with 691 Copanies, North America has 645 companies Europe 486 companies. 
    7. Two countries debut on the list this year: Argentina and Cyprus.
    8. India added two companies this year.
    9. At top of Indian Companies is Reliance Industries (142th) with market value of 42.9 billion USD. Followed by State Bank of India (152th) with 33 billion USD Market Value.
    10. The other Indian companies on the list are Oil and Natural Gas (183), Tata Motors (263), ICICI Bank (283), Indian Oil (349), HDFC Bank (376), NTPC (431), Tata Consultancy Services (485), Bharti Airtel (506), Axis Bank (558), Infosys (672), Bharat Petroleum (757), Wipro (811), Tata Steel (903) and Adani Enterprises (944).
  49. Former Maldivian President Mohamed Nasheed Sentenced To 13 year Imprisonment by countrys criminal court under the anti-terrorism laws.
  50. Fortune Magazine released list of 2015 roster of Worlds 50 Greatest Leaders -
    1. Prime Minister of India Narendra Modi at 5th rank and Nobel Prize winner Kailash Satyarthi at 28th rank.
    2. List topped by Apple CEO Tim Cook, Followed by European Central Bank President Mario Draghi at second and Chinese President Xi Jingping at third Rank.
  51. France announced ban on wearing earphones while driving a vehicle and riding a cycle to reduce accidents.
  52. France signed a 5.9 billion USD deal with Egypt for supplying 24 Rafale fighter planes to Egypt.
  53. Frence's Parliament approved a surveillance law to strengthens intelligence services to prevent terrorist attacks. 
  54. French weekly magazine Charlie Hebdos Paris office was attacked by Terrorists reportedly due to the aggressive history of Charlie Hebdo and Publishing of Cartoons of Islamic Prophet Mohammed.
  55. Global Doping Report 2013 by World Anti-Doping Agency (WADA) -
    1. India is ranked third in Anti-Doping Rule Violations Report for year 2013.
    2. As per report, 91 Indian athletes were tested positive for banned substances in 2013.
    3. Russia (212) and Turkey (155) are ahead of India in this list.
  56. Global Intellectual Property Center Released  third annual International IP Index for 30 Countries and ranked India at 29th place with Thailand at bottom and USA at top.
  57. Global Peace Index Report 2015 by Australia's global think-tank Institute for Economics and Peace (IEP) -
    1. It ranked 162 countries on the basis of safety and security in society, domestic and international conflicts and militarization Index.
    2. Iceland is most peaceful country in the world while Syria is least peaceful.
    3. India has been ranked 143 while Pakistan is ranked 154.
    4. In 2014, 69 countries reported deaths from terrorism, up from 60 in 2013, marking increase of terror tactics.
  58. Global Talent Competitiveness Index By INSEAD Business School and Human Capital Leadership Institiute of Singapore -
    1. Switzerland Topped The List, Followed by Singapore and Luxembourrg.
    2. India Got 78th Place in the List with Yemen at Last.
  59. Global warming will lead to extinction of 1 in 6 species by end of century if emission of carbon dioxide stays the same as per a study Accelerating extinction risk from climate change by Mark C. Urban of University of Connecticut (USA).
  60. Government approved revising Double Taxation Avoidance Convention (DTAC) with Korea (signed in 1985) to prevent fiscal evasion of taxes. Revised Double Taxation Avoidance Agreement (DTAA) will provide tax stability to Both Countries. 
  61. Government approved signing a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) with Bangladesh for prevention of human trafficking. An agreement for Coastal Shipping was also signed to carry out coastal movement of goods.
  62. Government approved signing a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with Sweden for cooperation in Micro, Small and Medium Enterprises. 
  63. Government approved signing of a shipping agreement between India and Jordan for strengthening cooperation and to provide sustained mutual assistance and advice on merchant shipping and other related maritime matters.
  64. Government signed Memorandum of Understanding with Mauritius on Cooperation in Traditional Systems of Medicine and Homoeopathy to enhance bilateral cooperation in traditional medicines including medicinal plants.
  65. Government signed agreement with Spain for abolishing visa requirements for diplomatic passports holders. It will enable visa-free travel for diplomatic passport holders across India and Spain and staying up to 90 days.
  66. Greece will hold a referendum to decide upon extension of six months to bailout programme to pay Total 320 Billion Euros of debt to International Monetary Fund (IMF), European Commission (EC) and European Central Bank.
    1. If Bailout is accepted, a new government may be formed to finalise talks with lenders and implement reforms agreed upon.
    2. If Bailout is not accepted by Grek People, Greece will face exit from Eurozone and possibly European Union.
  67. Gujarat Forest Department tied up with Zoological Society of London for conservation of Asiatic lion and its habitat.
  68. Henn-na Hotel in Nagasaki (Japan) will be first completely Robot-staffed Hotel in the World.
  69. IBM announced investing 3 billion USD to build an Internet of Things (IoT) unit over the next four years.
  70. India & France Signed an Mou (Memorandum of Understanding) to Establish a Marine Biology Institute during the visit of PM Narendra Modi to France.
  71. India and Kyrgyzstan signed a memorandum of understanding (MoU) on cooperation in the textiles sector on the occasion of Kyrgyzstans minister of energy and industry Kubanychbek Turdubaev visiting India.
  72. India and United States (US) signed agreements on health sector to enhance cooperation in cancer research, infrastructure development, training, capacity building, better assessment and new diagnostic technologies.
  73. India elected to four United Nations (UN) agencies - United Nations Childrens Fund (UNICEF), World Food Program (WFP), Commission on Crime Prevention and Criminal Justice (CCPCJ) and the Governing Council of UN-Habitat.
    1. India was elected to these bodies at the Coordination and Management Meeting (CMM) of UNECOSOC (the United Nations Economic and Social Council) at UN headquarters in New York (USA).
  74. India has reached sixth position in terms of scientific publications, up from tenth position previously.
  75. India pledged assistance of one billion USD to the earthquake-hit Nepal during International Donors Conference in Kathmandu, Nepal. Nepal to get 3 Billion USD as assistance from global sources for its reconstruction activities.
  76. India provided 7 Crore rupees Assistance to Nepal for Nepal's Iodine Deficiency Disorder Control Programme (IDDCP) for goitre control across the country.
    1. Goitre is swelling of neck or larynx due to enlargement of thyroid gland (thyromegaly) due to its functioning properly.
  77. India signed Multilateral Competent Authority Agreement (MCAA) on Automatic Exchange of Financial Account Information in Paris along with Australia, Canada, Costa Rica, Indonesia and New Zealand. Mohan Kumar, Ambassador of India to France signed on India's Behalf.
  78. India to set up textile cluster in africa starting from Ethiopia (A country in Horn of Africa).
  79. India voted in favour of a Russia-drafted resolution along with 42 Other Countries that proposed removing benefits for same-sex partners of UN staff. The resolution did not pass as 80 nations opposed it.
    1. Fifth Committee of the General Assembly, dealing with administrative and budgetary issues, voted against the Russian proposal aimed to stop marital benefits given to UN employees with same-sex spouses.
  80. India will attend Russia's major Industrial Fair INNOPROM 2016 in Yekaterinburg as a Partner Country.
  81. India'a Numaligarh Refinery Limited (NRL) and Bangladesh Petroleum Corporation (BPC) signed agreement to export petroleum products to Bangladesh.
  82. India's Bharat Heavy Electricals Limited (BHEL) and Russian INTMA signed a memorandum of understanding (MoU) to set up a gas-based power project in Kazakhstan.
  83. India's Indira Gandhi International Airport (Delhi) has been named as best among worlds most performing airports in 25-40 million passengers per annum category by the Airport Council International (ACI). Mumbai Airport is also in top five list.
    1. Delhi Airport won annual Service Quality (ASQ) award in Geneva-based ACIs ASQ passenger's satisfaction survey
  84. India's Industry body ASSOCHAM proposed BRICS Under-17 Football Cup to be held in India in 2016.
  85. India's National Small Industries Corporation (NSIC) signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with Black Business Council of South Africa for developing youth enterprises and empower the marginalized group in South Africa through NSIC's Rapid Incubation Programme.
  86. India, Sweden signed 6 agreements during visit of Pranab Mukherjee to Sweden -
    1. Memorandum of understanding signed in fields of Sustainable Urban Development, Micro, Small and Medium Enterprises, Visa Exemption for diplomatic passports, Polar and Ocean Research, ageing research and health and Central Drugs Standard Control Organization (CDSCO) of India and the Swedish Medical Products Agency (MPA).
  87. India-made Dhruv choppers restricted from flying in Ecuador after one crashing.
  88. Indian Space Research Organization (ISRO) announced complete operationalisation of GPS Aided Geo Augmented Navigation (GAGAN). India became fourth nation after US, Europe and Japan to have inter-operable Satellite Based Augmentation System (SBAS). GAGAN is first SBAS system in world to serve equatorial region.
  89. International Energy Agency (IEA) released data for carbon dioxide (CO2) emissions in 2014 and stated that emissions of CO2 from energy sector remained same in 2014 as they were in 2013.
    1. Global emissions of CO2 were 32.3 billion tonnes in 2014, which is same as that in 2013.
    2. Causes for halt in CO2 emissions incude changing patterns of energy consumption in China and Organisation for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD) countries as these have been focusing on greater generation of energy from renewable sources, such as hydropower, solar and wind, and less burning of coal..
  90. International Labour Organisation (ILO) released a report titled World Employment and Social Outlook - Trends 2015 -
    1. The report stated that unemployment will rise in the coming years to more than 212 million in 2019 as compared to 201 million currently.
  91. International Renewable Energy Agency (IRENA) 's 9th Council meeting held in Dubai (United Arab Emirates). Renewable Energy Target Setting report 2015 was released by IRENA Director-General Adnan Z. Amin.
    1. Report States that in past one decade renewable energy targets have quadrupled globally.
    2. 164 countries have adopted at least one type of renewable energy target compared to 43 countries in 2005.
    3. 150 countries have focused committed renewable energy targets on the electricity sector. 47 countries have focused on heating and cooling sector.
    4. Renewable transport targets have also has doubled to 59 countries from 27 countries in 2005.
  92. International Telecommunication Union (ITU) defined speed of 5G (Fifth Generation) standard for mobile networking as 20 Gigabits per second (Gbps) at ITU conference in California (USA).
  93. Iran, P5+1 and the European Union (EU) conceded on a framework agreement in Switzerland called as Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA) intended to stop Iran from developing nuclear weapons.
  94. Iranian nuclear power plant Bushehr and India's Kudankulam nuclear power plant projects are named as projects of the year 2014 by US Power Engineering magazine in the Nuclear energy category.
  95. Israel approved a bill to allow force-feeding of prisoners that are on hunger strike in case their lives are in danger.
  96. Jamaica Government allowed to decriminalise possession of small amount of marijuana for personal use.
  97. Japan and France signed a deal on military equipment and technology transfers for cooperation and joint development in defence sector.
  98. Japan approved largest budget ever for 2015 of total 814 Billion USD. The defence budget was also enhanced to an all time high of 43 Billion USD.
  99. Japan created a Joint Working Group (JWG) between Ministry of External Affairs and Ministry of Economy, Trade and Industry of Japan to end the delay in civil nuclear with India.
  100. Japan organised world's first Otaku Expo as a part of a special comic book fair held every five years.
    1. Otaku is a Japanese term for people with obsessive interests, commonly animation.
  101. Kathmandu-Varanasi-Kathmandu bus service flagged off jointly by India and Nepal.
  102. Lion census report 2015 (14th lion census )-
    1. Number of Asiatic lions in Gir sanctuary of Gujarat increased to 523
    2. 27 % increase in the number of Asiatic lions compared to 2010 census.
    3. There are 201 female lions, 109 male lions and 213 sub-adults in Gir sanctuary and in other protected areas in Gir Somnath, Junagadh, Amreli and Bhavnagar districts of Saurashtra region of Gujarat.
    4. The lion population was registered using Global Positioning System (GPS) in case of direct sighting or direct contact methods.
  103. Lithunia Joined as 19th Member of The Eurozone.
  104. Mercers Quality of Living Report 2015 -
    1. Vienna, Austrias capital is the city with the best quality of living in the world.
    2. Singapore is highest-ranking Asian city
    3. Dubai ranks first across Middle East and Africa
    4. In South Asia - Colombo (132) ranks highest followed by Indian cities Hyderabad (138) and Pune (145).
  105. Minister of State for External Affairs V K Singh inaugurated first India-China Yoga College at Yunnan Minzu University in Kunming, China.
  106. Myanmars government and 16 ethnic rebel groups signed nationwide cease-fire agreement to end 65 years of civil unrest and armed conflict in the country.
  107. National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) of USA named Asteroid 316201 after Malala Yousafzai, the winner of 2014 Nobel Peace Prize. The asteroid is situated in the main asteroid belt between Mars and Jupiter.
  108. Nebraska became 19th USA state to abolish death penalty.
  109. Normandy Four (group comprising of foreign ministers of four nations - Russia, Ukraine, Germany and France) formed four working groups for ceasefire on Ukraine conflict.
  110. North and South America became first regions to eradicate rubella (German measles). due to no new cases reported in past five years.
  111. Nuclear Power Corporation of India (NPCIL) and AREVA of France signed an Agreement for proposed Jaitapur Nuclear Power Project for setting up two EPR (Evolutional Pressurised Reactor) rectors of 1650 MWe each. 
  112. PM Narendra Modi gifted painting Tree of Life to French President Francois Hollande during his visit to France.
  113. Pablo Picasso's painting Les Femme dAlger (Version O) became the most expensive painting after being sold for 179.3 million USD at an auction in New York.
  114. Pakistan Parliament passed 21st Constitution Amendment Bill 2015 and the Pakistan Army (Amendment) Bill 2015 to make way for establishment of military courts in the country.
  115. Pakistan Supreme Court suspended death sentences issued by the recently established Military Courts.
  116. Parliament of Japan (Diet) passed a bill to lower the voting age from 20 to 18 Years. Last time, Japan lowered the age of voting from 25 to 20 and gave voting rights to women in 1945 after the World War II.
  117. Parliament of Sri Lanka adopted 19th Constitution Amendment to reduce Powers of Executive President and make a Constitutional Council for making key government appointments.
  118. Philippine and Japanese coast guards held an anti-piracy drills in Manila Bay. This is the first drill between Japan and the Philippines since signing a strategic partnership pact in 2012.
  119. Prime Minister Narendra modi gifted reproductions of some manuscripts and papers by Sir V C Raman to the German Chancellor Angela Merkel during his visit to Germany.
    1. Sir C V Raman received Nobel Prize in physics in 1930 for his work on scattering of light.
  120. Researchers from National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) of USA discovered worlds first fully warm-blooded fish species named Opah.
  121. Reserve Bank of India lifted ban on carrying bank notes of Indian Rs 1000 and 500 to Nepal and Bhutan.
  122. Royal Dutch Shell Limited (Netherlands) acquired BG Group (Britain) for about 70 billion USD to gain edge in the race to build market share for Liquefied Natural Gas (LNG).
  123. Russia and Argentina signed agreements on economic and energy co-operation during Argentine President Cristina Fernandez de Kirchner to Moscow. Agreements Included -
    1. Russia will finance the hydroelectric plant in Argentinas Neuquen River.
    2. Russias Rosatom nuclear corp will build a new reactor at Argentinas Atucha 3 nuclear power plant.
  124. Russia lifted ban on delivery of S-300 Missile System to Iran in the back drop of an agreement reached on 2 April 2015 between P5+1, the EU and Iran to prepare the final draft of Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA) by 30 June 2015.
    1. Under the agreement, Iran agreed to stop developing nuclear weapons in return for lifting economic sanctions imposed on it by the international community.
  125. Russia signed an agreement with Cyprus to give Russian navy ships access to Cyprus ports in Mediterranean Sea mostly to be used for anti-terrorism and anti-piracy efforts.
  126. Russian President Vladimir Putin approved foreign soldiers to serve in Russian Military for at least five years.
  127. Save the Childrens 16th annual State of the Worlds Mothers (SOWM) report titled The Urban Disadvantage, released by Union Minority Affairs Minister Najma Heptulla -
    1. The report's focus is on struggle of poorest mothers and children in rapidly urbanizing world. It presents the Mothers Index for 179 countries and show where mothers and children fare best and where they face the greatest hardships.
    2. Top 10 countries in the Mother Index

      Rank

      Country

       1

       Norway

       2

       Finland

       3

       Iceland

       4

       Denmark

       5

       Swedan

       6

       Netherlands

       7

       Spain

       8

       Germany

       9

       Australia

       10

       Belgium

       Bottom 10 Countries in the Mother Index

      Rank

      Country

       169

       Haiti & Sierra Leone

       170

       Guinea-Buisseau

       171

       Chad

       172

       Ivory Coast

       173

       Gambia

       174

       Niger

       175

       Mali

       176

       Central African Reblic

       178

       DR Congo

       179

       Somalia
    3. India is ranked at 140th position in the Mothers Index on the basis of Risk of maternal death, Under-five mortality rate, Educational status, Economic achievement and Political status.
  128. Seoul (capital of South Korea) awarded the title of Global Earth hour Capital 2015 on winning Earth Hour City Challenge (EHCC) of World Wildlife Fund (WWF).
  129. Seychelles (East African Island Nation) became 161st Member of WTO (World Trade Organization).
  130. Sikkim government signed Memorandum of Understanding with Netherlands and Thailand for development of floriculture.
  131. Singapore PM Lee Hsien Loong opened first museum Indian Heritage Centre in Little India dedicated to Indian history.
  132. Social Progress Index (SPI) 2015 by USA's non-profit organisation Social Progress Imperative -
    1. SPI 2015 ranks 133 countries in terms of social progress from highest to lowest and classified into six tiers from Very High Social Progress to Very Low Social Progress.
    2. India with score of 53.06 is ranked 101st. In 2014, India had score of 50.24 and was ranked 102 out of 132 countries.
    3. Top three countries on Social Progress are Norway, Sweden, and Switzerland with scores between 88.36 - 87.97
    4. SPI 2015 and BRICS countries -

      Among the BRICS countries, Brazil at 42nd rank leads the pack with a score of 70.89 and India with a score of 53.06 is placed at 101 position and is the worst country in terms of social progress. Other BRICS countries and their ranks are: South Africa (63rd), Russia (71st) and China (92nd).

    5. SPI 2015 and SAARC countries -

      Among the SAARC countries, Sri Lanka at 88th rank leads with a score of 60.10 and Afghanistan with a score of 35.40 is placed at 131 and is the worst country in terms of social progress. Other SAARC countries are: Nepal (98) Bangladesh (100), India (101) and Pakistan (122).

  133. South American Country Venezuela announced to cut working day for public sector workers to 5.5 hours to conserve energy, down from 8 - 9 hours as part of nationwide electricity rationing plan.
  134. South Korea and China signed Free Trade Agreement (FTA).
  135. Spains Lower House of Parliament (Congreso) approved a law to provide citizenship for descendants of Jews who were forced to flee the country five centuries ago during Spanish Inquisition.
  136. Sport Education Development Australia (SEDA) and India's Infrastructure Leasing and Financial Services Limited (IL-FS) signed an Memorandum of Understanding during Australian Minister for Trade and Investment Andrew Robb's Visit to India.
  137. Sri Lanka suspended work on construction of a controversial USD 1.5 billion Chinese port city project in Colombo.
  138. Steel Authority of India (SAIL) and ArcelorMittal (Luxembourg Based) signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) to set up an steel manufacturing facility in India.
  139. Sweden Based Stockholm International Peace Research Institute (SIPRI) released Trends in International Arms Transfers 2014 report and stated that India is world's largest importer of weapons and military equipment with 15 % of global imports, with Russia being its majority supplier. USA Is largest Exporter, followed by Russia and China.
  140. TERI (The Energy and Resources Institute) signed agreement with two global research institutes, Fridtjof Nansen Institute (FNI) and INTASAVE-CARIBSAVE Group for cooperation on issues related to climate change. 
  141. The Hurun Report Inc released the Hurun Global Rich List 2015 sponsored by Chinese home builder Star River Property.
    1. 2089 billionaires from 68 countries were listed in the ranking list.
    2. Around 649 billionaires saw their wealth increase and there were 341 new faces in the list.
    3. Bill Gates (85 USD) topped the List followed by Mexican Carlos Slim (83 USD) on second position and Warren Buffett on third Position.
    4. In India, Mukesh Ambani is richest Indian at Rank 41 followed by Dilip Shanghvi (53), Pallonji Mistry & family (60).
    5. Bill Gates remains the world's wealthiest individual increasing his wealth to 85 billion US dollars while Mexican Carlos Slim is second in the list with wealth of 83billion US dollars.
    6. Facebook Founder Mark Zuckerberg is youngest member of the Top 10 rich list. His wealth increased by 42 %, moving him up to number 7.
    7. New York has highest number of billionaires (91) and Russia's capital city Moscow is second with 73 billionaires.
    8. USA and China have 537 and 430 billionaires respectively.
    9. In China, solar energy tycoon Li Hejun replaced e-commerce giant Alibaba's CEO Jack Ma as the richest chinese with 26 billion USD Worth.
    10. Richest family in world: The Walton family, owner of Wal-Mart, with the wealth of 138 Billion US dollars is the richest family in the world by far.
  142. Times Higher Education released World Reputation Rankings 2015. United Kingdom has 12 of 100 most renowned higher education institutions in the world.
    1. Harvard University (US) is at 1st position followed by Cambridge University (UK) at 2nd and Oxford University on the third. Massachusetts Institute of Technology (US) has slipped to 4th place in 2015 from 2nd place in 2014.
    2. Germany is best-represented nation after US and UK, with six top 100 universities.
    3. No Indian Institution has been given place in the top 100, Asias best performer is University of Tokyo (12th position).
  143. Tropical Cyclone Ashobaa hit Oman (Country on southeastern coast of the Arabian Peninsula). ASHOBAA is first tropical storm of pre-monsoon season in the Indian seas which developed into a cyclone. 
  144. Tropical cyclones Marcia and Lam hit Australia. It is first time that two cyclones have hit Australia at one time
  145. Turkey's Justice and Development Party led by President Recep Tayyip Erdogan won parliamentary polls..
  146. Turrialba volcano in Costa Rica erupted leading to rise of a column of gas and ash in the sky.
  147. Two 6th-century monumental statues of standing Buddha have been carved into Bamiyan valley of central Afghanistan via 3D light projection technology.
  148. Typhoon Kujira struck Chinas Hainan province with heavy rain and winds up to 90 kilometers per hour.
  149. UN report State of Food Insecurity in the World 2015 released by Food and Agriculture Organization of United Nations (FAO), International Fund for Agricultural Development (IFAD) and the World Food Programme (WFP) -
    1. Number of undernourished people has dropped to 795 million as compared to 1011 million in 1990 - 92.
    2. In the developing regions, prevalence of undernourishment has declined to 12.9 % of the population.
    3. 72 of 129 monitored countries have achieved Millennium Development Goal of cutting undernourishment by half till 2015.
    4. Sub-Saharan Africa is region with highest prevalence of undernourishment with 23.2 %.
    5. prevalence of undernourishment in Latin America and Caribbean has dropped from 14.7 % to 5.5 %
    6. In southAsia, prevalence of undernourishment has declined to 15.7 % from 23.9 %.
    7. In India - 194.6 million people are still undernourished that makes India second highest in terms of undernourished people.
  150. US-based World Justice Project (WJP) released 5th Rule of Law Index 2015. It provides data on how the rule of law is experienced in 102 countries around the globe.
    1. Report is topped by Denmark, followed by Norway, Sweden and Finland at second, third and fourth place respectively each with score above 0.85.
    2. Venezuela is worst (102nd) with Zimbabwe, Afghanistan at 100, 101 place respectively.
    3. India has score of 0.51 and has been ranked 59th.
    4. India is 3rd in six South Asian countries and 3rd in BRICS countries. South Africa (36th) is at top in BRICS Countries and Nepal (48) is at top in Six south asian countries.
  151. USA closed its Embassy in Yemen due to the ongoing political instability and uncertain security situations in Yemen.
  152. USA removed Cuba from terror blacklist to strengthen ties with Cuba.
  153. USA's Oklahoma state Government passed a bill that allows use of nitrogen gas (nitrogen-induced hypoxia) as a method of execution. Oklahoma will become the first state in the United States that will allow use of nitrogen for execution.
  154. Ukraine Government passed a legislation to equate Communism with Nazism (nationalist-socialist) and banned both the regimes.
  155. Underwater explorers in Madagascar claimed to have discovered treasure belonging to the notorious 17th Century Scottish pirate captain William Kidd. They found a 50-kg silver bar on the island of Sainte Marie, from the ship of Captain Kidd.
    1. Captain Kidd was appointed by British authorities to tackle piracy but later became a criminal. He was executed in 1701 for piracy after returning from a voyage to the Indian Ocean.
  156. Union Cabinet approved 119th Constitutional Amendment Bill on Land Boundary Agreement (LBA) between India and Bangladesh to operationalize Land Boundary Agreement with Bangladesh.
  157. Union Cabinet approved signing and ratifying Inter-Governmental Agreement on Dry Ports of International Importance as a follow up of Resolution of the United Nations Economic and Social Commission for Asia and the Pacific (UNESCAP) about development of dry ports within member countries of UNESCAP including India.
  158. United Arab Emirates approved including four Indian languages (Hindi, Malayalam, Tamil and Bengali) to offer knowledge tests for appearing in driving test in UAE.
  159. United Arab Emirates closed its Embassy in Yemen due to the ongoing political instability and security situations.
  160. United Nations (UN) released a report titled Global E-Waste Monitor 2014compiled by United Nations University - as insights into the location and composition of the worlds fast-growing e-waste problem.
    1. As per the report, in the year 2014 volume of e-waste is estimated around 41.8 million metric tonnes and expected to rise by 21 % to 50 million Mt in 2018.
    2. US and China produced the most e-waste overall in 2014 at 32 %. India came in fifth, behind the US, China, Japan and Germany.
  161. United Nations Conference on Trade and Development (UNCTAD) released a report Global Investment Trends Monitor. It stated that developing Asia now invests more abroad than any other region.
    1. Hong Kong (China) and China were the second and the third largest investors in the world, after the United States which is largest source of outward foreign direct investment (FDI).
    2. Among the 20 largest investors, nine were from developing or transition economies.
    3. Developing Asia has become, for the first time, the world's largest investor region with 440 billion USD, followed by America and Europe.
    4. UNCTAD estimates that TNC (Transnational Companies) investment will increase due to better economic prospects, proactive monetary policy in the Eurozone and the large cash holdings of companies. TNCs share in global foreign direct investment (FDI) reached a record of 36%, up from 12% in 2007.
  162. United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) report Global Trends: World at War (Worldwide trends in forced displacement in 2014) -
    1. Number of forcibly displaced people in 2014 had risen to 5.9 Crore as compared to 5.1 Crore million in 2013 and 3.7 crore in 2005.
    2. Syria is world's biggest producer of internally displaced people (7.6 million) and refugees (3.88 million). Afghanistan (2.59 million) and Somalia (1.1 million) are next biggest refugee source countries.
  163. United Nations Security Council (UNSC) adopted resolution 2222 (2015) for protection of journalists in conflict zones.
  164. United Nations will Release $ 25 million Fund for life saving projects to help war trapped civilians in Yemen.
  165. United States (US) Supreme Court legalized same-sex marriage across the nation. 
  166. Various Memorandum of Understanding between India and China -
    1. Extension of agreement for Cooperation in Traditional Medicine
    2. Tourism, mining and mineral sector
  167. Various Memorandum of Understanding between India and Mongolia -
    1. Traditional Systems of Medicine and Homoeopathy 
    2. Border Guarding, Policing and Surveillance
    3. Transfer of sentenced persons 
  168. Various Memorandum of Understanding between India and South Korea -
    1. Audio-Visuals Co-Production (to promote Cooperation between the film industries of the two countries)
    2. Maritime transport and logistics
    3. Electric power development and new energy industries
  169. Washington (USA) based World Resources Institute (WRI) and Access Initiative released first Environmental Democracy Index (EDI) -
    1. Index ranks 70 countries by evaluating whether Governments are enacting laws to promote transparency and citizen engagement in environmental decision making.
    2. Index is topped by Lithuania, Latvia at second and Russia at 3rd position. India is ranked at 24th position.
    3. Top 10 Countries with Strong National Laws for Environmental Democracy -

      Rank

      Country

      Score

      1

      Lithuania

      2.42

      2

      Latvia

      2.31

      3

      Russia

      2.25

      4

      United States

      2.16

      5

      South Africa

      2.16

      6

      United Kingdom

      2.14

      7

      Hungary

      2.12

      8

      Bulgaria

      2.10

      9

      Panama

      2.02

      10

      Colombia

      1.99
    4. Lowest-Scoring Countries for Environmental Democracy Laws

      Rank

      Country

      Score

      61

      Belize

      0.82

      62

      Cambodia

      0.76

      63

      Jordan

      0.76

      64

      Saint Lucia

      0.73

      65

      Nepal

      0.68

      66

      Sri Lanka

      0.67

      67

      Congo

      0.66

      68

      Namibia

      0.59

      69

      Malaysia

      0.58

      70

      Haiti

      0.51

  170. Women's Advancement Index by MasterCard -
    1. India has lowest score of 44.2 of the 16 Asia-Pacific countries though it has improved from the 38.1 score in 2007.
    2. New Zealand has highest score of 77, followed by Australia (76), and the Philippines (72.6).
  171. Words biryani and selfie included in latest edition of famous French dictionary - Le Petit Larousse for the first time.
  172. World Bank established Pollution Management and Environmental Health (PHEM) program on 2015 Earth Day in Washington, D.C with capital of 45 million USD. PMEH will initially run from 2015 to 2020 and will focus on air quality management in countries facing rapid urbanization. Five major urban areas in India, China, Egypt, Nigeria and South Africa will be preferred in particular
  173. World Bank released Migration and Development Report 2015 -
    1. Top five remittance recipient countries are - India (70 Billion USD), China, Philippines, Mexico and Nigeria.
    2. The top five migrant destination countries - United States, Saudi Arabia, Germany, Russia and the United Arab Emirates (UAE).
    3. Global remittances, including high income countries to grow by 0.4 %to 586 billion USD.
  174. World Bank released South Asia Economic Focus report -
    1. Economic growth of South Asia region will increase from 7 % in 2015 to 7.6 % by 2017 primarily due to decline in oil prices and increasing investment.
      1. India's GDP growth rate will reach 7.5 % in 2015-16 and 8 % by 2017.
      2. India has taken encouraging steps to decouple international oil prices from fiscal deficits and to introduce carbon taxation to address the negative externalities from the use of fossil fuels.
  175. World Cellular Information Service (WCIS) Data -
    1. China Mobile is top mobile operator in the world with 62.6 Crores subscribers. Vodafone Group of UK is second with 40. 3 Crore users. Bharti Airtel of India is 3rd largest with 30.3 Crore Users.
  176. World Economic Forum (WEF) about World's Biggest Employers -
    1. US department of Defense is worlds biggest employer with over 3.2 million employees.
    2. Peoples Liberation Army of China is 2nd biggest employer with 2.3 million employees.
    3. Indian Railways is at 8th position with 1.4 million staff, while Indian Army is at 9th position with 1.3 million employees.
  177. World Economic Forum (WEF) released report titled Urban Development Recommendations for India under the Future of Urban Development and Services (FUDS) Initiative in collaboration with Accenture -
    1. Report highlights importance of more private-sector participation to bridge the urban infrastructure and services funding gap of 110 billion USD dollars widening due to Indias rapid urban population growth.
    2. WEF made three recommendations on urban development -
      1. Integrate spatial planning at all governmental levels - to integrate housing, strategic and urban infrastructure.
      2. Create a stable policy framework for private investment in urban infrastructure.
      3. Create institutions to stimulate capacity building and attract talent to grow businesses.
    3. About FUDS Initiative
      1. WEF Future of Urban Development and Services (FUDS) Initiative is a partner in transformation to cities around the world as they seek to address major urban challenges and transition towards being smarter, more sustainable. The report on India is the third in the FUDS Initiative. The first two presented the results of the initiatives engagement with three Chinese cities: Tianjin, Dalian and Zhangjiakou.
  178. World Happiness Report 2015 examined for 158 countries - by UN Sustainable Development Solutions Network
    1. Topped by Switzerland and followed by Iceland, Denmark, Norway and Canada.
    2. Togo is least Happy (158th) ahead just of Burundi (157) and Syria (156).
    3. India is at 117th Place in the report.
    4. The study is based on data from Gallup World Poll and considers variables such as real GDP per capita, healthy life expectancy, corruption levels and social freedoms.
    5. World Happiness Report 2015 reveals trends in data surveyed by Gallup over the period 2012-15, reveal an average score of 5.1 (out of 10).
  179. World Health Organisation (WHO) and Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD) released report Economic cost of the health impact of air pollution in Europe: Clean air, health and wealth to assess economic burden of deaths and diseases resulting from air pollution in 53 countries in European Region.
    1. Report estimates that WHO European region in 2010 lost 1.6 US trillion dollars due to premature deaths and diseases caused by air pollution due to more than 600000 premature deaths.
  180. World Health Organisation approved ReEBOV Antigen rapid test kit developed by Corgenix in the United States for Ebola disease that can give result in 15 minutes.
  181. World Justice Project (WJP) released Open Government Index 2015. -
    1. Out of 102 countries, Sweden topped the list in terms of openness in the government, followed by New Zealand and Norway at second and third places .
    2. Cambodia, Iran, Myanmar, Uzbekistan and Zimbabwe are at last in the Index.
    3. India has been placed at the 37th position in the 2015 Index.
  182. World Press Freedom Index (WPFI) 2015 released by Reports Without Borders (RWB) -
    • India was placed at 136th position out of 180 nations, It improved from 140th rank last year.
    • Finland is at the top in terms of freedom for press with Norway and Denmark following.
    • Eritrea is the worst in terms of freedom for press as per the report, North Korea is second worst.