SIPRI’S ARMS INDUSTRY DATABASE REPORT: GLOBAL ARMS SALES UP BY 4.6%; INDIA RANKED 10TH AND US TOPPED-
- The Stockholm International Peace Research Institute (SIPRI) released a report on worldwide arms sales titled “The SIPRI Top 100 Arms Producing and Military Services Companies, 2018”.
- As per the report, arms sales rose up by6% in 2018 in comparison with 2017.
- India ranked 10th in the overall country ranking while, United States (US) topped the list.
RUSSIA BANNED FROM GLOBAL SPORTS FOR 4 YEARS OVER DOPING, TO MISS TOKYO OLYMPICS & FOOTBALL WORLD CUP–
- Russia was banned from the Olympics and world championships in a range of sports for four years.
- This happened after the World Anti-Doping Agency (WADA) ruled to punish it for manipulating laboratory data, a WADA spokesman said.
- WADA’s executive committee took the decision after it concluded that Moscow had tampered with laboratory data by planting fake evidence and deleting files linked to positive doping tests.
HUMAN RIGHTS DAY OBSERVED ON 10 DECEMBER 2019–
- On 10th December 2019, the Human Rights Day is observed for the empowerment and recognition of Human Rights across the World.
- The theme of Human Rights day 2019 is “Youth Standing Up for Human Rights”.
- The day is observed to remember the Universal Declaration of Human Rights (UDHR) adopted by the United Nations General Assembly (UNGA) in 10 December 1948.
INDIA AMONG TOP 10 COUNTRIES WITH HIGHER CLIMATE PERFORMANCE–
- India for the first time ranks among the top ten countries in the Climate Change Performance Index (CCPI)
- This index is released annually after analysing four parameters – greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions, renewable energy, climate policy and energy use.
- The country has, in fact, improved its ranking from 11th last year to ninth this year.
- China, the largest global emitter slightly improves its ranking in the index to 30th place.
GOVERNMENT TO SPEND RS 5 LAKH CRORE OVER NEXT TWO YEARS IN INFRA PROJECTS TO SPUR ECONOMY, CREATE JOBS-
- This was told by Union Minister Nitin Gadkari.
- The government wants to spend Rs 2 lakh crore in infrastructure projects in this fiscal (2019-20) and Rs 3 lakh crore in the next fiscal (2020-21) to boost the economy and generate employment in thousands.
- National Highways Authority of India (NHAI) would lease land flanking the highways across the country for building petrol-filling stations, logistics parks, bus ways and parking plazas
- Through this the government wants to generate Rs 30,000 crore annually.