- Prologue to six part Article series
- PIN: Heads of States
- Chief Guest in 26th January Republic Day Parade
- India’s Ranks (2013)
- International Summits
- National Summits
- Ukraine crisis
- International Organizations
- International places in news
Prologue to six part Article series
Total six parts covering December 2013 to 8th June 2014- nearly six months that is the usual time span for current affairs most competitive exams below UPSC Civil service exam.
- [PIN-2014] Part 1/6: National- Official Posts, Committees, Stamps-2014, Defense, Telengana & more
- [PIN-2014] Part 2/6: International- Presidents, Prime ministers, Summits, bodies & Ukraine Crisis
- [PIN-2014] Part 3/6: Sports, Mascots, Athletes, Awards, FIFA-2014, Sochi-2014, Grand Slams, Hockey, Kabbadi, Cricket & more
- [PIN-2014] Part 4/6: Economic Regulators, Banking Sector CMDs, RBI monetary policy, RBI Committees, Business GK CEOs
- [PIN-2014] Part 5/6: Books, Authors, Movies awards & Beauty Pageants
- [PIN-2014] Part 6/6: Diaspora, Civilian awards & Dead in News, Pravasi Bharatiya Diwas, Padma 2014, Able Prize & more
Persons in News: Heads of States
Every month some new pm/President gets elected somewhere. given the bad cost benefit, I’ve only listed important ones and ignored many chillar parties for example Chile new President Michelle Bachelet, because Chile is not in news otherwise.
Afghanistan |
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Australia |
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Bangladesh |
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Bhutan |
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China |
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Cuba | President Raul Castro (not Fidel Castro) |
Egypt |
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Fiji |
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France | President Francis Hollande; PM Manuel Valls. Anne Hidalg-first female mayor of Paris |
Germany |
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Iran | President Hussan Rouhani, Accepts peaceful nuclear technology use |
Iraq | PM Nur Al Maliki |
Israel |
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Italy | Youngest PM Matteorenzi |
Japan | Emperor Akihito, PM Shinzo Abe. Parliament called DIET. |
Jordan | Joined non-permanent member of UNSC in Dec 2013. King Abdulla. Capital Amman |
Kazakstan | President Nursultan Nazarbayev; PM Karim Massimov |
Latvia | Officially joined Eurozone. 18th Member of Euzozone. PM: Straujuma. Parliament: Saeima. Capital Riga.Donot confuse EU vs Eurozone. EU (european union) has 28 members as of now. Croatia became the 28th member of EU in july 2013. |
Lebanon | PM Tammam Salam. Capital Beirut. Country In news because Hezbulla from Lebanon participating in Syrian civil war. |
Libya | PM Abdulla al Thani- he quits after family attacked. Capital Tripoli. |
Lithuania | President Dalia Grybushaite (Iron lady). Only person to win twice. |
Malaysia | PM Najib Razak |
Maldives | President Abdulla Yameen – after defeating Moh. Nasheed in run off vote. Parliament : Majilis |
Marshall Islands |
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Mauritius | President Rajkeshwar Purryag. PM Navin Ramgoolam |
Myanmar | President Thein SeinOpposition leader Aung su kyi |
Nepal | President Ram Baran Yadav. PM Sushil koiralaParliament : Rahstriya Panchayat |
Nigeria | President Goodluck Jonathan. in news because an extremist group Boko Haram kidnapped schoolgirls to get their prisoners released. Capital: Abuja |
North Korea | Kim Jong- un got 100% votes. Held high level talks with south korea at Pan mun jom. Jang Song Thaek: he was Kim’s uncle, but Kim got him killed for “gaddari”. |
Pakistan | President Mamnoon Hussain and PM Nawaz Sharif both belong to PML-N party. Parliament called “Majlis-e-shoora”.Abul Basit: Paki Ambassador to India |
Palestine | Unity govt. under Moh. Abbas (Fatah) and Ismail Haniyeh (Hamas) |
Papua New Guinea |
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Philippines | Prez Beningo Aquino. New law to legalize birth control methods Until now birth control was prohibited due to opposition from Christians |
S.Africa | Jacob Zuma wins Presidential election. (Party African national congress). Capital: Johannesburg.Indian origin – Ela Gandhi – Pravasi Bharatiya Samman 2014 |
South Korea | President female Park Park Geun-hye. PM Chung Hong won resigned after Ferry sinking incident which killed 300+people |
South Sudan | Salva Kiir Mayardit |
Spain | King Juan Carlos abdicated throne for his son. PM Rajoy. Capital Madrid. Parliament |
Syria | President Bashar al assad – ready for election under international pressure |
Thailand |
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Turkey |
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Uganda |
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Ukraine |
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Uruguay | Legalized marijuana trade. Capital Montevideo. PM/President not important. |
Vatican | Pope Francis (Jorge Bergoglio) became TIME person of the year for 2013. He replaced Pope Benedict XVI. |
Venezuela | President Nicolas Maduro (and NOT Hugo Chavez- He is dead) |
Vietnam | President Truong Tan SangPM Nguyen Tan Dung |
UK
- David Cameron. Queen Elizabeth ruled for 62 years.
- Recently David said Sikhs can head UK army and judiciary.
- UK parliament honored Tagore in 2014
- Operation Trojan horse: to prevent spread of extremism in schools.
- Banned sale of non-native aquatic plants to prevent entry of invasive species.
- Scotland referendum to be held in September 2014.
USA
- President Barak Hussain Obama ; VP Joe Biden both democrat party
- Jeb Bush (Republican) He is yyounger brother of George Bush, he may fight next Presidential election (perhaps) against Hillary Clinton (democrate).
- Secretary of State John Kerry (not Hillary Clinton)
- Speaker of house of representatives: John Boehner (not Nancy Pelosi)
- Nancy Powell was first women US Ambassador to India. She was made to resign in May 2014 because she was close to Congis and Obama knew Modi will become next PM. in other words, her “boore din” had started even before election result!
- Peter Haas: US Cousul general in India, opened new trade office in Ahmedabad in June 2014.
- FBI: James Comey
- CIA: John O. Brennan
- Sergeant Bow Bergdahl: American soldier captured by Talibans in 2009. Obama freed some Taliban prisoners to secure Bow’s release.
Chief Guest in 26th January Republic Day Parade
- 2013- King of Bhutan, Jigme Wangchuck
- 2014- Japanese PM, Shinzo Abe
India’s Ranks (2013)
Doing Business (world bank) | 134. Singapore tops |
Gender Gap (WEF) | 101, even Bangladesh, SriLanka and China better. |
Global hunger index | 63rd. Even Paki and Bangla better |
Global Slavery Index | India first rank! China 2nd, Paki 3rd |
Human Capital index(WEF) | 78. |
Human development index (UNDP) | 136. |
Standard and Poors | BBB minus rating |
Standard Charters | by 2030, India will be third largest economy after US and China |
Transparency International’s corruption perception index |
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*WEF= World Economic Forum.
Ukraine crisis
For non-UPSC exams, this topic is pretty much irrelevant. Even for the interviews, you don’t need to know more than just basic geography and power angles. Crux of the matter is= Ukraine crisis happened because Russia wants to control (Crimea+ Black sea) & counter NATO/US influence in this region.
Observe the map:
- Crimea’s port city Sevastopol=>
- Black sea=>
- Straight of Bosporus =>
- Mediterranean Sea =>
- Strait of Gibraltar => Atlantic Ocean
- Suez Canal => Red Sea => Gulf of Aden => Arabian ocean.
Thus IF Russia controls Crimea, it can control Black sea. Result?
- Russia can ship its products to major economics of the world
- Russia can fight against invading NATO armies and counter USA’s “missile shield”.
Timeline of Ukraine Crisis
Before 1991 | Both Ukraine+ Crimea were part of erstwhile USSR. |
1st December 1991, | Ukraine held referendum to declare independence from USSR, also takes away Crimea. This was one of the major reasons for the fall of USSR. |
2012 |
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2013 |
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Feb 2014 |
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March 2014 |
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April-May | After this, other parts of Eastern Ukraine also started similar movements to join Russia. |
June 2014 | Chocolate businessman Petro Poroshenko becomes the new President of Ukraine. |
G8 suspended Russia. Obama wants world powers to boycott Russia, just like Iran. BUT….
- BRICS nations refused to join US-EU backed sanction against Russia
- Japan also refused to cancel investment plans in Russia
- India also not going to back any US sanction against Russia.
- Russia has world’s largest energy resources, therefore, energy-hungry China also silent.
Beyond this, day to day ball by ball commentary keep coming in newspaper. But like I said earlier, no need to do PhD on this topic, for non-UPSC exams.
International Summits
17th NAM | Venezuela 2015 |
ASEAN |
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BIMSTEC |
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BRICS | Fortaleza, Brazil- 2014; Ufa, Russia 2015 |
CHOGM | Commonwealth heads of government 22nd meeting in Colombo, Sri Lanka (Nov 2013) |
ending sexual violence in conflict |
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G-20 |
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G-7 summit |
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GENEVA 2 |
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IBSA | 2013, DelhiMilitary cooperation- joint military exercise “IBSAMAR” |
SAARC | Kathmandu, NepalNov 2014, 18th |
UNFCC | 2013: COP 19 in Warsaw Poland.2014: COP 20 in Lima, Peru |
WTO |
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National Summits
1st International summit on HIV AIDS | New Delhi |
28th Suryakund international artisan Fair | Faridabad Harayana |
Asia Gas partnership Summit | Delhi, Dec 2013. |
National Science Congress 101th session | was held in Jammu on Feb 2014 |
PETROTECH 2014 | Noida, International oil & gas summit |
Rann Utsav | Cultural festival of Katch dist Gujarat |
Suryakumbh | Solar cooking initiative in Mumbai |
TECNOTEX 2014 | International summit on clothes , Mumbai |
International Organizations
without their structure or mandate for GS2 hahaha
in CDS, CAPF, they sometimes ask “match the pairs” question from this topic.
African development bank | Donald kaberukaHQ Abidjan, Ivory coast |
African Union | B.N.AmadiHQ Addis Ababa |
ASEAN | Le Luong MinhHQ Jakarta, Indonesia |
Asian development bank | President Takehiko NakaoHQ Manila, Philippines |
IMF | Christine LagardeHQ Washington |
EU |
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FAO | DG- Jose Graziano de silvaHQ Rome, Italy |
NATO | Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg (Formal PM of Norway) |
OECD | Sec-gen Jose Angel GurriaHQ Paris, France |
ICC (International CriminalCourt) | HQ Hague, Netherland |
ICJ (International Court ofJustice) | HQ Hague, Netherland |
PCA (permanent court ofArbitration) | HQ Hague, Netherland |
IUCN (International UnionFor Conservation of Nature) | President Zhang XinshengFormer Ashok Khosla |
IAEA | DG Yukiya AmanoHQ Vienna, Austria |
ILO | DG Guy RyderHQ Geneva, Switzerland |
UN General Assembly |
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ITU | Sec-gen Hamadoun ToureHQ Geneva, Switzerland |
UNHRC | Navi PillaiHQ Geneva, Switzerland |
UNFCC | Christina FigueresHQ Bonn, Germany |
UNCTRAL | Chairperson Hrvoje SikiricHQ New York |
OPCW (Organization forPrevention of ChemicalWeapons) | DG Ahmet UzumcuHQ Hague, NetherlandOPCW won Nobel prize 2013 |
US federal Reserve | JENETYELLN |
WHO | DG Dr. Margaret ChanHQ Geneva, Switzerland |
WIPO | DG Francis Gurry, re-elected for 2nd termHQ Geneva, Switzerland |
World bank | DG Jim Yong KimHQ Washington |
WTO | DG Roberto AzevedoHQ Geneva, Switzerland |
WWF (world wild fund forNature) | CEO Carter RobertsHQ Gland, Vaud, Switzerland |
FAO | Food and Agri. organization. HQ Rome. José Graziano da Silva |
International Maritime organization | HQ London. Sec General Koji Sekimizu |
International places in news
Barbary lions | Extinct. In Atlas mountain range from Morroco to Tunisia. Indian lions have genetic linkages with them. |
Bushehr Province | Iran earthquake in april |
Herat | In Afghanistan. Terrorists attacked Indian consulate before Modi oath. |
Jinnah Airport | Karachi. Biggest terrorist attack in June 2014. |
Latvia | Officially joined Eurozone. 18th Member |
Malta | Next CHOGM summit in 2015 |
Mauratia | Ancient Microcontinent. Its evidence found in W.Indian ocean. |
Mosul | 2nd largest city in Iraq after Bagdad. The Sunni militants took control over this city while Iraqi army ran away. |
Mount Fuji, Japan | World Heritage status under UNESCO. In Honhu Island |
Peshawar | World’s largest reservoir of Polio (WHO statement) |
Popocatépetl volcano | Mexico |
Samoa Airline | First airline to charge passengers based on their weight |
Serbia | Agreed to cede some areas to its former province Kosovo.Under EU accord. Serbia-Capital Belgrade. Kosovo-Capital Pristina-Uses Euro as Currency. |
Shanghai | Started visa-free transit scheme with Beijing. |
Shenzhen Province | China Launched its first carbon trading scheme here |
Sichuan Province | China earthquake of ritchers scale-7. |
suma | Turkey coal mine. explosion killed 280+ |
Titanosaur | Biggest dinosaurs, found in Argentina. |
West Qurna-2 | One of the largest oilfield in Iraq. Russian company started exploration. |
Xisha | Disputed islands in South China sea. China is offering tourists rides while Vietnam opposes. |
Sevastopol | port city in Crimea, Russia wanted to control Blacksea via this port city, hence the Ukrain crisis. |
For more current affairs, visit Mrunal.org/Current
Any updates, corrections please do post in the comments but with reference except wikipedia
Inputs from Mr. Chandradeo and Ms. Rajtanil
Thank You Sirji
Thank u so much sir…..it is really very helpful for my bank exams…thanks once again..
mauritius president Rajkeshwar Purryag not Kailash Purryag
check it once again……..its rajkeshwar purryag only ….
MRUNAL BHAI! YOU HAVE BEEN REALLY DOING SOME GREAT JOB ,FOR NOT SO GREAT GUYS LIKE ME .I GOT TO KNOW ABOUT YOUR SITE FROM A FRIEND OF MINE ,WHO IS PREPARING FOR UPSC AND TOLD ME TO GO THROUGH THE CONTENTS OF YOUR SITE.LET ME UNDERSCORE THIS FACT THAT , I WOULD HAVE BEEN MORE EQUIPPED ,HAD I FOUND YOUR SITE A YEAR OR TWO AGO. CONGRATS BHAI .
Hi,
Latvia is in news because it became the 18th member of “EuroZone” and not “EU”.
EU (european union) has 28 members as of now. Croatia became the 28th member of EU in july 2013.
Thanks,
Ajinkya :-)
Mrunal sir, a correction.
Latvia has already been in EU since 2004. It just had an agreement to use Euro as its currency. It became 18th country to use Euro currency.
EU has 28 members. Croatia is 28th member, joined in 2013.
A new update: Lithuania to become 19th country to adopt Euro as currency from 1 January 2015. It will become the 19th member of the euro zone out of 28 countries in the European Union, and the last of the Baltic states to join.
Sir,this is very useful.But as far as SBI PO is concerned, they wil be focusing on banking and financing sector only.. this is what I analyzed from SBI PO 2013. can u add some more information on that too?
You are God gifted to us sir……!!!!
sir,
a small correction
LATVIA JOINED EU IN 2004
18 TH MEMBER IS ESTONIA
AND
LITHUANIA PLANS TO JOIN AS 19th MEMBER IN 2015
lativa is the 18th country to join euro zone and not 18th country to join eu
wto members are 140 or 159 ?? http://www.wto.org/english/thewto_e/whatis_e/tif_e/org6_e.htm
Eurozone 19 members, Lithuania joined as last baltic country to join eurozone
Latvia information has been corrected. thanks all for your input
One of the biggest reasons Russia attacked was because Ukraine has no nuclear weapons. It handed over its nuclear warheads to Russia some years back. Since 1945, no country with nuclear weapons has been attacked by a country.
wto members are 159 at present.
thanq sir for explaining ukrainian crisis in such a lucid manner…..as no one else can!!!!
Correction:
Global Slavery Index is a weighted measure of three variables:
Estimated prevalence of modern slavery in each country (accounting for 95% of the total)
A measure of the level of human trafficking to and from each country (accounts for 2.5%)
A measure of the level of child and early marriage in each country (accounts for 2.5%)
India has the largest estimated number of people enslaved followed by China & Pakistan which is mentioned by Mrunal Sir.
But, when we look overall India stands at 4th position followed by Mauritiana, Haiti & Pakistan. Conclusion- We are not that bad! :P
Please refer: http://www.globalslaveryindex.org/country/india/
its really good job mrunal sir. its very much helpfull…thank you very much for your coordination to the students. thank you very much.
South Africa capital is pretoria. Other capitals r Johannesburg n Cape Town. But main is pretoria.
Thankyou Mrunal for the right guidance and immense motivation to UPSC dreamers! Can you please suggest me how to handle the comprehension part, i find it too boring and time consuming ! Thanks in advance !
good info
Sir pls provide any special material for uppsc
Sir pls provide any special material for uppsc especialy agriculture related
India’s rank in hdi list is not 136 but 135 .
and total number of wto member country are 160 after yemen joined in bali,indonesia ministerial conference.
Sir you are doing a tremendous job everyone can read your articles . Now you are my best teacher .. Appreciated !!
Great Job…This is a web site which i feel I must browse every time and then and do so regularly.
Please do alert me the updates of your website
mrunal sir.., u r the most remembered person for every civil aspirants.. thank u sir..
one of the best site