International Current Affairs October 2015 (Part 3)

UN Adopted Negotiating Text for Security Council Reforms

• Amid protests from China, Russia and Pakistan, the UN General Assembly agreed on September 14, 2015 to adopt a negotiating text for security council reforms during the 70th session of the UNGA.
• This is for the first time in the history of the Inter-Governmental Negotiation (IGN) process that a decision on UNSC reform has been adopted through an official document.
• India welcome this decision of UNGA. With this India’s goal of becoming a permanent member of the UN security council took a significant step forward.

• With the adoption, the UNGA decided to immediately continue intergovernmental negotiations on security council reform in informal plenary of the general assembly at its 70th session, building on the informal meetings held during its 69th session, as well as the positions and proposals made by member States, reflected in the text and its annex circulated by the President of the General Assembly in his letter dated July 31, 2015.

UN General Assembly Unanimously Adopted Resolution

• The UN General Assembly adopted by consensus a resolution on September 11, 2015 at the 103rd plenary meeting of its 69th session.
• It is initiated by Armenia and entitled “International Day of Commemoration and Dignity of the Victims of the Crime, of Genocide and of the Prevention of this Crime”. Armenia’s Permanent Representative to the United Nations, Ambassador Zohrab Mnatsakanyan said the International Day will serve an important platform for prevention by way of commemoration.

• December 9 is the date when the Convention on the Prevention and Punishment of the Crime of Genocide was adopted in 1948. The UNGA resolution acknowledges that victims of this crime call for a form of memorialisation, which plays an important role in the prevention of genocide.

Read Also – Smart Practice Current Affairs October 2015 .

Singapore General Elections 2015

• Singapore’s governing People’s Action Party (PAP) led by Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong has won a decisive victory in the general election 2015 of Singapore. The party has won every election since independence in 1965.
• As on September 12, 2015, PAP had secured 83 of 89 seats, won nearly 70% of the ballots cast. The PAP’s main rival, the Workers’ Party ended up with six seats, less than the seven it held in the outgoing Parliament.
• As per Constitution of Singapore, the Parliament has a maximum term of 5 years after that it must be dissolved by the President and fresh elections must be held within 3 months. Voting is also mandatory in Singapore and is based on the first-past-the-post system.

G20 Launched W20 Grouping for Gender Inclusive Economic Growth

• World’s 20 largest economies, including India launched Women-20 (W20), an engagement grouping of women Leaders, to push for gender inclusive global economic growth on September 6, 2015.
• The W20 group’ having 20 women leaders from G20 nations would host its first summit in October, 2015 in Istanbul after all member countries appoint their nominees.
• W20’s newly appointed President Gulden Turktan said it would work as an outreach group and seek to promote gender inclusiveness in economic grovyth process by empowering women.

Canada’s Economy Fell into Recession

• As per the government data on September 1, 2015, Canada fell into recession in the first half of 2015, for first time after global financial crisis of 2009.
• Statistics Canada, nodal national statistical agency of Canada also revealed that the economy contracted 0.5% in the second quarter after retreating 0.8% in the previous three months.

• On the political campaign trail, where economic management has become a defining issue, the grim figures are expected to put Conservative Prime Minister Stephen Harper on the defensive, while bolstering opposition calls for a change of administration.

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