Australian PM Tony Abbott ousted by Malcolm Turnbull

Malcolm Turnbull has been sworn in as the 29th Prime Minister of Australia after a leadership challenge saw the ouster of Tony Abbott. Mr. Turnbull’s Liberal Party colleagues voted 54-44 to replace Mr. Abbott during a surprise ballot on On 15th September 2015.

He becomes the nation’s fourth leader in a little over two years, but despite division in his party, Mr. Turnbull says he will lead a “very strong government”. The last Australian prime minister to serve a full term was John Howard, who left power in 2007.

Nepal’s parliament approves new constitution after 7 years

Nepal’s Constituent Assembly has approved a new constitution after seven years of painstaking efforts and deliberations. The new constitution has split the country into seven federal provinces. Constituent Assembly Chairman Subash Nemwang announced the charter was passed by a 507-25 vote in the 601-seat Assembly after the voting. The bill will become Nepal’s new charter once the lawmakers sign and the Constituent Assembly Chairperson authenticates it.

‘Metro Man’ E Sreedharan in UN high-level advisory group

Metro Man’ E Sreedharan, the Principal Advisor to Delhi Metro Rail Corporation, has been invited to the United Nations’ High-Level Advisory Group on Sustainable Transport (HLAG-ST). He has been invited by the United Nations Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon to serve on his HLAG-ST, a press release said on 18th September 2015. The service is for a period of three years and Sreedharan has accepted the offer.

World Bank ranks Gujarat as most investor-friendly State

Gujarat has come out on top in the World Bank’s first-ever ranking of States on the ease of doing business in India. The states were assessed on the implementation, over a six-month period from January to June, of a 98-point reforms agenda. Gujarat implemented 71.14 percent of the reforms, according to the assessment. Andhra Pradesh came second with a score of 70.12 percent. These states are followed by Jharkhand, Chhattisgarh, Madhya Pradesh and Rajasthan.

Hormusji N. Cama appointed as Chairman of PTI

Hormusji N. Cama, director of Bombay Samachar and Riyad Mathew, director of Malayala Manorama, unanimously elected as Chairman and Vice Chairman respectively of the Press Trust of India.

Press Trust of India (PTI) is the largest news agency in India. It is headquartered in New Delhi and is a nonprofit cooperative among more than 500 Indian newspapers.

IIT- Delhi, IISc figured in the top 200 Quacquarelli Symonds (QS) Rankings

India has finally made its debut in the Quacquarelli Symonds (QS) list of top 200 universities globally. The Indian Institute of Science, Bangalore occupied the 147 place and the Indian Institute of Technology-Delhi (IIT-D) have been placed at 179 in the QS World University Rankings for 2015-16. These two universities are the first universities of India which has entered the rating.

Hangzhou City of China chosen to host 2022 Asian Games

Hangzhou, a capital city of Zhejiang Province in east China, was chosen by the Olympic Council of Asia (OCA) to host the 2022 Asian Games. Hangzhou was the only candidate city for the 2022 Asian Games. Its successful bid means the regional games will be staged in China for the third time following Beijing in 1990 and southern Guangzhou in 2010.

Note: 2018 Asian Games will be held in Pyeongchang, South Korea.

Godavari, Krishna Rivers Formally Linked in Andhra Pradesh

In a historic step in the mission to interlink rivers, the Godavari has been formally connected with the Krishna in Andhra Pradesh. The formal linking of the Godavari and Krishna rivers is termed a boon for the farmers in the Krishna delta (mainly those in the Krishna and Guntur districts), who have been facing acute shortage of water after neighbouring Karnataka allegedly raises the height of the Almatti project. Almatti dam is a hydroelectric project on Krishna river in north Karnataka which was completed in July 2005.

Current Affair One Liners:

  • In terms of ease of doing business Index, India is ranked 142nd among 189 countries in the latest rankings issued by the World Bank.
  • Bangladesh Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina has been announced as one of the winners of the United Nations Champions of the Earth award in recognition of her country’s initiatives to address climate change.
  • Afghan refugee teacher Aqeela Asifi, who has dedicated her life to bringing education to refugee girls in Pakistan, has won the 2015 UNHCR Nansen Refugee Award.
  • A British author of Indian descent Sunjeev Sahota is shortlisted for his novel ‘The Year of the Runaways’ for the prestigious Man Booker Prize, 2015.
  • President Pranab Mukherjee greets Mexico on its Independence Day on 16 September 2015.