(Current Affairs) International Events | November: 2013

International Events

100 Billion US Dollars Fund by BRICS

Leaders of the BRICS (Brazil, Russia, India, China and South Africa) group of nations on 5 September 2013 announced to set up a 100 billion US dollar fund to steady currency markets destablised by an expected pullback of US monetary stimulus. The announcement was made at the meeting of BRICS leaders. Brazil, India and Russia committed 18 billion dollars each while China announced 41 billion US dollars. South Africa announced 5 billion US dollars. BRICS had earlier planned to set up 240 billion US dollars fund. Earlier this year, BRICS nations had discussed the formation of a new development bank to fund infrastructure and development projects throughout the developing nations.

Chinese Leader Bo Xilai Sentenced to Life

Top China Communist Party leader Bo Xilai was on 22 September 2013 sentenced to life imprisonment by a Chinese court which upheld the charges of bribery, embezzlement and abuse of power against him. The Jinan Intermediate Court in east China’s Shandong province, which conducted an unprecedented open trial in August 2013, convicted the former Politburo member and Chongqing city Communist Party chief on all the three charges. In its judgement, court sentenced Bo Xilai to life in prison on the bribery charges, 15 years for embezzlement and seven years for abuse of power. The court also stripped Bo of all political rights and ordered the confiscation of his property. Bo Xilai, 64, was sacked as the head of the Chongqing city in 2013 and removed from the ruling party following allegations of bribery, embezzlement and abuse of power against him. He was accused of receiving 20 million Yuan (3.5 Million US Dollars) as bribes and owning a luxury villa in France. The hearing was regarded as the Communist China’s most sensitive political trial after the 1981 ‘Gang of Four’ trial involving Mao Zedong’s widow Jing Qing.

About Bo Xilai

Bo Xilai is a former Chinese politician. He came to prominence through his tenures as the mayor of Dalian and then governor of Liaoning. From 2004 to November 2007, he served as Minister of Commerce. Between 2007 and 2012 he served as a member of the Central Politburo and secretary of the Communist Party’s Chongqing branch.

68th Session of the UN General Assembly held in New York

The United Nations General Assembly (UNGA) started on 17 September 2013 its 68th session at the UN Headquarters in New York, with setting a new development agenda beyond 2015 as its priority. President of the 68th session - UN ambassador of Antigua and Barbuda John Ashe opened the assembly with a speech that introduced the themes of the year and the issues to be focused on, including human rights, the rule of law and how to work towards and ensure stable and peaceful societies ensuring accessible institutions of justice and reducing violence.

The Assembly is set to the backdrop of the eight Millennium Development Goals (covering poverty, women’s rights, the environment, child mortality, primary education, HIV/AIDS, development and maternal health) which were set in 2000 with the goal to achieve them by the end of 2015. President of the 68th session John Ashe called this year’s Assembly pivotal as member states work in the face of the looming deadline. The goals will be discussed in three high-level talks and three thematic debates in order for leaders to offer ideas on how to achieve them and define them post-2015. The General Assembly is the UN’s largest committee in which all 193 member states have equal representation. UN General Assembly meets annually to address a set number of issues and current crisis of the world.

<< Go Back To International Events Main Page

International Issues
Current Affairs
Civil Services EXAM
Civil Services Preliminary
Civil Services Mains
UPSC