(Current Affairs) International Events | February: 2014

International Events

UN to Reduce its Staffs and cut Budget

United Nations on 27 December 2013 ordered to cut staff and budget under the pressure from United States and other austeritystricken industrialized powers. This is the first time, since 1945 United Nations has taken the decision to cut the staff and budget. The decision was taken because the governments of members suffer from financial crisis. After protracted negotiations, the 193-nation Assembly agreed to cut 221 staff or 2 percent at the UN headquarters and ordered a one-year pay freeze for the more than 10000 workers in New York. A two-year freeze on benefits allowance was also mentioned. The staff cut is part of the 2014-2015 UN budgets. The members of UN have also voted to cut its budget to 5.5 billion dollars for 2014-15, which is 50 million dollars below the final spending in past two years. United States provides about 22 percent of UN budget. Apart from US, other countries like France, Britain, Germany and Japan are among the top contributors in the budget of UN. The general budget does not include UN peacekeeping activities that cost more than 7.5 billion dollars a year or to operate several major UN agencies, such as UNICEF and the World Food Programme, which are funded by voluntary contributions.

Officials banned from smoking in public places in China

According to the China’s official Xinhua News Agency, Chinese Government on 30 December 2013 banned its officials from smoking in public places. Public places include schools, offices, and hospitals, sports venues, on Public transport or any other places where smoking is banned or to smoke or offer cigarettes hen performing official duties. Also, officials cannot use public funds to buy cigarettes, and within Communist Party or in government office tobacco products cannot be sold. The smoking ban must be displayed in meeting rooms, reception offices, passageways, cafeterias and rest rooms. The Officials have been asked to take the lead in implementing government ban on smoking in public places. China with a population of 1.35 billion has about 300 million smokers. China is the World’s largest cigarette producer and consumer. Though China’s health authorities already banned people from smoking in indoor public places in 2011, the rule is not seriously enforced or obeyed in the country. India also banned smoking in public places which covers offices, hotels, restaurants, hospitals, college campuses, bars and discos with effect from 2 October 2008. In Asia, India, Hong Kong and China have banned smoking in public places.

UK to be Europe’s largest economy by 2030

Centre for Economic and Business Research (CERB) study released in December 2013 has predicted that UK will overtake Germany as Europe’s largest economy by 2030.

At present Germany is at the top spot in Europe. It cites the UK’s population growth as an aid to economic acceleration. CERB has also predicted that strong growth by emerging economies like India, Russia and Brazil will make UK to slip down on the global ranking over the next two decades. It said that UK would be the second most successful western economy after US. Germany will slip in the position of the European economy to UK in 2030 because of its faster population growth and its less dependence on other European economies. The report has echoed the recent confidence of other business groups such as the British Chambers of Commerce, BCC. The CERB released its annual World Economic League Table in which the future ranking of the economic is done depending upon the ups and downs of the global economies. CERB in its release has also said that China will take over the US economy in 2028 and India will be in the third place. CERB compiled the forecasts of growth, inflation and currency values in its league tables to the size of economies, which was measured in US dollars in 2013, 2018, 2023 and 2028. In its release CERB has said that its prediction should be treated as a caution because of the unpredictable fluctuations in currencies.

As per the released report, India will overtake Japan as the third biggest economy in next 15 years with Brazil as the fifth biggest economy. The anti-deflation strategy would lead to the weaken of Yen for the future and would affect the value of dollar of its national output. However, as far as Germany, the group said that should the euro break up, that Germany’s outlook would be much better. As for France, the CEBR said it will be one of the worst performing of the Western economies, and will be overtaken by the UK by 2018. This is because of slow growth due to high taxation in addition to the general issues of eurozone economies.

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