1. An estimated 57% of the world’s population still without Internet: UN Report
(i)
The UN released a report titled the ‘State of
Broadband’ in September 2015, as per which an estimated 57% of the world’s population
have no access to Internet and thus are not benefitted by the economic and
social benefits the medium offers.
(ii) The report comes ahead of the summit to be held in New York, wherein discussions would be held on the new Sustainable Development Goals, which includes access to information and communication technology (ICT).
(iii)
The report reveals the sheer work that needs to
be done by countries to enhance internet penetration and bridge the digital
divide.
2. McKinsey Global Institute’s report stresses on gender equality for higher growth
(i)
McKinsey Global Institute (MGI) recently
conducted a study in 95 countries and published a report concluding that
increased participation of women in workplace contributes to an increased GDP.
(ii)
The study report stated that India can add 60% (or
$2.9 trillion) to its GDP by 2025 if it increases women’s participation in the economy
by reducing gender inequality.
3. UK lags behind in terms of productivity among the G7
(i)
As per data released by UK’s Office for
National Statistics (OSO), the country was much less productive in 2014 than its
G7 counterparts.
(ii)
While the UK was slightly worse than
Italy and Canada, it was trailing behind the US, Germany and France by a huge margin.
UK’s output per hour was 20% below the G7 average.
(iii)
Economists assert that since the economic
downturn productivity has plummeted in most developed countries.
4. UNDP to help in Arunachal Vision 2030 implementation
(i)
In September
2015, the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) expressed interest in supporting
the implementation of Arunachal Vision 2030 and the CM’s Mission on Skill
Development and Employment Generation in Arunachal Pradesh.
(ii)
The Arunachal Vision – 2030
elaborates
the medium and long term goals to be achieved by the state in 6
fields including social harmony,
infrastructure, economic potential, social sectors, border
security and resource mobilisation.
5. Arvind Panagariya replaces Suresh Prabhu as the sherpa for G20 negotiations
(i)
Ahead of the
next G20 Summit, which is scheduled in Antalya, Turkey in November 2015, the
government has appointed NITI Aayog Vice Chairman Arvind Panagariya as the sherpa
for G20 negotiations.
(ii)
A sherpa represents the Prime Minister at the Group
of 20 countries’ meetings and conveys the country’s official position on
critical issues.
(iii)
A sherpa represents the Prime Minister at the Group
of 20 countries’ meetings and conveys the country’s official position on
critical issues.
6. Matthias Mueller appointed as the new chief of Volkswagen
(i)
As the chief executive of Volkswagen Martin
Winterkorn quit the company in the aftermath of the diesel
emission scandal in September 2015, Matthias
Mueller,
the head of sports carmaker Porsche will
now head the German carmaking firm.
(ii)
The scandal was
a major concern for the company
with the European Union calling for national investigation and the US taking the alleged health impacts very seriously.
7. Sourav Ganguly to head Cricket Association of Bengal (CAB)
(i)
Former Indian Cricket team captain Sourav Ganguly will be succeeding Jagmohan
Dalmiya as the president
of Cricket Association of Bengal (CAB).
(ii)
This
decision was taken after the latter’s
death on
September 20.
(iii)
Avishek Dalmiya, son of Jagmohan Dalmiya will replace Ganguly as the joint
secretary of CAB.
8. Polish striker Robert Lewandowski scores 5 goals in 9 minutes
(i)
Polish national
team skipper Robert Lewandowski, who entered the game in half-time on September 22 night
scored
five goals in nine minutes, including the league’s fastest hat-trick, to guide
Bayern Munich to a remarkable 5-1 victory against VfL Wolfsburg, at the Allianz
Arena.
(ii)
As per reports, $1.11 million that the team won will
be donated to help resettle refugees who are arriving in Germany.
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