Exhibition on Buddhist religious/heritage sites in India will also be organized. To complete the experience, a Food Festival will also World's highest bridge opens in China be held. The world's highest The Festival events are being showcased in three bridge has opened to cities of Phnom Penh, Siem Reap and Battambang in traffic in China, Cambodia. connecting two Cambodia provinces in the mountainous southwest Capital: Phnom Penh and reducing travel Currency: Riel times by as much as three-quarters. Prime Minister: Hun Sen The Beipanjiang Bridge soars 565 metres (1,854 feet) above a river and connects the two mountainous Japan to assist in making Chennai, Ahmedabad and provinces of Yunnan and Guizhou. Varanasi Smart Cities Japan has decided to be UN Recognizes 2017 as Year of Sustainable Tourism for associated with the Development development of Chennai, Ahmedabad and Varanasi as The United Nations (UN) has declared 2017 as a year to smart cities. recognize that tourism is important in fostering better This was conveyed by understanding among people. Japan’s Ambassador to International travel leads to greater awareness of the India Kenji Hiramatsu during his meeting with heritage of other civilizations, and as a result an Minister of Urban Development M.Venkaiah Naidu. appreciation of other countries. Mr.Hiramatsu further said that Japan is quite According to the UN, this contributes to the interested in urban development initiatives of the strengthening of world peace. Government of India and decided to be a partner. High Commissioner of United Kingdom Mr.Dominic Finland trials basic income for unemployed Asquith also met Venkaiah Naidu and discussed Finland has become the first country to pay its unemployed converting into action the MoU signed between the citizens an unconditional monthly sum, in a social experiment. two countries during the recent visit of British Prime Under the two-year, nationwide pilot scheme, which Minister to India Teresa May, on cooperation in urban began on 1 January, 2,000 unemployed Finns aged 25 development sector. to 58 will receive a guaranteed sum of €560). He said institutionalizing Government to Government The income will replace their existing social benefits cooperation for smart city development has huge and will be paid even if they find work. potential. So far, leading countries have come forward to be Festival of India will be Organized in Cambodia associated with development of 15 smart cities. A Festival of India is being These include: United States Trade Development organized in Cambodia from Agency (USTDA) –Visakhapatnam, Ajmer and 10th January to 16th February, Allahabad, UK-Pune, Amaravati(Andhra Pradesh) 2017. and Indore, France-Chandigarh, Puducherry and The activities of the Nagpur and Germany –Bhubaneswar, Coimbattore Festival include and Kochi. Ramayana Performance, Rajasthani Folk Music & Japan Dance Group (Dance Group plus Manganiyar Group), Capital: Tokyo Classical Dance. Currency: Yen A Buddhist Mahotsav – Exhibition titled Dhamma Prime Minister: Shinzo Abe Darshana - to explore the life, teachings and important China to set up world's highest altitude Gravitational Wave events connected with Lord Buddha and Photo telescopes in Tibet 1 WiFiStudy.com China is setting up the world's highest altitude gravitational Saptarang – confluence of seven classical dance forms wave telescopes in a Tibet prefecture close to Line of Actual culminating in Vande Matram. Control with India with a budget of $18.8 million to detect The Festival events are being showcased in four cities faintest echoes resonating from universe which may reveal of Accra, Kumasi, Cape Coast, Takoradi in Ghana. more about the Big Bang theory. Ghana Construction has started for the first telescope, code- Capital: Accra named Ngari No 1, 30 km south of Shiquanhe Town Currenty: Cedi in Nagri Prefecture, said Yao Yongqiang chief researcher with the National Astronomical Ecuador takes chair of UN group of 134 developing Observatories of the Chinese Academy of Sciences. countries Parts of Nagri is last Tibetan prefecture at China's Ecuador has taken over from Thailand as chair of the Group of border with India. 77 which promotes the interests of the 134 developing countries it represents at the United Nations, including China. Norway to Become First Country to Switch Off FM Radio Ecuador's President Rafael Correa told handover Network ceremony that the group will continue promoting Norway will become the world’s first country to shut down its "social and economic equality." FM network in an unpopular move designed to force the leap He said this can only be done if "poverty, inequality to digital technology. and exclusion" are eradicated and people live with It is going to launch Digital Audio Broadcasting "sovereignty, dignity and in peace." (DAB) technique in place of FM radio. Thailand's Foreign Minister Don Pramudwinai said Critics claim the switch off will leave citizens without his country focused in 2016 on how to implement the digital radios isolated and unable to listen to 17 U.N. goals for 2030 to promote development and emergency broadcasts. good governance, and preserve the environment. World Hindi Day:10 January Obama lifts 20-year sanctions on Sudan The World Hindi Day is being observed annually on 10 US President Barack January. Obama is to lift some trade World Hindi Day was first observed on 10 January and investments sanctions 2006. against Africa's third It should be noted that World Hindi Day is the largest country. promotion of the language at the global stage. While, But the country National Hindi Divas is being observed on 14 will still remain a state sponsor of terrorism in September across the country at national level. Washington's eyes. Obama informed Congress that he will lift barriers Pakistan to renovate Katas Raj temple against the Khartoum government but only after a six- Pakistani Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif visited the Katas Raj month delay to ensure Sudan continues to improve its Hindu temple in Chakwal district of Punjab to inaugurate its human rights record. renovation. The work includes installation of a water filtration India slips 3 places to 92nd rank on global talent plant in the Amrat Jal area. competitiveness Al-Biruni, Persian scholar and polymath, had India has slipped 3 places to 92nd rank on the global index of computed the earth’s circumference from here. talent competitiveness that measures how countries grow, attract and retain talent, a list topped by Switzerland. Festival of India to be Organised in Ghana India's ranking is worst among the five BRICS After Combodia, now a Festival of India is being organised in countries. While China was ranked at the 54th place, Ghana from January 25 to March 16, 2017. Russian Federation was placed at 56th, followed by The activities of the Festival include amalgamation of South Africa at 67th and Brazil 81st. Indian classical dances, Sufi & Folk Music, and Switzerland topped the overall index, followed by Singapore and the United Kingdom in second and 2 WiFiStudy.com third places respectively, in the list released by according to a report by global app analytics firm App INSEAD Produced in partnership with The Adecco Annie. Group and the Human Capital Leadership Institute of Brazil took the third spot with a little over 5 billion Singapore (HCLI). downloads. China is not part of the Google Play (Android) India 60th in inclusive development index rankings because the country has blocked Google. India has been ranked 60th among 79 developing economies, However, it was Number one in iOS (Apple) app store below neighbouring China and Pakistan, in the inclusive downloads. development index, according to a WEF report. Lithuania tops the list of 79 developing economies UAE’s Khalifa Foundation Donates US$2 Million Medical that also features Azerbaijan and Hungary at second Equipment to AMU and third positions, respectively. The United Arab Emirates'' Khalifa Bin Zayed Al Nahyan While India is placed at the 60th spot, many of the Foundation has announced that they will donate an Elekta neighbouring nations are ahead in the rankings. Synergy Digital Accelerator worth US$2 million to the Aligarh China is ranked at the 15th position, Nepal (27th), Muslim University (AMU)'s Jawaharlal Nehru Medical Bangladesh (36th) and Pakistan (52nd). College. The announcement coincides with the visit to India of Germany tops global passport index, India ranks 78th H.H. Sheikh Mohammed bin Zayed Al Nahyan, The Passport Index Crown Prince of Abu Dhabi and Deputy Supreme 2017, ranks countries Commander of the UAE Armed Forces, as the chief based on the number guest at the 68th Republic Day celebrations. of nations their HH Sheikh Khalifa Bin Zayed Al Nahyan, the citizens can visit President of the UAE, had declared the year 2017 as without a visa or on the ‘Year of Giving’, focusing on public-private arrival. India ranks a partnership in the field of humanitarian initiatives. low 78th position. Germany stands at the top with a visa-free score of Hong Kong withdraws visa-free facility for Indians 157 while Singapore (topped in Asia) and Sweden are In a setback to Indian travellers, Hong Kong, a special on second and third place respectively. administrative region of China, has withdrawn the visa-free India stands at 78th position with a visa-free score of facility for Indians who will have to complete a pre-arrival 46, ahead of China and Pakistan which are ranked registration. 58th and 94th on the list respectively. The Pre-arrival Registration for Indian Nationals will Afghanistan’s is the least powerful passport with a be implemented on January 23. visa-free score of just 23. Until now, Hong Kong has permitted Indians to enter with valid passport for a period up to 14 days without 2016 declared Earth's hottest year on record a visa.