The U.N. special envoy for Myanmar travelled to the Southeast Asian nation  on aug 15 for the first time since she was appointed to the post last October.

The trip by Noeleen Heyzer followed the U.N. Security Council's latest call for an immediate end to all forms of violence and unimpeded humanitarian access in the strife-torn country. Heyzer "will focus on addressing the deteriorating situation and immediate concerns as well as other priority areas of her mandate," U.N. spokesman Stephane Dujarric said.

He gave no details on whether Heyzer would meet with Myanmar's military rulers or the country's imprisoned former leader, Aung San Suu Kyi, a longtime U.N. demand. Heyzer's visit "follows her extensive consultations with actors from across the political spectrum, civil society as well as communities affected by the ongoing conflict," Dujarric said.

Earlier this month, Cambodian Foreign Minister Prak Sokhonn, special envoy to Myanmar for the 10-member Association of Southeast Asian Nations, said efforts by Myanmar's neighbours to help restore peace and normalcy to the strife-torn nation were hindered by the country's recent execution of four political activists.

He warned that further executions would force the regional group to reconsider how it engages with fellow member Myanmar.

In February 2021, Myanmar's army ousted Suu Kyi's elected government and then violently cracked down on widespread protests against its actions. Myanmar's military rulers agreed to a five-point ASEAN plan in April 2021 to restore peace and stability to the country, which includes an immediate halt to violence and a dialogue among all parties. But the country's military has made little effort to implement the plan, and Myanmar has slipped into a situation that some U.N. experts have characterized as a civil war.

Heyzer, a women's rights activist from Singapore, headed UNIFEM, a U.N. development organization that focuses on promoting women's economic advancement, from 1994-2007. She was the first woman to serve as executive secretary of the U.N. Economic and Social Commission for Asia and the Pacific, from 2007-2014.

In a chaotic announcement that could foreshadow a court challenge, Kenya’s electoral commission chairman  has declared Deputy President William Ruto the winner of the country’s close presidential race over five-time contender Raila Odinga.

The outcome was a triumph for a candidate who shook up the East African nation’s politics by appealing to struggling Kenyans’ economic concerns instead of their ethnic allegiances.

Ruto received about 50.5% of the vote to nearly 49% for Odinga in balloting, the chairman said. 

Bharat Petroleum Corporation Ltd (BPCL), India’s second-biggest oil refining and marketing company will invest Rs 1.4 lakh crore in petrochemicals, city gas and clean energy in the next five years. Its chairman and managing director Arun Kumar Singh, in the company’s latest annual report said the energy landscape is changing globally and the company is recalibrating its strategies to leverage emerging opportunities while mitigating risks. For expansion of its petrochemicals product portfolio, the company has identified two new refinery-integrated petrochemical projects –1.2 MMTPA Ethylene Cracker unit at Bina Refinery and 0.4 MMTPA Polypropylene unit at Kochi Refinery. In the natural gas sector, BPCL has secured licences for 8 new geographical areas (GAs) under the recently concluded 11th and 11A City Gas Distribution (CGD) bid rounds.

To achieve its net zero emission by 2040, the company established a new business unit “Renewable Energy ‘’ to take forward this initiative. Also, the company has clearly articulated its RE targets to reach 1 GW by 2025 and 10 GW by 2040. BPCL has recently achieved blending of more than 10% ethanol in petrol and is committed to enhancing the blending in line with the road map laid out by the government.

In the electric mobility space, to address range anxiety pertaining to electric 4-wheelers, the company came up with a novel concept of creating highway fast-charging corridors.  Singh called the international energy market volatile and said the profit of domestic oil companies have taken a severe hit on the marketing side. 

Lauding the success of production-linked incentive (PLI) scheme, Prime Minister Narendra Modi on  Aug 15 said the scheme is giving a boost to the manufacturing, be it electronic goods or mobile phones.

During his Independence Day speech, the Prime Minister said India is becoming a manufacturing hub, building a foundation for a self-reliant India. The PM also expressed his satisfaction on the fact that majority of the startups have been ideated by those living in tier 2, tier 3 cities and villages.

Speaking of the PLI scheme, Modi said people from around the world are bringing new technologies along with them, which is generating new employment opportunities here.

The government had first announced the PLI scheme in 2020 to boost domestic manicuring by giving financial incentives in the form of tax rebates, lowered import and export duties and relaxed land acquisition norms, among others. In the Budget 2021-22 speech, Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman had announced total outlay of Rs 1.97 lakh crore for the PLI scheme. So far, the Centre has announced PLI scheme for 14 sectors including automobile and auto components, electronics and IT hardware, telecom, pharmaceuticals, solar modules, metals and mining, textiles and apparel, white goods, drones, and advanced chemistry cell batteries.

He stressed upon the need for becoming self-reliant in energy as India imports over 80% of oil to meet its requirement. Modi added that the country should be self-reliant in the fields of solar energy, wind energy and various other renewable energy sources like hydrogen, bio-fuel and electric vehicles. PM Modi also said India will soon witness 5G mobile service, which promises to have 10 times faster and offers lag-free connectivity. 

While highlighting the need for digitalisation, he added that the complete transformation of the education ecosystem, revolution in health infrastructure and improvement in the quality of agricultural life will be possible only through digitalisation.

In a massive setback for the country, world football governing body FIFA on  Aug 16 suspended India for "undue influence from third parties" and said the U-17 Women's World Cup "cannot currently be held in India as planned." The country is scheduled to host the FIFA tournament from October 11-30.

This is the first time the All India Football Federation (AIFF) has been banned by FIFA in its 85 year history, with the apex body saying there have been "flagrant violations of the FIFA Statutes".

The Bureau of the FIFA Council said the lifting of the suspension will be subject to repealing of the Committee of Administrators' (CoA) mandate in full.

A ban on India has been on the cards since the Supreme Court removed Praful Patel as AIFF president on May 18 for not holding elections, due in December 2020.

The court had appointed a three-member Committee of Administrators (CoA), headed by former apex court judge AR Dave, to manage the affairs of the national federation.

The CoA, which has former Chief Commissioner of India SY Quraishi and ex-India captain Bhaskar Ganguly as other members, also had to frame its constitution in line with the National Sports Code and model guidelines.

The Bureau of the FIFA Council decided that upon lifting of the suspension, the AIFF constitution will have to be revised in accordance with the requirements of the FIFA and the AFC and to be approved by the AIFF general assembly without interference from any third party.

The FIFA, "concurrently", wants an "independent electoral committee to be elected by the AIFF general assembly to run the elections of a new executive committee".

WITH 10 medals (3 gold, as many silver and 4 bronze), Indian weightlifters once again topped the medal tally at the Commonwealth Games in Birmingham.

The gold medallists were Mirabai Chanu (49kg), Jeremy Lalrinnunga (67kg) and Achinta Sheuli (73kg). These medallists, along with other CWG participants, will not represent the country in the upcoming Asian Weightlifting Championships. The continental event is scheduled in Manama, Bahrain from October 6 to 16.

Q1. Name the U.N. special envoy for Myanmar travelled to the Southeast Asian nation  on Aug 15 for the first time since she was appointed to the post last October ?

1. Noeleen Heyzer
2. Stephane Dujarric
3. Prak Sokhonn
4. Rebeca Grynspan
5. None  of These

Q2.  Name the  India’s second-biggest oil refining and marketing company  which will invest Rs 1.4 lakh crore in petrochemicals, city gas and clean energy in the next five years ?

1. Oil and Natural Gas Corporation (ONGC)
2. Bharat Petroleum Corporation Ltd (BPCL)
3. Reliance Industries Ltd (RIL
4. Indian Petrochemicals Corporation Limited (IPCL)
5. None  of These

Q3. Name the person who has been declared winner of the Presidential election in Kenya ?

1. Mwai Kibaki
2. Uhuru Kenyatta
3. Raila Odinga
4. William Ruto
5. None  of These

Q4. Name the  world football governing body  which suspended India for "undue influence from third parties" and said the U-17 Women's World Cup "cannot currently be held in India as planned." ?

1. International  Football Federation (IFF)
2. nternational Olympic Association (IOA)
3. Federation Internationale de Football Association (FIFA)
4. World Soccer League ( WSL)
5. None of These

Q5.  The Asian Weightlifting Championships scheduled  to be held in

1. Doha , Qatar
2. Manama, Bahrain
3. Muscat , Oman
4. Abu Dhabi , UAE
5. None of These

Answers

1-------------------------------1   Noeleen Heyzer

2------------------------------- 2   Bharat Petroleum Corporation Ltd (BPCL)

3----------------------------------4    William Ruto

4--------------------------------- 3 Federation Internationale de Football Association (FIFA)

5---------------------------------  2  Manama, Bahrain 

Miffed over cases of alleged atrocities on Dalits, Congress MLA Pana Chand Meghwal  his sent his resignation to Chief Minister Ashok Gehlot, saying he does not have the right to stay as an MLA if he cannot protect the rights of his community.