Current Affairs Updates : International : September -October 2009

1. Nearly 25 million women in India were married in the year 2007 by the age of 18.
2. Children in India, Nepal and Pakistan may be engaged or even married before they turned 10.
3. Despite rising literacy levels and a ban on child marriage, tradition and religious practices are keeping the custom alive in India, as well as in Nepal and Pakistan.
4. More than 50% of world's child brides are in south Asia.
5. This leaves children beyond the reach and protection of state services and unable to attend school or access basic healthcare.
6. A 44 million, or 13 percent of all children in south Asia, are engaged in labour, with more than half in India.

October 5, 2009: Japan & China proposed 'East Asian Community' similar to EU
Recently Japan and China have sent shockwaves around the world by proposing to create an "East Asian Community," very much similar to the European Union. This comunity could make a fierce force to reckon with and improve economic and political relationships in the region. The community would involve visa-free travel, public health, energy and the environment.

Some facts:

• Japan is world's second largest economy, China is third.
• If India also joins hands with It will be able to become a big force in future.
• The talks are in primitive stage. The proposal will again be on the agenda when the leaders of Japan, China and South Korea will meet in Beijing on October 10.
• The proposal was put forward by Japanese Prime Minister Yukio Hatoyama to Chinese President Hu Jintao during their first meeting, in New York on

October 4, 2009: Report on "Possible Military Dimensions of Iran's Nuclear Program"
Recently a report was released by International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) with the title "Possible Military Dimensions of Iran's Nuclear Program" which says that Iran has acquired sufficient information to be able to design and produce a workable atom bomb. This said that a a complex program was apparantly began in 2002, by Iran's Defense Ministry with an aim to develop a nuclear payload to be delivered using the Shahab 3 missile system. However two years back, American intelligence agencies published a detailed report concluding that Tehran halted its efforts to design a nuclear weapon in 2003.

October 3, 2009 : Largest IPO of Bangladesh
Grameenphone is Bangladesh's telecom major. It recently launched largest initial public offering (IPO) of the country with a hope to raise Taka 4.8 billion ($80 million approximately) from the domestic market.

About Grameenphone:

• Grameenphone or GP is the leading telecommunications service provider in Bangladesh which had than 20 million subscribers as of June 2008.
• It is a joint venture enterprise between Telenor and Grameen Telecom Corporation, a non-profit sister concern of the internationally acclaimed microfinance organization and community development bank Grameen Bank.
• Telenor, the largest telecommunications company in Norway, owns 62% shares of grameenphone and Grameen Telecom owns the remaining 38%.
• Grameen Bank (& Grameenphone) was pioneered by Nobel laureate Muhammad Yunus. Muhammad Yunus before pioneering Grameenbank was a professor of economics where he developed the concept of microcredit. In 2006, Yunus and the Grameenbank were jointly awarded the Nobel Peace Prize, "for their efforts to create economic and social development from below."

September 11, 2009 : 1.2 million children Killed by Pneumonia Every Year
A research was published recently which said that 1.2 children under the age of 5 die every year around the world from two pneumonia-causing diseases Streptococcus pneumoniae and Haemophilus influenzae B or Hib which could be easily prevented with vaccines.

Reason:

• Safe and effective vaccines exist for both of the above strains however use of Hib vaccine has only recently expanded to low-income countries and pneumococcal vaccine is not included in national immunization programs in the developing world.
• About Pneumonia: Pneumonia is an inflammatory illness of the lung also known as as lung parenchyma/alveolar inflammation and abnormal alveolar filling with fluid.

September 11, 2009 : Life in Jail for Taiwan ex-president, wife
Former Taiwan president Chen Shui-bian has been found guilty of corruption on Friday and sentenced to life in prison. he was two times president of Taiwan and was convicted for six charges related to bribery and corruption. The case is 3 years old and involves his wife ans some close people.

Prosecutors had charged Chen with embezzling T$104 million ($3.185 million) from a special presidential office fund, accepting bribes of about $9 million related to a land procurement deal and taking another $2.73 million in kickbacks to help a contractor win its bid for a government project.
September 12, 2009: Cuba revolution commander Juan Almeida dead
Juan Almeida, who dies recently at the age of 82 was one of the original leaders of the Cuban revolution. He was current vice president of Cuba.

About Cuban Revolution:

• The Cuban Revolution was an armed revolt that led to the overthrow of U.S.-backed dictator Fulgencio Batista of Cuba on January 1, 1959 by the 26th of July Movement led by Fidel Castro.
• Almeida was at the side of Fidel and Raul Castro from the earliest days of the revolution and was the only black commander in the leadership.
• Fidel Castro took power after the rebels toppled dictator Fulgencio Batista on Jan. 1, 1959, and ruled until Raul Castro succeeded him as president last year.

with inputs from various newspapers