Which country has re-elected as Observer to the Arctic Council?

Defence Ministry Nirmala Sitharaman approved Indian Navy's proposal to acquire 10 Kamov-31 choppers from Russia at a cost of around Rs. 3,600 crore to strengthen its capability against aerial threats to its aircraft carriers and large warships. They cleared the Rs. 3,600 crore proposal for buying around 10 Kamov-31 Airborne Early Warning and Control choppers for the aircraft carrier operations and deployment on future warships. Indian Navy already has a fleet of 12 of these Kamov-31 choppers which sanitise the air space around the aircraft carriers and destroyers operating in open seas.

The Netherlands has emerged as the third largest foreign direct investor in India during 2017-18, with investments pegged at about $2.67 billion across sectors. The Netherlands was also the second largest destination for foreign investment by Indian companies, after Singapore, with investments worth $12.8 billion in 2017.

Commerce Ministry, Indian High Commissions and embassies of 11 African nations organized a 2-day, (that is on May 3rd and May 6th) long interaction to deepen the India-Africa trade relations. This was arranged over Digital Video Conference (DVC) and was attended by more than 400 members of the Indian business community in Africa. The interactions with the Indian Diaspora were held in 11 African nations, namely, Tanzania, Uganda, Kenya, Zambia, and Mauritius, Nigeria, Mozambique, Ghana, South Africa, Botswana, and Madagascar, to construct an efficient engagement with the Indian Diaspora in Africa. This initiative gives more focus on the requirement for a multi-faceted strategy to enhance trade and investment between India and Africa.

Two Indian Navy ships - Guided Missile Destroyer INS Kolkata and Fleet Support Ship INS Shakti carried out a 6-day long exercise 'Group Sail' with naval ships of Japan, Philippines and the United States of America (USA) in the disputed South China Sea from 03 May to 09 May 19. The aim of the Group Sail is to deepen the existing partnership and foster mutual understanding among participating navies. The ships undertook various exercises enroute which included formation manoeuvering, underway replenishment runs, cross-deck flying and exchange of Sea Riders. The Group Sail exercise with naval ships of Japan, Philippines and United States showcased India's commitment towards operating with like-minded nations to ensure safe maritime environment through enhanced interoperability.

The Parliament of Singapore on May 8, 2019 passed new laws to fight the menace of fake news. The laws will empower the authorities to order the removal of any content reported to be fake despite fierce criticism from tech giants and the media and rights groups. The Protection from Online Falsehoods and Manipulation Bill will enable the government to order social media platforms such as Facebook and Twitter to put up warnings next to posts that the authorities deem to be false or get them taken down in extreme cases.

The Government of Malawi has launched the pilot tests for the world's first malaria vaccine - RTS,S (or Mosquirix) -to give partial protection to children up to 2 years of age. The other two African countries - Ghana and Kenya - will introduce the vaccine in the coming weeks. This move is part of World Health Organization (WHO)-coordinated three country pilot programme where the risk of malaria is high and there has been previous success with other childhood vaccines. It aims to reach 360,000 children per year across the three countries. The vaccine has been developed by British drugmaker GlaxoSmithKline (GSK) in partnership with the PATH Malaria Vaccine Initiative. According to WHO, Malaria kills some 435,000 people around the world each year, the majority of them children. Most of these deaths are in Africa, where more than 250,000 children die from the disease every year.

Indonesia has released a special commemorative stamp on the theme of Ramayana on April 23, 2019 to mark the 70th anniversary of establishment of its diplomatic ties with India. A specially signed version of the stamp will be on display at the Philately Museum in Jakarta. The stamp, designed by renowned Indonesian sculptor Padmashri Bapak Nyoman Nuarta, featured a scene from Ramayana in which Jatayu valiantly fought to save Sita, said a statement issued by the Embassy of India.

In Bangladesh, the historic Mujibnagar has recently celebrated on April 17, 2019. The day marks the oath taking ceremony of Bangladesh's first government in 1971 at Baidyanathtala in Meherpur. On this day in 1971, senior leaders of the liberation movement of Bangladesh had assembled at Baidyanathtala to form the provisional government of independent Bangladesh. Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujibur Rahman was declared the President in absentia as he was arrested and flown to Pakistan after the Pakistan military crackdown on the then 'East Pakistan' on the night of March 25, 1971. The day is being observed by political parties and social and cultural organisations through various programs across Bangladesh.

India will be attending the Group of 7 industrialised nations meet organised by France in Biarritz in August along with Australia, Chile, and South Africa. the French ambassador to India Alexandre Zeigler stated that one of the issues on the agenda of the G-7 meet would be fighting terrorism in cyberspace.

The US has won a World Trade Organization (WTO) ruling against China's use of tariff-rate quotas (TRQ) for rice, wheat and corn. The case, lodged by the Obama administration in late 2016, marks the second U.S. victory in as many months in the country's ongoing trade spat with China. TRQs are two-level tariffs, with limited imports allowed at the lower 'in-quota' tariff and subsequent imports charged an 'out-of-quota' tariff, which is generally much higher. The US argued that the quotas limited market access for its grain exports. Australia, Brazil, India, and the European Union were among those reserving their rights in the dispute brought by the world's largest grain exporter.