Current affairs 21 April 2023

India surpasses China as world’s most populous nation: UN.

• According to the UN data, India has surpassed China to become the world's most populous nation with 142.86 crore people.
• China has a population of 142.57 crore.
• In 2016, China ended its strict "one-child policy" and started letting couples have three children in 2021.
• According to the UN data, the global population will have hit 8.045 billion by mid-2023.
• Factors Influencing population growth: Fertility rate, Increasing longevity, International migration

Angela Merkel receives Germany's highest Order of Merit.

• Former Chancellor Angela Merkel received the highest Order of Merit of Germany from the President of Germany, Frank-Walter Steinmeier.
• The award has only been given twice before, to former chancellors Konrad Adenauer and Helmut Kohl.
• All three former leaders belong to the conservative Christian Democratic Union (CDU).
• The Order of Merit entails no financial reward.
• Merkel led Germany from 2005 to 2021, totaling four terms in office.

World's Wealthiest Cities Report 2023 released.

• According to the World's Wealthiest Cities Report 2023, published by Henley & Partners and New World Wealth, New York City has emerged as the wealthiest city in the world, with 340,000 resident millionaires.
• Tokyo with 290,300 resident millionaires, ranked second, followed by The Bay Area, London, and Singapore.
• While the US has topped the list in the number of wealthy cities, with 10 out of the top 50 cities in the world, followed by China, and Australia.

IIT Roorkee signs pact with Taiwanese centre.

• IIT Roorkee has signed an MoU with the National Science and Technology Centre for Disaster Reduction (NCDR), Taiwan.
• Aim: To develop scientific and academic cooperation and scientific research to promote relations and mutual understanding between NCDR and the Centre of Excellence in Disaster Mitigation and Management of IIT Roorkee.
• The main objective is to develop a technological solution to natural hazards, including earthquakes, landslides, and compound disasters.

Assam, Arunachal signs MoU on the border dispute.

• Assam government has signed an MoU with the Arunachal Pradesh government to resolve the long pending border dispute between both states.
• The MoU was signed in presence of Union Home Minister Amit Shah in New Delhi on April 20.
• The Assam cabinet has approved the recommendations of 12 Regional Committees formed by the state government to resolve the decades-long border dispute issues with Arunachal Pradesh.
• Assam shares an 804 km long boundary with Arunachal Pradesh.