Daily Current Affairs for Law Exams: 26th September 2019

Bulgaria's economist Kristalina Georgieva (66-year-old) has been elected the new head of the International Monetary Fund (IMF). She has been appointed for five years. Her term will start on October 1.
For the first time, the IMF chief has been selected from an emerging economy.
She will be the second woman chief of IMF.

She was the CEO of the World Bank

Prior to this, she was the Chief Executive Officer of the World Bank in January 2017.
She was also the interim president of the World Bank Group from February 1 to April 8 this year.

Georgieva will replace Christine Lagarde

Kristalina Georgieva will succeed Christine Lagarde who resigned from her post in July this year after being elected as the President of the European Central Bank.
In July 2011, former French finance minister Christine Lagarde became the head of the IMF.

About the IMF

The IMF was formed in 1944 a result of Bretton woods conference.
The Bretton Woods Conference, formally known as the United Nations Monetary and Financial Conference.
The International Monetary Fund (IMF) is an organization of 189 countries.
It works to foster global monetary cooperation, secure financial stability, facilitate international trade, promote high employment and sustainable economic growth, and reduce poverty around the world.
The headquarters of IMF is located in Washington DC, US.

Note:

Last year in October 2018, Indian-origin economist Gita Gopinath was appointed as the chief economist of International Monetary Fund (IMF).

India has been ranked at 44th positions in the World Digital competitiveness rankings 2019.
As compared to the previous year's ranking, India improved its ranking from 48th place in 2018 to 44th rank this year as the country has improved overall in all factors like - knowledge, technology and future-readiness.
The US was ranked as the world's most digitally competitive economy, followed by Singapore in the second place.
Sweden was ranked third on the list, followed by Denmark and Switzerland in the 4th and 5th place, respectively.
Others in the list of the top-10 most digitally competitive economy include the Netherlands in the 6th place, Finland (7th), Hong Kong SAR (8th), Norway (9th) and Republic of Korea (10th).
The World Digital competitiveness ranking is published by the IMD World Competitiveness Center.
It measures the capacity and readiness of 63 nations to adopt and explore digital technologies as a key driver for economic transformation in business, government and wider society.

According to the senior defence ministry official on 27th September Army Chief Gen. Bipin Rawat is expected to receive the baton of Chairman of Chiefs of Staff Committee from outgoing IAF Chief Air Chief Marshal B S Dhanoa who retires by end of the month.
The Chiefs of Staff Committee (COSC) comprises chiefs of the Army, the Navy and the Air Force and the senior-most member is appointed its chairperson.
The Army Chief is scheduled to retire on December 31. Gen. Rawat had assumed charge as Chief of Army Staff on December 31, 2016.
The Chairman of COSC is tasked with ensuring synergy among the three services and evolve a common strategy to deal with external security challenges facing the country.
Air Chief Marshal Dhanoa had taken charge of Chairman of COSC from then Navy Chief Admiral Sunil Lanba on May 29.

According to a report by Internet and Mobile Association of India (IAMAI), India has the second-highest number of internet users after China.
As per the report, India has 451 million monthly active internet users at the end of the financial year 2019.
The report said that of the 451 million monthly active users, 385 million are over 12 years of age and 66 million are in the age bracket of 5 to 11 years, who access the Internet on the devices of family members.

Former President Jacques Chirac who dominated French politics for decades in roles ranging from mayor of Paris to the second-longest serving leader of the nation passed away on 26th September. He was 86.
Chirac became the President of France twice. He was the President of France from 1995 to 2007.
He was also the Prime Minister of France.
He had reduced the president's term in France from seven years to five years.
He was also the Mayor of Paris for 18 years.

Sweden's climate activist Greta Thunberg has been awarded the 'Right Livelihood Award'.
The Right Livelihood Award is also known as Sweden’s alternative Nobel Prize.
On 23rd September the UN Climate Change Summit, 2019 Greta Thunberg shook world leaders with her speech at the United Nations, accusing world leaders of failing to take action on climate change.
The Right Livelihood Foundation said that the award has been given to Greta to attract the world's attention to climate change in this direction and inspire people to demand immediate steps.
The Foundation said that along with Greta, the Right Livelihood Award has also been given to three other people this year.
Thunberg shares the award with Brazilian indigenous leader Davi Kopenawa of the Yanomami people, Chinese women’s rights lawyer Guo Jianmei and Western Sahara human rights defender Aminatou Haidar.

Note:

The Right Livelihood Award was instituted in 1980 by the German-Swedish philanthropist Jakob von Uexkull, and is presented annually in early December.

Every year on 26th September World Maritime Day is observed around the world.
The World Maritime Day theme for the year is "Empowering Women in the Maritime Community".
The day is observed to raise awareness of the importance of gender equality, in line with the United Nations' Sustainable Development Goals, and to highlight the important - yet under-utilized - contribution of women within the maritime sector.

Former athlete and Olympian PT Usha, known as 'Payyoli Express', has been awarded the prestigious International Athletics Federation (IAAF) Veteran Pin Award.
IAAF chief Sebastian Coe presented her the Veteran Pin during the 52nd IAAF Congress at Doha.

Note:

She won five gold medals -- 100m, 200m, 400m, 400m hurdles and the 4x400m relay besides a bronze at the 1985 Asian Games in Jakarta.
PT Usha reached the final of the 400 m hurdles at the Los Angeles Olympics in 1984 but missed the bronze medal by a hundredth of a second.
She received the Arjuna Award in 1983. Two years later in 1985, she was also awarded the Padma Shri. She also runs her own academy for new players.

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