INTERNATIONAL JANUARY 2010

INTERNATIONAL JANUARY 2010

• The Chinese government's official growth figures released shows 8.7 growth in 2009. China is now on course to overtake Japan as the world's second largest economy, while Japan's official GDP figures are yet to be released.
• India is ranked 123rd in the 2010 Environmental Performance Index (EPI) in pollution control and natural resources management. Iceland was ranked 1st in EPI.
• Sri Lankan president Mahinda Rajapaksa defeated the opposition consensus candidate and former Army Chief, retired General Sarath Fonseka in the presidential election. This is the second term for the Srilankan president Rajapaksa.
• The world's largest aluminium producer, UC Rusal became the first Russian firm to list in Hongkong and Paris stock exchanges.
• The International Monetary Fundprojected the India's economic growth rate to be 7.7 percent for 2010.
• The group of four major emerging economics Brasil, South Africa, India and China (BASIC)expressed their intention to communicate information on their voluntary mitigation actions to the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC). This decision was taken at the second ministerial level meeting of the BASIC group of countries in New Delhi.
• China and Japan have been added to the 39 non-traditional export markets identified by the Union Government as part of series of new incentives to encourage Indian exporters to explore non - traditional business avenues.
• Billionaire Sebastian Pinera was elected Chile's president with the victory over ex-president Eduardo Frei.
• India is the 88th best place to live, according to the 2010 quality ofLife Index published by travel magazine International living. 
• A 7.0 magnitude powerful earthquake rocked Haiti, killing possibly over one lakh people. 
• China, the world's largest producer of gold is set to overtake India as the metal's biggest consumer for the first time in history. China’s consumption of gold is estimated as 450 tonnes in 2009 where as India's consumption forecast is 380 tonnes.