5 December 2013 Current Affairs
Sri Lanka To Set Up 8 Economic Zones Across Country
Sri Lanka’s Board of Investment has announced on 5 December plans to start eight export processing and industrial zones across the country.These economic zones will begin operations in 2014.As per the Investment Promotion Minister of Sri Lanka, Lakshman Yapa Abeywardana these zones will attract foreign investment and will provide economic development to the rural areas. The largest of the eight zones will be in Vavuniya in the North, which will revive the economic activities after the civil war.The three of the economic zones will be at Hambantota in the south. The Government of Sri Lanka has invested heavily to develop the region as a commercial and industrial hub.
India To Host Under-17 FIFA World Cup In 2017
India was chosen as the host country for Under-17 FIFA World Cup in 2017 by the FIFA executive committee in its meeting at Salvador de Bahia in Brazil on 5 December 2013.By virtue of being the host country, India will take part in the 24-nation tournament for the first time in its history. This will be the biggest ever football tournament in the country as this is the first FIFA event in the country’s history.The tournament comprises 24 teams and it will be held in six cities across India Including New Delhi. The Union cabinet has sanctioned the 125 crore rupees for infrastructure development.
Former South African President Nelson Mandela Died
Former South African President Nelson Mandela, who served 27 years in prison for anti-apartheid activities and led his continent into a new era, has died on 5 November in his house at Johannesburg. He was of 95 years old. Mandela was born on 18 July 1918 in the village of Mvezo in Umtatu, then a part of South Africa’s Cape Province.Given the forename Rolihlahla, a Xhosa term colloquially meaning “troublemaker”, in later years he became known by his clan name, Madiba. He was the first black South African to hold the office of President from 1994 to 1999, and the first elected in a fully representative multiracial election.He joined the African National Congress in 1943. In 1964, he was charged with sabotage, sentenced to life.He was freed from the prison in 1990 .Mandela has received more than two hundred and fifty awards over four decades. In 1981, a panel of International Judges, Vienna, Austria, chose him for the Bruno Kreisky Award for merit in the field of human rights .He was the winner of the Nobel Peace Prize in 1993. He was the winner of the Nobel Peace Prize in 1993. He was the recipient of Bharat Ratna and Mahatma Gandhi peace award.The United Nations General Assembly proclaimed 18 July, Mandela’s birthday, as Mandela Day, for his contribution to the anti-apartheid struggle.