INDIA & WORLD
India and China Jointly Launched Visit India Year In China
India and China on 2 February jointly launched the Visit India Year in China in Beijing. The initiative is aimed at enhancing the flow of tourists from China to India and to strengthen the people to people bond. China will support the promotion of Indian tourist resources in its country.
India Ranked 29th On Intellectual Property Index
India has been placed at 29th rank among the 30 countries in the international intellectual property (IP) index released by U.S. Chamber of Commerce’s Global Intellectual Property Center (GIPC) on 4 February. US has been placed at the top in the list and Thailand at last position.
India Ranked 136 In World Press Freedom Index (WPFI) 2015
India was ranked 136 out of 180 nations worldwide in terms of press freedom in 2015, which marks an improvement from its rank of 140 in 2014, even though its absolute score declined from 40.34 to 40.49. In the top of the list were three Scandinavian countries: Finland on the 1st position followed by Norway and Denmark.
India and Sri Lanka Signed 4 Agreements Including Civil Nuclear Cooperation
Sri Lanka’s newly-elected President Maithripala Sirisena on 16 February held talks with Prime Minister Narendra Modi in New Delhi.After the talks, India and Sri Lanka signed bilateral agreements on civil nuclear cooperation, cultural cooperation and cooperation in the field of Agriculture. Besides, an agreement was also signed for Sri Lanka’s participation in the Nalanda University Project.India and Sri Lanka also agreed to expand defence and strategic cooperation, including a trilateral format with the Maldives.
US To Provide Work Permits For H-1B Spouses Visa Holders
The United States on 24 February announced that it would allow work permits to spouses of H-1B visa holders from 26 May 2015. Under existing US laws, spouses of H-1B visa holders are not eligible to work. This announcement is expected to benefit thousands of talented and professional spouses who have settled in US but are unable to work.