
- In Sweden, Prime Minister Stefan Lofven has been elected for a second term on 18th January 2019 after an agreement was struck between the Social Democrats, Greens, Liberals, and Centre Party, and after the Left Party agreed to abstain from voting against Lofven. He is expected to formally present his new government and its full programme on 21st January 2019. It will be one of the weakest administrations in Sweden in 70 years, with just 32.7% of voters having cast ballots for the two parties. Sweden's inconclusive legislative elections in September 2018 had not left either main parliamentary bloc with a majority.
- The 7th ASEAN-India Tourism Ministers was held in Ha Long City, Viet Nam on 18th January 2019. Here, Union Tourism Minister of India, K J Alphons co-chaired the Tourism Ministers' meeting with the Vietnamese minister, Mr. Nguyen Ngoc Thien. As a follow up to the Summit, the Ministers launched the ASEAN-India Tourism Cooperation Year 2019, and looked forward to enhancing cooperation with a view to increasing two-way tourist visits and promoting greater people-to-people exchanges between ASEAN and India. The Ministers' meeting agreed to further enhance ASEAN-India cooperation in tourism under the framework of the '2012 Memorandum of Understanding between ASEAN and India on strengthening tourism cooperation with intensified efforts and activities. The Tourism Ministers of Brunei Darussalam, Cambodia, Indonesia, Lao PDR, Malaysia, Myanmar, Philippines, Singapore and Thailand also attended the meeting.
- The United Nations Educational, Scientific, and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) has named the Brazilian city of Rio de Janeiro as the World Capital of Architecture for 2020. Rio will be the first city to receive the title under a programme launched together by UNESCO and the International Union of Architects (UIA) in November 2018. The city beat Paris and Melbourne to get the position. As the first World Capital of Architecture, Rio de Janeiro will hold a series of events under the theme "All the worlds. Just one world," and promote the internationally agreed 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development's 11th Goal: "Make cities and human settlements inclusive, safe, resilient and sustainable".
- The Arab Economic and Social Development Summit held in Lebanon's capital Beirut. The leaders of many Arab countries took part in the summit aimed to make a joint statement on a 29-item agenda that ranges from discussions on an Arab free trade zone and the economic effect of Syrian refugees on host countries. The economic meeting is a prelude to the actual Arab League summit taking place in Tunisia in March.
- The Embassy of Mongolia and International Chamber of Media and Entertainment Industry (ICMEI), India have further strengthened the relationship between India and Mongolia by signing a MoU in the field of art and culture. The MoU was signed in the presence of H.E. Gonchig Ganbold Ambassador of Mongolia to India and Dr. Sandeep Marwah, President ICMEI. The MoU will enable the two countries to work together on different segments including print, radio, television, cinema, animation, Performing and Fine Arts, tourism, hospitality, education, environment, solar energy, skill development, PR events and advertising, Fashion and Design and Journalism. During the event, the deserving students from Mongolia were handed over the first scholarship of short-term course of Asian Academy of Film and Television which also includes boarding and lodging for three months. Besides, decisions regarding the visit of media team to Mongolia, festival of Films from Mongolia, joint venture in feature film and short film with Mongolian film makers, promotion of Mongolia as a film location, Tourism in Mongolia, etc. were also taken at a joint meeting.
- An Indian-American philanthropist and entrepreneur, Gurinder Singh Khalsa(45), has been presented with the prestigious Rosa Park Trailblazer award for his campaign that forced US authorities change their policy towards headgear of the Sikh community.
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