General Awareness

INTERNATIONAL AFFAIRS - October 2014

Oct 2014

Jan 31, 2021

Not Bound by Treaty on Prohibition of Nuclear Weapons: Pakistan

Pakistan said that it was not bound by the treaty on the prohibition of nuclear weapons as it failed to take into account the interests of all stakeholders.
The Treaty on the Prohibition of Nuclear Weapons entered into force on January 22, culminating a decades-long campaign aimed at preventing a repetition of the US atomic bombings of Hiroshima and Nagasaki at the end of World War II.
Though hailed as a historic step by several nations, the treaty was opposed by the world's nuclear-armed countries, including the US, China, Russia, the UK and India. Japan also did not support the pact.
The treaty, which was adopted in July 2017, was negotiated outside the established UN disarmament negotiating forums.
Accordingly, Pakistan does not consider itself bound by any of the obligations enshrined in this treaty. Pakistan stresses that this treaty neither forms a part of, nor contributes to the development of customary international law in any manner.

Nepal's Top Court Serves Contempt Notices to Beleaguered PM Oli

Nepal's Supreme Court has issued two contempt of court notices to caretaker Prime Minister K.P. Sharma Oli, demanding he explain why he mocked lawyers challenging his decision to dissolve parliament and call early polls.
The contempt of court suits are the latest challenges for the beleaguered leader after being expelled from his party earlier this week.
The Supreme Court has ordered Oli to present his written replies within seven days.

South Korea Rebukes Opposition over Report on Nuclear Plant in North Korea

South Korea's presidential office issued a rebuke to an opposition leader who accused it of "abetting the enemy" after a news report that Seoul had planned to build a nuclear plant in North Korea.
Local broadcaster SBS unveiled a prosecution indictment listing more than a dozen documents from the energy ministry that suggested a previously unknown project to set up a nuclear plant in North Korea.
The documents were among 530 files that prosecutors say the ministry had illegally deleted to conceal that it had distorted feasibility studies to shut down a reactor in South Korea, the report said.
Kim Chong-in, leader of the main opposition People Power Party, called the potential plan a "shocking and appalling act that abets the enemy".

India- Japan 5th Act East Forum Meet

The fifth joint meeting of the India-Japan Act East Forum was held between India and Japan. The meeting was co-chaired by Foreign Secretary Harsh Vardhan Shringla and the Ambassador of Japan to India, Suzuki Satoshi.
At the Act East Forum, India and Japan reviewed the progress of ongoing projects in the North Eastern Region of India.
These projects were launched in the areas ranging from the hydropower, connectivity, harnessing of water resource, sustainable development, and skill development.
Both the sides also appreciated the role played by the Act East Forum, ever since it was established in the year 2017, in streamlining India-Japan bilateral cooperation.
The act east forum was established in the year 2017. The agreement to establish the forum was signed in September 2017 during the visit of Prime Minister Abe to India. This platform works in line with the Japan's vision for a "Free and Open Indo-Pacific" and India-Japan collaboration in the North Eastern Region under India's "Act East Policy".

China Derecognises British National Overseas Passport

China said that it will no longer recognise the British National Overseas passport as a valid travel document or form of identification amid a bitter feud with London over a plan to allow millions of Hong Kong residents a route to residency and eventual citizenship.
The announcement by Foreign Ministry spokesperson Zhao Lijian throws up new uncertainty around the plan just hours after the U.K. said that it would begin taking applications for what are called BNO visas.
Under the plan, as many as 5.4 million Hong Kong residents could be eligible to live and work in the U.K. for five years then apply for citizenship. Demand soared after Beijing last year imposed a sweeping new national security law on the former British colony following months of pro-democracy protests.

US Focused on Dealing with Iran's Advancement Toward Nuclear Weapon

The Biden administration is prioritizing dealing with Iran's progress towards achieving a nuclear weapon, US National Security Adviser Jake Sullivan said.
"From our perspective, a critical early priority has to be to deal with what is an escalating nuclear crisis as they move closer and closer to having enough fissile material for a weapon," Sullivan said during a virtual panel discussion hosted by the US Institute of Peace.
The Biden administration would like to re-establish some constraints on Iran's nuclear program that have fallen apart over the past two years, Sullivan said.
President Joe Biden has vowed to renter the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA) after his predecessor Donald Trump withdrew the United States from the accord and pursued a "maximum pressure" campaign against Iran.

Jan 30, 2021

India and France to Sign Two Agreements During French Minister's 5-day Visit

India and France will sign two agreements on renewable energy and urban mobility during a five-day visit to India by a key member of President Emmanuel Macron's government to bolster bilateral cooperation on sustainable development.
Barbara Pompili, besides meeting her Indian counterpart Prakash Javadekar, power and renewable energy minister RK Singh and minister of state for urban affairs Hardeep Singh Puri, will travel to Assam and Gujarat to strengthen cooperation on specific projects.
Singh and Pompili will preside over the signing of a letter of intent between the Solar Energy Corporation of India (SECI) and the French Development Agency (AFD) for developing a floating solar plant of up to 150 MW.

Italy Opposition Right Calls for Elections to Solve Political Crisis

Italy's rightist opposition parties called for early elections as the way to solve the country's political crisis, following the resignation of Prime Minister Giuseppe Conte.
Conte, now acting as caretaker, was unseated when former premier Matteo Renzi withdrew his Italia Viva party from the coalition, depriving it of a parliamentary majority and throwing Italy into political limbo during the coronavirus crisis.

PM Modi Addresses WEF's Davos Dialogue Virtually

PM Modi addressed the Davos Dialogue of World Economic Forum virtually.
The session was attended by more than 400 top industry leaders from across the globe where PM Modi spoke about the Fourth Industrial Revolution- using technology for the good of humanity. The Prime Minister will also interact with the CEOs during the dialogue.
Prime Minister Modi during his address at the World Economic Forum talked about the message of positivity, confidence, and hope for the world on behalf of more than 1.3 billion Indian people.

Former Obama Aide Rob Malley Likely to be Named as US Envoy to Iran

A top national security aide to former President Barack Obama will be tapped as U.S. envoy for Iran.
Secretary of State Antony Blinken will name Rob Malley as the Biden administration's point person on Iran.
The official said Malley would head "a dedicated team" of "clear-eyed experts with a diversity of views." The official added that Malley has "a track record of success negotiating constraints on Iran's nuclear program" and that Blinken is confident he "will be able to do that once again."

Jan 29, 2021

Estonia's New Government Sworn in with First-ever Female PM

Estonia's new two-party coalition government was sworn in with the first female Prime Minister in the Baltic country since it regained independence in 1991.
The 15-member Cabinet of Prime Minister Kaja Kallas — a 43-year-old lawyer and a former European Parliament lawmaker — was approved in the 101-seat Riigikogu legislature, after President Kersti Kaljulaid had first appointed it.
The centre-right Reform Party, chaired by Ms. Kallas, and the left-leaning Centre Party, which are Estonia's two biggest political parties, clinched a deal to form a government replacing the previous Cabinet led by Centre leader Juri Ratas that collapsed this month due to a corruption scandal.

World Economic Forum Launches Global Artificial Intelligence Alliance

The World Economic Forum (WEF) launched the Global AI Action Alliance (GAIA), an initiative to accelerate the adoption of inclusive, transparent and trusted artificial intelligence.
The GAIA is a multi-stakeholder collaboration platform designed to accelerate the development and adoption of such tools globally and in industry sectors.
It brings together over 100 leading companies, governments, international organisations, non-profits and academics united in their commitment to maximising AI's societal benefits while minimising its risks.
A Steering Committee consisting of top global leaders from industry, government, academia and civil society will guide the alliance.
The committee is co-chaired by IBM Chairman and CEO Arvind Krishna, and Patrick J McGovern Foundation's President Vilas Dhar. The foundation is a global AI and data philanthropy.

India Slips Six Places to Rank 86 in Transparency International's Corruption Perception index 2020

India's rank has slipped six places to 86^th among 180 countries in a corruption perception index (CPI) in 2020.
For 2020, Transparency International (TI)'s corruption perception index was released.
The index, which ranks 180 countries and territories by their perceived levels of public sector corruption according to experts and business people, uses a scale of 0 to 100, where 0 is highly corrupt and 100 is very clean.
India's rank is 86 out of 180 nations with a score of 40.
India was ranked at 80th position out of 180 countries in 2019. The CPI score for India is constant this year as well as the previous year's score.
This year, New Zealand and Denmark were ranked at first position with scores of 88. Somalia and South Sudan were ranked lowest at 179th position with scores of 12.

Jan 28, 2021

Russia Okays Extension to Arms Control Pact with US

Russian lawmakers quickly approved the extension of the last remaining nuclear Russia-US arms control treaty, a fast-track action that comes just days before it's due to expire.
Both the Houses voted unanimously to extend the New START treaty for five years, a day after a phone call between US President Joe Biden and Russian President Vladimir Putin. The Kremlin said they agreed to complete the necessary extension procedures in the next few days.
Putin hailed the decision to extend the treaty as "a step in the right direction", but warned of rising global rivalries and threats of new conflicts. The pact's extension doesn't require congressional approval in the United States.

Tunisia's Parliament Approves Cabinet Reshuffle

Tunisia's parliament approved a Cabinet reshuffle that deepened the conflict between the Prime Minister and the President, as hundreds protested outside the heavily barricaded parliament over social inequality and police abuses.
Hundreds of protesters had marched from the Ettadhamen district of the capital, Tunis, where young people have clashed with police several nights this month, and were joined by hundreds more near the parliament.
Prime Minister Hichem Mechichi named 11 new ministers and said he hoped it would inject new blood into his government.
President Kais Saied indicated he would reject the Cabinet reshuffle, condemned the absence of women among the new ministers and said some likely new Cabinet members may have conflicts of interest.

Biden Signs Order to Ensure Racial Equity

US President Joe Biden has signed a series of executive orders to ensure racial equity across the country, acting on one of his core campaign promises to dismantle "systemic racism" that has plagued America far too long.
While announcing the four presidential actions at the White House, Biden cited the killing of George Floyd, a Black man, by a Minneapolis police officer last May, which touched off demonstrations across the country. "In my campaign for President, I made it very clear that the moment had arrived as a nation where we face deep racial inequities in America and systemic racism that has plagued our nation for far, far too long," Biden said.

Jan 27, 2021

Trump Likely to be Acquitted in Impeachment Trial

Former US President Donald Trump is likely to be acquitted in his impeachment trial as the Democrats failed to garner enough support required from Republican Senators.
The Democrats who have impeached Trump in the House charging him with "incitement of insurrection," needs two-thirds of the vote for the Senate impeachment. Currently, both the Democrats and the Republicans have 50 members each in the 100-seat Senate.
The Democrats need the support of at least 17 Republican Senators to reach the two-thirds majority mark.
Trump is the first US president who facing an impeachment trial after he left the presidency.

Joe Biden Signs Order to Reverse Trump's Transgender Military Ban

President Joe Biden signed an executive order that brought in a policy of including all qualified Americans to serve in the US military, effectively overturning a ban on transgender persons that was introduced by the former Trump administration.
The Defense Department said that it was ready to immediately implement Biden's Executive Order.
Transgender people were officially allowed to serve in the military by the Obama administration in 2016. However, in 2017 former President Donald Trump said transgender individuals would not be allowed to serve in any capacity in the US military. Trump explained he introduced the ban because the military could not be burdened with the tremendous medical costs of transgender persons undergoing sex-change operations.

Pakistan Urges FATF for Grey List Removal

Pakistan has asked the global watchdog on money laundering and terror financing, the Financial Action Task Force (FATF) to remove the country from the grey list, after it claimed to have seen the exposure of Indian propaganda by the European Union (EU) DisinfoLab.
Chairman Senate Standing Committee on Interior Senator Abdul Rehman Malik wrote a letter to the FATF President Marcs Pleyer, requesting him to remove Pakistan from its grey list, stating that Islamabad's position has been vindicated and the Indian propaganda was exposed by the EU Disinfolab.
Malik pleaded to the FATF President to either remove Pakistan from the grey list permanently or have the grace period extended in order to have all pointers of the 27-point action plan implemented.

K.P. Sharma Oli Expelled from Nepal Communist Party's General Membership

Nepal PM K.P. Sharma Oli has been expelled from the ruling Nepal Communist Party (NCP) over his decision to dissolve the Parliament.
Nepal's Caretaker PM K.P. Sharma Oli was removed from ruling Nepal Communist Party by a Central Committee Meeting of the splinter group of the party.
The decision comes amid repeated threats by the rival faction leaders who had said that they would revoke Oli's membership over his decision to dissolve the Nepal Parliament. The rival faction spokesperson Narayankaji Shrestha said that the party leaders are planning further action against Oli after his ouster from the party.
The splinter group of the party was led by former Prime Ministers Pushpa Kamal Dahal and Madhav Kumar.
Both the members had earlier asked PM Oli for explanation for his unconstitutional decisions. They sent letter to seek clarification. But the PM Oli failed to do so.

Joe Biden Signs "Buy American" Executive Order

President Joe Biden signed an executive order on Monday that will strengthen the rules surrounding government procurement in a bid to shore up domestic manufacturing and encourage the federal government to buy more products made in the United States.
Biden's "Buy American" plan will make it more difficult for federal agencies to contract with companies overseas to purchase foreign products by reducing loopholes and waivers in existing Buy American rules and changing the definition of an "American-made" good.

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