General Awareness

INTERNATIONAL AFFAIRS - December 2014

Dec 2014

Jul 20, 2021

US, allies accuse China of Microsoft Exchange hack

The United States and its Nato, EU and Five Eyes allies on Monday jointly accused the Chinese government of using "criminal contract hackers" to carry out the hacking of Microsoft Exchange's mail servers earlier this year that impacted tens of thousands of entities around the world.
The White House has called the move "unprecedented". This is the first instance of the Nato, a military alliance of 30 nations, condemning China for cyberattacks.
The collection of countries in this effort is the largest to jointly denounce aggressive cyber operations by China. The EU has 27 members, and the Five Eyes is an intelligence sharing pact of the US, the UK, Canada, Australia and New Zealand.

UK Celebrates 'Freedom Day' But Covid Cases Peak

Day-to-day pandemic restrictions were lifted in England as the country's "freedom day" met with deep concern from scientists as coronavirus cases surge across the nation.
In other parts of the U.K. — Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland — devolved governments are taking more cautious steps and will not reopen fully.

China, Iran Diplomats Among People in Pegasus list: Report

A number once used by Pakistan Prime Minister Imran Khan and those of dozens of diplomats in India from countries such as China and Iran are among potential targets selected by users of the Pegasus spyware programme.
Paris-based Forbidden Stories and Amnesty International have gained access to a leaked list of more than 50,000 records of phone numbers that clients of the Israeli company NSO Group, the developer of Pegasus, selected for surveillance.
More than 1,000 phone numbers in India were part of the list, according to 17 media outlets that examined the list.
The records included at least one number once used by Prime Minister Khan and that had been selected by a NSO client for surveillance.

Jul 19, 2021

Syrian President Assad takes Oath for 4th Term after Controversial Re-election

Syrian President Bashar Assad was sworn in for a fourth seven-year term in the war-torn country.
The May elections were described by the West and Assad's opposition as illegitimate and a sham.
The swearing-in ceremony was held at the presidential palace and attended by clergymen, members of parliament, political figures and army officers.
In power since 2000, Assad's re-election in a landslide was never in doubt. His new term starts with the country still devastated by 10 years of war and sliding deeper into a worsening economic crisis.

Afghanistan Recalls its Ambassador in Islamabad

Afghanistan has recalled its Ambassador in Islamabad.
In a statement, the Afghan Foreign Ministry said that following the abduction of the Afghan Ambassador's daughter in Pakistan, the Leadership of the Islamic Republic of Afghanistan called back Afghanistan's Ambassador and senior diplomats from Pakistan until all security threats are addressed including the arrest and trial of the perpetrators of abduction.
The Ministry of Foreign Affairs explicitly called on the Pakistani government to take immediate action to identify and punish the perpetrators of this crime and ensure the full security and immunity of Afghan diplomats and their families in accordance with international conventions.
The statement said that Ms. Silsila Alikhil was abducted for several hours in Islamabad.

UN Appeals to Assist Afghanistan's War Crisis with $850 Million

The UN humanitarian chief in Afghanistan appealed for USD 850 million to help the war-torn country cope with the impact of the Taliban offensive, protracted malnutrition for a third of the country, a severe drought, and the return of 627,000 Afghans this year, most of them deported from neighbouring Iran.
Ramiz Alakbarov told reporters at UN headquarters after a virtual briefing from the capital of Kabul that at least 18 million Afghans are in need of assistance and the UN plan is to provide help for at least 15.7 million of them.
But he said the UN's USD 1.3 billion appeal is only 37 per cent funded -- USD 450 million — with the United States the largest donor. He said the remaining the USD 850 million being sought is desperately needed.

U.S., Afghanistan, Pakistan, Uzbekistan to Form Quad Group

The US, Afghanistan, Pakistan and Uzbekistan have agreed in principle to establish a new quadrilateral diplomatic platform focused on enhancing regional connectivity, the Biden administration has said.
"The parties consider long-term peace and stability in Afghanistan critical to regional connectivity and agree that peace and regional connectivity are mutually reinforcing," the State Department said.
Recognising the historic opportunity to open flourishing interregional trade routes, the parties intend to cooperate to expand trade, build transit links, and strengthen business-to-business ties, it said.

Jul 18, 2021

18-year-old to join Amazon CEO Jeff Bezos on Blue Origin's 1st human spaceflight

An 18-year-old will be the first paying customer of Blue Origin to fly to space on its reusable rocket on July 20, Amazon CEO Jeff Bezos's space company announced.
Blue Origin had auctioned a spaceship berth for a whopping $28 million but the winner, presumably an ultra-wealthy space aficionado, has chosen to fly on a future New Shepard flight "due to scheduling conflicts."
With a vacant berth on New Shepard's first human flight, Blue Origin has picked OlivDaemen, who is about to become the youngest person in space, to fly along with Jeff Bezos, Mark Bezos, and Wally Funk, an aviation pioneer who will become the oldest person ever to do so at age 82.
Daeman's presence on the flight will also mark the beginning of commercial operations for the program. The company didn't disclose the amount paid by the teenager for the spaceflight.

Monitoring Chinese Ship Sailing Towards Queensland to Spy: Australia

Australian authorities said they are constantly monitoring a Chinese spy ship that is set to arrive in the region in an apparent attempt to observe a joint military exercise with the United States off the coast of Queensland.
The auxiliary general intelligence Chinese ship is expected to monitor the Talisman Sabre 2021 exercises that officially began.
The exercises are designed to strengthen the alliance of the two countries and boost combat readiness. The drills include amphibious landings, ground force manoeuvres, urban operations, air combat and maritime operations.

Jul 17, 2021

EU sets Uyghur and Hong Kong Conditions for Investment Agreement

The members of the European Parliament have underlined the conditions to be met before the legislature gives its consent to the EU-China Comprehensive Agreement on Investment (CAI).
The conditions have been listed in a draft report prepared by foreign affairs committee of the European Parliament, which calls for using the CAI as a leverage instrument to improve the protection of human rights and support for civil society in China.
The pre-ratification commitments listed in the report include a timetable for China's ratification and implementation of key labour laws and concrete measures towards putting an end to human rights violations against the Uyghur minority in the country. It also demands a recommitment by China to uphold its international commitments to Hong Kong.

Bhupender Yadav chairs 7th BRICS Labour & Employment Ministers' Meeting

Union Minister for Labour & Employment Shri Bhupender Yadav chaired the BRICS Labour & Employment Ministers' Meeting under India's Presidency.
Ministers of the member countries, viz. Brazil, Russia, India, China and South Africa participated in the meeting.
India organized the BRICS Labour & Employment Ministers' Meeting to exchange views on the impact of Covid-19 on global labour market, enhance information sharing, discuss and agree upon specific areas of cooperation between BRICS Member countries.
Discussion on four priority areas of cooperation took place namely, Promoting Social Security Agreements amongst BRICS Nations; Formalisation of Labour Markets; Participation of Women in the Labour Force; and Gig and Platform Workers: Role in the Labour Market.

Jul 16, 2021

Cabinet Approves MoU Between India and Denmark for Cooperation in Health and Medicine

The Union Cabinet has approved a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) between the ministries of health of India and the Kingdom of Denmark for cooperation in the field of health and medicine, an official statement said.
The bilateral MoU will encourage cooperation between the Ministry of Health of India and the Ministry of Health of the Kingdom of Denmark through joint initiatives and technology development in the health sector. It will strengthen bilateral ties between India and Denmark, it said.

Pakistan Parliament Passes Bill Criminalising Torture, Custodial Deaths

Pakistan's parliament passed a bill criminalising torture and preventing custodial killings by police or other government officials.
The Torture and Custodial Death (Prevention and Punishment) Bill, 2021 was adopted by the Senate, the upper house of bicameral parliament. It was moved by Pakistan Peoples Party Senator Sherry Rehman and Minister for Human Rights Shireen Mazari supported it.
It states that any public servant involved in torture would face up to 10 years imprisonment and a fine of up to Rs. 2 million. If a public servant, whose duty it is to prevent torture, either intentionally or negligently fails to prevent it, he/she will face up to five years imprisonment and a fine of up to Rs. 1 million, it adds.

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