General Awareness

INTERNATIONAL AFFAIRS - June 2015

Jun 2015

Apr 19, 2022

India, Finland Announce Decision to Establish Indo-Finnish Virtual Network Centre on Quantum Comp...

India and Finland announced the decision to establish an Indo-Finnish Virtual Network Centre on Quantum Computing. Science and Technology Minister Jitendra Singh and visiting Finland Minister of Economic Affairs Mika Lintila announced this. An MoU for this was also signed.
Both India and Finland are consultative members of the Antarctic Treaty and have active stations in Antarctica. Finland would be hosting Antarctic Treaty Consultative Meeting in 2023 and India in 2024.

Mauritius PM Pravind Jugnauth Arrives in Mumbai on 8-day Visit to India

The Mauritius Premier arrived in India on the invitation of Prime Minister Narendra Modi. During his visit, Jugnauth will participate in the Ground-Breaking Ceremony of the WHO-Global Centre for Traditional Medicine in Jamnagar as well as in the Global Ayush Investment and Innovation Summit in Gandhinagar, along with PM Modi. The Mauritius PM will also pay a visit to Varanasi apart from his official engagements in Gujarat and New Delhi.
India and Mauritius enjoy uniquely close ties, bound by shared history, culture, and heritage. The visit will further strengthen the vibrant bilateral ties.

India Gets Elected to Four UN ECOSOC Bodies

The Economic and Social Council (ECOSOC) is one of the six principal organs of the UN System established by the UN Charter in 1945. It consists of 54 members of the United Nations elected by the General Assembly. India was elected to the United Nations Economic and Social Council's (ECOSOC) four major bodies, including the Commission on Science and Technology for Development.
The 4 bodies to which India was elected are as follows:
The Committee on Economic, Social, and Cultural Rights
The Commission for Social Development
The Committee on Non-Governmental Organisations
The Commission on Science and Technology for Development

FM meets IMF Chief; Discusses Impact of Geopolitics on Global Growth

Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman met IMF managing director Kristalina Georgieva and discussed a range of issues, including impact of geopolitical situation on global growth. With regard to Indian policy on economic revival, Sitharaman highlighted the government's commitment to support economic growth through capital expenditure (capex) and underlined that the country's accommodative fiscal stance accompanied by major structural reforms and strong monetary policies have helped in its post-pandemic recovery.
India is expected to record the highest growth rate among large economies of the world. As per the Economic Survey, the country may log 8-8.5 per cent GDP growth in the current fiscal.

Russian Warship: Moskva Sinks in Black Sea

Moskva, the flagship of Russia's Black Sea Fleet, was being towed to port when "stormy seas" caused it to sink. The 510-crew missile cruiser was a symbol of Russia's military power, leading its naval assault on Ukraine. The 12,490-tonne vessel is the biggest Russian warship to be sunk in action since World War Two. Ukrainian military officials said they struck the Moskva with Ukrainian-made Neptune missiles - a weapon designed after Russia's annexation of Crimea in 2014, and the naval threat to Ukraine in the Black Sea grew.
This is a significant and humiliating loss for Vladimir Putin, who has repeatedly insisted that his "special military operation" in Ukraine is going according to plan.

Apr 18, 2022

Japan's Population Logs Record Fall Of 644,000 In 2021

Japan's population logged the steepest fall on record, dropping by 644,000 to just over 125.5 million in 2021, according to Japan government statistics.
It declined for the 11th consecutive year and the drop was the biggest since comparable data became available in 1950, said the ministry.
The number of Japanese nationals stood at 12 crore 27 lakhs 80,000, a drop of six lakh 18,000 compared to a year earlier. The country logged 8 lakh 31,000 births in 2021, outpaced by over 14 lakh deaths during the same period.
The working population, or people aged from 15 to 64, decreased by 5 lakh 84,000 hitting a record low.

Famed Pak Philanthropist Bilquis Edhi Dies At 74

Bilquis Bano Edhi, the wife of Pakistan's renowned and revered humanitarian and philanthropist late Abdul Sattar Edhi, passed away at a private hospital. Bilqis was one of the most active philanthropists in the country and co-chaired Edhi Foundation with her son Faisal after her husband's passing in 2016.
She was born in Bantwa, India and migrated to Pakistan after the Partition. Together with her husband their charity has saved thousands of unwanted babies.

India To Export Wheat To Egypt Following Disruption Of Supply From Russia And Ukraine

India will export wheat to Egypt. Egypt is one of the world's biggest importers of wheat. Egypt imported 6.1 million tonnes of wheat in 2021 and India was not part of the list of accredited countries which could export wheat to Egypt.
More than 80 per cent of Egypt's wheat imports estimated to be close to two billion US dollars in 2021 were from Russia and Ukraine.

Apr 17, 2022

Nepal Finance Minister Invites Non-residents to Open Dollar Accounts

The Nepal government has urged Nepalese residing in foreign countries to open dollar accounts in banks in the country and make investments amidst the economic crisis in the Himalayan nation. Nepal's foreign reserves have been hit by a slump in tourism during the pandemic, a problem that has also hit Sri Lanka which is going through a crippling economic crisis since gaining independence from the UK in 1948.
There will be no shortage of liquidity if 100,000 NRNs open bank accounts in Nepal at the rate of 10,000 dollars. As the price of petrol has increased, millions of dollars have to be spent on that. He also informed that the government has completed the proper policy process for the dollar account for the benefit of Nepalese living abroad.

Landslides and Flooding across the Central and Southern Philippines after Tropical Storm Megi

In the Philippines, the authorities said yesterday that at least 25 people died in landslides and floods caused by tropical storm Megi as it hit the eastern and southern coasts of the Southeast Asian country. Rescue crews are battling to retrieve people stranded on the eastern and southern coasts.
More than 13,000 people fled to higher-ground shelters as the storm lashed the east coast. Heavy rain and winds knocked out the power supply, flooded homes and fields and caused mudslides in villages.
Storm Megi, known locally as Agaton, hit the archipelago with winds of up to 65 kilometres per hour.

Apr 16, 2022

20th India-France Joint Staff Talks

With an aim to actively enhance the defence cooperation, India and France concluded its 20th edition of Joint Talks. The high-level talks were held in Paris, France. The two-day talks focused on new initiatives that fall within the umbrella of the existing bilateral defence cooperation and strengthening of ongoing defence engagements between both the countries.
With an aim to improve defence cooperation between the two countries both at strategic and operational level, the India-France Joint Staff forum was launched. The 20th edition of India-France Joint talks came amidst, both nations have inked a roadmap to enhance their bilateral exchanges on the blue economy and forge a common vision of ocean governance based on the rule of law and cooperate on sustainable and resilient coastal and waterways infrastructure.

Cabinet Approves Signing of MoC between India and Japan in Decentralized Domestic Waste Water Man...

The Union Cabinet gave its ex-post facto approval for a Memorandum of Cooperation (MoC) signed between the Department of Water Resources, River Development and Ganga Rejuvenation of Ministry of Jal Shakti and the Ministry of the Environment of Japan in the areas of Decentralized Domestic Waste Water Management. A Management Council (MC) will be formed which will be responsible for the implementation of this MoC by formulating detailed activities of collaboration and the monitoring of its progress. The collaboration with Japan through the MoC shall prove to very fruitful in areas such as Decentralized Domestic Wastewater Management and Effective reuse of treated wastewater using Johkasou technology.

Apr 15, 2022

Jaishankar Meets U.N. Chief Guterres, Discusses Key Issues Including Ukraine Situation

External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar held a "wide-ranging discussion" with UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres and exchanged views on the global impact of the Ukraine conflict as well as the situation in Afghanistan and Myanmar.
Jaishankar and Defence Minister Rajnath Singh were in Washington for the 2+2 Ministerial Dialogue with their US counterparts Secretary of State Antony Blinken and Secretary of Defence Lloyd J Austin III.

WTO Reduced the 2022 Global Trade Growth Forecast to 3%

The World Trade Organization (WTO) lowered its 2022 global trade forecast to 3 per cent, from 4.7 per cent, due to the ongoing conflict between Russia and Ukraine and a potentially more transmissible Omicron subtype fettering China. The forecast for 2023 is 3.4 per cent.
Geopolitical tensions have resulted in commodity prices rising sharply. Since Russia and Ukraine are key providers of food, energy, and fertilisers, their supply has become arduous. Shipments from Black Sea ports are on freeze, affecting poor countries. In addition, lockdowns in China may trigger renewed shortage of manufacturing inputs and higher inflation, causing fresh disruption in trade.

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