General Awareness

INTERNATIONAL AFFAIRS - June 2015

Jun 2015

Mar 31, 2022

BIMSTEC's Virtual Summit Hosted by Sri Lanka

The 5th BIMSTEC (Bay of Bengal Initiative for Multi-Sectoral Technical and Economic Cooperation) Summit was hosted in virtual mode by Sri Lanka, the current chair of BIMSTEC. The Summit's theme "Towards a Resilient Region, Prosperous Economies, Healthy People" captures the main current priorities of member states, and the efforts by BIMSTEC to develop cooperation activities that support member state's programmes to deal with the economic and development consequences of the Covid-19 pandemic. The main outcome of the Summit was the adoption and signing of the BIMSTEC Charter, which formalizes the grouping into an organization made up of members states that are littoral to, and dependent upon, the Bay of Bengal.
Prime Minister Modi along with other leaders also witnessed the signing of three BIMSTEC agreements which represent progress being achieved in ongoing cooperation activities: (i) BIMSTEC Convention on Mutual Legal Assistance in Criminal Matters; (ii) BIMSTEC Memorandum of Understanding on Mutual Cooperation in the field of Diplomatic Training and (iii) Memorandum of Association on Establishment of BIMSTEC Technology Transfer Facility.

Piyush Goyal Inaugurates Indian Jewellery Exposition Centre Building in Dubai

The Union Minister of Commerce and Industry, Piyush Goyal inaugurated the Indian Jewellery Exposition Centre (IJEX) building in Dubai, UAE, during his visit to Dubai to participate in the India Pavilion at Dubai Expo 2020. During the launch of IJEX, the minister called upon the export members of the Gem and Jewellery Export Promotion Council (GJEPC) to go for a USD 100 billion export target annually from the current USD 35 billion.
IJEX was a one-stop destination for the world to source Indian jewellery in Dubai and the platform enabled GJEPC members to display goods and book orders throughout the year. From India, 15 states and nine central ministries participated in Dubai Expo, which ended on March 31, 2022.

US Provides Grant of USD 152 Million for Rohingya Refugees in Bangladesh

The US announced an assistance of USD 152 million which is nearly Taka 1322 crore in new humanitarian assistance for close to one million Rohingya refugees and Bangladesh host communities. This brings the total US assistance to the Rohingya refugee-related work for Bangladesh to US 1.7 billion since 2017.The announcement came after the visit of the US Ambassador to Bangladesh Peter Haas to Cox's Bazar where the majority of the Rohingya refugees are housed.
The US assistance is utilized for providing healthcare, training to fight fires in the camps, protecting the environment, strengthening climate disaster resilience, and providing secure food distribution for the Rohingya refugees. In Fiscal Year 2021 alone, the U.S. government spent nearly USD 302 million for the Rohingya crisis humanitarian assistance programs in Bangladesh.

Democratic Republic of Congo Set to join East African Community

The Democratic Republic of Congo joined the East African Community (EAC) as its seventh member, massively expanding the territory of the trade bloc, giving it access to the Atlantic Ocean and greatly increasing the numbers of French speakers in what began as a club of former British colonies. DR Congo applied for membership in 2019, hoping to improve trade and political ties with its East African neighbours.
The country shares borders with all EAC members except Kenya, and hopes to attract more investors from the region. Joining the bloc gives DR Congo better access to facilities such as the Indian Ocean ports of Dar es Salaam and Mombasa. Import taxes for goods accepted as being made in DR Congo will be removed or greatly reduced when entering the other countries, while transporting goods will become much cheaper.

Mar 30, 2022

Robert Abela Sworn in as Malta's Prime Minister

Malta's Prime Minister Robert Abela was sworn in after his Labour Party won the March 26 general election. He was administered the oath of office during a ceremony at the Palace in Valletta presided by President George Vella.
The Labour Party won the general election with 55.1 per cent of the vote, against the Nationalist Party's (PN) 41.7 per cent. This is the Labour Party's third consecutive general election win since 2013.

ILO Elects Former Prime Minister Gilbert F. Houngbo of Togo as New Director-General

The ILO Governing Body elected Gilbert F. Houngbo as the Organization's 11th Director-General, who will take office in October 2022. Houngbo is currently President of the International Fund for Agricultural Development (IFAD). He was elected by the ILO's Governing Body, comprising representatives of governments, workers and employers, during their meeting in Geneva. He will be the 11th Director-General of the ILO, and the first African to hold the post.
The current Director-General, Guy Ryder, from the United Kingdom, has held the office since 2012. The ILO is the oldest specialized agency of the UN. It was founded in 1919 and has a mandate to promote decent work for all. It has 187 Member States.

Mar 29, 2022

Prime Minister Narendra Modi to Attend 5th BIMSTEC Summit Virtually on March 30

The seven-country grouping's fifth summit meeting will be hosted by Sri Lanka, its current chair. The Covid-pandemic-related challenges and the uncertainties within the international system that all Bimstec members are facing impart greater urgency to the goal of taking Bimstec technical and economic cooperation to the next level. This is expected to be the main subject of deliberations by leaders at the summit.
The Bay of Bengal Initiative for Multi-Sectoral Technical and Economic Cooperation (BIMSTEC) is a regional organisation. Established in 1997, it comprises seven member states- India, Bangladesh, Bhutan, Nepal, Sri Lanka, Myanmar and Thailand lying in the littoral and adjacent areas of the Bay of Bengal.

Nepalese PM Sher Bahadur Deuba to Visit India from April 1-3

Nepalese Prime Minister Sher Bahadur Deuba will pay a three-day visit to India from April 1 with an aim to further strengthen bilateral ties. This will be Deuba's first bilateral visit abroad after becoming Prime Minister in July 2021. Deuba will hold talks with Prime Minister Narendra Modi on April 2. Besides official engagements in Delhi, the Nepalese Prime Minister is also scheduled to visit Varanasi.
He visited India in each of his four earlier stints as the Prime Minister of Nepal. His last visit to India in his capacity as the Prime Minister was in 2017.

PML-N President Shehbaz Sharif Tables No-trust Motion against PM Imran Khan in Pakistan Parliament

A no-confidence motion against Pakistan Prime Minister Imran Khan was tabled in the National Assembly by Leader of the Opposition and PML-N President Shehbaz Sharif, setting in motion the process in the lower house to remove the embattled cricketer-turned-politician from office.
Khan came to power in 2018 with promises to create a 'Naya Pakistan' but miserably failed to address the basic problem of keeping the prices of commodities in control, giving air to the sails of opposition ships to make war on his government.
Prime Minister Khan needs 172 votes in the house of 342 to foil the bid. Since Khan's allies with 23 members are still not committed to support him and about two dozen lawmakers from within the ruling Pakistan Tehreek-i-Insaf have revolted, the situation was still fluid.

Mar 28, 2022

First Wildlife Bond Issued by World Bank to Save Africa's Black Rhino

The World Bank (International Bank for Reconstruction and Development, IBRD) issued the Wildlife Conservation Bond (WCB)to support of South Africa's efforts to conserve endangered species of Black Rhino. Wildlife Conservation Bond (WCB) is also known as "Rhino Bond". It is a five-year $150 million Sustainable Development Bond. It includes a potential performance payment from the Global Environment Facility (GEF).
The bond will contribute to protecting and increasing black rhino populations in two protected areas in South Africa namely the Addo Elephant National Park (AENP) and the Great Fish River Nature Reserve (GFRNR).

Union Minister Shri Anurag Thakur Launches TEJAS Skilling Project at Dubai Expo

In March 2022, on Day 2 of his visit to Dubai, Union Minister Shri Anurag Thakur today launched TEJAS (Training for Emirates Jobs And Skills), a Skill India International Project to train overseas Indias. The project is aimed at skilling, certification and overseas employment of Indians. Tejas is aimed at creating pathways to enable Indian workforce to get equipped for skill and market requirements in UAE.The Minister said that our focus is skill this population and provide the world with a large skilled workforce from India.Shri Thakur reiterated Prime Minister Narendra Modi's vision of a strong partnership between India and UAE. Tejas aims at creating a 10,000 strong Indian workforce in UAE during the initial phase.
Upon his arrival at the Dubai Expo, the Minister was greeted by a crowd of enthusiastic Indian expatriates outside the majestic Indian Pavilion.

Mar 27, 2022

NATO Extends Jens Stoltenberg's Term for a Year Due to Russia's War

NATO Secretary-General Jens Stoltenberg will remain in his role for an extra year to help steer the 30-nation military organization through the security crisis sparked by Russia's war on Ukraine.
The former Norwegian Prime Minister was named to NATO's top civilian post in October 2014. It's the second time that his term of office has been extended. His mandate was due to expire in September.

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