General Awareness

INTERNATIONAL AFFAIRS - August 2015

Aug 2015

Apr 24, 2022

Pakistan Passes Orders to Scrap China-Pak Economic Corridor Authority

Pakistan's new government initiated a process to abolish the China-Pakistan Economic Corridor Authority, with the planning minister saying it was a "redundant organisation" that wasted resources and thwarted speedy implementation of the ambitious regional connectivity programme.
Planning Minister Ahsan Iqbal passed orders to the concerned officials to begin the process of abolition of the authority following reports that Chinese power producers have shut down 1,980 megawatts of production capacity due to non-clearance of their Rs. 300 billion dues.
The China-Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC) Authority established through an ordinance in 2019 was aimed at accelerating the pace of CPEC-related activities, finding new drivers of growth, unlocking the potential of interlinked production networks and global value chains through regional and global connectivity.

Apr 23, 2022

José Ramos-Horta, 1996 Nobel Peace Prize Winner, Elected New President of Timor-Leste

The Nobel prize winner José Ramos-Horta scored a landslide victory in Timor-Leste's presidential election. The victory gives Ramos-Horta his second term in office. He served as president of south-east Asia's youngest country from 2007 to 2012.
The new president faces the daunting task of lifting the country out of poverty. Timor-Leste is still reeling from the economic impact of the Covid-19 pandemic, and the World Bank has said that 42% of the population lives below the poverty line.

Apr 22, 2022

NITI Aayog, UNICEF India Sign Statement of Intent on SDGs with Focus on Children

NITI Aayog and UNICEF India signed a Statement of Intent on the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) with a focus on children. This seeks to formalize a framework of cooperation to launch the first report on the State of India's Children - Status and Trends in Multidimensional Child Development. This new initiative is built on the ethos of SDG attainments for children and ensuring that no child is left behind.

Finance Minister Smt. Nirmala Sitharaman Attends FATF Ministerial Meeting in Washington D.C.

Union Minister for Finance & Corporate Affairs Smt. Nirmala Sitharaman attended the FATF Ministerial Meeting in Washington D.C. on 21st April 2022. This meeting focussed on Ministers' providing strategic direction, by endorsing the FATF's strategic priorities for the years 2022-24 and reinforcing Ministers' commitment to ensure suitable funding for the delivery of the strategic priorities which are strengthening the FATF Global Network.
During the Meeting, the Finance Minister reaffirmed India's commitment to fighting Money Laundering, Terrorist Financing and Proliferation Financing and acknowledged and appreciated FATF on their work on Beneficial Ownership Transparency, Asset Recovery, and the role of FATF Global network in safeguarding the global financial system.

Apr 20, 2022

Indian-American Navy Veteran Appointed Kamala Harris's Defence Advisor

Indian-American US Navy veteran Shanti Sethi joined Vice President Kamala Harris's office as her executive secretary and defence advisor. In her new role, Sethi coordinates National Security Advisor documentation across the Office of the Vice President. Sethi commanded the guided-missile destroyer, USS Decatur, from December 2010 to May 2012. She was also the first female commander of a US naval vessel to visit India.
Sethi's father immigrated to the US from India in the early 1960s.
Harris is the first-ever person of Indian origin to be elected as the vice-president of the United States.

India, Maldives Ink Seven MoUs to Implement Community Development Projects

India and Maldives signed seven Memoranda of Understanding (MoUs) for projects to be built under the Indian grant assistance scheme for the High Impact Community Development Project through local bodies (HICDP). The ceremony was attended by respective Members of Parliament, Island Councils, senior officials from the Government of the Maldives and the High Commission of India.

South Africa: President Cyril Ramaphosa Declares 'National State of Disaster' over Floods

South African President Cyril Ramaphosa declared a national state of disaster and announced a range of measures to respond to the rain-triggered devastating floods in which over 400 people died, dozens are still missing and more than 40,000 left homeless across the coastal province of KwaZulu-Natal (KZN). The new State of Disaster follows just a fortnight after Ramaphosa announced the end of one that was imposed for over two years due to the COVID-19 pandemic.
The president's national broadcast came as scores of relief organisations from all over the country scrambled to get water, food and clothing to thousands of people in KZN, with many areas accessible only by helicopter.

US Announces Ban on Anti-satellite Missile Tests to Cut Space Debris

US vice president Kamala Harris declared that the US will no longer conduct destructive, direct ascent anti-satellite (ASAT) missile testing to reduce space debris and safeguard satellites in low-Earth orbit. The US is the first nation to make such a declaration.
The commitment addresses one of the most pressing threats to the security and sustainability of space, as demonstrated by Russia's November 2021 destructive direct ascent ASAT missile test. China also conducted a similar test in 2007.
The Biden-Harris Administration had made clear that the US will engage the international community to uphold and strengthen a rules-based international order for space.

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.

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