General Awareness

INTERNATIONAL AFFAIRS - February 2016

Feb 2016

Oct 08, 2022

UNHRC Adopts Resolution against Sri Lanka's Rights Record; India Abstains from Voting

India abstained on a draft resolution in the UN Human Rights Council in Geneva on promoting reconciliation, accountability and human rights in Sri Lanka which was adopted.
While abstaining, India stressed that it will work with Sri Lanka and the international community to attain the related objectives of legitimate aspirations of Tamils of Sri Lanka and prosperity for all Sri Lankans.
The draft resolution on 'Promoting reconciliation, accountability and human rights in Sri Lanka' was adopted at the 51st Session of Human Rights Council in Geneva, with 20 nations voting in favour in the 47-member Council, seven against, including China and Pakistan, and 20 abstentions, including by India, Japan, Nepal and Qatar.
The 20 countries that voted in favour of the resolution included the United Kingdom, the United States, Argentina, Finland, France, Germany, Mexico, the Netherlands, Paraguay, Poland, Republic of Korea and Ukraine.

Oct 07, 2022

Armenia, Azerbaijan Hold Talks in Prague in Efforts to Ease Tensions

The leaders of Azerbaijan and Armenia held talks in Prague in efforts to ease tensions between the two long-time adversaries.
Armenia agreed to facilitate a civilian EU mission alongside the border with Azerbaijan, according to a joint statement, following a meeting on the margins of a European summit in the presence of the EU Council President Charles Michel and French President Emmanuel Macron.
Azerbaijan agreed to cooperate with this mission as far as it is concerned.
Last month, Armenia and Azerbaijan negotiated a cease-fire to end a flare-up of fighting that killed 155 soldiers from both sides.

Captain Ibrahim Traore Appointed Burkina Faso President

Captain Ibrahim Traore was appointed as President of Burkina Faso after Paul-Henri Damiba was removed in the West African country's second coup in less than nine months.
The Sahel country plunged into political turmoil on September 30 after a group of officers decided to remove Damiba due to his inability to deal with a worsening armed uprising, dissolved the transitional government and suspended the constitution.

Oct 06, 2022

IFC Launches Financing Platform to Respond to Global Food Crisis

Responding to rising food insecurity, World Bank's private sector investment arm, the International Finance Corp. (IFC) launched a new, $6 billion financing facility to strengthen private sector's ability to respond to the crisis and help support food production.
The war in Ukraine and an uneven global recovery from the COVID-19 pandemic have added to rising levels of hunger and malnourishment, which already have been worsened by climate change and increasingly severe weather events that are damaging harvests and reducing yields.
A core part of the financing, which would be provided through the new Global Food Security Platform (the Platform), would support sustainable production and delivery of food stocks to countries affected by food instability.
Support would be aimed at facilitating trade of food commodities, delivery of inputs to farmers, supporting efficient production in major origins, including Ukraine, and effective distribution of food products in destination countries.

Dr. Vivek Murthy Appointed as US Representative on WHO Executive Board

President Joe Biden nominated US Surgeon General Dr. Vivek Murthy to serve as the country's representative on the executive board of the World Health Organisation.
Dr. Murthy will serve in the new position alongside his continued duties as the US Surgeon General.
As the nation's doctor, the Surgeon General's mission is to help lay the foundation for a healthier country, relying on the best scientific information available to provide clear, consistent and equitable guidance and resources for the public.

Oct 05, 2022

North Korea Missile Flies over Japan; Sparking Panic

Nuclear-armed North Korea test-fired a ballistic missile farther than ever before, sending it soaring over Japan, for the first time in five years, and prompting a warning for residents there to take cover. The test led to East Japan Railway suspending operations.
It was the first North Korean missile to follow such a trajectory since 2017, and its estimated 4,600 km range was the longest travelled by a North Korean test missile, which are usually 'lofted' high into space to avoid flying over neighbouring countries.
In response, US and South Korean warplanes practiced bombing a target in the Yellow Sea and Japan warned its citizens to take cover and suspended some train services while the missile passed over its north before falling into the Pacific Ocean.

Ukraine's Zelensky Signs Decree to Rule out Negotiation with Russia's Vladimir Putin as 'Impossible'

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky signed a decree to put into effect the decision of the National Security and Defence Council (NSDC), which rules out holding any negotiations with Russian President Vladimir Putin.
The document said that Ukraine's NSDC deemed holding talks with Putin "impossible".
With his decree, the Ukrainian President also instructed the government to prepare proposals for the creation of a multi-level security guarantee system designed to boost Ukraine's defence potential.
Ukrainian and Russian negotiators held the latest round of face-to-face peace talks in Istanbul, Turkey, in March.

Oct 03, 2022

China Withdraws Anti-AUKUS Resolution at IAEA Due to Lack of Support

China withdrew a draft resolution against the AUKUS alliance at the general conference of the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) in Vienna after apprehending that the measure would not receive majority support.
India worked closely with many IAEA member states to ensure that the draft resolution, which argued that the AUKUS initiative violated the responsibilities of Australia, the UK and the US under the Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty (NPT), did not get majority support.
China clashed with the three countries in the AUKUS alliance at the UN nuclear watchdog over the plan to supply Australia with nuclear-powered submarines, capping a week in which Beijing repeatedly railed against the project that was unveiled last year.

Putin Declares Captured Regions Part of Russia; Ukraine Denies Talks

Russian President Vladimir Putin signed treaties to annex parts of Ukraine in defiance of international law, saying Moscow would protect the newly incorporated regions by "all available means." He also urged Ukraine to sit down for peace talks but immediately insisted he won't discuss handing them back, opening a new escalatory phase of his seven-month invasion of the country.
Meanwhile, President Volodymyr Zelenskiy said that Ukraine was formally applying for fast-track membership of the NATO military alliance and that Kyiv was ready for talks with Moscow, but not with President Vladimir Putin.

India Abstains on UNSC Resolution Condemning Russia's Referenda and Annexation in Ukraine

Underlining that "escalation of rhetoric or tensions is in no one's interest" and it is "important that pathways are found for a return to the negotiating table", India abstained on a United Nations Security Council (UNSC) resolution, which would have condemned Moscow's "illegal referenda" and declared its annexation of four Ukrainian territories as invalid. The UNSC resolution was vetoed by Russia.
The UNSC could not adopt the resolution as Russia, a permanent member of the UN Security Council, vetoed it. It was supported by 10 of the 15 members of the Council, while China, Gabon, India, and Brazil abstained.

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