General Awareness

INTERNATIONAL AFFAIRS - February 2016

Feb 2016

Apr 03, 2022

Indians Top as Canada Admits 108,000 New Immigrants in 1st Quarter

In 2021, nearly 100,000 Indians became permanent residents of Canada as the country admitted a record 405,000 new immigrants in its history. Canada, which plans to admit a record 432,000 new immigrants in 2022, is on target to hit this mark as the country welcomed 108,000 newcomers in the first three months of the year.
There are over 622,000 foreign students in Canada, with Indians numbering 217,410 as of December 31, 2021.

China, Solomons Islands Ink Draft of Controversial Security Pact

China and the Solomon Islands signed a draft version of a security pact that could see Chinese police and other forces take up duties in the Pacific Island nation, drawing concerns from traditional partners New Zealand, Australia and the United States.
The agreement aims to respond to Solomon Islands' soft and hard domestic threats.
Under the terms of the draft agreement, China could send police, military personnel and other armed forces to the Solomon Islands to assist in maintaining social order and for a variety of other reasons. It could also send warships to the islands for stopovers and to replenish supplies, leading to speculation about the possibility of China establishing a naval base on the islands.

Apr 02, 2022

Nepal PM on His Maiden Visit to India after Becoming PM in July 2021

Deuba's trip comes on the heels of an invitation by his Indian counterpart Narendra Modi, which the Nepali leader has accepted. This will be Deuba's first official trip since his appointment as Prime Minister in July last year. Deuba and Modi, however, met in Glasgow in November last year on the sidelines of the UN climate conference.

Apr 01, 2022

State of World Population Report

The United Nations Population Fund (UNFPA) publishes the State of World Population (SoWP) report annually. The 2022 version of this report was released.
The State of World Population Report 2022 was titled "Seeing the Unseen: The case for action in the neglected crisis of unintended pregnancy."
Between the years 2015 to 2019, there was a rise in unintended pregnancies which numbered around 121 million across the globe annually.
The report stated that there has been a rise in rape-related pregnancies. Among women who have experienced partner violence contraceptive use is 53 percent lower. There is more chance of pregnancies occurring due to rape than consensual sex.
In 1967, UNFPA was established. It is a sexual and reproductive health agency of the United Nations. In 1969, the UNFPA became operational and it works as a subsidiary under the UN General Assembly. Its earlier name was United Nations Fund for Population Activities and in 1987 it was renamed as United Nations Population Fund but retained the abbreviation 'UNFPA.'

India, Australia to Collaborate in Lithium and Cobalt Identification Projects

The plan is to involve agencies and companies in both the countries to identify opportunities that come up for mining these key minerals and take joint investment decisions and acquisition of the assets in Australia. India and Australia have agreed to jointly undertake due diligence of greenfield and brownfield Lithium and Cobalt mineral assets that holds critical and strategic interest for both countries.
Both India and Australia have committed an initial investment of $ 6 Million for the joint due diligence process in the 50:50 ratio of participating interest.

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.

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