General Awareness

INTERNATIONAL AFFAIRS - March 2016

Mar 2016

Feb 01, 2021

Vladimir Putin Signs Bill to Extend Nuclear Treaty with US

Russian President Vladimir Putin signed a bill into law ratifying a five-year extension of the New Strategic Arms Reduction Treaty (New START) with the US, one of the last major arms reduction treaties signed since the end of the Cold War.
The validity period of the New START will be extended by five years to February 5, 2026,
Presidents Vladimir Putin of Russia and Joe Biden of the US welcomed the move in a telephone call.
The same day, Putin submitted a bill on the extension in the State Duma (the lower house of parliament).

U.N. Urges Countries to Repatriate Children of Islamic State Extremists from Syria

The U.N. counterterrorism chief is urging countries to repatriate the 27,000 children stranded in a massive camp in northeastern Syria, many of them sons and daughters of Islamic State extremists who once controlled large swathes of Iraq and Syria.
As per Vladimir Voronkov, the horrific situation of the children in Al Hol (camp) is one of the most pressing issues in the world today.
Al Hol, the largest camp for refugees and displaced Syrians in the country, is currently home to almost 62,000 residents, according to U.N. humanitarian officials. More than 80% are women and children, many who fled there after Islamic State militants lost their last Syrian stronghold in 2019. There are a number of other camps in the northeast as well.

Vietnam's Trong Re-elected for Third Term

Vietnam's ruling Communist Party chief Nguyen Phu Trong has been re-elected for a rare third five-year term, cementing his position as one of the country's strongest and longest-serving leaders for decades.
Trong, who emerged on top in a power struggle at the last Congress in 2016 and has spearheaded a blazing furnace crackdown on corruption in the last five years, was granted an exception to party rules which say people over the age of 65 should retire.
Comrade Nguyen Phu Trong was elected to be the General Secretary of the Central Committee of the Communist Party of Vietnam, term XIII.

Biden Admin sees Quad as Foundation to Build on Indo-Pacific Policy

The new Biden administration sees the Quad grouping comprising the US, India, Japan and Australia as a fundamental foundation upon which to build a substantial American policy in the strategically-vital Indo-Pacific region.
National Security Advisor Jake Sullivan said at an event organised by the US Institute of Peace, a Congress-funded think-tank that the US will build on and carry forward the four-nation Quad grouping.
Quad and the Indo-Pacific policy of the previous Trump administration are one of the few policies that the Biden administration has said it will continue to build on, besides the Abraham Accords.

Britain to Join Asia-Pacific Free Trade Pact

The UK Government has announced that it is applying to join the Comprehensive and Progressive Trans-Pacific Partnership (CPTPP), one of the world's largest free-trade areas made up of 11 developed and emerging economies in the Pacific, under its post-Brexit plans.
Joining the CPTPP reflects the UK's post-Brexit Pacific tilt and is dubbed as a critical part of Prime Minister Boris Johnson-led government's wider trade strategy, which aims to deepen links with fast-growing parts of the world and partnering with countries who believe in free and fair trade, including India.
The decision to join the CPTPP, comprising Australia, Brunei, Canada, Chile, Japan, Malaysia, Mexico, New Zealand, Peru, Singapore and Vietnam, marks one year since the UK left the European Union (EU) on January 31 last year and entered a Brexit transition period which concluded at the start of this year.

US Lobby Group Urges India Not to Tighten Foreign E-commerce Rules

A U.S. lobby group that represents firms including Amazon.com and Walmart has urged India not to tighten foreign investment rules for e-commerce companies again.
India is considering revising the rules after traders in the country accused Amazon's Indian division and Walmart's Flipkart of creating complex structures to bypass investment regulations. The U.S. firms deny any wrongdoing.
India allows foreign e-commerce players to operate as only a marketplace, but local traders say the U.S. giants promote select sellers and offer deep discounts, which hurts business for smaller local retailers. In 2018, India changed its foreign direct investment rules to deter foreign firms offering products from sellers in which they have an equity stake.
The Centre is now considering tightening those rules again to include sellers in which a foreign e-commerce firm holds indirect stake through its parent.

Jan 31, 2021

Not Bound by Treaty on Prohibition of Nuclear Weapons: Pakistan

Pakistan said that it was not bound by the treaty on the prohibition of nuclear weapons as it failed to take into account the interests of all stakeholders.
The Treaty on the Prohibition of Nuclear Weapons entered into force on January 22, culminating a decades-long campaign aimed at preventing a repetition of the US atomic bombings of Hiroshima and Nagasaki at the end of World War II.
Though hailed as a historic step by several nations, the treaty was opposed by the world's nuclear-armed countries, including the US, China, Russia, the UK and India. Japan also did not support the pact.
The treaty, which was adopted in July 2017, was negotiated outside the established UN disarmament negotiating forums.
Accordingly, Pakistan does not consider itself bound by any of the obligations enshrined in this treaty. Pakistan stresses that this treaty neither forms a part of, nor contributes to the development of customary international law in any manner.

Nepal's Top Court Serves Contempt Notices to Beleaguered PM Oli

Nepal's Supreme Court has issued two contempt of court notices to caretaker Prime Minister K.P. Sharma Oli, demanding he explain why he mocked lawyers challenging his decision to dissolve parliament and call early polls.
The contempt of court suits are the latest challenges for the beleaguered leader after being expelled from his party earlier this week.
The Supreme Court has ordered Oli to present his written replies within seven days.

South Korea Rebukes Opposition over Report on Nuclear Plant in North Korea

South Korea's presidential office issued a rebuke to an opposition leader who accused it of "abetting the enemy" after a news report that Seoul had planned to build a nuclear plant in North Korea.
Local broadcaster SBS unveiled a prosecution indictment listing more than a dozen documents from the energy ministry that suggested a previously unknown project to set up a nuclear plant in North Korea.
The documents were among 530 files that prosecutors say the ministry had illegally deleted to conceal that it had distorted feasibility studies to shut down a reactor in South Korea, the report said.
Kim Chong-in, leader of the main opposition People Power Party, called the potential plan a "shocking and appalling act that abets the enemy".

India- Japan 5th Act East Forum Meet

The fifth joint meeting of the India-Japan Act East Forum was held between India and Japan. The meeting was co-chaired by Foreign Secretary Harsh Vardhan Shringla and the Ambassador of Japan to India, Suzuki Satoshi.
At the Act East Forum, India and Japan reviewed the progress of ongoing projects in the North Eastern Region of India.
These projects were launched in the areas ranging from the hydropower, connectivity, harnessing of water resource, sustainable development, and skill development.
Both the sides also appreciated the role played by the Act East Forum, ever since it was established in the year 2017, in streamlining India-Japan bilateral cooperation.
The act east forum was established in the year 2017. The agreement to establish the forum was signed in September 2017 during the visit of Prime Minister Abe to India. This platform works in line with the Japan's vision for a "Free and Open Indo-Pacific" and India-Japan collaboration in the North Eastern Region under India's "Act East Policy".

China Derecognises British National Overseas Passport

China said that it will no longer recognise the British National Overseas passport as a valid travel document or form of identification amid a bitter feud with London over a plan to allow millions of Hong Kong residents a route to residency and eventual citizenship.
The announcement by Foreign Ministry spokesperson Zhao Lijian throws up new uncertainty around the plan just hours after the U.K. said that it would begin taking applications for what are called BNO visas.
Under the plan, as many as 5.4 million Hong Kong residents could be eligible to live and work in the U.K. for five years then apply for citizenship. Demand soared after Beijing last year imposed a sweeping new national security law on the former British colony following months of pro-democracy protests.

US Focused on Dealing with Iran's Advancement Toward Nuclear Weapon

The Biden administration is prioritizing dealing with Iran's progress towards achieving a nuclear weapon, US National Security Adviser Jake Sullivan said.
"From our perspective, a critical early priority has to be to deal with what is an escalating nuclear crisis as they move closer and closer to having enough fissile material for a weapon," Sullivan said during a virtual panel discussion hosted by the US Institute of Peace.
The Biden administration would like to re-establish some constraints on Iran's nuclear program that have fallen apart over the past two years, Sullivan said.
President Joe Biden has vowed to renter the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA) after his predecessor Donald Trump withdrew the United States from the accord and pursued a "maximum pressure" campaign against Iran.

Jan 30, 2021

India and France to Sign Two Agreements During French Minister's 5-day Visit

India and France will sign two agreements on renewable energy and urban mobility during a five-day visit to India by a key member of President Emmanuel Macron's government to bolster bilateral cooperation on sustainable development.
Barbara Pompili, besides meeting her Indian counterpart Prakash Javadekar, power and renewable energy minister RK Singh and minister of state for urban affairs Hardeep Singh Puri, will travel to Assam and Gujarat to strengthen cooperation on specific projects.
Singh and Pompili will preside over the signing of a letter of intent between the Solar Energy Corporation of India (SECI) and the French Development Agency (AFD) for developing a floating solar plant of up to 150 MW.

Italy Opposition Right Calls for Elections to Solve Political Crisis

Italy's rightist opposition parties called for early elections as the way to solve the country's political crisis, following the resignation of Prime Minister Giuseppe Conte.
Conte, now acting as caretaker, was unseated when former premier Matteo Renzi withdrew his Italia Viva party from the coalition, depriving it of a parliamentary majority and throwing Italy into political limbo during the coronavirus crisis.

PM Modi Addresses WEF's Davos Dialogue Virtually

PM Modi addressed the Davos Dialogue of World Economic Forum virtually.
The session was attended by more than 400 top industry leaders from across the globe where PM Modi spoke about the Fourth Industrial Revolution- using technology for the good of humanity. The Prime Minister will also interact with the CEOs during the dialogue.
Prime Minister Modi during his address at the World Economic Forum talked about the message of positivity, confidence, and hope for the world on behalf of more than 1.3 billion Indian people.

Former Obama Aide Rob Malley Likely to be Named as US Envoy to Iran

A top national security aide to former President Barack Obama will be tapped as U.S. envoy for Iran.
Secretary of State Antony Blinken will name Rob Malley as the Biden administration's point person on Iran.
The official said Malley would head "a dedicated team" of "clear-eyed experts with a diversity of views." The official added that Malley has "a track record of success negotiating constraints on Iran's nuclear program" and that Blinken is confident he "will be able to do that once again."

Jan 29, 2021

Estonia's New Government Sworn in with First-ever Female PM

Estonia's new two-party coalition government was sworn in with the first female Prime Minister in the Baltic country since it regained independence in 1991.
The 15-member Cabinet of Prime Minister Kaja Kallas — a 43-year-old lawyer and a former European Parliament lawmaker — was approved in the 101-seat Riigikogu legislature, after President Kersti Kaljulaid had first appointed it.
The centre-right Reform Party, chaired by Ms. Kallas, and the left-leaning Centre Party, which are Estonia's two biggest political parties, clinched a deal to form a government replacing the previous Cabinet led by Centre leader Juri Ratas that collapsed this month due to a corruption scandal.

World Economic Forum Launches Global Artificial Intelligence Alliance

The World Economic Forum (WEF) launched the Global AI Action Alliance (GAIA), an initiative to accelerate the adoption of inclusive, transparent and trusted artificial intelligence.
The GAIA is a multi-stakeholder collaboration platform designed to accelerate the development and adoption of such tools globally and in industry sectors.
It brings together over 100 leading companies, governments, international organisations, non-profits and academics united in their commitment to maximising AI's societal benefits while minimising its risks.
A Steering Committee consisting of top global leaders from industry, government, academia and civil society will guide the alliance.
The committee is co-chaired by IBM Chairman and CEO Arvind Krishna, and Patrick J McGovern Foundation's President Vilas Dhar. The foundation is a global AI and data philanthropy.

India Slips Six Places to Rank 86 in Transparency International's Corruption Perception index 2020

India's rank has slipped six places to 86^th among 180 countries in a corruption perception index (CPI) in 2020.
For 2020, Transparency International (TI)'s corruption perception index was released.
The index, which ranks 180 countries and territories by their perceived levels of public sector corruption according to experts and business people, uses a scale of 0 to 100, where 0 is highly corrupt and 100 is very clean.
India's rank is 86 out of 180 nations with a score of 40.
India was ranked at 80th position out of 180 countries in 2019. The CPI score for India is constant this year as well as the previous year's score.
This year, New Zealand and Denmark were ranked at first position with scores of 88. Somalia and South Sudan were ranked lowest at 179th position with scores of 12.

Jan 28, 2021

Russia Okays Extension to Arms Control Pact with US

Russian lawmakers quickly approved the extension of the last remaining nuclear Russia-US arms control treaty, a fast-track action that comes just days before it's due to expire.
Both the Houses voted unanimously to extend the New START treaty for five years, a day after a phone call between US President Joe Biden and Russian President Vladimir Putin. The Kremlin said they agreed to complete the necessary extension procedures in the next few days.
Putin hailed the decision to extend the treaty as "a step in the right direction", but warned of rising global rivalries and threats of new conflicts. The pact's extension doesn't require congressional approval in the United States.

Tunisia's Parliament Approves Cabinet Reshuffle

Tunisia's parliament approved a Cabinet reshuffle that deepened the conflict between the Prime Minister and the President, as hundreds protested outside the heavily barricaded parliament over social inequality and police abuses.
Hundreds of protesters had marched from the Ettadhamen district of the capital, Tunis, where young people have clashed with police several nights this month, and were joined by hundreds more near the parliament.
Prime Minister Hichem Mechichi named 11 new ministers and said he hoped it would inject new blood into his government.
President Kais Saied indicated he would reject the Cabinet reshuffle, condemned the absence of women among the new ministers and said some likely new Cabinet members may have conflicts of interest.

Biden Signs Order to Ensure Racial Equity

US President Joe Biden has signed a series of executive orders to ensure racial equity across the country, acting on one of his core campaign promises to dismantle "systemic racism" that has plagued America far too long.
While announcing the four presidential actions at the White House, Biden cited the killing of George Floyd, a Black man, by a Minneapolis police officer last May, which touched off demonstrations across the country. "In my campaign for President, I made it very clear that the moment had arrived as a nation where we face deep racial inequities in America and systemic racism that has plagued our nation for far, far too long," Biden said.

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