General Awareness

INTERNATIONAL AFFAIRS - March 2016

Mar 2016

Nov 13, 2020

Strategic Partnership with ASEAN core of India's Act East Policy

Prime Minister Narendra Modi asserted that the strategic partnership between India and ASEAN is based on shared historical, geographical, and cultural heritage and it has always been the core of India`s Act East Policy.
In his opening remarks at the 17th ASEAN-India Summit, he said that improving connectivity between India and ASEAN has been a priority area. It is of prime importance for us to improve physical, economic, societal, digital, financial and maritime connections between India and ASEAN. We`ve come closer in these sectors in the last couple of years and I believe this summit will go further to bridge gaps.
He noted that there are many similarities between India`s `Indo Pacific Oceans Initiative` and ASEAN`s `Outlook on Indo Pacific`.

UK Considers Sanctions as China Breaches HK Treaty

Britain said that China had broken its main bilateral treaty on Hong Kong by imposing new rules to disqualify elected legislators in the former British colony, cautioning that it would consider sanctions as part of its response.
The British flag was lowered over Hong Kong when the colony was handed back to China in 1997 after more than 150 years of British rule — imposed after Britain defeated China in the First Opium War.
Hong Kong's autonomy was guaranteed under the 'one country, two systems' agreement enshrined in the 1984 Sino-British Joint Declaration signed by then Chinese Premier Zhao Ziyang and British PM Margaret Thatcher.
Beijing's imposition of new rules to disqualify elected legislators in Hong Kong constitutes a clear breach of the legally binding Sino-British Joint Declaration. China has once again broken its promises and undermined Hong Kong's high degree of autonomy.

Blow to China and Pakistan as Russia Backs India at SCO Meet

Russia has come out in support of India noting that bilateral matters should not be raised at the Shanghai Cooperation Organization (SCO) forum. The development comes after Pakistan attempted to raise India-Pakistan matters at the virtual meet.
The Russian Deputy Envoy to Delhi, Roman N. Babushkin, in response to a question by WION, said that this is a part of SCO charter and SCO basic documents not to bring the bilateral issue into the agenda. It has been made clear to all members' states that it should be avoided for the sake of the progress of multilateral cooperation.
The importance of SCO is to deal with regional challenges, to promote economic, financial, humanitarian partnership among member states in order to keep the momentum.

Construction of India-funded Integrated Check Post Begins in Nepalgunj in Western Nepal

India's Commerce and Industry Minister Piyush Goyal and Nepal's Urban Development Minister Krishna Gopal Shrestha jointly witnessed the ground-breaking ceremony to mark the beginning of the construction of an Integrated Check Post (ICP) at Nepalgunj in Western Nepal, aimed at bolstering bilateral trade and people-to-people contact.
India is building the Integrated Check Post on either side of the Indo-Nepal border to systematise the movement of cross-border cargo trucks between the two countries by bringing customs and immigration facilities under one roof.
The ICP at Nepalgunj, once completed, will have export and import cargo handling facilities including warehousing, refrigerated cargo facilities, medical, plant and animal quarantine areas, amenities for travellers, CCTV and other security systems, 24/7 power backup, waste-water treatment facilities, etc. to facilitate smooth movement of cargo and passenger vehicles.

Nov 12, 2020

UK Tables New Bill to Ban Takeovers from Hostile Actors

UK Business Secretary Alok Sharma warned that hostile actors will have no back door into Britain as he tabled a new Bill in Parliament, which aims to tackle hostile takeovers from foreign organisations.
The Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy (BEIS) said that the new National Security and Investment Bill will strengthen the UK's ability to investigate and intervene in mergers, acquisitions and other types of deals that could threaten national security.
Investors and businesses will have to tell the government about proposed deals in a number of sensitive sectors, such as defence and artificial intelligence (AI), and screening powers will be extended to include assets and intellectual property as well as companies.

Georgia to Conduct a Full Recount of Election Ballots

Georgia's top election official said that the state will conduct a recount of all paper ballots cast in the November 3 presidential election.
Georgia's Secretary of State Brad Raffensperger said that you actually have to do a full hand-by-hand recount of all because the margin is so close.

Hong Kong's Pro-democracy Lawmakers Resign En Masse

Hong Kong's pro-democracy lawmakers have resigned en masse following a move by the city's government to disqualify four pro-democracy legislators.
The pro-democracy camp announced their decision hours after the Hong Kong government said that it would be disqualifying four pro-democracy legislators — Alvin Yeung, Dennis Kwok, Kwok Ka-ki and Kenneth Leung from the legislature.
The disqualifications came after China's National People's Congress Standing Committee, which held meetings, passed a resolution stating that those who support Hong Kong's independence or refuse to acknowledge China's sovereignty over the city, as well as commit acts that threaten national security or ask external forces to interfere in the city's affairs, should be disqualified.

Nov 11, 2020

US Attorney General Okays Probe into Vote Irregularities

Attorney General William Barr has authorized federal prosecutors across the US to pursue substantial allegations of voting irregularities before the 2020 presidential election is certified, despite little evidence of fraud.
Barr's action comes days after Democrat Joe Biden defeated President Donald Trump and raised the prospect that Trump will use the Justice Department to try to challenge the outcome.
It gives prosecutors the ability to go around longstanding Justice Department policy that normally would prohibit such overt actions before the election is formally certified.
Trump has not conceded the election and is instead claiming without evidence that there has been a widespread, multi-state conspiracy by Democrats to skew the vote tally in Biden's favour.
Biden holds a sizable lead in multiple battleground states and there has been no indication of enough improperly counted or illegally cast votes that would shift the outcome.

Armenia, Azerbaijan and Russia Sign Deal to End Conflict

Armenia, Azerbaijan and Russia have signed a deal to end the military conflict over the Nagorno-Karabakh region after more than a month of bloodshed.
Armenian Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan first announced the signing on social media and the Kremlin and Azerbaijan`s President Ilham Aliyev later confirmed the news.
The signed trilateral statement will become a (crucial) point in the settlement of the conflict.
Putin said that Russian peacekeepers would be deployed along the frontline in Nagorno-Karabakh and the corridor between the region and Armenia.

UK PM's Treaty-breaking Brexit Laws Defeated in Parliament

Prime Minister Boris Johnson suffered a heavy defeat in parliament`s upper chamber over proposed laws which would allow him to breach Britain`s EU exit treaty - a plan that has been criticised by US President elect Joe Biden.
The Internal Market Bill is designed to protect trade between Britain`s four nations after Brexit. It contains clauses ministers say are needed to protect Northern Ireland`s delicate status as part of the United Kingdom, but would also break international law in a "specific and limited" way.
The House of Lords voted to strip those clauses from the bill in a series of defeats for the ruling Conservative Party. The government does not have a majority in the Lords and even some high-profile Conservative members opposed the clauses.

Modi Speaks at SCO Meet in Front of Chinese President Xi Jinping

Prime Minister Narendra Modi participated in the Shanghai Cooperation Organization (SCO) virtual summit alongside Russian President Vladimir Putin, Chinese President Xi Jinping, Pakistan's Prime Minister Imran Khan and leaders of four central Asian countries.
Surprisingly, the Russian President Putin who hosted the chair of the grouping this year was seen noting down the points in the most part of PM Modi's address. He was seen listening to PM Modi's address very carefully and kept noting the points.
The virtual summit also witnessed Chinese President Jinping and Pakistan's Prime Minister Imran Khan listening to PM Modi.
During his address, PM Modi indirectly slammed Pakistan calling it 'unfortunate' that there are unnecessary and repeated attempts to bring bilateral issues in the SCO agenda, which is in violation of SCO Charter and Shanghai spirit.

Nov 10, 2020

Peru's Martín Vizcarra Faces another Impeachment Vote

Peru's Congress is expected to vote on whether to impeach President Martín Vizcarra over corruption allegations.
A previous impeachment vote held less than two months ago failed to get the necessary votes.
Eighty-seven votes are needed in the 130-member Congress to remove the President from his post.
Mr. Vizcarra has denied any wrongdoing and said that the vote creates turbulence just months ahead of elections.
Mr. Vizcarra would go to Congress later on Monday to give his defence to allegations he accepted bribes worth 2.3m soles ($640,000; £487,000) when he was governor of the southern Moquegua region.
The impeachment vote is expected to be held once Mr. Vizcarra has finished presenting his defence.
Last week, 60 lawmakers voted in favour of the proceedings going ahead, while 40 opposed the move and 18 abstained.

Suu Kyi's Party Claims Victory in Myanmar

Myanmar's ruling party said that it had won enough seats in parliament to form the next government, after reporting a lead based on its unofficial count of votes from the country's second general election since the end of strict military rule.
According to Myo Nyunt, internal reports showed the National League for Democracy (NLD), led by Aung San Suu Kyi, had won the 322 seats in parliament needed, though no official results had been announced by the election commission.
Election was seen as a referendum on the fledgling democratic government led by Suu Kyi and the NLD, which remains hugely popular at home but has seen its reputation collapse overseas amid allegations of genocide against the Rohingya Muslim minority.

India-Maldives to Sign MOUs and Discuss COVID-19 Crisis

A number of MoUs in the field of sports and on implementation of some high impact community development projects were signed between Maldives and India in Malé. The signing came during the visit of Indian Foreign Secretary Harsh Shringla to the country.
Maldivian Foreign Secretary Abdul Ghafoor Mohamed and his Indian counterpart held official discussions at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs with particular emphasis on the recovery and resilience efforts to curb the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic, including boosting tourism.
Amidst the COVID pandemic, India had sent relief to Maldives in terms of food, medicine.
Focus was also on "accelerating" the implementation of the ongoing development cooperation projects across the Maldives.

Trump Fires US Defence Secretary Mark Esper

US President Donald Trump fired Defence Secretary Mark Esper, a stunning move on the heels of Trump's failed reelection bid.
Presidents who win reelection often replace Cabinet members, including the secretary of defence, but losing Presidents have kept their Pentagon chiefs in place until Inauguration Day to preserve stability in the name of national security.
Trump said that effective immediately Christopher Miller, the director of the National Counter terrorism Center, will serve as acting secretary, sidestepping the department's No.2-ranking official, Deputy Defence Secretary David Norquist.

India Supports Expansion of NDB Membership at BRICS Meet

India supported the expansion of the membership of the New Development Bank, set up by India and other BRICS nations, and emphasised on the importance of regional balance.
Participating in the 1st BRICS Finance Ministers and Central Bank Governors meeting under the BRICS Russian Chairmanship, Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman also said that a consensus solution will play an important role in ensuring fairness, equity and sustainability of tax systems.
The agenda of the meeting included discussions on the outcomes of G20 Saudi Presidency in 2020, a digital platform to encourage infrastructure investments and expansion of the membership of the New Development Bank.

Nov 09, 2020

Japan Formally Proclaims Crown Prince Akishino Heir to Throne

Japan formally proclaimed Crown Prince Akishino the first in line as heir to the throne, the last of a series of ceremonies after his elder brother, Emperor Naruhito, became monarch last year following their father's abdication.
The day-long ceremonies at the palace had been scheduled for April but were postponed because of the coronavirus pandemic and have been scaled back as infection keeps rising.
Under Japanese law, only males can inherit the throne, so Naruhito's only offspring, 18-year-old Princess Aiko.

UN Watchdog Says Pakistan Does Not Deserve to be in UNHRC

In an unprecedented move, the UN Watch took a scathing dig at Prime Minister Imran Khan for his intolerant views and Pakistan's inclusion in the UN Human Rights Council (UNHRC).
Pakistan was recently re-elected to the UNHRC even as the country's human rights record is one among the worst in the world.
Two weeks ago, a French teacher was beheaded by an Islamist in Paris for exhibiting Charlie Hebdo cartoons in a class on the idea of freedom of expression. While President Emmanuel Macron has made it clear that Islamic radicalism and terrorism will not be tolerated in France, Pakistan Prime Minister Imran Khan justified the brutal act of beheading by arguing that the teacher had committed "blasphemy" by showing the cartoons of the Islamic Prophet.

Share on

TCY Analytics (View Subscription Plans)

Subscribe to GK Updates

I want to receive

GK Tags

September GK, August GK, July GK, INTERNATIONAL AFFAIRS, ENVIRONMENT, BUSINESS AND ECONOMY, SCIENCE & TECHNOLOGY, SPORTS, NATIONAL AFFAIRS, DEFENCE, PERSONS IN NEWS, DAYS AND EVENTS, AWARDS AND HONOURS, GOVERNMENT POLICIES AND SCHEMES, GENDER/ HEALTH/ EDUCATION, ART AND CULTURE, BOOKS AND AUTHORS, TOURISM AND HOTEL INDUSTRY AWARENESS, ART AND CULTURE, LAW AND CONSTITUTIONAL AFFAIRS

Start Discussion

On any topic

Take Tests

Compiled from GK updates

Login

Sign Up

Forgot Password

Download TCY App

Unlock All Services And Enjoy The Premium Benefits

US$ 10

US$ 13

US$ 15

US$ 17

US$ 19

US$ 20

US$ 21

US$ 22

US$ 23

US$ 24

US$ 25

US$ 26