General Awareness

INTERNATIONAL AFFAIRS - March 2016

Mar 2016

Sep 11, 2020

India, Japan Ink Mutual Military Logistics Agreement

After years of negotiations, India and Japan have inked a landmark agreement that will allow their militaries to access each other's bases for logistics support, a key development that comes in the backdrop of growing concerns over China's military muscle flexing in the region.
The acquisition and cross-servicing pact was signed by Defence Secretary Ajay Kumar and Japanese Ambassador Suzuki Satoshi.
The agreement provides for creation of an enabling framework for closer cooperation and interoperability, besides allowing militaries of the two countries to use each other's bases and facilities for repair and replenishment of supplies.

V. Muraleedharan Attends 10th East Asia Summit Foreign Minister's Meeting

The Minister of State for External Affairs V. Muraleedharan attended the 10th East Asia Summit Foreign Minister's virtual meeting during which views upon the international and regional developments including the Coronavirus pandemic were discussed.
As per the statement by the External Affairs Ministry, the meeting which was held via video conference was attended by the Foreign Ministers of the East Asia Summit (EAS) participating countries.
It was chaired by Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister of Vietnam Pham Bin Minh.

More Than 3 Billion People Protected From Harmful Trans Fat in Their Food: WHO Report

Two years into the World Health Organization's (WHO) ambitious effort to eliminate industrially produced trans fats from the global food supply, the Organization reports that 58 countries so far have introduced laws that will protect 3.2 billion people from the harmful substance by the end of 2021.
But more than 100 countries still need to take actions to remove these harmful substances from their food supplies.
Consumption of industrially produced trans fats are estimated to cause around 500,000 deaths per year due to coronary heart disease.

Beirut Fire: Large Blaze Erupts in Port a Month After Explosion

Lebanon has launched an investigation into a huge fire at a warehouse storing aid that erupted in the port of Beirut - one month after a massive explosion there killed more than 190 people.
The blaze broke out where an aid agency had been storing food and cooking oil.
Firefighters and military officials spent hours battling the fire, using helicopters to drop water on it, before getting it under control.
No injuries were reported and the cause of the fire is not yet known.

US Cancels over 1,000 Visas for Chinese Nationals Citing Security

The United States has revoked visas for more than 1,000 Chinese nationals under a May 29 presidential proclamation to suspend entry from China of students and researchers deemed security risks.
The acting head of the US Department of Homeland Security, Chad Wolf, said earlier that Washington was blocking visas "for certain Chinese graduate students and researchers with ties to China's military fusion strategy, to prevent them from stealing and otherwise appropriating sensitive research."

India, China Agree on 5-Point Plan for Resolving Border Tension

After a two-and-a-half-hour-long meeting that went in Moscow, External Affairs Minister S. Jaishankar and Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi said they had agreed on a five-point course of action to de-escalate the four-month-long standoff between troops at the Line of Actual Control (LAC).
The five-point plan includes abiding by the consensus between Prime Minister Narendra Modi and President Xi Jinping to "not allow differences to become disputes", quick disengagement to ease tensions, abiding by existing India-China border protocols and avoiding escalatory action, continuing dialogue between the Special Representatives NSA Ajit Doval and Mr. Wang as well as the other mechanisms, and finally, to work towards new confidence-building measures.

United in Science 2020 Report

The United in Science 2020 Report has been compiled by the World Meteorological Organization (WMO) under the direction of the United Nations Secretary-General to bring together the latest climate science related updates from a group of key global partner organizations – WMO, Global Carbon Project (GCP), UNESCO Intergovernmental Oceanographic Commission (UNESCO-IOC), Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC), UN Environment Programme (UNEP) and the Met Office.
At the same time, the heating of our planet and climate disruption has continued apace.
Record heat, ice loss, wildfires, floods and droughts continue to worsen, affecting communities, nations and economies around the world.
Furthermore, due to the amount of greenhouse gases emitted in the past century, the planet is already locked into future significant heating.
The solution to slowing down the rate of global temperature rise and keeping it below 1.5°C is for nations to dramatically cut emissions, with the aim of achieving carbon neutrality by 2050.

Sep 10, 2020

India, France and Australia Hold First Trilateral Dialogue With Focus on Indo-Pacific

The foreign secretaries of India, Australia and France co-chaired the first senior officials' trilateral dialogue, with the focus on enhancing cooperation in the Indo-Pacific and strengthening multilateralism.
The three sides discussed economic and geostrategic challenges and cooperation in the Indo-Pacific, particularly in the context of the Covid-19 pandemic and domestic responses to Covid-19.
The virtual meeting was co-chaired by foreign secretary Harsh Shringla, François Delattre, the secretary-general of the French ministry for Europe and foreign affairs, and Frances Adamson, secretary of Australia's department of foreign affairs and trade.
People familiar with developments said on condition of anonymity that Australia and Japan, both members of the Quadrilateral Security Dialogue or Quad along with India and the US, have been driving efforts to forge greater cooperation among countries that have a stake in the Indian Ocean and with members of the Association of South East Asian Nations (Asean).
China's aggressive actions, including the border standoff with India and its military build-up in the South China Sea, have spurred these efforts, the people said. India, Australia and Indonesia are also set to hold two virtual meetings of their foreign and defence ministers to bolster regional cooperation and maritime security in the Indo-Pacific in the coming weeks.

Netflix Appoints Indian American Bajaria as Head of Global TV

Netflix promoted Indian American media leader Bela Bajaria to head its international TV operations as vice president for Global Television.
As per Netflix co-CEO Ted Sarandos, Bela has demonstrated her versatility and creativity - building out our unscripted team and helping to take our local language slate, which is increasingly important for our members, to the next level.
Earlier as the vice president in charge of Local Language Originals, Bajaria was behind the popular Netflix reality show "Indian Matchmaking," the drama series "Sacred Games" and the comedy serial "Never Have I Ever" about an Indian American teenager.
In her new position, she will be taking over all the Netflix TV programming, including in English, which had been overseen by another vice president, Cindy Holland.
Before her promotion, Bajaria oversaw Netflix's original content for India and elsewhere in Asia and across Europe, the Middle East, Turkey, Africa, and Latin America.

Dombrovskis Named EU's New Trade Commissioner

The European Commission's Vice President Valdis Dombrovskis (New Unity) has been chosen to also become the European Union's new trade commissioner, EU Commission President Ursula von der Leyen announced.
Dombrovskis has already been holding the post temporarily since European Trade Commissioner Phil Hogan's resignation in August amid a scandal about his flouting of Ireland's coronavirus rules.
Von der Leyen also named European Parliament heavyweight Mairead McGuinness as the new financial services commissioner to fill Ireland's seat at the table.

Sep 09, 2020

Aung San Suu Kyi Vows Victory in Election as Campaign Starts

Myanmar leader Aung San Suu Kyi launched her re-election bid ahead of polls set for November, vowing victory at a scaled-down ceremony in the capital after her original plans were scuppered by a surge in coronavirus cases.
The election is set to serve as a test of the country's first democratic government in half a century and is seen by analysts as an important test of Myanmar`s transition away from direct military rule as it grapples with crises on multiple fronts.
Suu Kyi, who rules as state counselor, had planned to launch her campaign in the commercial capital of Yangon but cancelled the trip.
The NLD, which won a landslide at 2015 polls that ended half-a-century of military and military-backed rule, is expected to win again though by a lesser margin.
The party remains overwhelmingly popular despite criticism over its failure to curb the power of the army or end escalating ethnic conflicts. It has also faced international condemnation over a 2017 military crackdown on the Rohingya Muslim minority.

Encourage India and China to Resolve Border Row but will not Directly Interfere: Russia

Russia said that it encourages India and China to resolve Line of Actual Control (LAC) row but will not directly "interfere". Border tensions have increased between the two neighbouring countries especially after the Galwan incident of June in which India lost 20 of its soldiers.
Roman Babushkin, Deputy Chief of Mission of the Russian embassy in Delhi said, "Directly we are not recommending or advising do so or not do something..it up to both countries to decide. What we are doing is not interference, it creating some sort of positive atmosphere."

Sep 08, 2020

Kazakhstan to Strive for Multi-party System

According to President Kassym-Jomart Tokayev, central Asia's biggest state and India's key partner in the region Kazakhstan is striving to create a multi-party state and preserve its inclusive character.
Kazakhstan must create a multiparty system to build a modern, effective state and the ruling Nur Otan party should collaborate more with other parties.
This is important for the stability of the political system in the long run," the President said, adding, the President also urged more public involvement in the formation of policy.
To keep the nation united, Tokayev directed the government to continue creating conditions for all ethnic groups to develop their languages and cultures. "Our position: 'The unity of the nation is in its diversity.
Tokayev further suggested judicial and law enforcement reforms to improve the protection of citizens' rights and security.

Boris Johnson Warns EU not to Expect Compromise Ahead of Trade Talks

The European Union told Boris Johnson not to tear up parts of the Brexit divorce accord he struck only a year ago, saying keeping his promises will be essential if the two sides are to reach a new deal on trade. European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen spoke as the British PM ramped up his threats to complete the UK's separation from the EU at the end of the year without a new trade agreement place.
Johnson said that he is willing to walk away from talks rather than compromise on what he sees as the core principles of Brexit, and set an Oct. 15 deadline for an accord to be struck.

EU Demands Release of Belarus Political Prisoners and Warns of Sanctions

The EU has demanded the Belarus authorities release all detained on political grounds before and after the disputed presidential elections.
It is planning sanctions for those responsible for "violence, repression and falsification of election results".
Key opposition figure Maria Kolesnikova went missing after she was seen being bundled into a minibus.
She was one of three women who joined forces to challenge incumbent Alexander Lukashenko in August's election.
Mass protests followed his re-election amid allegations of vote-rigging.
More than 600 people were arrested on Sunday, following a fourth consecutive weekend of anti-government protests in the capital Minsk and other cities. At least four people have died and hundreds have been injured as authorities have tried to crush dissent
Mr. Lukashenko - who has been in power since 1994 - has accused Western nations of interference. He is expected to visit his ally Russia in the coming days.

Sep 07, 2020

Chinese Chipmaker Denies Military Ties as US Steps up Feud

China's leading maker of semiconductors has denied it has any links to the military following reports Washington is considering stepping up its feud with Beijing over technology and security by imposing export controls that could disrupt manufacturing for a national industrial champion.
The US regulators are considering adding Semiconductor Manufacturing International Corporation to a list of foreign buyers that need government permission to acquire technology or components.
Officials are looking at whether SMIC plays a role in Chinese military development.
SMIC products were solely for civilian and commercial end-users and end-uses.
The Trump administration is trying to block Chinese access to US technology it worries might be used to make weapons or develop competitors to American industry.
The United States and other governments complain Chinese development plans are based on stealing or pressuring foreign companies to hand over technology.

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