General Awareness

INTERNATIONAL AFFAIRS - March 2016

Mar 2016

Nov 18, 2019

Czech Anti-Government Protesters Mark Anniversary Of Revolution

At least 200,000 people have protested against the Czech government in the capital, Prague.
Demonstrators are calling for Prime Minister Andrej Babis to resign over allegations of fraud.
It is alleged Mr Babis used European Union subsidies for his private business - something he denies.
The protest was held on the eve of the 30th anniversary of the Velvet Revolution, which ended communist rule in what was then Czechoslovakia.

Australian Politicians Banned From China 'Will Not Repent' For Criticism

Two Australian politicians refused entry to China have said they will not retract their criticisms of the country.
Andrew Hastie and James Paterson, both members of the government, were due to go on a study tour in China.
But their visa applications were rejected, and the Chinese embassy said they could only visit if they were to "genuinely repent" for their comments.
Both Mr. Hastie and Mr. Paterson dismissed the demand.
The conservative politicians have been outspoken critics of China - singling out its human rights record, and its alleged interference in Australian politics.

Emiratis To Get India Visa On Arrival

Emiratis can travel to India free of prior visas, they can get visa on arrival.
Government of India, with effect from November 16, 2019, has decided to extend the Visa-on-Arrival facility to nationals of the United Arab Emirates.

White House Condemns Iran For 'Lethal Force' Against Protesters

The White House condemned protest-hit Iran for using "lethal force" against demonstrators during unrest that left two dead - a civilian and a policeman - and saw authorities arrest dozens and restrict internet access.
The United States supports the Iranian people in their peaceful protests against the regime that is supposed to lead them.
The unrest erupted, hours after it was announced that the price of gas would rise to 15,000 rials per liter (12 US cents) from 10,000 for the first 60 liters, and to 30,000 rials for any extra fuel bought after that each month.

Gotabaya Rajapaksa Wins Sri Lanka Election

Gotabaya Rajapaksa has won the Sri Lankan presidential election after a closely fought race against ruling party candidate Sajith Premadasa, with the country's Election Commission declaring him the winner.
Rajapaksa, a former defence secretary during Mahinda's 10 years in power, based his campaign for the election on providing strong leadership on national security issues, following coordinated bombings in April 2019 that killed 269 people.
His campaign was also backed by Sinhala Buddhist monks who have called for greater controls to be placed on the island's roughly 10 percent Muslim population following those attacks.

Nov 17, 2019

5 Indian Students Qualify For Oxford Big Read Asia Contest

Five students from India are among the finalists of Oxford Big Read Asia Challenge, an annual reading and writing campaign for primary and secondary students.
The winners from India are B R Nimeesha (from Madurai), Ananya Sheorey, Saara Sen, Neha Chhajed and Sama S Jahagirdar (all from Nagpur).
Among the other winners are two students from China and one each from Pakistan and Malaysia.

US Senate Unanimously Passes Resolution Honouring Sikh Community

The United States Senate has unanimously passed a resolution recognising the historical, cultural and religious significance of the 550th birth anniversary of Sikhism founder Guru Nanak Dev, besides the Sikhs' contributions in the US' growth.
Introduced by Republican Senator Todd Young from Indiana and Democratic Senator Ben Cardin from Maryland, the first of its kind resolution on Sikhism was passed by the US Senate.
The resolution said Sikhs in the US and around the world live as per the values and ideals of equality, service, and devotion to God, first preached by Guru Nanak.
The Senate resolution also mentioned four eminent Sikhs for their contribution to the US.
The Sikhs figured in the resolution included Dalip Singh Saund, the first Asian-American Congressman, elected to the office in 1957; Dr Narinder Kapany, the inventor of fiber optics; Dinar Singh Bains, the largest peach grower in the United States; and Gurinder Singh Khalsa, the recipient of the prestigious Rosa Parks Trailblazer Award.
The resolution also recognized the contribution of Sikh women Grammy-winning artist Snatam Kaur; New York Police Department police officer Gursoach Kaur; and University of California, Berkeley professor Supreet Kaur.
Indiana-based Khalsa welcomed the passage of the resolution.

Nov 16, 2019

Serious Situation Developing Due to India, Says Imran

Pakistan Prime Minister, while addressing the concluding session of the Margalla Dialogue 2019 on "Peace and development in South Asia, Middle East and Central Asia", Imran Khan said that India was in the "hands of extremist ideologists and racists" who were promoting the "ideology of hate" in the region with far reaching consequences.
He warned the international community that a very serious situation was developing in the region because of India and said that this is the time that the international community should step in; otherwise the consequences will affect the entire world.

Hong Kong Protesters Defy Xi with Pro-democracy Rallies

Hong Kong pro-democracy protesters defied a warning by China's President Xi Jinping and again took to the city's streets, as the political turmoil seeped out to London where a Minister from the Southern Chinese city was confronted by masked demonstrators.
Hong Kong has seen relentless protests since June as many in the city of 7.5 million people have vented fury at eroding freedoms under Chinese rule.
Violence has escalated, and tensions have spilt out overseas, sparking friction between China and Britain, which governed Hong Kong until 1997.

Chile to Vote on Replacing Constitution

Lawmakers in Chile agreed to hold a referendum in April 2020, on replacing the country's dictatorship-era constitution, bowing to demands of protesters who want the country's social and economic model overhauled.
Voters will be asked whether they approve the idea of a new Constitution and whether current lawmakers should serve on the commission that would redraft the document.
The two-page Agreement for Peace and a New Constitution, was signed following intense negotiations, calls for a commitment to re-establish peace and public order in Chile.

Spy Swap: Five Freed in Russia-Lithuania-Norway Exchange

Russia has taken part in a carefully co-ordinated spy swap with Norway and Lithuania, in a deal that required the Lithuanians to change their laws.
It took place at Lithuania's southern border with Russia's Kaliningrad exclave and involved two Russians, a Norwegian and two Lithuanians.
The three countries have been working on the operation for weeks.

Nov 15, 2019

Dera Baba Nanak Railway Station Leading To Kartarpur Sahib Gets Free Wi-Fi Connection

Pilgrims on their way to Kartarpur Sahib through Dera Baba Nanak railway station will now be able to avail free Wi-Fi services introduced by RailTel.
The station, not far from the new international checkpost on the Indian side of the border, leads to Kartarpur Sahib.
The free Wi-Fi can be used inside the railway station premises by anyone who has a smart phone with a working connection for KYC consideration.
Sultanpur Lodhi station, which sees a rush of pilgrims visiting Dera Baba Nanak, has also been provided with Wi-Fi.

India-Russia-China Explore Alternative To SWIFT Payment Mechanism

India, Russia and China are exploring an alternative to the US-dominated SWIFT (Society for Worldwide Interbank Financial Telecommunication) payment mechanism in a bid to smoothen trade with countries facing American sanctions.
Russia's financial messaging system SPFS will be linked with the Chinese cross-border interbank payment system CIPS.
While India still does not have a domestic financial messaging system, it plans to link the Central Bank of Russia's platform with a service that is under development.

Capacity-Building Programme For Afghan Diplomats Begins

Indian and Chinese began a course to train diplomats from Afghanistan at the Foreign Service Institute (FSI) here run by the External Affairs Ministry.
The two-week intensive programme, launched in the presence of Chinese Ambassador to India Sun Weidong, is designed to give the visiting diplomats an exposure to Indian diplomatic practices and traditions.
Inaugurating the event, J.S. Mukul, Dean of the Foreign Service Institute, said 179 Afghan diplomats had been trained at the FSI till date, the largest number of diplomats to be trained from any country at the institute.
It had emerged as an important centre of training of diplomats in South Asia.

India, Russia To Hold 1st Bilateral Regional Forum For States In 2020

India and Russia will hold their maiden Bilateral Regional Forum at the level of Russian Provinces and Indian States be held next year to dismantle the barriers of trade at regional level.
This was decided at a meeting between PM Narendra Modi and President Vladimir Putin in Brasilia on the sidelines of BRICS Summit.
Modi formally announced his visit to Moscow for Victory Day parade in May 2020.

Prince Charles Concludes India Visit, Holds Bilateral Talks To Deepen Cooperation

Britain''s Prince Charles concluded his two-day visit to India after holding a diverse range of engagements to deepen bilateral cooperation on issues like sustainability and climate change.
Charles began his visit by presenting a Commonwealth ''Points of light'' award to Keralan Jolly Johnson, the founder of Helping Hands Organisation (H20), the statement said.
Charles held a bilateral discussion with President Ram Nath Kovind, where they noted their mutual interest in green issues and traditional medicine, as well as the important role of the Commonwealth.
The president gave Charles a tour of the herbal garden, where he planted a champa tree in his name. He also visited the India Meteorological Department to discuss weather forecasting systems.

Nov 14, 2019

2nd edition of the Paris Peace Forum Held in France

French President Emmanuel Macron welcomed more than 30 heads of state and government at the second annual Paris Peace Forum aimed at finding solutions to global challenges ranging from climate change and terrorism to migration and cyber security.
Making an impassioned plea for multilateralism in his opening address at the Paris Peace Forum, Macron called on all delegates to come together to fight climate change, economic inequalities, terrorism, disinformation and cybercrime.

New Zealand Parliament Passes Euthanasia Bill

New Zealand lawmakers voted in favour of a bill to legalise euthanasia, a watershed moment that ended a contentious two-year debate.
But the final decision will rest with voters, who will need to approve the Bill in a referendum in 2020 for it to go into effect. Polls have indicated a majority support the measure.
The Bill was passed 69-51.
The Bill applies only to people who are terminally ill and likely to die within six months. To be eligible, a person must be in irreversible physical decline and experience "unbearable suffering" that cannot be relieved in any other way they find tolerable.

China-Bangladesh to build Dhaka's Mega new Town Project called Purbachal

A Chinese company will play a leading role in building Bangladesh's first smart city and the biggest planned township on the outskirts of capital Dhaka including a mega water project which upon completion will divert water from the Meghna river to the settlement.
The flagship project comes in the backdrop of Beijing pumping in billions of dollars in building the populous country's ports, power stations and roads, and a recent, violent clash between Chinese and local workers at a China-funded power station.
The 6,150-acre town in the northeastern suburbs of Dhaka is being developed as the first smart city in Bangladesh.
Purbachal is the biggest planned township in Bangladesh, with many mega infrastructures including an international exhibition center under construction by another Chinese firm.

India's Pledges to contribute USD 5 million in 2020 to Palestine

India has pledged to contribute USD 5 million in 2020 to the UN Palestine refugee agency, even as it voiced concern over the agency's "dire" financial situation due to the funding gaps that risk its core services to the refugees in the fields of education and health.
India's Deputy Permanent Representative to the UN Ambassador K Nagaraj Naidu said as a mark of solidarity with the Palestine refugees, the Indian government has increased its annual financial contribution fourfold to the core budget of the UN Relief and Works Agency(UNRWA), from USD 1.25 million in 2016 to USD 5 million in 2018.

India, Russia Step up Cyber Security Cooperation after Attack on Kudankulam

India and Russia have stepped up their cyber security cooperation in the backdrop of cyber-attack on Kudankulam nuclear power plant built by global nuclear major Rosatom.
Deputy Chief of Mission of the Russian Embassy Roman Babushkin has said Nuclear Power Corporation of India Limited has informed Russian authorities that the plant is safe and additional steps have been taken to enhance its security further.

PM Modi arrives in Brazil for BRICS Summit

Prime Minister Narendra Modi arrived in Brazil's Brasilia on November 13, 2019. He landed in Brasilia for the 11th BRICS (Brazil, Russia, India, China and South Africa) Summit.
The Prime Minister took part in the summit on November 13-14, 2019. He addressed the BRICS Business Forum and interacted with BRICS Business Council as well as the New Development Bank on the sidelines of the summit.
The summit's theme is 'Economic Growth for an Innovative Future'

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