General Awareness

INTERNATIONAL AFFAIRS - August 2016

Aug 2016

Sep 26, 2022

QUAD Inks HADR Partnership Guidelines

The QUAD countries signed the Humanitarian Assistance and Disaster Relief (HADR) partnership guidelines.
The signed the HADR partnership guidelines ensures expansion of scope of the QUAD alliance.
The signing took place during the QUAD foreign ministers' meeting held at the sidelines of the United Nations General Assembly in New York.
The HADR partnership was announced during the Quad Leaders' Tokyo Summit in May 2022 as part of the grouping's shared vision of free and open Indo-Pacific.
These guidelines trace their origins to the 2004 ad hoc Tsunami Core Group, which sought to strengthen international response during the aftermath of the 2004 tsunami.
These guidelines aim to respond to disasters occurring in the Indo-Pacific region.
The partnership will act as a dedicated framework for QUAD countries and help them boost coordination during disaster response operations.

US Revokes Taliban Ruled Afghanistan's Designation as Major Non-NATO Ally

Over a year after the Taliban overthrew the democratically elected government in Kabul, the United States rescinded the designation of Afghanistan as a major non-NATO ally.
The United States named Afghanistan a major non-NATO ally in July 2012, which paved the way for the two sides to maintain economic and defence ties. It also helped Kabul with defence and security-related aid and equipment.
The change in Afghanistan's status follows Biden's withdrawal of US troops from the country last year, ending nearly 20 years of war.

G-4 Countries Reiterates UNSC Reform

The G4 grouping comprising India, Japan, Germany and Brazil expressed their concern over lack of any meaningful forward movement on long-pending reform of the UN Security Council (UNSC) and demanded urgency on the issue.
The Foreign Ministers of the G4 countries held a virtual meeting coinciding with the 75th session of the UN General Assembly during which they held extensive discussion on the need for urgent reform of the UNSC. The ministers highlighted the urgency of reforming the UN and updating its main decision-making bodies, in order to better reflect contemporary realities.
All members of the G4 support each other's bids for permanent seats on the United Nations Security Council, formed in 2004.
Each of these four countries has figured among the elected non-permanent members of the council since the UN's establishment.

Sep 25, 2022

Tenth IBSA Trilateral Ministerial Commission Meeting Held in New York

The 10th India-Brazil-South Africa Dialogue Forum (IBSA) Trilateral Ministerial Commission meeting was held in New York. The meeting was chaired by External Affairs Minister S. Jaishankar. Minister of Foreign Affairs of Brazil Carlos Alberto Franco França and Minister of Health of South Africa Joe Phaahla were also present during the meeting. The Ministers reviewed the entire gamut of IBSA cooperation.
They held discussions on mutual interests including cooperation in multilateral organizations, South-South cooperation, UNSC reform, 2030 agenda, Sustainable Development Goals, climate change, countering terrorism, and financing for developmental activities. They also held discussions on regional issues like African Union, the Middle East peace process, and the situation in Ukraine.

Sep 24, 2022

Atul Chaturvedi Elected as First Chairman of Asian Palm Oil Alliance

The apex edible oil industry associations from five major palm oil importing countries of Asia -- India, Pakistan, Sri Lanka, Bangladesh and Nepal -- came together and formed the Asian Palm Oil Alliance (APOA).
APOA was launched during the Globoil Summit at Agra on September 21.
The first general body meeting of the Alliance elected Atul Chaturvedi, Director of Adani Wilmar Ltd and President of SEA, as the first Chairman. The website and logo of the APOA were also launched on the occasion. The APOA secretariat would initially be managed by the Solvent Extractors' Association of India (SEA).
APOA is expected to safeguard the economic and business interests of the palm-oil consuming countries and create a level-playing field for all fats and oils used in food, feed and oleo-chemicals in Asia. It will further work towards increasing the consumption of sustainable palm oil in member countries.

Sep 23, 2022

Biden Nominates Veteran Foreign Service Officer as Ambassador to Russia

President Joe Biden formally nominated a veteran foreign service officer with years of experience in Russian affairs to be the next US ambassador to Russia.
The White House announced the nomination of Lynne Tracy, the current US ambassador to Armenia, to the post after the Russian government signed off on the choice. Tracy's selection had been known for some time but had not been announced pending Russia's approval. Ambassadorial nominations must be approved by the host government under the rules of diplomatic protocol.
Tracy, who speaks Russian, previously served as a senior adviser for Russian affairs in the State Department's Bureau of European and Eurasian Affairs, and as the deputy chief of mission at the US Embassy in Moscow.

Sep 22, 2022

Nepal President Refuses to Ratify Citizenship Bill to Safeguard Constitution

Nepal President Bidhya Devi Bhandari denied authenticating the Citizenship Bill despite the constitutionally bounded provision to ratify it within 15 days after it has been re-approved by both Houses.
President's political advisor Lalbabu Yadav confirmed that Bhandari refused to authenticate the bill in order to safeguard the Constitution.
It is stated in Article 61(4) that the main duty of the president shall be to abide by and protect the Constitution. This means protecting all articles of the Constitution. One cannot say by only looking at Article 113 that the president did not fulfil her constitutional responsibility.

India's Presidency of AIBD Extended for One more Year

India's Presidency of the Asia-Pacific Institute of Broadcasting Development (AIBD), was extended for one more year. The Chief Executive Officer of Prasar Bharati and Director General of Doordarshan Mayank Kumar Agrawal is the President of AIBD.
The decision to extend AIBD was taken at the two-day General Conference of the AIBD held in New Delhi. The conference was inaugurated by the Union Minister for Information and Broadcasting Anurag Thakur.
The AIBD was formed in the year 1977. It is an inter-governmental organization of the Union Nations Economic and Social Commission for Asia and the Pacific. AIBD works in the field of electronic media development and currently has 26 countries as complete members represented by 43 organizations and 52 affiliate members. The AIBD is hosted by the Government of Malaysia and the secretariat is located in Kuala Lumpur.

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