General Awareness

INTERNATIONAL AFFAIRS - February 2017

Feb 2017

Feb 22, 2022

US, Egypt Launch Working Group to Prepare for COP27 Climate Summit

The United States and Egypt launched a joint working group to prepare for the next climate change summit in November.
Special Presidential Envoy for Climate John Kerry said that the group is focused on the United Nations' COP27 conference in Egypt's Red Sea resort of Sharm el-Sheikh. He said the country has already begun its preparations for the meeting.

Vladimir Putin Recognises Ukraine Rebel Regions as Independent

In what could accelerate the ongoing crisis, Russian President Vladimir Putin recognised two breakaway regions in eastern Ukraine as independent and ordered the Russian army to launch what Moscow called a peacekeeping operation into the area.
Putin, who was joined by Russia-backed separatist leaders, signed a decree recognising the independence of the two Ukrainian breakaway regions -- the self-proclaimed Donetsk People's Republic and the Lugansk People's Republic - along with agreements on cooperation and friendship.
There was no word on the size of the force the Russian President was dispatching, but the decree said Russia now had the right to build military bases in Donetsk and Lugansk.
Moscow, however, denies any plan to attack its neighbour, but has threatened unspecified "military-technical" action unless it receives sweeping security guarantees, including a promise that Ukraine will never join NATO.

Feb 21, 2022

President Vladimir Putin Observes Russia's Strategic Nuclear Forces Exercises

Russian President Vladimir Putin observed the Russia's strategic nuclear forces exercises on screens with Belarusian leader Alexander Lukashenko from a situation centre.
Meanwhile, White House said U.S President Joe Biden's national security team told him they still believe that Russia could launch an attack in Ukraine "at any time" and he planned to convene his top advisers today to discuss the crisis.
On the otherhannd, foreign ministers from the G7 group of rich nations said they had seen no evidence Russia is reducing its military activity in the area and remained "gravely concerned" about the situation.

Biden, Putin agree 'in principle' to Ukraine Summit on condition of no invasion

US President Joe Biden and Russian President Vladimir Putin have agreed "in principle" to a summit over Ukraine, as long as that country holds off on what U.S. officials believe is an imminent assault on Ukraine, the White House has confirmed.
In a statement, White House press secretary Jen Psaki said: "We are always ready for diplomacy. We are also ready to impose swift and severe consequences should Russia instead choose war. And currently, Russia appears to be continuing preparations for a full-scale assault on Ukraine very soon."
The announcement was first made by the office of French President Emmanuel Macron, who assisted in brokering the potential talks between the two leaders. The Elysee Palace stated that Macron had pitched both leaders on a summit over "security and strategic stability in Europe."

Feb 20, 2022

France Joins China to Build $1.7 Billion Global Infra Projects

France became the first country to join China to jointly build seven infrastructure projects worth over USD 1.7 billion in Africa, South East Asia and Eastern Europe, in a boost for Beijing in the face of its growing hostility with the US.
Following up on the virtual meeting between French President Emmanuel Macron and his Chinese counterpart Xi Jinping, the two countries signed the Fourth Round China-France Third-Party Market Cooperation Pilot Project List.
The list includes seven projects in areas like infrastructure, environmental protection and new energy with a total value of over USD 1.7 billion.
France is the first country to establish the third-party market intergovernmental cooperation mechanism with China.

Feb 19, 2022

Ready for Talks with Russia to Achieve Peace: Ukraine President Zelensky

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky said that his country stands ready for talks with Russia to establish peace amid the ongoing border crisis between the two nations.
He noted that Ukraine supports the initiatives of other countries that offer assistance in organising a meeting with the Russian side.
While commenting on the prospects of Ukraine's membership in the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO), which has been one of the main concerns of Russia, Zelensky said that not all NATO members support Ukraine's accession.

Feb 18, 2022

UK Scraps 'Golden Visas' amid Russian Money Concerns

Britain's government scrapped so-called "golden visas" offering residency to wealthy foreign investors amid security concerns and renewed calls for the UK to review its links with Russia.
The Home Office said that the Tier 1 investor visa route has given opportunities for corrupt elites to access the UK. It said that in some cases, the visas have given rise to security concerns, including people acquiring their wealth illegitimately and being associated with wider corruption.
The visa route, which was introduced in 2008, offered residency to people investing 2 million pounds ($2.7 million) or more in the UK and allows their families to join them. It has been shut to all new applicants from all nationalities with immediate effect.

Nepal to Become First Country to Deploy India's UPI Platform

The international arm of the National Payments Corporation of India (NPCI) announced to deploy Unified Payments Interface (UPI) in Nepal to bolster interoperable real-time person-to-person (P2P), person to merchant (P2M) and potential cross-border P2P remittances between Nepal and India.
Nepal is the first country outside India to adopt UPI as the payments platform, driving the digitalisation of cash transactions.
The NPCI International Payments Limited (NIPL), the global arm of the NPCI joined hands with the Gateway Payments Service Pvt Ltd, an authorised Payment System Operators in Nepal, and Manam Infotech Private Limited to deploy UPI in the country.

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