General Awareness

INTERNATIONAL AFFAIRS - May 2017

May 2017

Aug 19, 2019

Installation Of Anti-Sex Toilets To Deter Public Romp

There'll be no more sex or violence in one small town's public toilets. Porthcawl, a Welsh seaside town, is spending $200,000 to upgrade its public toilets, so they no longer allow inappropriate sexual activity or vandalism.
Jets of water will shoot out from the futuristic toilets whenever movement sensors sense "violent" activity. Doors will also fly open, and a high pitched alarm will sound.
Inside the toilet, weight sensors will be monitoring activity, and ensuring only one person is in the bathroom at one time.
If someone's in the toilet for too long, a warning message will begin to play, and lights and heat will switch off.
This will also help to ensure rough sleepers won't be able to use the toilets as a place to stay. High pressured wall and floor washers will also be part of the toilet's artillery. The dousing is hoped to prevent smoking, drug taking, and graffiti.

PM To Visit France, UAE, Bahrain To Boost Ties

Prime Minister Narendra Modi is set to visit France, the United Arab Emirates and Bahrain for bilateral meetings that will focus on issues ranging from defence and security cooperation to energy security and the Indo-Pacific.
After completing his visits to the UAE and Bahrain, Modi will jet back to France to attend the outreach session of the G7 Summit in Biarritz.
The prime minister will first travel to Paris during August 22-23, 2019 for a bilateral meeting with President Emmanuel Macron. He will also participate in an event for the Indian community, people familiar with developments said.
Defence and security cooperation and regional and global issues, such as the situation in Afghanistan and the Indo-Pacific, are expected to figure in discussions between the two sides.
After his engagements in Paris, Modi will make a state visit to the UAE during August 23-24, 2019 and then to Bahrain during August 24-25, 2019.
In the UAE, Modi will meet the Crown Prince of Abu Dhabi, Sheikh Mohammed bin Zayed Al Nahyan, to discuss bilateral, regional and international matters of mutual interest.
Modi will also receive the Order of Zayed, the UAE's highest civil decoration that was conferred on him in April for giving a boost to bilateral relations.
The award is named after Sheikh Zayed bin Sultan Al Nahyan, the UAE's founding father, and acquires special significance as it was awarded to Modi in the birth centenary year of Sheikh Zayed.

Aug 18, 2019

Vice Prez Embarks On Three-Nation Visit To Lithuania, Latvia & Estonia

Vice President M. Venkaiah Naidu has embarked on a three-nation visit to Lithuania, Latvia and Estonia.
He is accompanied by a high-level delegation. Vice President's visit will be the first ever high level visit to the three Baltic countries.
The visit takes place in the context of increasing political engagement, as well as intensified trade and commercial ties.
The visit of Vice President to the three Baltic countries is to advance India's outreach to the important countries in the region.
This visit will also provide an opportunity to brief the Baltic countries and get their views on enhanced opportunities for cooperation, thus further strengthening our existing friendly ties.
Notably, India and Baltic countries have historical connect and common linguistic roots.
The cutting edge technology and innovation ecosystems of the Baltic countries complement India's huge market and appetite for these technologies.

Aug 17, 2019

Indonesia To Move Its Capital From Jakarta

Indonesia's president has announced plans to move the country's capital to the island of Borneo.
The move comes because the current capital Jakarta is sinking - with some 40% of its 10 million population now living below sea level.
It also suffers from pollution and overcrowding.
President Joko Widodo told the Indonesian parliament the country's international image is at stake.
In Jakarta, on the island of Java, sea walls are being built but the protection they offer is limited.

Cathay CEO Quits As Hong Kong Protests Continue

The boss of Hong Kong carrier Cathay Pacific Airways quits, the highest profile corporate casualty of unrest roiling the former British colony, after Beijing targeted the airline over staff involvement in mass protests.
The corporate upheaval comes ahead of a weekend where further protests are planned, including what could be a large gathering that could test whether a movement that has enjoyed broad support can retain it, even as violence escalates.
Demonstrators say they are fighting the erosion of the "one country, two systems" arrangement that has enshrined some autonomy for Hong Kong since China took it back from Britain in 1997.
Several thousand protesters gathered peacefully at a downtown park for the "Stand with Hong Kong, Power to the People" rally, which had received police permission.

Jaishankar Meets US official

India and US discussed the road map for future engagements, including a meeting between Prime Minister Narendra Modi and President Donald Trump, and regional issues such as the situation in Afghanistan and Kashmir.
A delegation led by US deputy secretary of state John Sullivan and including the Trump administration's point person for South Asia, Alice Wells, met external affairs minister S Jaishankar to take stock of bilateral ties and issues of mutual interest such as the Indo-Pacific.

Aug 16, 2019

Italian Becomes First Space DJ

Italian astronaut Luca Parmitano of European Space Agency (ESA) has become the first space DJ, after playing a set from the International Space Station to a cruise ship of clubbers in the Mediterranean Sea.
The set, which lasted between 15 and 20 minutes, was broadcast live as a curtain-raiser for a huge music cruise in Ibiza

Under Pressure From Trump, Israel Bars Visit By Two US Democratic lawmakers

Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu barred US Democratic congresswomen Rashida Tlaib and Ilhan Omar from making a planned trip to Israel, shortly after US President Donald Trump called on his ally not to let them in.
Tlaib and Omar, the first two Muslim women elected to Congress, are members of their party's progressive wing and sharp critics both of Trump and of Israel's policy toward the Palestinians.
The moves, which were immediately condemned by many Democratic leaders in the United States as well as Palestinians, could help whip up support among Trump and Netanyahu's conservative voter bases as they head into election campaigns.

Aug 15, 2019

India Contributes $1 Million To UN Special Purpose Trust Fund.

India has contributed $1 million to the UN Special Purpose Trust Fund for the Resident Coordinator System.
The Special Purpose Trust Fund (SPTF) is a specific fund housed within the UN Secretariat established to receive, consolidate, manage and account for all contributions and financial transactions of the new Resident Coordinator system in a transparent and effective way.
Funding sources include voluntary contributions from the Member States, the doubling of cost-sharing amounts from the UN entities who are members of the United Nations development system and a one per cent levy applied to contributions for UN development-related activities earmarked to a single agency, single programme or project.

Renaming LoC 'Ceasefire Line'

The leader of Pakistan-occupied Kashmir said that his government will no longer recognise the Line of Control (LoC) and instead rename it as "Ceasefire Line" after India recently revoked the special status of Jammu and Kashmir.
The LoC was brokered to end the 1971 war between India and Pakistan. PoK is a buffer between Pakistan and India.

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