General Awareness

INTERNATIONAL AFFAIRS - October 2017

Oct 2017

Aug 11, 2021

Biden Rules Out Changes in Troop Withdrawal Plan from Afghanistan

U.S. President Joe Biden ruled out any change in the withdrawal of his troops from Afghanistan despite the Taliban increasingly gaining control over large parts of the country.
But told Afghan leaders that political, economic support will continue after U.S. troops leave.

India Ranks 122nd on New Global Youth Development Index

India is ranked 122nd on a new Global Youth Development Index measuring the condition of young people across 181 countries, released by the Commonwealth Secretariat in London.
The triennial rankings of youth development found India among the top five risers on the index between 2010 and 2018, alongside Afghanistan and Russia, advancing their score on average by 15.74 per cent across areas such as education and employment.
The top five risers from 2010 to 2018 were Afghanistan, India, Russia, Ethiopia and Burkina Faso, says the 2020 Global Youth Development Index'.
Singapore ranked topmost followed by Slovenia, Norway, Malta and Denmark. Chad, the Central African Republic, South Sudan, Afghanistan and Niger came last respectively.

Aug 10, 2021

Germany Rejects Calls to Send Military Back to Afghanistan

Germany's Defence Minister has rejected calls for its soldiers to return to Afghanistan after Taliban fighters took Kunduz city where German troops were deployed for a decade.
The country had the second-largest military contingent in Afghanistan after the United States, losing more troops in combat in Kunduz than anywhere else since World War II.
The Taliban overran six provincial capitals, including Kunduz, during the last four days as it pressed an offensive since foreign troops began a withdrawal.
The German minister said that those now calling for renewed military intervention in Afghanistan must ask themselves what would be the goal and the strategy, as well who would be the partners.

Aug 09, 2021

US Passes Bill to Support Taiwan's Participation in WHO

The US senate-house passed a bill to strengthen support for Taiwan to participate in the World Health Organization (WHO).
The bill states that the COVID-19 pandemic transcends all borders and that Taiwan should not be excluded from the global health body and calls on the U.S. government to formulate strategies to assist the East Asian nation to regain WHO observer status.
"Taiwan is an important partner to the United States, and it is critical that the administration improve its strategy to help Taiwan obtain observer status.
Taiwan's efforts to join WHO begin in 1997 and with US support, the country had participated in World Health Assembly as an observer from 2009-2017 against Beijing's pressure.

Aug 08, 2021

Louis Vuitton Overtakes Jeff Bezos as World's Richest Person

Bernard Arnault, Chairman of Louis Vuitton Moet Hennessy (LVMH), has become the richest person in the world after surpassing Amazon founder Jeff Bezos. The French businessman's net worth is estimated at $198.9 billion, as per the Forbes Real-Time Billionaires List.
Arnault had earlier become the world's richest person in December 2019, January 2020 and May 2021.
As per the latest rankings, Bezos's net worth stood at $194.9 billion while Elon Musk is placed third. Tesla and SpaceX chief Musk's net worth is estimated at $185.5 billion.

Germany Becomes 5th Country to Sign ISA Framework Agreement

Germany became the 5th country to sign the International Solar Alliance Framework Agreement after amendments to it entered into force on 8th January 2021, opening its Membership to all Member States of the United Nations. Ambassador of Germany to India Walter J. Lindner deposited signed copies of the International Solar Alliance Framework Agreement with the Ministry of External Affairs, the depositary of the Agreement.
Membership to the ISA was earlier limited to 121 countries, which were partially or entirely located within the tropics. This didn't allow major solar energy economies such as Germany to join the alliance that is being increasingly seen as a foreign policy tool. The initiative was launched by Prime Minister Narendra Modi at the India Africa Summit and a meeting of member countries ahead of the 2015 United Nations Climate Change Conference in Paris in November 2015. The framework agreement of the International Solar Alliance opened for signatures in Marrakech, Morocco in November 2016.

Aug 07, 2021

Nicaragua Opposition Party Barred from Elections

The main opposition party in Nicaragua has been disqualified ahead of the country's November elections.
The electoral council said the the president of the Citizens Alliance for Liberty Party (CXL) holds dual US and Nicaraguan citizenship in violation of the law.
President Daniel Ortega has been accused of silencing the opposition.
Earlier, the US imposed visa restrictions on dozens of Nicaraguans linked to the government.
Nicaragua's supreme electoral council accused CXL of carrying out "verbal acts that undermine independence, sovereignty and auto-determination".
The electoral council, which is tied to the ruling party, also revoked the citizenship of CXL's leader Carmella Rogers Amburn, also known as Kitty Monterrey, leaving her at risk of deportation.

India Not Invited to 'Extended Troika' Meeting on Afghanistan

India has not been invited to a key meeting next week convened by Russia on the fast-evolving situation in Afghanistan that is expected to be attended by Pakistan, China and the US, even as New Delhi sought to downplay its absence, saying it engages with Russia on regular basis on Afghanistan.
As the Taliban continues its major offensive in Afghanistan, Russia has stepped up efforts to reach out to all key stakeholders in the war-torn country to stop the violence and push the Afghan peace process.
The 'extended Troika' meeting is scheduled to be held in Qatar on August 11. Talks under this framework were earlier held on March 18 and April 30.

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