General Awareness

INTERNATIONAL AFFAIRS - November 2017

Nov 2017

Oct 31, 2022

S. Jaishankar Meets British Counterpart Cleverly, Discusses Ukraine War

The Ukraine conflict and the situation in Indo-Pacific figured prominently in talks between External Affairs Minister S. Jaishankar and visiting British Foreign Secretary James Cleverly.
Cleverly arrived in India on Friday on a two-day visit primarily to attend a special meeting of the UN Security Council Counter Terrorism Committee.
It is the first visit by a top-ranking official from Britain after Rishi Sunak took charge as the UK's first Indian-origin prime minister on Tuesday.
During the visit, the British foreign secretary announced further collaboration between the UK and India through British International Investment.
This included 11 million Pound of UK funding invested in Kinara Capital, a woman-led fintech company, according to the British High Commission.

Windergy 2023 to be Held in Chennai in October Next Year

The 5^th edition of India's only comprehensive International Trade Fair and Conference, Windergy India 2023 will be held from 4th October to 6th October 2023.
The Windergy India 2023 will be organised by the Indian Wind Turbine Manufacturers Association (IWTMA) and PDA Ventures Pvt. Ltd., the three-day trade fairs and conference will provide a vibrant platform to meet and interact with policymakers, regulatory authority, international and domestic technology, solution and services providers from the wind power industries.
Indian Wind Turbine Manufacturers Association (IWTMA) was established in 1998 and is the apex business association and voice of the Indian wind Industry.
IWTMA has been at the forefront of the policy framework and regulatory intervention with proactive engagement with Central and State policymakers, Investors, and Stakeholders.

Jair Bolsonaro Becomes First Sitting President in Brazil to Lose Re-Election Bid

Brazilian voters narrowly decided against a second term for far-right President Jair Bolsonaro at national elections on Oct. 30, opting instead for the return of leftwing former President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva, who took 50.9% of the vote against Bolsonaro's 49.1%, according to the official tally.
The result is a stunning political comeback for Lula—as the 77-year-old president-elect is universally known.
Lula left office in 2010 with an 83% approval rating, after overseeing an economic boom and a jump in living standards for poorer Brazilians.
But in 2017, federal prosecutors implicated Lula in a vast corruption scheme and sent him to prison on charges of accepting a bribe.
He, and Brazil's left, have always denied the allegations, and, in 2021, Brazil's Supreme Court overturned his conviction, ruling that his right to a fair trial had been compromised.
That cleared him to run for president again this year.

PM Modi Speaks to Qatar's Amir to Celebrate 50 Yrs of Diplomatic Ties

Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Saturday spoke to Qatar's Amir Tamim bin Hamad Al Thani as the two leaders agreed to jointly celebrate the 50 years of diplomatic relations between the two countries in 2023.
While thanking Qatari Emir Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad Al Thani for his Diwali greetings, Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Saturday conveyed his best wishes to the leader for a successful FIFA World Cup, which is scheduled to kick off from November 20.
The first FIFA World Cup to be held in the Middle East and the Arab world will kick off on November 20, bringing fans from the region and across the world together in a compact and modern setting. The World Cup is scheduled to be held from November 20 to December 18.

Oct 30, 2022

Putin Rules Out Using Nuclear Weapons in Ukraine

Russian President Vladimir Putin denied having any intentions of using nuclear weapons in Ukraine but described the conflict there as part of alleged efforts by the West to secure its global domination, which he insisted are doomed to fail.
In a long speech full of diatribes against the U.S. and its allies, Putin accused the U.S. and its allies of trying to dictate their terms to other nations in a dangerous, bloody and dirty domination game.
Putin, who sent his troops into Ukraine on February 24, has cast Western support for Ukraine as part of broad efforts by Washington and its allies to enforce its will upon others through what they call a rules-based world order. He argued that the world has reached a turning point, when the West is no longer able to dictate its will to the humankind but still tries to do it, and the majority of nations no longer want to tolerate it.

United States Appoints Elizabeth Jones to Serve as Chargé d'Affaires At US Embassy in New Delhi

The Biden administration named a senior US diplomat Elizabeth Jones, who had worked on NATO's role in Europe vis-a-vis Russia as the US Assistant Secretary of State for Europe and Eurasia, as the next Charge d'Affaires ad interim in New Delhi — until a full-time Ambassador is sent to India.
Elizabeth Jones is the sixth interim US envoy in the last 21 months (since January 2021) asked to step in for the job, which is considered a placeholder until a full-time Ambassador is confirmed by the US Congress. During the Obama administration, Jones had served as Deputy Special Representative for Afghanistan and Pakistan and Acting Assistant Secretary of State for Near Eastern Affairs. In October 2021, she was appointed as Coordinator for Afghan relocation efforts.

Oct 29, 2022

In a First, UNSC's Counter Terrorism Committee Meet in India

India is hosting a special meeting of the United Nations Security Council's Counter Terrorism Committee (CTC), which will discuss the overarching theme of 'Countering the use of new and emerging technologies for terrorist purposes'. The panel will also discuss terror-financing through crypto-currency and use of drones in the new-age terrorism.
This will be the first such meeting of the UNSC-CTC in India since its establishment in 2001. The Permanent Representative of India to the UN serves as the Chair of the CTC for 2022.
The United Nations Security Council's Counter Terrorism Committee (CTC) will be hosted in Mumbai and Delhi on October 28 and 29, 2022, respectively.
The use of emerging technologies for spreading terror is an issue of increasing concern across the globe.

US Pledges another USD 30 Million in Assistance for Flood-hit Pakistan

The US pledged an additional USD 30 million in assistance for Pakistan to help the people hit by the devastating floods that have affected 33 million people and killed 1,700 or more since mid-June.
US Ambassador to Pakistan Donald Blome made the announcement during a visit to the Shikarpur district of Sindh, where he helped to distribute emergency shelter, and hygiene kits to flood-affected people.
This new funding brings the United States total assistance to Pakistan for flood response, food security, and disaster preparedness and capacity building efforts to $97 million this year.
The new funding will expand efforts to address immediate needs, scaling up assistance to the most affected communities and enabling USAID to reach more than 4 million people.

Oct 28, 2022

North Korea Fires Ballistic Missile Towards Sea

North Korea fired a ballistic missile towards the sea, as its rival South Korea was wrapping up an annual military drill that the North views as an invasion rehearsal.
As per South Korea's Joint Chiefs of Staff, the missile flew towards North Korea's eastern waters but gave no further details including how far the weapon flew.
The launch, the latest in a series of weapons tests by North Korea in recent weeks, came on the final day of South Korea's annual 12-day "Hoguk" field exercises, which also involved an unspecified number of US troops this year.

7th ASEAN-India Ministerial Meeting Held under Co-chairmanship of Narendra Singh Tomar

The 7th ASEAN-India Ministerial Meeting (AIMMAF) on Agriculture and Forestry was held virtually. The Meeting was co-chaired by Dr. Phet Phomphiphak, Minister of Agriculture and Forestry of Lao PDR and Narendra Singh Tomar, Minister for Agriculture and Farmers' Welfare of India. Agriculture Ministers of Brunei Darussalam, Cambodia, Indonesia, Malaysia, Myanmar, Philippines, Singapore, Thailand and Vietnam also participated in the meeting.
Union Minister Narendra Singh Tomar, in his opening remarks during the meeting, reiterated Prime Minister Narendra Modi's vision of keeping ASEAN at the centre of India's Act East Policy. He also emphasised on mutually close regional cooperation with ASEAN to ensure sustainable and inclusive growth for agricultural development in the region. Referring to the importance of millet (nutritional-cereals) as a nutritious food and the international nutritional-cereal year 2023, Tomar urged the ASEAN member countries to support the efforts of India in increasing the production, processing, value addition and consumption of millets.

Oct 27, 2022

Russia, Belarus Ambassadors Barred from Nobel Prize Ceremony

The ambassadors of Russia and Belarus were excluded from this year's Nobel Prize ceremony because of the war in Ukraine.
The Nobel Foundation, a private foundation which administers the prestigious awards, normally invites ambassadors stationed in Sweden to the annual award ceremony on December 10.

For First Time in New Zealand's History, Women Lawmakers Outnumber Men in Parliament

For the first time in New Zealand's history, a majority of lawmakers are women. Soraya Peke-Mason from the liberal Labour Party was sworn into Parliament, replacing former Speaker Trevor Mallard, who left to become ambassador to Ireland. With the resignation of another male lawmaker, it has tipped the balance in Parliament to 60 women and 59 men.
The milestone places New Zealand among a half-dozen nations in the world that this year can claim at least 50% female representation in their parliaments, according to the Inter-Parliamentary Union. Other nations include Cuba, Mexico, Nicaragua, Rwanda and the United Arab Emirates. Globally, about 26% of lawmakers are women, according to the union.
New Zealand has a history of strong female representation. In 1893, it became the first nation to allow women to vote. Current Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern is the nation's third female leader, and women currently also hold a number of other top roles including chief justice of New Zealand's Supreme Court and governor-general.

Shefali Juneja Elected as Chairperson of Air Transport Committee of ICAO

Shefali Juneja was named the chairperson of the Air Transport Committee (ATC) of the International Civil Aviation Organization (ICAO), a specialized agency of the United Nations, becoming the first Indian in 28 years to do so.
India will be chairing the important committee after 28 years and has had the opportunity of chairing the ATC only twice so far.
This committee handles a big component of ICAO work relating to air transport as nine technical panels report to it. It is therefore a tremendous opportunity to steer issues in the policy arena and deal with new emerging challenges to carve out a better future for international air transport.
In September last year, Juneja was elected as the chairperson of the ICAO'S Aviation Security Committee (ASC) and made an Indian taking charge of the position after a gap of 12 years. Juneja has been serving as India's representative in the council of the ICAO since 2019.

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