General Awareness

INTERNATIONAL AFFAIRS - November 2017

Nov 2017

Feb 22, 2021

US Won't Bow to Pressure from Iran

The United States plans to take no additional actions in response to pressure from Iran before talks with Tehran and major powers about returning to the 2015 Iran nuclear deal.
Tehran and Washington have been at odds over who should make the first step to revive the accord. Iran says the United States must first lift former President Donald Trump's sanctions, while Washington says Tehran must first return to compliance with the deal.
The United States said that it was ready to talk to Iran about both nations returning to the deal that aimed to prevent Tehran from acquiring nuclear weapons, which Trump, a Republican, abandoned nearly three years ago.

Trump Ally, UAE Firm Violated Libya Sanction, Planned Executing Targets

American security contractor Erik Prince, a close ally of former U.S. President Donald Trump, violated the U.N. arms embargo against Libya along with three United Arab Emirates-based companies and their top managers during an operation to help a rebel military commander take the capital Tripoli.
In a key section of a report to the U.N. Security Council obtained by a panel of experts, the panel of experts outlined a well-funded private military company operation called Project Opus designed to provide military equipment to eastern-based commander Khalifa Hifter.

India and Ethiopia Sign Agreements

India and Ethiopia signed two agreements on visa facilitation and leather technology. Demeke Mekonnen Hassen, Ethiopian Deputy Prime Minister, and Foreign Minister is on a four-day visit to India.
The agreements between both the countries were signed in the presence of the Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister of Ethiopia, Demeke Mekonnen Hassen, and the External Affairs Minister of India S. Jaishankar.
The two ministers, while signing the agreement, also agreed on expanding the bilateral agenda of India and Ethiopia especially on economic, defence, digital, Science and Technology, and cultural cooperation. The Ethiopian Minister also briefed in detail about the ongoing situation in the region.

Feb 21, 2021

India, Nepal sign MoU for Reconstruction of Six Secondary Schools in Himalayan Nation

India and Nepal signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) for the reconstruction of six secondary schools in the Himalayan nation.
The MoU was signed between the Indian Embassy and Nepal's Central Level Project Implementation Unit (Education) of Nepal Reconstruction Authority (NRA).
The MoU was for the construction of six secondary schools at a total cost of Nepali Rupees 518 million, according to a statement by the Indian Embassy.
Of the six schools, four including Kanti Bhairab Secondary School, Champa Devi Secondary School, Dhapasi Secondary School and Bishnu Devi Secondary School are located in Kathmandu district and the remaining two Siddheshwar Secondary School and Harisiddhi Secondary School are located in Kavre district. Of the six schools, a groundbreaking ceremony of one was held yesterday amid a ceremony in Thali of Kathmandu.

Feb 20, 2021

France Approves the Ant-Radicalism Bill

The lower house of the French parliament approved the Ant-Radicalism Bill in a bid to fight the Islamic radicalism.
The bill seeks to strengthen the government oversight of mosques and religious schools.
It will also take strong actions against the polygamy and forced marriage.
The bill provides for measures with the aim of rooting out the Islamic radicalism.
It is a part of the broader French efforts that it initiated with the aim of fighting extremism.
It will also promote respect for French values.
The bill was passed in the backdrop of fighting extremism in the country. This fight against extremism gained momentum after a teacher was beheaded in October 2020.

China Overtakes US as EU's Biggest Trading Partner

China is now the EU's biggest trading partner, overtaking the US in 2020.
China bucked a wider trend, as trade with most of Europe's major partners dipped due to the Covid-19 pandemic.
Trade between China and the EU was worth $709bn (€586bn, £511bn) last year, compared with $671bn worth of imports and exports from the US.
Although China's economy cratered in the first quarter due to the pandemic, its economic recovery later in the year fuelled demand for EU goods.
China was the only major global economy to see growth in 2020, stoking demand for European cars and luxury goods.
Meanwhile, China's exports to Europe benefited from strong demand for medical equipment and electronics.

Feb 19, 2021

U.S. will Pay Over $200 Million in WHO Contributions

U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken announced that his country would pay the World Health Organization (WHO) $200 million by the end of this month.
The announcement is significant as former U.S. President Donald Trump had begun the process of withdrawing the U.S. from the WHO, a process stopped by his successor, President Joe Biden.
Mr. Trump had pulled the U.S. out of the WHO which he had called a "puppet of China". This process would have been complete in mid-2021, but Mr. Biden halted and reversed it hours after assuming office last month.

Harsh Vardhan Shringla meets Deputy Foreign Minister of Russia Sergey Ryabkov in Moscow

Foreign Secretary Harsh Vardhan Shringla had a productive meeting with Deputy Foreign Minister of Russian Sergey Ryabkov during which the two sides exchanged views on a number of issues concerning regional and global security.
Mr Shringla is on an official visit to Moscow. The Foreign Secretary also briefed the Deputy Foreign Minister about India's priorities during its BRICS chairmanship in 2021.
Despite the COVID-19 pandemic situation, India and Russia have sustained the momentum of the Special and Privileged Strategic Partnership between the two countries. This year's first visit abroad by the Foreign Secretary to Moscow signifies the importance India attaches to its close and friendly relations with the Russian Federation.

Facebook Blocks Australians from Accessing News on Platform

Facebook has blocked Australians from viewing and sharing news on the platform because of proposed laws in the country to make digital giants pay for journalism.
Australian publishers can continue to publish news content on Facebook, but links and posts can't be viewed or shared by Australian audiences, the U.S.-based company said in a statement.
Australian users cannot share Australian or international news.
International users outside Australia also cannot share Australian news.
"The proposed law fundamentally misunderstands the relationship between our platform and publishers who use it to share news content," Facebook regional managing director William Easton said.

Georgia PM Giorgi Gakharia Quits

The prime minister of Georgia has resigned over plans to arrest an opposition leader, saying the move could cause "political escalation".
Giorgi Gakharia said a court decision to place Nika Melia in pre-trial detention posed "a risk to the health and lives of our citizens".
Mr Melia has been accused of organising mass violence during anti-government protests in 2019.
He denies the charges but faces a nine-year sentence if convicted.
The country's Interior Ministry said in a tweet that Mr Melia's arrest had been "temporarily postponed" after the prime minister announced he was stepping down on Thursday morning.

Feb 18, 2021

Iran's Khamenei Demands Action from Biden to Revive Nuclear Deal

Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei demanded action, not words from the United States if it wants to revive Iran's 2015 nuclear deal with world powers, challenging new President Joe Biden to take the first step toward a thaw.
Iran has set a deadline for Biden to begin reversing sanctions imposed by his predecessor Donald Trump, or it will take its biggest step yet to breach the deal - banning short-notice inspections by the U.N. nuclear watchdog.
Biden aims to restore the pact under which Iran agreed to curbs on its disputed uranium enrichment programme in return for the lifting of sanctions, a major achievement of the Obama administration that Trump scrapped in 2018, calling the deal one-sided in Iran's favour and reimposing a wide range of sanctions.
Iran and the United States are at odds over who should make the first step to revive the accord. Iran says the United States must first lift Trump's sanctions while Washington says Tehran must first return to compliance with the deal, which it began violating after Trump launched his "maximum-pressure" campaign.

Blinken to Hold 'Quad' Meet with Australia, India and Japan

US State Department Secretary Antony Blinken will be speaking to his counterparts from Japan, Australia and India as part of the "Quad" group of countries.
The Quad initiative is expected to put an end to the economic coercion tactics of China and cooperation with Japan and other allies will checkmate Chinese development assistance and its hegemony in the region.
As per Price, this discussion with Quad Foreign Ministers is critical to advancing our shared goals of a free and open Indo-Pacific and rising to the defining challenges of our time.
This comes as members of the Quad framework- the US, India, Japan and Australia - are working to arrange the first meeting of their leaders amid China's growing clout in the region.

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