General Awareness

INTERNATIONAL AFFAIRS - November 2017

Nov 2017

Dec 01, 2020

India Refuses to Support China's Mega Connectivity Project at SCO

Reiterating its stance yet again, India refused to extend support to China's mega connectivity project One Belt One Road (OBOR) initiative at the Shanghai Cooperation Organization (SCO). India was the only country in the 8 member grouping, which refused to support the project that has often been in news for its lack of transparency and whooping cost for the host country.
The Republic of Kazakhstan, the Kyrgyz Republic, the Islamic Republic of Pakistan, the Russian Federation, the Republic of Tajikistan and the Republic of Uzbekistan, reaffirming their support for China's One Belt, One Road" (OBOR) Initiative (BRI).
India had become a member of the Beijing headquartered grouping in 2017.

Biden Names Top Economic Advisers

President-elect Joe Biden unveiled his picks for several top economic positions, including former Federal Reserve Chair Janet Yellen as his nominee for Treasury Secretary, setting the stage for a more diverse White House.
Biden named leading members of an economic team that will have to combat the crushing blows to United States workers and businesses from the Covid pandemic.
Indian-origin Neera Tanden has been named for the position of Director of the Office of Management and Budget. State Department ex-spokesperson Jen Psaki has been named White House press secretary. Cecilia Rouse, will be the Chair of the Council of Economic Adviser.
In contrast to Trump, who largely picked white men for key positions, Biden's early appointments were shaping up to be highly diverse, including an all-women communications team unveiled earlier.

Aseefa Bhutto Zardari, Benazir Bhutto's Daughter, Makes Political Debut in Multan

Aseefa Bhutto Zardari, the youngest daughter of Pakistan's slain Prime Minister Benazir Bhutto, made her political debut in Multan at a rally of the Pakistan Democratic Movement (PDM), the 11-party opposition alliance.
In her speech, Aseefa called on the crowd to remember her mother's sacrifices for democracy and urged them to support her brother Bilawal Bhutto in his fight for true democracy in the country.

China's Proposed Hydropower Project in Brahmaputra, Tibet

Under the 14th five-year plan that is to be implemented from 2021, China has proposed hydropower project on Brahmaputra River in Tibet. The project has been proposed by the Central Committee of the ruling Communist Party of China. The Committee prepared the fourteenth five-year plan, 2021 to 2025 and the long-term goals through 2035 of China.
The riparian states of the Brahmaputra River such as Bangladesh and India have raised concerns against the proposal.
The Brahmaputra is called Yarlung Zangpo in the region. According to the Chinese, the river has the richest water resources in the Tibet autonomous region. It has a potential to generate 80 million kilowatt hours. On the other hand, the 50-kilometre section of the river's Grand Canyon alone has potential to develop 70 million kilowatt hours which could be easily generated with just 2000 metres drop. This equals more than 3 gorgeous power stations installed in the Hubei province.

Nov 30, 2020

India, Sri Lanka, Maldives Agree to Improve Intel Sharing

Top security officials of India, Sri Lanka and the Maldives agreed to further strengthen cooperation and ensure peace for common benefit as they took stock of the current maritime security environment in the region during the high-level trilateral dialogue held here after a gap of six years.
National Security Advisor Ajit Doval took part in the dialogue along with Sri Lankan Defence Secretary Major Gen (Retd.) Kamal Gunaratne and Maldivian Defence Minister Mariya Didi.
Sri Lanka hosted the fourth National Security Adviser-level trilateral meeting on maritime security cooperation with India and the Maldives. It took place after six years. The last meeting was held in New Delhi in 2014.
According to a joint statement issued by Sri Lanka's Ministry of Defence, the three countries — recognising the significance of the forum for promoting meaningful cooperation in the Indian Ocean Region on common issues pertaining to maritime security — took stock of the current maritime security environment in the region.
They discussed mutual cooperation in the areas of Maritime Domain Awareness, Humanitarian Assistance and Disaster Relief, Joint Exercises, Capacity Building, Maritime Security and Threats, Marine Pollution, and Maritime Underwater Heritage, it said.

China's First Domestically Made Nuclear Reactor Goes Online

Reducing its dependence on Western allies in critical high-tech sectors such as power generation is a key goal in Beijing's "Made in China 2025" plan.
Billions of dollars in state subsidies have been given to Chinese companies to speed the process — a move that has angered China's trade partners and sparked a protracted trade row with Washington.
Work on the Hualong One reactor started in 2015 and there are currently six other reactors under construction at home and abroad, state-owned plant operator CNNC said.
The Hualong One, deployed at a plant in east China's Fujian province, will be put into commercial use by the end of the year after undergoing tests.
China has 47 nuclear plants with a total generation capacity of 48.75 million kilowatts — the world's third highest after the U.S. and France.

Ethiopia PM says Tigray Operation over after Army Seizes Mekelle

Ethiopia's Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed has announced the end of military operations in the northern Tigray region after the army said it was in "full control" of the regional capital, Mekelle.
Since November 4, the Ethiopian government has been trying to quell a rebellion by a powerful ethnic faction, the Tigray People's Liberation Front (TPLF), in a war that has shaken the Horn of Africa. Thousands of people are believed to have died and nearly one million forced from their homes, including some 43,000 refugees who fled to neighbouring Sudan.

Nov 29, 2020

Pakistan Cabinet Approves Chemical Castration of Rapists

As per reports, Pakistan's Cabinet has approved two anti-rape ordinances which called for the chemical castration of rapists with the consent of the convict and setting up of special courts for rape trials.
A meeting of the Cabinet committee on legislative cases chaired by federal Law Minister Farogh Naseem approved the Anti-Rape (Investigation and Trial) Ordinance 2020 and the Criminal Law (Amendment) Ordinance 2020. The ordinances have already been approved in-principle by the federal Cabinet.
The concept of chemical castration for first or repeated offenders has been introduced mainly as a form of rehabilitation, and subject to consent of the convict.

President Kaboré Wins Second Term in Burkina Faso

Roch Christian Marc Kaboré has been re-elected for a second five-year term as the President of Burkina Faso.
According to results released by the Electoral Commission, he took 58% of the vote.
His nearest rival, Eddie Komboïgo of the former ruling Congress for Democracy and Progress, got 16% of the vote.
This marks a comeback of sorts for the party of Blaise Compaore, who was ousted in 2014 after 27 years in power.
Official turnout figures show that just over half of those registered to vote took part in the poll, which was marred by threats of violence from Islamist militant groups, meaning many polling stations were unable to open.
These provisional results now need to be confirmed by the Constitutional Court.

Nov 28, 2020

Berlin to Name Street after Tanzanian Independence Activist

Councilors in the German capital, Berlin, have voted to replace a street name honouring a colonial governor in East Africa accused of having ordered massacres with one of a leading female Tanzanian independence activist.
Wissmannstraße, named after Hermann von Wissmann, is set to become Lucy-Lameck-Straße.
She was Tanzania's first female cabinet minister as well as a leading figure in the country's independence movement.
Von Wissmann was Governor of German East Africa (now Tanzania, Burundi and Rwanda) in the late 19th Century and is believed to have been behind the mass killings of local people.
Berlin Postkolonial, one of the groups behind the call for the name change, welcomed the local authority's decision.

India to Build Shahoot Dam in Afghanistan

The Union Minister of External Affairs Jaishankar recently announced at the Geneva Donors conference that India is to construct the Shahtoot Dam across the Maidan River, a tributary of Kabul River in Afghanistan. The negotiations to build the dam across the river began in 2016.
In 2016, India had funded for the Salma dam across Hari River (Herat province) of Afghanistan. The dam is also called the Afghan-India Friendship Dam.
The Shahtoot dam is to be constructed across Kabul River, one of the five river basins of Afghanistan. The dam will provide irrigation, drinking water for the Kabul province of the country. The cost of the project has been estimated at 305 million USD.

Nov 27, 2020

India-Lanka-Maldives to Revive NSA Level Dialogue

India-Sri Lanka-Maldives are all set to revive trilateral dialogue between NSAs of the three states, six years after it was stalled, eyeing to counter-terror in the zone and provide stability to the region.
Maj Gen (Retd). Kamal Gunaratne is hosting National Security Adviser Ajit Doval in Colombo for the 4th NSA Level Meeting on Trilateral Maritime Security Cooperation, being hosted by Sri Lanka.
Earlier Meetings were held in 2011 in Maldives, in 2013 in Sri Lanka, and in 2014 in India. The NSA-level Trilateral Meeting has served as an effective platform for cooperation among Indian Ocean countries. Mauritius and Seychelles attended the 3rd meeting as guest countries.
Defence Minister Mariya Didi will also participate in the meeting representing Maldives.

China's First Hualong One Nuclear Reactor Starts Operations

As per China National Nuclear Corp (CNNC), its first Hualong One, a third-generation pressurised water nuclear reactor, has started operations and is connected to the grid.
The design, seen as competition to the Westinghouse-developed AP1000 and Europe's EPR, is deployed in the 1,150-megawatt Fuqing Unit 5 in the southeastern province of Fujian.
Hualong One is designed to have a 60-year lifespan and its reactor core needs refuelling every 18 months.
The second Hualong One at Fuqing, Unit 6, is scheduled for completion in 2021.
China currently has six overseas Hualong One projects under construction.

S. Korea and China Vow to Strengthen Ties

The Foreign Ministers of South Korea and China pledged to work together to advance bilateral ties and tackle regional and global issues, including stalled nuclear talks involving North Korea and the coronavirus pandemic.
South Korea's Kang Kyung-wha held talks with her Chinese counterpart Wang Yi.

UAE Halts New Visas to Citizens of 13 Countries

As per reports, the United Arab Emirates has stopped issuing new visas to citizens of 13 mostly Muslim-majority countries, including Iran, Syria, Afghanistan and Pakistan.
A document said that applications for new employment and visit visas had been suspended for nationals - those outside the UAE - of 13 countries that also included Somalia, Libya and Yemen until further notice.
The ban also applies to citizens of Algeria, Kenya, Iraq, Lebanon, Tunisia and Turkey.
The visa ban also comes two months after the Gulf state established formal ties with Israel, a move that broke with decades of Arab policy and angered some Muslim states and communities.

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