General Awareness

INTERNATIONAL AFFAIRS - March 2018

Mar 2018

Jul 25, 2020

Shanghai Cooperation Organisation (SCO) Health Minister's Digital Meet

Dr. Harsh Vardhan, Union Minister of Health and Family Welfare digitally participated in the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation (SCO) Health Minister's Digital Meet at Nirman Bhawan-Delhi. The meet was chaired by Mikhail Murashko, Minister of Health of the Russian Federation. The ongoing COVID crisis was the key topic of discussion.
Speaking of India's political commitment to contain the pandemic, he spoke how the Prime Minister has personally monitored the situation and ensured a pre-emptive, pro-active and graded response to prevent the deadly virus from spreading.

Croatia Parliament Approves New Centre-right Government

The Croatian Parliament approved a new government led by a conservative party that won a parliamentary election earlier this month.
Prime Minister Andrej Plenkovic's government won support in the 151-member assembly in a 76-59 vote. The remaining MPs were either not present or abstained from voting.
The new cabinet has 18 ministers, down two from his first government, and four Deputy Prime Ministers, including Boris Milosevic, a Serb.
Gordan Grlic Radman remains Foreign Minister. He is seen as pivotal to keeping public finances on track for Croatia's bid to adopt the euro by 2024.

Tanzania's Former President Benjamin Mkapa Passes Away

Tanzania's former President Benjamin Mkapa died in hospital at Dar es Salaam Hospital where he had been admitted for an undisclosed illness.
Mr. Mkapa became Tanzania's President following the country's first multiparty election in 1995 and went on to lead the country up to 2005.
He is credited for boosting tax collections, instituting austerity measures to curb wasteful expenditure and opening doors to foreign investors.
His reforms were welcomed by the World Bank and International Monetary Fund and partly resulted in the cancellation of Tanzania's foreign debts.
His privatisation policy was however much criticised locally, and he later admitted that although he had good intentions the policy was not well executed.

Jul 24, 2020

China Tells US to Close Consulate in Chengdu

China ordered the United States to close its consulate in the western city of Chengdu, ratcheting up a diplomatic conflict at a time when relations have sunk to their lowest level in decades.
The move was a response to the Trump administration's order this week for Beijing to close its consulate in Houston after Washington accused Chinese agents of trying to steal medical and other research in Texas.
The Chinese foreign ministry appealed to Washington to reverse its wrong decision.
Chinese-U.S. relations have soured amid a mounting array of conflicts including trade, the handling of the coronavirus pandemic, technology, spying accusations, Hong Kong and allegations of abuses against Chinese Muslims.
The United States has an embassy in Beijing and consulates in five other mainland cities — Shanghai, Guangzhou, Chengdu, Shenyang and Wuhan. It also has a consulate in Hong Kong, a Chinese territory.

Trump Launches 'Operation Legend' to Send Federal Agents to more U.S. Cities

U.S. President Donald Trump announced a plan to send federal agents to more U.S. cities to crack down on violent crime in an escalation of his law and order theme going into the November 3 presidential election.
Mr. Trump, joined at a White House event by Attorney General William Barr, unveiled an expansion of the "Operation Legend" program to include cities such as Chicago and Albuquerque, New Mexico, in a further effort by federal officials to tackle violence.
The program involves deploying federal law enforcement agents to assist local police in combating what the Justice Department has described as a surge of violent crime.
New York Governor Andrew Cuomo said that federal intervention was not required to help with violence in New York City, and Chicago Mayor Lori Lightfoot has also urged Mr. Trump not to send unidentified federal agents to her city.
"Operation Legend" is named for LeGend Taliferro, a 4-year-old boy who was shot and killed while he slept, in early June in Kansas City, Missouri.

Nicaragua Signs International Solar Alliance Framework Agreement

Nicaragua became the latest country to join the International Solar Alliance Framework Agreement, an initiative led by India to promote sustainable energy. Nicaragua's Permanent Representative to the United Nations Jaime Hermida Castillo signed the agreement at the Permanent Mission of India to the United Nations. The Central American country is the 87th country to sign the agreement.
Nicaragua recognises the ISA as a key initiative for promoting sustainable energy. The ISA is an alliance of 121 countries, most of them being sunshine countries which lie either completely or partly between the Tropic of Cancer and the Tropic of Capricorn.
The ISA Framework Agreement was opened for signature during the United Nations Climate Change Conference in Morocco in November 2016 and the ISA became a treaty-based intergovernmental body in December 2017. The Founding Conference of the ISA jointly hosted by Modi and French President Emmanuel Macron in New Delhi in March 2018 was attended by leaders of 48 countries, including 25 heads of state and government.

Turkmenistan Gets Observer Status in World Trade Organisation

Turkmenistan became the 25th country who was granted observer status in the World Trade Organisation (WTO) enabling the nation to establish permanent residence at WTO headquarters in Geneva, Switzerland and monitor its proceedings. Turkmenistan also became the last former Soviet republic to establish formal ties with the trade body. This observer status was granted during the 5th virtual session of WTO General Council which was held from WTO headquarters and attended by representatives of its member-states.
Apart from other member states, India also supported Turkmenistan as an observer of WTO.
Turkmenistan, a Central Asian country filed a request for observer status in May, 2020 and expressed willingness to initiate talks on accession to the WTO within five years.

Jul 23, 2020

Ethiopia, Egypt and Sudan to Resume Talks on Ethiopia's Grand Renaissance Dam Reservoir on Nile

According to Ethioppia, the first-year target for filling the controversial mega dam on the River Nile was reached.
This would allow the first set of turbines to be tested.
Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed's announcement came as Ethiopia, Egypt and Sudan agreed to resume talks over the dam, following a virtual summit.
The project has been a source of huge diplomatic tension since its construction began in Ethiopia in 2011.
Ethiopia sees the hydroelectric project as crucial for its economic growth and a vital source of energy.
But Egypt and Sudan, which are downstream, fear the $4bn (£3bn) dam will greatly reduce their access to water.
Years of fraught negotiations have failed to reach a consensus on how and when to fill the reservoir, and how much water it should release.
When operational, the Grand Ethiopian Renaissance Dam (Gerd) will generate 6,000 megawatts, making it the largest hydroelectric dam in Africa. It will provide power to some 65 million Ethiopians, who currently lack a regular electricity supply.

UK to Open Citizenship Path to Hong Kong Residents from January 2021

Britain's government announced that it will open a new special pathway to obtaining British citizenship for eligible Hong Kongers from January 2021.
The Home Office said that holders of the British National Overseas passport and their immediate family members can move to the UK to work and study.
The change to immigration rules was introduced after China imposed a new, sweeping national security law on Hong Kong.
Those eligible can access the British job market at any skill level and without a salary threshold, but will not have access to public funds.
Home Secretary Priti Patel said that the UK has a strong historic relationship with the people of Hong Kong and we are keeping our promise to them to uphold their freedoms.
Those who come to the UK through the new pathway will be able to apply to settle in Britain permanently once they have lived in the UK for five years.
Then after a further 12 months, they can apply for British citizenship.

Government in Pakistan's Balochistan Hands Over Quetta Gurdwara to Sikhs After 73 Years

The government in Pakistan's Balochistan province handed over a 200-year-old gurdwara to the Sikh community after a period of 73 years.
As per reports, the Siri Guru Singh Gurdwara was used as APWA Government High Girls School since 1947.
The students who were studying in APWA Government Girls High School have been asked to seek admission to nearby schools.
Sardar Jasbeer Singh, chairman of the Sikh Community Committee in Balochistan, welcomed the move and described it as a gift from the Balochistan government to the Sikh community living in the province.
Around 2,000 Sikh families live in Balochistan.

The US Orders China to Close its Consulate in Houston

The US ordered China to close its consulate in Houston, Texas, a move described as political provocation by Beijing.
As per US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo, the decision was taken because China was stealing intellectual property.
China's foreign ministry condemned the move, saying its embassy in Washington had received death threats.
Earlier, unidentified individuals were filmed burning paper in bins in the Houston building's courtyard.
Tensions have been rising between the US and China for some time. President Donald Trump's administration has clashed repeatedly with Beijing over trade and the coronavirus pandemic, as well as China's imposition of a controversial new security law on Hong Kong.

India among 10 Worst Countries for Working People: ITUC Global Rights Index 2020

In accordance with the 7th edition of "International Trade Union Confederation (ITUC) Global Rights Index 2020-The World's Worst Countries for Workers", India became the new entrant in the 10 worst countries for working people in the world, with a rating of 5 that states "no guarantee of rights". The index ranked 144 countries on the basis of respect for workers' rights.
The other countries among the worst ten are- Bangladesh, Brazil, Colombia, , Kazakhstan, Philippines, Turkey and Zimbabwe along with Egypt and Honduras being the other two new entrants apart from India.
On the region front, Middle East and North Africa (MENA) is the worst region with 4.44 rating followed by Asia-Pacific with 4.09 in the world for working people for seven years (2014-2020).
India's ranking was based on three factors viz. Mass dismissals, Brutal repression of strikes, and Regressive laws.
ITUC Global Rights Index depicts the world's worst countries for workers by rating countries on a scale from 1 to 5+ with 1 being the best rating and 5+ the worst rating. Violations in each country are recorded annually from April to March against a list of 97 indicators.

Jul 22, 2020

EU Leaders Reach $2 trillion Deal on Recovery Plan

European Union leaders finally clinched an unprecedented 1.82 trillion euro ($2.1 trillion) budget and coronavirus recovery fund, somehow finding unity after four days and as many nights of fighting and wrangling over money and power in one of their longest summits ever.
To confront the biggest recession in its history, the EU had a consensus on a 750 billion euro coronavirus fund to be sent as loans and grants to the countries hit hardest by the virus. That comes on top of the seven-year 1 trillion euro EU budget. At first the grants were to total 500 billion euros, but the figure was brought down to 390 billion euros.
The coronavirus has sent the EU into a tailspin, killing around 135,000 of its citizens and plunging its economy into an estimated contraction of 8.3% this year.
The bloc's executive has proposed a 750 billion euro coronavirus fund, partly based on common borrowing, to be sent as loans and grants to the countries hit hardest by the virus. That comes on top of the seven-year 1 trillion euro EU budget that leaders had been haggling over for months even before the pandemic.
All nations agree in principle they need to band together but the five richer countries in the north want strict controls on spending, while struggling southern nations like Spain and Italy say those conditions should be kept to a minimum. The five have been pushing for labor market and pension reforms to be linked to EU handouts and a ``brake'' enabling EU nations to monitor and, if necessary, halt projects that are being paid for by the recovery fund.

India and Maldives Sign Agreement for Establishment of Emergency Medical Services in Male

India and Maldives signed an agreement for establishment of 'Emergency Medical Services' in capital Male. It is one of the several small and medium projects that are being financed by India under a grant assistance of around 20 million US dollars for the neighbouring country.
Maldives' Foreign Minister Abdulla Shaheed said that the emergency medical service unit will enhance timely access to quality emergency care. He added it will increase collaboration between healthcare facilities and disaster response agencies, especially during critical times of need.

US Adds 11 Chinese Companies to Economic Blacklist

The U.S. Commerce Department added 11 Chinese companies implicated in what it said were human rights violations in connection with China's treatment of its Uighurs in Xinjiang in western China to the U.S. economic blacklist.
As per the department, the companies are involved in using forced labor by Uighurs and other Muslim minority groups. They include numerous textile companies and two firms the government said were conducting genetic analyses used to further the repression of Uighurs and other Muslim minorities.
It was the third group of companies and others in China added to the U.S. entity list after two prior announcements added 37 companies and others that the Trump administration said were involved in China's repression in Xinjiang.

Jul 21, 2020

Putin Picks New Governor after Murder Allegation

Russian President Vladimir Putin has named a new acting governor for the Khabarovsk region after days of demonstrations.
Governor Sergei Furgal was arrested for murder earlier this month, sparking protests in the far eastern province.
His supporters believe the charges against him are politically motivated.
The protests come just weeks after Mr. Putin won backing for major constitutional reforms in a national referendum, which allow him to stay in power for an additional two terms - prompting fears of a crackdown on the opposition.
President Putin formally removed Mr. Furgal from his post on Monday and named Mikhail Degtyaryov as the acting head of the region.
Mr. Degtyaryov is a member of the ultra-nationalist Liberal Democratic Party (LDPR), just like Mr. Furgal.

China Warns UK of Consequences over Hong Kong Interference

The UK will bear the consequences if it continues to go down the wrong road on Hong Kong, China has warned.
The UK suspended an extradition treaty with Hong Kong over a new security law for the ex-colony, which gives Beijing more power.
In response, the Chinese ambassador in London said that the UK had blatantly interfered in China's affairs.
Earlier this month, Prime Minister Boris Johnson pledged to offer three million Hong Kong residents the chance to settle in the UK, allowing them to ultimately apply for British citizenship.
And the government separately announced it would require the removal of Chinese technology from the UK's fledgling 5G mobile network.
The moves came after Beijing introduced the controversial new security law at the end of June, creating offences that could see Hong Kong residents sent to mainland China for trial.
Critics have claimed the law could see pro-democracy protesters in the region being served with life sentences.

I CC Finally Postpones T20 World Cup

Ending months of suspense, the International Cricket Council (ICC) announced postponement of the upcoming men's T20 World Cup, which was scheduled to kick off on 18th October in Australia.
he decision gives the Indian cricket board a clear window for the 13th edition of the Indian Premier League (IPL), which was also deferred due the Covid-19 pandemic.
The ICC also announced windows for the next three ICC men's events, in order to bring clarity to the calendar and give the sport the best possible opportunity over the next three years to recover from the disruption caused by Covid-19.
ICC will conduct the Men's T20 World Cup in 2021, 2022 and 2023 during the months of October and November. While the host for 2021 and 2022 are not announced yet, the 2023 World Cup will be held in India.

Egyptian MPs Approve Military Deployment in Libya

The Parliament in Egypt voted to authorise the deployment of its military abroad to defend national security and – in its words – fight criminals and foreign terrorists on a western front.
It is an apparent reference to neighbouring Libya, where Egypt has been supporting the renegade general Khalifa Haftar who has been forced back from positions around the capital, Tripoli.
The resolution came despite a phone call between the Egyptian leader Abdel Fattah al-Sisi and President Trump, who's reported to have asked that nothing be done to escalate the situation in Libya.
Last week the pro-Haftar parliament in eastern Libya moved towards inviting the intervention of Egyptian troops, which have not fought abroad in nearly thirty years.

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