General Awareness

INTERNATIONAL AFFAIRS - March 2018

Mar 2018

Apr 17, 2020

Pandemic To Bring Asia's 2020 Growth To Halt For 1st Time In 60 Years: IMF

Asia's economic growth this year will grind to a halt for the first time in 60 years, as the coronavirus crisis takes an "unprecedented" toll on the region's service sector and major export destinations, the International Monetary Fund said.
Policymakers must offer targeted support to households and firms hardest-hit by travel bans, social distancing policies and other measures aimed at containing the pandemic, said Changyong Rhee, director of the IMF's Asia and Pacific Department.

North Korean Defector Wins In Gangnam, South Korea's Ritziest Seat

Thae Yong-ho has become the first ever North Korean defector to win a constituency seat in South Korea.
Mr Thae was once North Korea's deputy ambassador to the UK, but defected in 2016 with his family, becoming the highest-ranking North Korean official to ever do so.
He was running as the opposition United Future Party's main candidate in the affluent district of Gangnam of Seoul.
He won by 58.4% and was seen crying after his victory was announced.

Apr 16, 2020

Sitharaman Takes Part In Virtual Session Of G20 Finance Ministers, Central Bank Governors

Union Minister for Finance & Corporate Affairs, Smt. Nirmala Sitharaman participated in the virtual session of the 2nd G20 Finance Ministers and Central Bank Governors (FMCBG) meeting under the Saudi Arabian Presidency, to discuss the global economic outlook amid evolving COVID-19 pandemic crisis.
Finance Minister appreciated the Saudi Presidency for their tireless efforts in delivering on the outcomes as mandated by the G20 Leaders during the Extraordinary Leaders' Summit, particularly in preparation of G20 Action Plan in Response to COVID-19.

Germany Slowly Eases Lockdown Measures

German Chancellor Angela Merkel has announced plans to slowly ease restrictions brought in to tackle the coronavirus pandemic.
Social distancing rules will stay in place until at least 3 May, 2020 with Ms Merkel also recommending the use of face masks in shops and on public transport.
But as of next week (from March 20) shops under a certain size could open their doors.
Schools will gradually start to reopen from 4 May, 2020.

Donald Trump Halts WHO Funding Over 'Severely Mismanaging And Covering Up' On Coronavirus

As the world is grappling with the Coronavirus pandemic and its impact on the economies, the President of United States Donald Trump, announced cutting off funding of up to USD 500 million annually to the World Health Organization (WHO), accusing the UN body of "severely mismanaging and covering up" the spread of the deadly coronavirus when it first emerged in China.

Russian Arms Firm To Donate $2 Million To PM CARES Fund

The donation would be a first as India has so far not taken funds from foreign state-run entities
In a first such donation of its kind, Russia's State-owned defence exports company Rosoboronexport has committed $2million (15.3 crore) to the newly set up 'PM CARES Fund'. The proposed donation to the fund that has been set up specially to assist the government's efforts in combating the COVID-19 pandemic, marks a significant shift in India's policy on accepting contributions from foreign government owned companies.

Raspberry Pi-powered Ventilator To Be Tested In Colombia

A team in Colombia is to test a ventilator made with a Raspberry Pi computer and easy-to-source parts.
The design and computer code were posted online in March 2020 by a man in California, who had no prior experience at creating medical equipment.
Marco Mascorro, a robotics engineer, said he built the ventilator because knew the machines were in high demand to treat Covid-19.
His post prompted a flood of feedback from healthcare workers.
He has used the advice to make improvements.

Apr 15, 2020

MEA Announces Covid-19 Training Programme For SAARC Countries

The External Affairs Ministry announced rolling out of a training programme on management of coronavirus pandemic for healthcare professionals from SAARC countries from April 17, 2020.
The training will be imparted by the ministry under its prestigious Indian Technical and Economic Cooperation (ITEC) programme.

Apr 13, 2020

Union Minister Dharmendra Pradhan participates in G20 Extraordinary Energy Ministers' virtual mee...

Minister of Petroleum and Natural Gas and Steel, Dharmendra Pradhan participated in the G20 Extraordinary Energy Ministers' virtual Meeting.
The meeting was called by Saudi Arabia, in its capacity as the G20 Presidency, and chaired by Saudi Arabia Energy Minister Prince Abdulaziz. The meeting was attended by Energy Ministers of G20 countries, guest countries and heads of international organizations including OPEC, IEA and IEF.
The G20 Energy Ministers' focused on ways and means to ensure stable energy markets, which are affected due to demand reduction as result of the COVID-19 pandemic and the ongoing surplus production -related matters.

Mar 31, 2020

Saudi Arabia Assures India Of Uninterrupted LPG supply

India's oil minister Dharmendra Pradhan said that he had discussed global oil market developments with Saudi Energy Minister Prince Abdulaziz bin Salman and Aramco's Chief Executive Amin Nasser as well as uninterrupted LPG supplies to India.
Prince Abdulaziz assured of LPG supplies in the coming days to support our domestic requirement, Dharmendra Pradhan posted.
Two Indian refiners declared force majeure on crude purchases from the Middle East after fuel demand plummeted due to a nationwide lockdown to stem the spread of coronavirus and the companies' tanks are full.

Delay Brexit Deadline Amid Coronavirus, Say MEPs

Prime Minister Boris Johnson has been urged by a group of MEPs to delay his Brexit deadline as countries around the world battle the coronavirus.
The European Parliament's largest group of MEPs said the pandemic puts pressure on the chance of securing a trade deal by the planned date.
The PM's spokesman insisted there were no plans to change the timetable.
It comes as EU and UK representatives met to discuss implementing the Brexit withdrawal agreement over video link.
Under the agreement, the UK enters a transition period where it will continue to follow EU rules until 31 December 2020, by which time both sides say they hope to have agreed a trade deal.

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