General Awareness

INTERNATIONAL AFFAIRS - June 2018

Jun 2018

Nov 07, 2019

Rajnath Singh Co-Chairs IRIGC-M&MTC Meeting With His Russian Counterpart

Russia assures full support in enhancing India's defence capabilities under 'Make in India' initiative.
Both sides agree to constitute specific working groups for after-sales support of key defence platforms.
The 19th India-Russia Inter-Governmental Commission on Military and Military-Technical Cooperation (IRIGC-M&MTC) meeting, co-chaired by Raksha Mantri Shri Rajnath Singh and Russian Defence Minister General Sergey Shoigu was held in Moscow.

Trump's EU Envoy Admits Ukraine Quid Pro Quo In Updated Testimony

An ally of Donald Trump has changed his impeachment inquiry testimony to confirm that the US president offered Ukraine a quid pro quo to investigate a political rival.
Gordon Sondland, the US ambassador to the European Union, said that nearly $400m in military aid would probably be withheld until the country announced an investigation into corruption, including allegations concerning a gas company with ties to the former vice-president Joe Biden's son Hunter.

Finland Foreign Minister Pekka Haavisto Arrives In India

Finland Foreign Minister Pekka Haavisto arrived in New Delhi on a four-day visit to India with an aim to boost bilateral relations.
The foreign minister will be accompanied by a high-level business delegation and is expected to hold talks with External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar.
The two ministers had earlier met in Helsinki, Finland's capital, in September, 2019.

UAE To Host IORA Council of Ministers Meeting

The United Arab Emirates (UAE), as the incoming chair of the Indian Ocean Rim Association (IORA), will host the 19th IORA Council of Ministers (COM) Meeting with foreign ministers of the member states in attendance.
The COM Meeting will be held in Abu Dhabi on November 7, 2019 under the theme of "Promoting a Shared Destiny and Path to Prosperity in the Indian Ocean".
During the meeting, the UAE will assume the chair of the IORA for the period between 2019 and 2021, according to the IORA's official website.
The Chairship passes from the Republic of South Africa, which has been IORA Chair for the period 2017-2019.

Pakistan Among Worst Countries For Internet Freedom

Pakistan is among the worst 10 countries in the world for internet and digital media freedom. The Freedom House, an international internet rights group, released its 'Freedom on the Net' (FoTN) report for the year 2019, titled 'The Crisis of Social Media', recording an overall decline in global internet freedom between June 2018 and May 2019.
The watchdog in its report placed Pakistan at 26, out of 100 (100 being the worst) — one place down from last year's (2018) ranking.
The country scored 5 out of 25 for obstacles to access, 14 out of 35 for limits on content, and 7 out of 40 for violation of user rights index.
Globally, Pakistan is among the worst 10 countries in terms of internet and digital media freedom. In terms of regional ranking, Pakistan emerged as the third worst country after Vietnam and China.

Massive H-1B Visa Denial Rates For Indian IT Companies Under Trump Administration

As a result of the more restrictive Trump Administration policies, denial rates for H-1B petitions have increased significantly from just six percent in 2015 to 24 percent in the third quarter of the current fiscal, a study carried out by an American think-tank has showed.
The study by the National Foundation for American Policy, based on data received from the US Citizenship and Immigration Services or USCIS, also reflects that denial rate for H-1B visas is highest among major Indian IT companies.
Between 2015 and 2019, the denial rate jumped from four percent to 41 percent for Tech Mahindra, from six percent to 34 percent for Tata Consultancy Services, from seven percent to 53 percent for Wipro and from just two percent to 45 percent for Infosys, the study showed.

Nov 06, 2019

France to Set Annual Cap for Professional Immigration

France plans to set annual quotas for professional immigration, fixing limits for job areas where the country lacks workers with the necessary expertise.
The system will be a new approach, a little like the approach that Canada and Australia use, it's quite similar.
The goal is to better match professional migrants and unmet staffing needs than under the current system.

US Starts Pullout from Paris Climate Accord

The US has formally notified the United Nations that it is withdrawing from the Paris climate accord, triggering expressions of concern and regret from other powers .
President Trump went ahead with the pullout despite mounting evidence of the impact of climate change, with September- the fourth month in a row with near- or record-breaking temperatures.
US presented its withdrawal letter to the UN on the first possible date under the accord negotiated by Barack Obama, making the world's largest economy the sole outlier from the agreement. The US will be officially out on November 4, 2020.
Announcing the move, US secretary of state Mike Pompeo reiterated Trump's rationale in 2017 that the accord would disadvantage US businesses.
Russia warned the US withdrawal undermined the accord.

Yemen Govt, Rebels /ink Saudi-brokered Power Agreement

Yemen's Saudibacked government and southern separatists signed an agreement to end a power struggle in the south of Yemen that Saudi Arabia's crown prince hailed as a step towards a wider political solution to end the multifaceted conflict.
The stand-off had opened a new front in the more than four-year-old war and fractured a Saudi-led coalition battling the Houthi movement that ousted the government of Abd-Rabbu Mansour Hadi from the capital, Sanaa, in the north in late 2014.
This agreement will open, God willing, broader talks between Yemeni parties to reach a political solution and end the war.

Iranian President Announces Break from Nuclear Deal

Iran's President announced that Tehran will begin injecting uranium gas into 1,044 centrifuges, the latest step away from its nuclear deal with world powers since President Donald Trump withdrew from the accord over a year ago.
The development is significant as the centrifuges previously spun empty, without gas injection, under the landmark 2015 nuclear accord. It also increases pressure on European nations that remain in the accord, which at this point has all but collapsed.
The centrifuges at Fordo are IR-1s, Iran's first-generation centrifuge. The nuclear deal allowed those at Fordo to spin without uranium gas, while allowing over 5,000 at its Natanz facility to enrich uranium.

Nov 05, 2019

Biennial Commonwealth Law Ministers' Conference begins in Colombo, Sri Lanka

In Sri Lanka, the biennial Commonwealth Law Ministers' Conference began in Colombo under the theme Equal Access to Justice and the Rule of Law. Union Minister for Law and Justice Ravi Shankar Prasad represented India at the conference.
The four-day conference participated by Law Ministers and Attorney Generals from Commonwealth countries seeks to address challenges faced by millions of people seeking to resolve legal problems or disputes.
Commonwealth Secretary-General Patricia Scotland emphasized the event's significance in the current global context in which obstacles to justice are prevalent in many forms.

'Quad' Reviews Situation in Indo-Pacific Region

Senior officials of the 'Quad' countries - India, the US, Japan and Australia – held consultations on the situation in Indo-Pacific and supported an ASEAN-led mechanisms for the regional architecture for the region.
The meeting took place nearly five weeks after foreign ministers of the grouping deliberated on the situation in the Indo-pacific region where China has been flexing its muscle.

PM Modi Outlines Global Challenges at 14th East Asia Summit

Prime Minister Narendra Modi is now attending the Regional Comprehensive Economic Partnership (RCEP) summit in Bangkok.
Earlier, Mr Modi speaking at the 14th East Asia Summit, outlined global challenges facing the world today. He also highlighted the need for working together to find out common solutions.
East Asia Summit is a leaders-led platform, where discussions are held on various developments in the region.
The agenda for this edition of the summit was to review the future direction of East Asia Summit co-operation and exchange views on regional and international issues.

India Opts Out of RCEP

The government said that India will not join the Regional Comprehensive Economic Partnership (RCEP) deal, adding that doing so would adversely affect the national interest.
This was a nod by the government to concerns raised by domestic industry and farmers, most of whom had opposed the pact, fearing it would lead to uncontrolled dumping by China.

PM Modi Meets Japanese PM Shinzo Abe

On the third day of his Thailand visit, Prime Minister Narendra Modi met Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe, on the sidelines of the 35th ASEAN Summit. This was their third meeting in the last four months.
The leaders discussed ways to enhance bilateral ties, and defence co-operation.
The leaders greeted each other with great warmth, reflecting the close ties shared by the two nations.
The discussion prepared ground for India-Japan 2+2 Dialogue and Annual Summit.
Prime Minister Modi said that he is eagerly looking forward to host Prime Minister Abe in India, and expressed confidence that the forthcoming edition of the Annual Summit will further deepen the India-Japan Strategic and Global Partnership.

Nov 04, 2019

Nepal's President Bidya Devi Bhandari Relieves All Seven Governors

Nepal's President Bidya Devi Bhandari has relieved Governors of all seven provinces of the country.
The Governors have been relieved as per the constitutional provisions on the recommendation of cabinet.
The Governors were appointed in January 2018 after first-ever provincial elections in the Himalayan nation.
Nepal adopted federalism after the promulgation of new constitution in September 2015.
First time in the history of the country, elections for seven provincial assemblies were held in two phases on 26 November and 7 December 2017.

Dresden: The German City That Declared a 'Nazi Emergency'

A city in eastern Germany has declared a "Nazi emergency", saying it has a serious problem with the far-right.
Dresden, the capital of Saxony, has long been viewed as a bastion of the far-right and is the birthplace of the anti-Islam Pegida movement.
Councillors in the city - a contender for the 2025 European Capital of Culture - have now approved a resolution saying more needs to be done to tackle the issue.
Nazinotstand' means - similar to the climate emergency - that we have a serious problem. The open democratic society is threatened.

Italian Ship With 151 Migrants Rescued Off Libya Docks In Sicily

An Italian offshore supply vessel has brought 151 migrants to Sicily after rescuing them in waters off Libya. The Asso Trenta docked at Pozzallo with the migrants.
It wasn't immediately known if the migrants would stay in Italy or be distributed among other European Union countries.
Hours earlier, a German charity's rescue boat, Alan Kurdi disembarked 88 migrants at Taranto on the Italian mainland. Under an EU-brokered deal, 67 of them will go to four other countries, while the others will stay in Italy.

China Rolls Out 'One Of The World's Largest' 5G Networks

China's mobile operators have made 5G services available to consumers, as the country seeks to become a global technology leader.
State-owned carriers China Mobile, China Unicom and China Telecom unveiled their 5G data plans.
It comes as Beijing and Washington have been embroiled in a power struggle over trade and technology.
South Korea, the US and the UK have all rolled out their next generation 5G networks in 2019.
5G is the fifth-generation of mobile internet connectivity. It promises much faster data download and upload speeds, wider coverage and more stable connections.

Biennial Commonwealth Law Ministers' Conference Begins In Colombo, Sri Lanka

In Sri Lanka, the biennial Commonwealth Law Ministers' Conference began in Colombo under the theme Equal Access to Justice and the Rule of Law. Union Minister for Law and Justice Ravi Shankar Prasad will be representing India at the conference.
The four-day conference participated by Law Ministers and Attorney Generals from Commonwealth countries seeks to address challenges faced by millions of people seeking to resolve legal problems or disputes.
Commonwealth Secretary-General Patricia Scotland emphasized the event's significance in the current global context in which obstacles to justice are prevalent in many forms.

Olivia Newton-John's Grease Outfit Fetches $405,700 At Auction

The black leather jacket and skin-tight trousers that Olivia Newton-John wore for the finale of Grease have fetched $405,700 (£314,000) at auction - more than double the expected bid.
The actress' original script from the film was also among the items at the sale in Beverly Hills, California, which in total raised $2.4m.
Some of the proceeds will go towards Newton-John's cancer treatment centre in Australia.

Iraq Protests: Capital Baghdad Blocked As Unrest Escalates

Protesters have blocked the main thoroughfares in the Iraqi capital Baghdad, as mass anti-government protests continue.
Demonstrators were seen parking cars across key junctions of the city as police looked on without intervening.
Since 1 October, 2019 tens of thousands of people have taken part in two waves of protests to demand more jobs, an end to corruption, and better services.
More than 250 have been killed in clashes with security forces.

US Judge Blocks Trump Immigrant Health Insurance Rule

A US judge has temporarily blocked a rule proposed by President Donald Trump that would require immigrants to prove they will have health insurance within 30 days of arrival in the US, or can pay for medical care.
Judge Michael Simon, a district judge in Oregon, granted a preliminary injunction against the proposal.
Seven American citizens and an NGO had filed a lawsuit opposing the rule.
They argued it would block hundreds of thousands of legal migrants.

Nov 03, 2019

Daylight Saving Time Ends - First Sunday In November

Daylight Saving Time ends on the first Sunday in November, i.e. November 3, 2019 at 2:00 AM.
The practice of Daylight saving time (DST) or summer time advances clocks during summer months.
It causes us to lose an hour for one day. However, the practice allows people to get up earlier in the morning and experience more daylight in the evening.
Typically, users of DST adjust clocks forward one hour near the start of spring. Then, they change them back again in the autumn.

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