General Awareness

INTERNATIONAL AFFAIRS - June 2018

Jun 2018

Oct 18, 2019

Qatar Pledges To End 'Kafala' Employment

The energy-rich nation of Qatar is pledging to fully eliminate a labour system that ties foreign workers to their employer and requires them to have their company's permission to leave the country.
Workers would be able to freely change employers under draft laws described as being "expected to come into force by January 2020".
The ILO also says Doha also is considering a minimum wage.
Qatar, whose citizens enjoy one of the world's highest per-capita incomes due to its natural gas reserves, partially ended the "kafala" system in 2018.
The move comes as the Arabian Peninsula nation prepares to host the 2022 FIFA World Cup.

India Ranked Third In 2019 Hurun Global Unicorn List

The Hurun Research Institute has released the inaugural Hurun Global Unicorn List 2019, a ranking of the world's billion-dollar tech 'start-ups' founded in the 2000s and not yet listed on a public exchange.
This is the first year of the list, and follows from the sixth quarterly Hurun China Unicorn Index. Valuations are a snapshot as of 30 June 2019.
Hurun Research found 494 unicorns in the world, based in 25 countries and 118 cities. Set up seven years ago on average, they are worth $3.4 billion on average and $1.7 trillion in total.

EU And UK Reach Agreement On Brexit Deal

Negotiators from the European Union and the UK have reached an agreement on a Brexit deal before the meeting of European leaders in Brussels.
British Prime Minister Boris Johnson and European Commission President Jean-Claude Juncker called it a fair outcome. He urged MPs to come together to get Brexit done and get this excellent deal over the line.
The EU Commission President Jean-Claude Juncker said, there was no need to extend the Brexit deadline.
On the other hand, British lawmakers voted narrowly in favour of holding the first Parliamentary Session on a Saturday in 37 years, to debate the government's new Brexit deal.
Members of the lower chamber House of Commons voted 287 to 275 in favour. It would only be Parliament's fifth Saturday session since the eve of World War II.

Oct 17, 2019

2nd Indo-French Knowledge Summit in Lyon

The second edition of the Indo-French Knowledge Summit dedicated to higher education, research and innovation will take place at the University of Lyon in France on October 17-18, 2019.
The two-day summit is being organised by the Embassy of France in India in association with the Ministry of Science and Technology and the HRD Ministry.
The first Knowledge Summit was held during the 2018 state visit of French President Emmanuel Macron to India.

ONGC Videsh Makes Two New Oil Discoveries In Colombia, Brazil

ONGC Videsh, the overseas arm of the state-run Oil and Natural Gas Corp, has made a major gas discovery in Brazil and an oil discovery in Colombia.
In the block CPO-5 encountered the oil bearing sands of 8 meters at a depth of 2852m. Oil discovery in Sol-1 confirms the extent of oil pay further south of the block.
ONGC Videsh owns 70% participating interest in CPO-5 block while the balance 30% is owned by Colombia's Petrodorado South America S.A., (PDSA).

Oct 16, 2019

Pakistan Royal Visit by Prince William And Kate

The Duke and Duchess of Cambridge made a colourful entrance as they arrived by auto rickshaw for a special reception hosted by the British High Commissioner to Pakistan in Islamabad.
The royal pair are on a five-day tour of the country.
Earlier, they met schoolchildren and had lunch with Prime Minister and former cricket star Imran Khan.

Oct 15, 2019

PM Modi Holds Talks With King And Queen Of The Netherlands

Prime Minister Narendra Modi held talks with King of the Netherlands Willem-Alexander and Queen Maxima with a focus on enhancing bilateral, cultural, and economic ties between the two countries.
The royal couple was accompanied by a large delegation of ministers, officials and top Dutch business honchos.
Earlier in the day, the King and the Queen were accorded a ceremonial reception at the Rashtrapati Bhavan.
The royal couple will also visit Mumbai and Kochi.
The ties between India and the Netherlands have been on an upswing in the last few years.

UK To Issue Coin With Mahatma's Image

The UK government will issue a commemorative coin to mark the 150th birthday anniversary of Mahatma Gandhi.
While the denomination bearing Gandhi's image has not been revealed yet, Javid, who was culture secretary when a Gandhi statue was installed in London in 2015, told an annual awards event that as Master of the Royal Mint, he has called for plans to issue the coins to be advanced.

India and Netherlands Launch 2nd Phase Of LOTUS-HR For Sewage Treatment

India and the Netherlands launched second phase of the Local Treatment of Urban Sewage streams for Healthy Reuse (LOTUS-HR) program jointly by the royal couple Willem-Alexander, Queen Maxima and the Union Minister for Science and Technology Dr Harsh Vardhan.
The launch programme was held during the visit of Dutch King and Queen to the India-Netherlands water laboratory at the Barapullah drain in Delhi.
LOTUS-HR was initiated in July 2017 and aims to demonstrate a novel holistic waste water management approach that will produce clean water which can be reused for various purposes.
The innovative pilot scale modular plant upon commissioning will treat 10,000 L sewage water per day and will showcase a self-sustaining model for the end user.

Resolution Celebrating Mahatma Gandhi's Legacy Introduced In US House

Indian-American Congressman Raja Krishnamoorthi has introduced a resolution in the US House of Representatives celebrating Mahatma Gandhi's 150th birth anniversary and his enduring legacy.
Krishnamoorthi introduced the resolution. The resolution was co-sponsored by a bipartisan group of 14 other lawmakers.
Those who co-sponsored the resolution were Congressmen George Holding, Brad Sherman, Joe Wilson, Gerry Connolly, Peter King, Ami Bera, Ro Khanna, Frank Pallone, Brenda Lawrence, Pete Olson, Pramila Jayapal, TJ Cox, David Price, and Ted Yoho.

Tunisia Election: Kais Saied To Become President

Retired academic Kais Saied is set to become Tunisia's next president after a landslide victory in 2019 vote.
The electoral commission announced that the former law professor, 61, secured 73% of votes in the run-off election.
He was up against media mogul Nabil Karoui, 56, who had campaigned from prison after being arrested on charges of money laundering and tax fraud.
Exit polls suggested that Mr Saied benefited from huge support among young voters.

Nepal Signs Rail, Road Link Deals With China During Xi Visit

Chinese President Xi Jinping pledged to help Nepal realise its dream of becoming a "land-linked" country, announcing support for a large number of connectivity projects between the two countries as Nepal looks to maintain "strategic autonomy" from southern neighbour India.
The two countries signed a preliminary pact on a long-awaited rail link connecting the Tibetan capital Lhasa to Nepal's capital Kathmandu as well as 19 other agreements, during Xi's visit.
Xi is the first Chinese president to visit Nepal in more than two decades.

WTO gives US Final Authorisation To Impose Tariffs On EU products

The World Trade Organisation (WTO) gave the United States final authorisation to impose tariffs on EU products in retaliation for illegal subsidies given to Airbus.
Earlier in October 2019, a WTO arbitrator gave Washington the green light to slap tariffs on 7.5 billion US dollars worth of European Union imports.
The move comes as a landmark moment in the 15-year legal battle between Airbus and American plane-maker Boeing.
The arbitrator's award- the largest in the organisation's history- was rubber-stamped by the WTO's Dispute Settle Body (DSB) at a special DSB meeting.
If those negotiations fail to produce a deal, Brussels will get the chance to impose its own WTO-approved tariffs on US products, after convincing WTO judges that Boeing had benefited from illegal US government subsidies. An arbitrators award in that case is due in 2020.

Oct 14, 2019

Netherlands King Willem-Alexander, Queen Maxima To Arrive In India

Netherlands King Willem-Alexander and Queen Maxima will arrive in New Delhi for a five-day visit during which they will hold meetings with the top Indian leadership to boost bilateral economic and political cooperation.
King Willem-Alexander's trip would be his first state visit to India, following his ascension to the throne in 2013.
King Willem-Alexander and Queen Maxima will arrive for the visit at the invitation of President Ram Nath Kovind, according to the Ministry of External Affairs. The King and Queen will visit New Delhi, Mumbai, and Kerala during their trip.
The Dutch royals will meet President Kovind and Prime Minister Narendra Modi, while External Affairs Minister S Jasihankar will call on them. The King and Queen will be accompanied on their visit by a senior ministerial delegation.
India and the Netherlands have a bilateral trade turnover of USD 12.87 billion (2018-2019). The Netherlands is the fifth largest investor in India with a cumulative investment of USD 23 billion for the period 2000 to Dec 2017.
The Dutch Royal couple will also attend the Inaugural Session of 25th Technology Summit in New Delhi. The Netherlands is the partner country for this Summit.
The Royal couple would be accompanied by about 140 business houses for this technology and innovation fair, representing various sectors, including agriculture, water, health-care and climate change.
The visit is expected to boost economic and political cooperation between India and the Netherlands.

PM Modi To Inaugurate Kartarpur Corridor On Nov 8

Prime Minister Narendra Modi will inaugurate the much-awaited Kartarpur corridor to Sri Kartarpur Sahib in Pakistan on November 8, 2019. Modi will inaugurate the integrated check post on the Indian side.
With the blessings of Guru Nanak Dev ji, Sikh Panth's ardaas for 'khule darshan deedar' of Sri Kartarpur Sahib to finally become reality.

Union Minister Prahlad Patel Attends BRICS Culture Ministers' Meeting

Union Minister Prahlad Singh Patel participated in BRICS Culture Ministers' meeting held in Curitiba, Brazil.
Prahlad Patel asserted that BRICS for India is a valuable forum for consultation, coordination and cooperation on contemporary global issues of mutual interest.
Reaffirming India's commitment to contribute towards strengthening bonds between the member countries, Patel said that the BRICS countries have witnessed cultural cooperation scaling to new heights.
The titled Bonding Regions and Imagining Cultural Synergies will be hosted by National Gallery of Modern Arts of India under the auspices of the BRICS Alliance of Museums and Art Galleries during November-December, 2019.

Vice President M Venkaiah Naidu Reaches Freetown In Sierra Leone

On the second and last leg of his visit to two African nations, Vice President M Venkaiah Naidu reached Freetown in Sierra Leone.
Vice President of Sierra Leone Dr Mohamed Juldeh Jalloh and Indian High Commissioner Birender Singh Yadav received him at the airport.
Mr Naidu will have a detailed bilateral meeting with Sierra Leone President Julius Maada Wonie Bio.
He will also meet Speaker of Sierra Leone Parliament Abbas Chernor Bundu. The Vice President will also interact with Indian community there.

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