General Awareness

INTERNATIONAL AFFAIRS - May 2019

May 2019

Jun 06, 2020

IMF Asks Pakistan to Freeze Govt. Employees' Salaries

The IMF has asked cash-strapped Pakistan to freeze salaries of government employees and adhere to the fiscal consolidation path by showing a nominal primary deficit in the new budget due to the unsustainable public debt that is set to hit 90 per cent of the total value of the national economy.
Pakistan is finding it hard to concede to the two demands but the IMF is insisting that the country should continue to follow the fiscal consolidation path due to the high and unsustainable public debt.
However, the government is resisting the demand due to high inflation that has eroded people's real income.
Nonetheless, it is inclined to abolish over 67,000 posts that have remained vacant for over one year and is also ready to further squeeze current expenditures including a ban on purchase of vehicles.

Eight Countries form Alliance to Counter China

A group of senior lawmakers from eight democracies including the US have launched a new cross-parliamentary alliance to help counter what they say is the threat China's growing influence poses to global trade, security and human rights.
The list of participating nations includes the US, Germany, the UK, Japan, Australia, Canada, Sweden and Norway, as well as members of the European parliament.

Jun 05, 2020

Brazil's Coronavirus Death Toll Passes Italy

Brazil's total COVID-19 death toll past that of Italy, as the Health Ministry reported 1,437 deaths in the last 24 hours and 30,925 additional coronavirus cases.
The Latin American nation has now reported 34,021 deaths from the coronavirus, trailing only the United States and the United Kingdom.

Novavax Ggets U.S. Defense Funding for COVID-19 Vaccine

Novavax Inc said that the U.S. Department of Defense (DoD) will give the late-stage biotech company up to $60 million to fund the manufacturing of its experimental COVID-19 vaccine. This deal includes the delivery of 10 million doses of its COVID-19 vaccine - NVX-CoV2373 - to the DoD this year.
The announcement of Novavax's vaccine trial came last month as drug makers pause clinical trials on drugs for other ailments to focus on COVID-19.
The Maryland-based company joined the race to test coronavirus vaccine candidates on humans and said that it was targeting the production of over a billion doses of its vaccine candidate next year.
Vaccines are seen by world leaders as the only real way to restart their stalled economies after months of sweeping shutdowns.

Hong Kong's Legislature Approves Bill Making it Illegal to Insult the Chinese National Anthem

Hong Kong's legislature approved a contentious bill that makes it illegal to insult the Chinese national anthem.
The legislation was approved after pro-democracy opposition lawmakers tried to disrupt the vote. The bill was passed with 41 lawmakers voting for it and just one voting against. Most of the pro-democracy lawmakers boycotted the vote out of protest.
The pro-democracy camp sees the anthem bill as an infringement of freedom of expression and the greater rights that residents of the semi-autonomous city have compared to mainland China.
According to the pro-Beijing majority, the law was necessary for Hong Kong citizens to show appropriate respect for the anthem.
Those found guilty of intentionally abusing the 'March of the Volunteers' face up to three years in prison and a fine of up to 50,000 Hong Kong dollars (USD 6,450).

Jun 04, 2020

WEF to Hold 'Twin Summit' in January 2021

The World Economic Forum announced that its next summit in Davos will be "a unique twin summit" in January 2021, with the theme "the Great Reset", with a wider participation through virtual link-ups in 400 cities to the main event.
The WEF said the political, economic and social disruptions caused by the crisis had exposed the inadequacies of health, financial and energy systems, leaving leaders at a crossroads.

China to Construct 1,124-Megawatt Power Project in Pok Under CPEC

China under the multi-billion-dollar CPEC will set up a 1,124-megawatt power project in Pakistan-occupied Kashmir despite India's objection to it.
The details of the Kohala hydropower project was presented in the 127th meeting of the Private Power and Infrastructure Board (PPIB) chaired by Energy Minister Omar Ayub.
The meeting was informed that a tripartite agreement has been finalised among China's Three Gorges Corporation, the authorities in Pakistan-occupied Kashmir (PoK) and the PPIB to implement the 1,124-megawatt Kohala hydroelectric power project under the China-Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC) framework.

Jun 03, 2020

Trump Seeks to Add India, Russia to G7 Invitation List

US President Donald Trump has postponed the G7 Summit till September 2020 and expressed his desire to expand the "outdated" bloc to G10 or G11, including India and three other nations to the grouping of the world's top economies.
The president, in an interaction with reporters travelling with him aboard the Air Force One from Florida to Washington DC said that he is "postponing it (the summit) until September" and plans to invite Russia, South Korea, Australia and India.

India to be Re-Elected as Non-Permanent Member of UNSC

India is set to be re-elected as a non-permanent member of the UN Security Council during the elections in June 2020. India is assured to win from the Asia Pacific seat, as it will be the sole contender.
India's candidature for the Asia Pacific seat in the non-permanent category was unanimously endorsed by the 55-member Asia Pacific grouping including Pakistan and China in 2019.
India's name for non-permanent UNSC seat was proposed by the Asia Pacific countries for a two-year period, from 2021-2022.

Jun 02, 2020

Hong Kong Bans Tiananmen Vigil for First Time in 30 Years

Hong Kong police banned an upcoming vigil marking the Tiananmen crackdown anniversary citing the COVID-19 pandemic, the first time the gathering has been halted in three decades.
The candlelight June 4 vigil usually attracts huge crowds and is the only place on Chinese soil where such a major commemoration of the anniversary is still allowed.
The Tiananmen Square protests or the Tiananmen Square Incident, commonly known as the June Fourth Incident, were student-led demonstrations held in Tiananmen Square in Beijing during 1989. The popular national movement inspired by the Beijing protests is sometimes called the '89 Democracy Movement.

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