General Awareness

INTERNATIONAL AFFAIRS - May 2019

May 2019

May 17, 2020

Chinese Ambassador to Israel Found Dead at Home

China's Ambassador to Israel, Du Wei, has been found dead in his apartment north of Tel Aviv.
The official said Israeli police had launched an investigation but initial findings suggested no foul play.
Mr Du, 57, was only appointed ambassador in February 2020 having previously served as envoy to Ukraine.

May 15, 2020

WTO Head Steps Down a Year Early as Downturn Looms

The head of the World Trade Organization has said he will step down a year earlier than planned, at a crucial moment for the global economy.
Roberto Azevedo's surprise departure comes as the WTO faces the impact of the coronavirus pandemic and criticism from US President Donald Trump.
Global trade has slumped and the world is braced for the worst downturn since the Great Depression.
Meanwhile, Mr Trump has accused the body of treating America unfairly.

Namibian President Bans New Cars for Ministers

Namibian ministers and government officials have been banned by the president from buying a new car for five years so that the money can be spent on dealing with coronavirus.
The measure will save $10.7m (£8.8m).

May 14, 2020

Republicans Snatch Rare Prize of California Seat

A Republican candidate has won a congressional seat from the Democrats in liberal California for the first time in more than two decades.
Democrat Christy Smith has conceded the special election to Republican Mike Garcia, a former Navy fighter pilot.
Republicans lost the House of Representatives seat by nearly double digits in the 2018 midterm elections.
The election was held to fill Democrat Katie Hill's seat after she resigned last year in a sex scandal.
It is the first time the Republican party has won a Democratic-held seat in the state since 1998.

India up at 74th Place on WEF's Global Energy Transition Index

India has moved up two positions to rank 74th on a global 'Energy Transition Index' with improvements on all key parameters of economic growth, energy security and environmental sustainability, the World Economic Forum (WEF) said.

Releasing the annual rankings, the Geneva-based international organisation for public-private cooperation said Covid-19 will compromise the transition to clean energy without an urgent stakeholder action as unprecedented disruptions due to the pandemic threaten this transition.
In its report, the WEF said its study measuring readiness for clean energy transition in 115 economies showed that 94 have made progress since 2015, but environmental sustainability continues to lag.
Sweden has topped the Energy Transition Index (ETI) for the third consecutive year and is followed by Switzerland and Finland in the top three.

Israel West Bank Annexation Looms as Unity Government Sworn In

Israel's main political rivals become its leaders when a new unity government is sworn in, ending over a year of unprecedented deadlock.
Benjamin Netanyahu returns as prime minister for a record fifth time while his electoral opponent Benny Gantz will be deputy under a power-sharing deal.
The country has been in political limbo after three inconclusive elections.
The two men have agreed to push forward with a controversial plan to annex part of the occupied West Bank.
The move is in line with President Trump's Israel-Palestinian peace plan unveiled, which also envisages a Palestinian state in about 70 per cent of the West Bank, all of Gaza, and with its capital on the fringes of East Jerusalem.

May 13, 2020

ASSOCHAM organises Indo-Bangladesh "Virtual Conference"

Associated Chambers of Commerce and Industry of India (ASSOCHAM) has organised the Indo-Bangladesh "Virtual Conference".
Union DoNER Minister of State (I/C) Dr Jitendra Singh addressed the virtual conference.
The conference featured the participation of Minister of Commerce Bangladesh Tipu Munshi, Chief Minister of Meghalaya Conrad Sangma and Riva Ganguli Das High commissioner to Bangladesh.

WHO Released First "State of the World's Nursing Report - 2020"

World Health Organization (WHO) in partnership with the International Council of Nurses (ICN) and Nursing Now has released the first "The State of the World's Nursing 2020" report amid COVID19 pandemic.
In accordance with the report, there are 28 million nurses worldwide but still, there is a global shortfall of 5.9 million.
Countries facing the greatest shortfall of nurses are in Africa, South East Asia and the WHO Eastern Mediterranean region as well as some parts of Latin America.
Globally, there are roughly 36.9 nurses per 10,000 people, with variations within and across regions.

May 11, 2020

Saudi Arabia Triples VAT to Support Coronavirus-hit Economy

Saudi Arabia is tripling its value added tax (VAT) as part of austerity measures to support its coronavirus-hit economy.
The government in Riyadh also said it will suspend its cost of living allowance to shore up state finances.
The oil-rich nation has seen its income plummet as the impact of the pandemic has forced down global energy prices.
The kingdom first introduced VAT two years ago as part of efforts to cut its reliance on world crude oil markets.
Saudi Arabia's state news agency said VAT will increase from 5% to 15% as of 1 July, 2020 while the cost of living allowance will be suspended from 1 June, 2020.

Colombian Airline Avianca Files for Bankruptcy in US court

Colombia's national airline, Avianca, has filed for bankruptcy protection in a US court.
The carrier is the second-largest in Latin America, but its passenger operations have been grounded since March 2020 because of coronavirus.
If it fails to come out of bankruptcy, Avianca will be the first major airline to go under amid the pandemic.
Behind KLM, Avianca is the second-longest continually running airline in the world.

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