General Awareness

INTERNATIONAL AFFAIRS - May 2019

May 2019

Oct 27, 2019

Dharmendra Pradhan Addresses GFSEC Ministerial Meeting in Tokyo

Union Minister for Petroleum and Natural Gas and Steel, DharmendraPradhan addressed the Ministerial Meeting of Global Forum on Steel Excess Capacity in Tokyo.
Pursuing more than a billion dreams, India is committed to spend about USD 1.4 trillion on infrastructure development in the next 5 years.#GFSEC2019," Pradhan said in a tweet.
The Union Minister said we are also determined to raise the per capita consumption of steel from our current low of 72 kg per capita to 158 kg per capita by 2030 according to "our policy of 2017."

World Bank Group President David Malpass Calls on PM Narendra Modi

The President of the World Bank Group David Malpass called on Prime Minister Narendra Modi in New Delhi. Mr Malpass is on a four-day visit to India.
He delivered the keynote address on the role of the financial sector in development at the fifth edition of the NITI Aayog Lecture series in New Delhi.
Prime Minister Narendra was also present at the event.
Finance Minister NirmalaSitharaman also held a meeting with a delegation led by Mr Malpass in New Delhi.
This is the first trip of Mr Malpass to India after assuming charge in April 2019. He is also scheduled to visit Gujarat.

Chile protests: President Sacks Whole Cabinet after Protests

Chile's President Sebastian Piñera has dismissed his whole cabinet in order to form a new government and introduce social reforms demanded by protesters.
"I have put all my ministers on notice in order to restructure my cabinet to confront these new demands," he said.
It is not yet clear what form the reshuffle will take.
More than a million people joined a peaceful rally in the capital Santiago, calling for social justice.
Mr Piñera said he had heard the demands from the streets.
"We are in a new reality," he said. "Chile is different from what it was a week ago."
The president also announced that a curfew imposed in cities across Chile a week ago had been lifted.
The opposition has called for an ongoing state of emergency to end too.

Four Iraqi MPs Resign in Response to Mass Protests

Four Iraqi parliamentarians have resigned in anger at the government's perceived failure to respond to mass protests, piling more pressure on embattled Prime Minister Adel Abdel Mahdi.
Rallies demanding an overhaul of the ruling regime have rocked Iraq in October 2019, defying live rounds, tear gas and other violence that have left more than 200 dead.
Parliament's only two Communist lawmakers, RaedFahmy and Haifa al-Amin, quit the body "in support of the peaceful, popular movement," they said in a statement.

Oct 26, 2019

Bolivia's Evo Morales Declares Victory after Contentious Vote Count

President Evo Morales declared himself victor of the weekend election, stirring more anger among his opponents who have protested for days claiming fraud in the vote count, while the U.S., Brazil, Argentina and Colombia joined in calling for Bolivia to hold a runoff between the incumbent and his top challenger.
Electoral authorities, meanwhile, announced late in the day that voting would have to be held again in five spots in the Amazonian Beni region because of irregularities.
They said the re-votes to be held on November 3, 2019 wouldn't change the outcome, but the development still added to the unrest over a long, contentious tally of ballots.
With 99.99% of votes counted, Morales had 47.07% to 36.51% for former President Carlos Mesa, who finished second in the nine-candidate field.
That gave Morales a 10.56-point lead, a little more than a half point over the threshold he needed to win an outright victory and avoid a second-round ballot in December 2019, probably against a united opposition.

Ruling Party Wins Botswana Elections

The Botswana Democratic Party shrugged off a spirited challenge from the opposition coalition, the Umbrella for Democratic Change, to keep intact its 53-year, uninterrupted rule.
The BDP secured 29 of 57 National Assembly seats required to form the next government.
Botswana Chief Justice Terrence Rannowane declared BDP leader, Mokgweetsi Masisi as the country's president.

18th NAM Summit Kicks Off

The 18th Summit of the Non-Aligned Movement (NAM) kicked off , drawing heads of state and government of different countries including Bangladesh Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina at Azerbaijan capital of Baku.
Azerbaijan's President Ilham Aliyev inaugurated the two-day summit with a call to uphold the spirit of the forum and strengthen cooperation among its member states of NAM, a forum of 120 developing countries.
Bangladesh Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina joined the opening ceremony of the summit at Baku Congress Centre along with other heads of state and government and representatives of the member nations.
On her arrival at the centre at 10 am, Sheikh Hasina was received by the Azerbaijan president.
The other world leaders who joined the summit included Iranian President Hassan Rouhani, Cuban President Miguel Diaz-Canel, Malaysian Prime Minister Dr Mahathir Mohammed, Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro, Afghan President Ashraf Ghani, Djibouti President Ismail Omar, Ghanaian President Nana Akufo- Addo, Turkmenistan President Gurbanguly Berdimuhamedow, Chairman of the Presidency of Bosnia and Herzegovina Bakir Izetbegovic, Nepalese Prime Minister KP Sharma Oli, Pakistani President Arif Alvi, Indian Vice-President M. Venkaiah Naidu, Libyan Prime Minister Fayez Mustafa al-Sarraj.

Oct 25, 2019

Political Outsider Saied Sworn In As Tunisia's President

Tunisia's newly elected president has been sworn in during a ceremony at the country's parliament.
Kais Saied delivered a message of "hope" for the country in his speech at the Assembly of People's Representatives.
After sweeping 72.71% of the vote in the runoff, Saied has won a clear mandate to fight corruption and promote social justice, even though his role focuses on security and diplomacy.
A constitutional law professor whose rigid and austere demeanor earned him the nickname "Robocop," Saied has no real experience in foreign policy.

Science Pact With US, Cooperation With EU For Railways On The Cards

The Union Cabinet has approved the proposal for a Science and Technology Cooperation pact between India and the US.
The Cabinet also gave a go-ahead to some other proposals including administrative arrangement on cooperation in the field of Railways with the EU, the review of Indo-Tibetan Border Police, capacity building and strengthening of accounting base with Kuwait and cooperating with St. Vincent & the Grenadines in the field of Traditional Systems of Medicine.
The Agreement on Science and Technology Cooperation with the US will open a new chapter in bilateral relations as both sides will leverage complementary strengths.

India, Pakistan Sign Historic Agreement To Open Kartarpur Corridor

India and Pakistan signed a pact to open a land corridor between the two countries that will allow Indian pilgrims to visit Darbar Sahib Gurdwara in Kartarpur, in Narowal district of Pakistan, a move that is expected to boost people-to-people contact at a time of tense relations between the neighbours.
The signing of the pact caps months of negotiations between the two uneasy neighbours and was concluded despite spikes in tensions on two occasions, including the air raid by India on a terrorist training camp in Pakistan's Balakot region in retaliation to the attack on a Central Reserve Police Force convoy in Pulwama that killed 40 security personnel.
The Kartarpur corridor connects the Darbar Sahib Gurdwara with the Dera Baba Nanak shrine in Gurdaspur district in India's Punjab province, facilitating visa-free movement of Indian pilgrims who just need a permit to cross over to Pakistan.

Oct 24, 2019

Narendra Modi Skips NAM Summit Again

Vice-President M. Venkaiah Naidu will represent India at the 19th Non Aligned Movement (NAM) summit in Baku, Azerbaijan on October 25 and 26, 2019 marking the second time in a row that Prime Minister Narendra Modi will give the summit a miss.
Mr. Modi's absence indicates a decisive move away from past practice at the 60-year-old organisation that India was a founding member of, by the NDA government. In 2016 as well, India was represented by then Vice-President Hamid Ansari at the NAM summit in Venezuela.

India Ranks Ahead Of Bangladesh, Pakistan On Fixed Broadband Speed

India ranks ahead of Bangladesh and Pakistan with mean fixed broadband speed rising by 16.5% and 4G availability rising to a whopping 87.9% during Q2-Q3 2019, states a report by Ookla. ACT Fibernet has topped the chart on download speeds followed by Jio in Q2-Q3 of FY 2019.
Compared to Bangladesh, which saw a similar rate of improvement but lower speeds at 24.02 Mbps, and Pakistan, where speeds stayed relatively flat between 8.54 and 9.14 Mbps, India is the regional leader in mean download speed.

Oct 23, 2019

Japan's Emperor Naruhito Formally Declares His Ascension to Throne

Japan's new Emperor Naruhito formally ascended to the throne in an elaborate ceremony in Tokyo.
Naruhito read out a proclamation at the Imperial Palace, promising to fulfill his responsibility as the symbol of the state and of the unity of the people.
The brief event ended with Prime Minister Shinzo Abe congratulating the new emperor and leading the crowd with three shouts of "Banzai!," which means 10,000 years of long life.
More than one hundred foreign dignitaries were in attendance, including Britain's Prince Charles.

US Wins Ownership Of Seized North Korean Vessel

The United States has been awarded ownership of a North Korean cargo ship that was seized for violating international sanctions.
The Wise Honest - the first North Korean vessel to be seized by the US for sanctions violation - was caught carrying a $3m shipment of coal in Indonesian waters in 2018 and later handed over to the US.

Israel President To Give Blue And White Party Next Chance To Form New Govt

Israel's President Reuven Rivlin has said that he would give Blue and White party leader Benny Gantz the next chance to form a new government. Rivlin is expected to formally announce his decision within 72 hours. Gantz will have 28 days to form a government.
The statement came after long-standing Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu informed the President of his inability to form a new government. His attempts to form a coalition government with Gantz's party failed repeatedly.
Any lawmaker with a majority of at least 61 members would be able to form a government in 120 member assembly.

Canada Elections: Trudeau Wins Narrow Victory To Form Minority Government

Justin Trudeau has won a second term as Canada's prime minister after the country's federal election, but his narrow victory means he will lead a minority government that will be forced to depend on other parties to govern.
Justin Trudeau's victory is a death knell for Canada's fledgling far-right. The Liberals had 156 seats, 14 short of the 170 needed for a majority in the 338-seat House of Commons.
Trudeau, 47, was endorsed by Barack Obama in the last days of the campaign, but his standing as one of the few remaining progressive leaders in a major democracy was undermined by the emergence of blackface images, and lingering criticism of his handling of a major corruption inquiry.

British Parliament rejects PM Boris Johnson's Attempt To Fast-Track Brexit Deal

British Prime Minister Boris Johnson's plan to fast-track his Brexit deal through Parliament in time for 31st of October deadline was blocked by MPs even after he threatened to pull it and press for a general election.
The lawmakers rejected the three-day deadline for debating the Brexit Bill after passing it in principle.
They voted against wrapping up the debate on 24th October, 2019 by 322 to 308. This was against the wishes of Prime Minister Boris Johnson, who said, he was pausing the legislation until he had spoken to European Union leaders.
The Commons supported the Withdrawal Agreement Bill earlier, but voted against the short time-table.
Earlier, the bill had cleared the first Parliamentary hurdle, with MPs backing it 329 votes to 299. It effectively meant Johnson's Brexit Withdrawal Agreement with the EU could become law, but the MPs then voted 322 to 308 against the sped-up timetable for the bill.

President Ram Nath Kovind Attends Enthronement Ceremony Of Japan Emperor

President Ram Nath Kovind attended the enthronement ceremony of Japan's new Emperor Naruhito who completed his ascension to the Chrysanthemum Throne after his father's abdication earlier in 2019.
The 30-minute ceremony in the Imperial Palace -- featuring elements of ancient protocol which was immersed in the traditions and glory of a monarchy that claims 2,000 years of history -- was attended by roughly 2,000 guests, including dignitaries from about 190 countries and international organisations.
This is the first presidential visit to Japan from India after a gap of 29 years. The last presidential visit was in 1990 when the then president, R Venkatraman, attended the enthronement ceremonies of Emperor Emeritus Akihoto, the father of Naruhito.

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