General Awareness

INTERNATIONAL AFFAIRS - May 2019

May 2019

Sep 16, 2019

Trump To Join Modi In Houston To Address Indian-Americans

This is for the first time that the leaders of the two largest democracies would be addressing a joint rally.
President Donald Trump and Prime Minister Narendra Modi will jointly address over 50,000 Indian-Americans at the mega "Howdy, Modi!" event in Houston, which is an unprecedented occasion, reflective of the strong bonds of friendship and cooperation between India and the US.

Algeria To Hold Presidential Election On Dec 12

Algeria will hold the Presidential election on December 12, 2019. Abdelkader Bensalah, the interim successor of ailing President Abdelaziz Bouteflika, who resigned following mass protests, announced the elections.
The announcement comes after Army chief General Ahmed Gaid Salah insisted that polls be held by the end of 2019, despite ongoing protests demanding the creation of new institutions ahead of any elections.

President Kovind Held Talks With Slovenian Counterpart in Ljubljana

President Ram Nath Kovind held talks with his Slovenian counterpart Borut Pahor in the capital Ljubljana. He arrived in Slovenian capital after concluding his visit to Iceland and Switzerland.
President will also be present during the delegation level talks and signing of agreements between the two countries. Mr Kovind will lay wreath at the war memorial.
During his two-days visit, the President will also take part in the India-Slovenia business event and grace a reception to be hosted by the Indian community.
This is the first ever visit by any Indian President to Slovenia after it gained Independence in 1991.

Sep 15, 2019

Saudi Arabia Oil Facilities Ablaze After Drone Strikes

Drone attacks have set alight two major oil facilities run by the state-owned company Aramco in Saudi Arabia.
There was a huge blaze at Abqaiq, site of Aramco's largest oil processing plant, while a second drone attack started fires in the Khurais oil field.
A spokesman for the Iran-aligned Houthi group in Yemen said it had deployed 10 drones in the attacks.
He said Saturday's attack was one of the biggest operations the Houthi forces had undertaken inside Saudi Arabia and was carried out in co-operation with people inside the kingdom.

Sep 14, 2019

India-Switzerland to have First Automatic Exchange of Information on Tax Matters

President Ram Nath Kovind noted that India-Switzerland will have the first automatic exchange of information on tax matters in the coming weeks and described this is a very positive development.
Kovind, along with Ueli Maurer, the President of the Swiss Confederation, addressed the Federal Council of Switzerland in Berne and the remarks were made at that forum.
The Federal Council is the highest executive authority in Switzerland. It comprises seven members, who are elected by the Federal Assembly.
The President highlighted the linkages between tax evasion and money laundering with terrorism. He said that the scourge of terrorism is among the gravest challenges that the world faces today.
India has been a victim of state sponsored terrorism for decades and it seeks Switzerland's support to enhance global efforts to defeat and destroy all manifestations of terrorism.

Taliban Negotiators Arrive in Moscow

Less than a week after President Trump announced that peace talks with the Islamic militant group in Afghanistan were essentially dead, a Taliban negotiating team arrived in Moscow.
The trip, led by Mullah Sher Mohammad Stanikzai, was the Taliban's first international visit following the collapse of talks with Washington.
The delegation held consultations with Zamir Kabulov, President Vladimir Putin's envoy for Afghanistan. The visit was confirmed by a Taliban official.
A Russian Foreign Ministry spokesman said that the meeting in Russia underlined the necessity of renewing talks between the U.S. and the Taliban, and that the Taliban confirmed their readiness to continuing dialogue with Washington.

Boris Johnson Cautiously Optimistic of Brexit Deal

The British Prime Minister Boris Johnson claimed that he has made a good deal of progress in his pursuit of a Brexit deal with the EU.
As per Boris Johnson, the government is working incredibly hard to get a deal. There is the rough shape of the deal to be done. Johnson has been in talk to various other EU leaders particularly in Germany, in France and in Ireland, and has made a good deal of progress.
Johnson is set to travel to Luxembourg for Brexit talks with European Commission President Jean-Claude Juncker and the EU Brexit chief negotiator Michel Barnier.

President Kovind Inaugurates Mahatma Gandhi's Bust In Switzerland

President Ram Nath Kovind inaugurated a bronze bust of Mahatma Gandhi in Villeneuve in Switzerland.
The President is on a five- day visit to Switzerland to boost business and cultural ties.
The bust was unveiled to mark the visit of Mahatma to Villeneuve in 1931.
The inauguration also coincides with 150th birth anniversary of the Father of the nation.
The idol sculpted by Ram Vanaji Sutar is placed on a high pedestal made of sandstone extracted from Switzerland.

U.S. House Subpoenas Envoy to US-Taliban Dialogue

The chairman of the House Foreign Affairs Committee issued a subpoena to the Trump administration's envoy to the U.S.-Taliban talks, demanding that he testify at an open congressional hearing in the fourth week of September 2019.
According to Eliot Engel of New York, the Trump administration was accused of keeping Congress and the American people in the dark about the negotiations, which are aimed at opening the way to the withdrawal of U.S. troops from Afghanistan after 18 years of war.
Engel issued the subpoena to compel Zalmay Khalilzad to testify on September 19, 2019. He issued the subpoena because the State Department had refused requests in February, April and earlier in September (2019) for briefings or testimony from Khalilzad.

Sep 13, 2019

Sri Lanka's New Luxury Train, Pulathisi Express Launched

The President of Sri Lanka, Maithripala Sirisena along with the country's Minister of Transport and Civil Aviation Arjuna Ranatunga and Taranjit Singh Sandhu, High Commissioner of India flagged off the new train- Pulathisi Express.
Sri Lanka launches 'Make in India' swanky train which was flagged off from Fort railway station in Colombo to Polonnaruwa.
The swanky and luxurious new train set has been supplied to Sri Lanka Railways by RITES Limited under Indian Line of Credit.
RITES Limited is a PSU, under the aegis of Indian Railways which specializes in the field of transport infrastructure.

Sep 12, 2019

Jaishankar Meets Singapore Deputy Prime Minister, Defence Minister

External Affairs Minister S. Jaishankar met Singapore Deputy Prime Minister Heng Swee Keat and the two leaders discussed new avenues of relationship through the opportunities provided by "New India".
Mr. Jaishankar, who is on a visit to Singapore, was accompanied by Minister of State for Civil Aviation Hardeep S. Puri during his meeting with Mr. Keat, who is also Singapore's Finance Minister.
Mr. Jaishankar also had a meeting with Singapore Defence Minister Ng Eng Hen.

St. Vincent and Grenadines, 79th country to join India-led Intl Solar Alliance

Saint Vincent and Grenadines became the 79th country to join the International Solar Alliance (ISA), an initiative by India aimed at combating the threats of climate change and global warming.
Countries which have signed the agreement until now include Bolivia, Palau, France, Australia, the United Arab Emirates, the United Kingdom, Japan, amongst others.
The agreement was opened for signature during the COP22 at Marrakech on November 15, 2016.
The International Solar Alliance is a group of 121 solar resource-rich countries with headquarters in Gurugram, India.
The organisation aims to deploy over 1,000 gigawatts of solar energy and mobilise more than USD 1,000 billion into solar power by 2030, according to the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC).

UK's New Visa Offer to Benefit Thousands of Indian Students

The Boris Johnson government announced the return of the two-year post-study work visa that was popular with self-financing Indian students, reversing a 2012 decision that led to a major drop of Indian students coming to the UK.
The announcement means that Indian and other international students who join a UK educational institution from the 2020-21 academic year and complete an undergraduate or postgraduate degree in any subject will be able to stay for two years and take up any job.
The visa route was scrapped by Theresa May when she was home secretary in April 2012 on the ground that it was too generous, along with other measures such as closing bogus colleges that were admitting international 'students'.
Scrapping the visa led to the perception that the UK is less welcoming, prompting a fall of Indian students from the high of 39,090 in 2010-2011 to 16,550 in 2016-17. Latest figures show Indian students numbered 21,165 in the year ending March 2019.

India Participates in Thessaloniki International Fair in Greece

An Indian delegation led by Minister of State (MoS) for Commerce and Industry, Hardeep Singh Puri participated in the 84th Thessaloniki International Fair (TIF) in Greece.
Senior officials and businessmen and prominent Indian entrepreneurs were part of the delegation.
India is the honoured country at the 84th TIF.
New India Pavilion was inaugurated by the Prime Minister of the Hellenic Republic, Mr. Kyriakos Mitsotakis and the Minister of State for Commerce and Industry, Hardeep Singh Puri on 7th September, 2019.
The Minister of State for Commerce and Industry held a press interaction during the trade fair and highlighted the prospects for the development of Indian business in Greece and the wider region of Southeast Europe to strengthen bilateral trade relations between the two countries.
Hardeep Singh Puri said that India's economy is expected to reach USD 5 trillion in 2025 and it will be among the largest in the world.

Canadian PM Justin Trudeau Dissolves Parliament, Launches Election Campaign

Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau kicked off Canada's election campaign, with polls showing his Liberals locked in a tight race with the opposition Conservative Party ahead of the Oct. 21, 2019 vote.
Trudeau requested the dissolution of parliament in a meeting with Governor General Julie Payette, Queen Elizabeth II's representative in Canada, marking the formal start of campaigning.
Neither of the two main parties is currently polling high enough -- both are just north of 30% -- to win a majority of the 338 seats up for grabs, meaning the next Parliament could be more fragmented than the current one.
The Liberals enter the election with 177 seats, compared with 95 for the Conservatives. A majority requires winning at least 170 seats.

President Of India Addresses India-Iceland Business Forum

The President of India, Shri Ram Nath Kovind, addressed the India-Iceland Business Forum in Reykjavik, Iceland on September 11, 2019.
The President said that India's growth and commitment to sustainability and Iceland's business strengths make for a natural partnership.
Iceland's capacity in the fields of geothermal energy, circular economy, financial services, fisheries, food processing, shipping, tourism and innovation are second to none.
It is a pioneer in green technologies, be it carbon capture, energy efficient buildings or waste-to-wealth projects.
Its economic success is a story that many would like to emulate. India's transformative growth programmes and next-generation infrastructure projects present immense opportunities for Icelandic companies.
The President met Prime Minister Katrín Jakobsdóttir of Iceland at a working lunch hosted in his honour.
The President will leave for Switzerland – the second leg of his visit.

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