General Awareness

INTERNATIONAL AFFAIRS - May 2019

May 2019

Sep 01, 2019

Amit Shah Meets His Singaporean Counterpart K Shanmugam

Union Home Minister Amit Shah met his Singaporean counterpart K Shanmugam in New Delhi and discussed several issues of mutual interest.
Mr Shah said, India under the leadership of Prime Minister Narendra Modi always looks forward to further strengthening India-Singapore ties.
The two leaders also exchanged views and concerns on the challenges posed by terrorism and extremism.
They agreed to strengthen the existing bilateral institutional mechanisms on security issues.
Both the sides also agreed to enhance cooperation in dealing with trans-national organized crimes including drug trafficking and economic offences.
Mr Shah noted that India-Singapore relations are based on shared values and approaches, economic opportunities and convergence of interest on key issues.

Saudi Arabia Creates New Ministry Of Industry And Mineral Resources

Saudi Arabia announced that it has created an independent Ministry of Industry and Mineral Resources, separating it from the Energy Ministry, a move that is understood as part of the kingdom's strategy to diversify the economy away from oil.
In 2016, Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman launched a plan called Vision 2030 aimed at reducing the country's dependence on crude by reinforcing other economic and investment activities, increasing non-oil industry trade of goods and consumer products with other nations, and growing government spending on health, education, infrastructure, recreation, tourism, and the military.
It will be fully independent starting on January 1, 2020. Bandar Al-Khorayef, a businessman from the Saudi industrial conglomerate Khorayef Group, will be the department's head.
Under Al-Khorayef, the ministry should reach the goal of increasing the value of mining operations to reach $69.3 billion. Currently, the direct and indirect contribution of the sector to the kingdom's GDP is estimated to be around $21.3 billion.

Aug 31, 2019

Tulsi Won't Contest Election Independently

Tulsi Gabbard, the first Hindu lawmaker in the US Congress who is running for the presidency, said that she would not contest as an Independent candidate if she fails to win the Democratic presidential nomination.
Gabbard, an Iraq war veteran who has been serving as the US Representative for Hawaii's second congressional district since 2013, would focus on moving the campaign forward, continuing this grassroots campaign, continuing to deliver the message to the American people and ask for their support.

Boris Johnson's Brexit strategy

British Prime Minister Boris Johnson's move to "prorogue" or suspend Parliament for over five weeks beginning September second week (2019) has triggered furious responses from opposition leaders, who call the decision a threat to democracy.
The decision comes at a time when Britain is inching closer towards the October 31, 2019 deadline for Brexit.
The suspension of Parliament between September 9-12 and October 14 (2019) would mean that the lawmakers would have less time to debate, scrutinize or to block Mr. Johnson's Brexit plan.
By suspending Parliament for over a month, Mr. Johnson has effectively narrowed the lawmakers' opportunities to reject his Brexit plans.
The MPs, who are currently on recess, are supposed to be back in session on September 3, 2019. Before the suspension of Parliament, they were scheduled to be in session till September 16, 2019.
This would have been crucial time for rebel MPs to come up with legislation against a no-deal Brexit, which Mr. Johnson has not ruled out.
Now that Parliament will be closed on either September 9 or 12, 2019, the time available for MPs in the current session to legislate against a potential no-deal Brexit has shrunk.

Trump's Personal Assistant Steps Down

Donald Trump's personal assistant Madeleine Westerhout resigned after she shared information about the President's family with journalists.
Westerhout's unexpected departure came after Trump learned that she had talked about his family and White House matters with reporters at an off-the-record session during the President's recent working vacation in New Jersey.
Westerhout's office was in front of the Oval Office and she had been described as Trump's "gatekeeper" in US media. She had been his personal assistant from the beginning of his presidency.
Westerhout was not a high-profile staffer, but her exit adds to a long list of administration officials who have quit since Donald Trump was elected president in 2016.

Aug 30, 2019

The World's Highest-Paid Women In Music 2019: Taylor Swift Doubles Up No. 2 Beyoncé

Forbes revealed its list of highest-paid celebrities and Taylor Swift took the top spot, having earned $185 million from June 2018 to June 2019.
Swift beat out Kylie Jenner, and, according to Forbes' new list of the world's highest-paid women in music, she's number one in her industry too.
Her $185 million income far surpassed Beyonce's $81 million. Queen Bey is number two on the list, followed by Rihanna, who earned $62 million, according to Forbes.

Aug 29, 2019

US Sets Up Diplomatic Mission For Venezuela In Colombia

The United States has opened a diplomatic mission for Venezuela in Colombia, months after suspending its embassy in Caracas as Washington seeks to oust President Nicolas Maduro.
The Venezuela Affairs Unit, located inside the US embassy in Bogota, will focus on supporting Juan Guaido, the opposition leader whom the United States and most other Western and Latin American countries consider the interim president.
The unit will continue to work for the restoration of democracy and the constitutional order in that country, and the security and well-being of the Venezuelan people.
The US diplomatic presence in Venezuela will still be sharply curtailed. A US official said the unit in Bogota would not provide consular services such as issuing visas.
The United States suspended operations at its embassy in Caracas in March 2019 and pulled out all remaining staff as the political crisis intensified following years of severe deterioration of the economy.

Dharmendra Pradhan Meets Australian Minister Matthew Canavan

Union Minister of Petroleum and Natural Gas Dharmendra Pradhan held a meeting with Australian Minister for Resources and Northern Australia, Senator Matthew Canavan in New Delhi.
Both Ministers stressed on the importance of energy and resources in the bilateral relationship, and agreed to expand the scope of cooperation given that India offers a large energy market and Australia is rich in natural resources particularly coal and Liquid Natural Gas (LNG), apart from Uranium. India is the largest importer of Australian metallurgical coal.

US To Launch Space Command In a Bid To Expand Military Outreach

The United States will officially launch the Space Command on August 29, 2019 with a White House ceremony hosted by President Donald Trump and Vice President Mike Pence.
Defense Secretary Mark Esper and Air Force General John Raymond, commander of SPACECOM, are also expected to attend. SPACECOM is US military's 11th combatant command.
The launch of the Space Command will accelerate what has been a decades-long effort to reorganise and improve the US military's technological capabilities in space.
The creation of the new combatant command is the first step towards the creation of a full-up Space Force, an idea that has been heavily pushed by President Donald Trump.

Aug 28, 2019

Indian Ambassador To Madagascar Unveils Commemorative Plaque In Antananarivo

A restored commemorative plaque of the Mahatma Gandhi road in Antananarivo was jointly unveiled by the Indian High Commissioner to Madagascar Abhay Kumar and city's Mayor Lalao Ravalomanana to mark the 150th birth anniversary of the Mahatma Gandhi.
Fondly called Bapu (father), Gandhi was born on October 2, 1869, and played a key role in the Indian Independence movement.
His principles of non-violence, civil-disobedience and satyagraha inspired leaders in Africa in their struggle for the decolonisation of their countries. Gandhi's birth anniversary is celebrated as the International Day of Non-Violence.
The embassy has also put an exhibition of photographs in front of the building capturing the important events from Bapu's life as well as his messages which are still relevant in the contemporary world.

Afghanistan Complains To UNSC About Violations By Pakistani Troops

Afghanistan asked the UN Security Council to take action to end violations of its territory by the Pakistani military, such as the firing of more than 200 rockets into Kunar province during August 19-20, 2019.
Afghanistan's permanent representative to the UN, Adela Raz, accused the Pakistani military of repeated violations of Afghan territory.

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