General Awareness

INTERNATIONAL AFFAIRS - May 2019

May 2019

Aug 17, 2019

Indonesia To Move Its Capital From Jakarta

Indonesia's president has announced plans to move the country's capital to the island of Borneo.
The move comes because the current capital Jakarta is sinking - with some 40% of its 10 million population now living below sea level.
It also suffers from pollution and overcrowding.
President Joko Widodo told the Indonesian parliament the country's international image is at stake.
In Jakarta, on the island of Java, sea walls are being built but the protection they offer is limited.

Cathay CEO Quits As Hong Kong Protests Continue

The boss of Hong Kong carrier Cathay Pacific Airways quits, the highest profile corporate casualty of unrest roiling the former British colony, after Beijing targeted the airline over staff involvement in mass protests.
The corporate upheaval comes ahead of a weekend where further protests are planned, including what could be a large gathering that could test whether a movement that has enjoyed broad support can retain it, even as violence escalates.
Demonstrators say they are fighting the erosion of the "one country, two systems" arrangement that has enshrined some autonomy for Hong Kong since China took it back from Britain in 1997.
Several thousand protesters gathered peacefully at a downtown park for the "Stand with Hong Kong, Power to the People" rally, which had received police permission.

Jaishankar Meets US official

India and US discussed the road map for future engagements, including a meeting between Prime Minister Narendra Modi and President Donald Trump, and regional issues such as the situation in Afghanistan and Kashmir.
A delegation led by US deputy secretary of state John Sullivan and including the Trump administration's point person for South Asia, Alice Wells, met external affairs minister S Jaishankar to take stock of bilateral ties and issues of mutual interest such as the Indo-Pacific.

Aug 16, 2019

Italian Becomes First Space DJ

Italian astronaut Luca Parmitano of European Space Agency (ESA) has become the first space DJ, after playing a set from the International Space Station to a cruise ship of clubbers in the Mediterranean Sea.
The set, which lasted between 15 and 20 minutes, was broadcast live as a curtain-raiser for a huge music cruise in Ibiza

Under Pressure From Trump, Israel Bars Visit By Two US Democratic lawmakers

Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu barred US Democratic congresswomen Rashida Tlaib and Ilhan Omar from making a planned trip to Israel, shortly after US President Donald Trump called on his ally not to let them in.
Tlaib and Omar, the first two Muslim women elected to Congress, are members of their party's progressive wing and sharp critics both of Trump and of Israel's policy toward the Palestinians.
The moves, which were immediately condemned by many Democratic leaders in the United States as well as Palestinians, could help whip up support among Trump and Netanyahu's conservative voter bases as they head into election campaigns.

Aug 15, 2019

India Contributes $1 Million To UN Special Purpose Trust Fund.

India has contributed $1 million to the UN Special Purpose Trust Fund for the Resident Coordinator System.
The Special Purpose Trust Fund (SPTF) is a specific fund housed within the UN Secretariat established to receive, consolidate, manage and account for all contributions and financial transactions of the new Resident Coordinator system in a transparent and effective way.
Funding sources include voluntary contributions from the Member States, the doubling of cost-sharing amounts from the UN entities who are members of the United Nations development system and a one per cent levy applied to contributions for UN development-related activities earmarked to a single agency, single programme or project.

Renaming LoC 'Ceasefire Line'

The leader of Pakistan-occupied Kashmir said that his government will no longer recognise the Line of Control (LoC) and instead rename it as "Ceasefire Line" after India recently revoked the special status of Jammu and Kashmir.
The LoC was brokered to end the 1971 war between India and Pakistan. PoK is a buffer between Pakistan and India.

Aug 14, 2019

Wells Welcomes Bilateral Removal Of Restrictions On Pakistan, US Diplomats

United States Principal Deputy Assistant Secretary for South and Central Asian Affairs Ambassador Alice Wells has welcomed the bilateral move by Islamabad and Washington to remove travel restrictions on each other's diplomats.
The State Department had announced that it removed travel restrictions placed on Pakistani diplomats based in the United States.
The State Department further said the government of Pakistan has also reciprocated with a similar measure in relation to its diplomatic personnel assigned to its Embassy and Consulates in Pakistan.

Bangladesh Signs Uranium Supply Deal With Russia

Bangladesh signed a deal with Russia for the supply of uranium for its 2,400 MW Rooppur Nuclear Power Plant (RNPP).
Under the deal, Russia will supply the nuclear fuel needed for the plant during its entire life cycle.
The deal was signed in Dhaka between the Bangladesh Atomic Energy Commission and Russian Nuclear Fuel Supply Company (TVEL).
Work on the two units of the plants, each producing 1200 MW of electricity is scheduled to be completed in 2022 and 2024 respectively.
The two countries have also signed 'spent fuel sent back' agreement in 2017 for management of the nuclear waste of Rooppur Nuclear Power Plant (RNPP).

Newly Discovered Lake In Nepal Likely To Become World's Highest

A newly-discovered lake in Nepal is likely to set a new record of being the world's highest lake replacing Tilicho, which is situated at an altitude of 4,919 metres in the Himalayan nation and currently holding the title.
The Kajin Sara lake in Manang district was discovered about a few months ago by a team of mountaineers. It is located at Singarkharka area of Chame rural municipality.

London Tops Global Best Student City Rankings

UK's capital London has been named as the world's best city for students for the second consecutive year, beating international cities like Tokyo and Melbourne that came second and third respectively on a new worldwide rankings.
Students from India coming to study in London registered a hike of 20% in 2017-18.
The 'QS Best Student Cities Ranking' compiled by global education consultancy QS Quacquarelli Symonds highlights each city's performance across six categories – the number of top-ranked universities; the proportion of a city's population made up of students; quality of life on offer; job opportunities available after graduation; affordability; and the feedback of the students themselves.
According to the rankings, India's best student city is Bangalore (81st), followed by Mumbai (85th), Delhi at 113 and Chennai at 115 out of a total of 120 cities ranked in the list.

India Signs UN Convention on International Settlement

The United Nations Convention on International Settlement Agreements (UNISA) was signed by India's High Commissioner to Singapore Jawed Ashraf, representing the Government of India.
Forty-six countries signed the treaty named Singapore Convention on Mediation.
Singapore Minister of Home Affairs and Law, K Shanmugam, appreciated the strong support shown by the 70 countries represented at the signing ceremony.
He highlighted the participation by the world's three largest economies - the USA, China and India.

India Contributes US$ 5 Million To UNRWA

The Government of India has contributed US$ 5 million to the United Nations Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees in the Near East (UNRWA) in support of the Agency's core programmes and services, including education, health care, and relief and social services.
The contribution was presented to UNRWA by the Representative of India to the State of Palestine, H.E. Mr. Sunil Kumar.
India has increased its annual financial contribution to UNRWA from US $1.25 million in 2016 to US$ 5 million in 2018 and 2019

Aug 13, 2019

New Rule Likely To Hit Indians Eyeing US Green Cards

Under a new rule that goes into effect, the United States will start denying Green Cards and extensions of other temporary-stay visas to foreigners who have either used government assistance such as food stamps and housing rent or are likely to become someone who relies on "public benefits".
Experts estimate that this rule, called the "Inadmissibility on Public Charge Grounds", is the most significant of the Trump administration's immigration moves and could cut legal immigration by half -- also affecting Indians.

S Korea To Remove Japan From Preferred Trade List

South Korea has decided to remove Japan from a list of nations receiving preferential treatment in trade in what was seen as a tit-for-tat move following Tokyo's recent decision to downgrade Seoul's trade status amid a diplomatic row.
It wasn't immediately clear how South Korea's tightened export controls would impact bilateral trade. Seoul said some South Korean companies exporting to Japan will be able to receive exceptions from case-by-case inspections that are normally applied on sensitive shipments to nations with lower trade status and go through the same fast-track approval process that they currently enjoy.

Hong Kong Airport Grinds To a Halt

Hong Kong's airport halted flights , blaming demonstrators for the disruption. The airport authority said it was working with airlines to resume flights from 6am on August 13, 2019 but the developments raised the stakes sharply after a weekend of skirmishes during which both activists and police toughened their stances.
The protests began in opposition to a bill allowing extraditions to the mainland for trial in Communist-controlled courts, but have widened to highlight other grievances.

DTC Suspends Bus Service Between Delhi And Lahore

The Delhi Transport Corporation (DTC) has cancelled the bus between Delhi and Lahore as Pakistan informed it that the service was suspended in the wake of India revoking Jammu and Kashmir's special status.
The Delhi-Lahore bus service was first started in February 1999 but suspended after the 2001 Parliament attack.
It was restarted in July 2003. The ridership of the bus had drastically reduced post the Pulwama terrorist attack and the Balakot surgical strikes in February, 2019 which strained Indo-Pak relations.

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