Current Affairs search results for tag: international-news

1. The World Health Organisation has granted emergency approval to Covovax (NVX-CoV2373)

Tags: International News

• It is an Indian manufactured Coronavirus Vaccine.
• It is manufactured by the Serum Institute of India under license from the U.S.­ based Novavax
• Covovax requires two doses and is stable at 2 to 8 degrees Celsius refrigerated temperatures.
• It will be distributed as part of global vaccine­ sharing system COVAX(COVID-19 Vaccines Global Access). 
• COVAX is a worldwide initiative through the alliance of  GAVI (Global Alliance for Vaccines and Immunization), the Coalition for Epidemic Preparedness Innovations (CEPI), and the World Health Organization (WHO).

It is the 3rd vaccine from India after Covi Shield and Covaxin to receive WHO emergency use listing (EUL).

2. 488 journalists jailed, 46 killed across the world in 2021 - Reporters without Borders

Tags: International News

Reporters without Borders (RSF)’s the international non-profit organization for safeguarding the right to freedom of information, has released their latest annual roundup of violence and abuse suffered by journalists across the world.

Report Highlights-

• There are currently 488 media professionals imprisoned around the world, the highest number since Reporters Without Borders began counting more than 25 years ago.
• The number killed this year — 46 — was the lowest since it began issuing annual tallies, due to the relative stabilisation of conflicts in West Asia especially in Syria, Iraq, and Yemen.
• China once again has the highest number of imprisoned journalists at 127. Out of this number, more than half about 71 are Uighur journalists.
• The most dangerous countries were Mexico and Afghanistan, with seven and six journalist deaths respectively, followed by Yemen and India with four deaths each.

Reporters Without Borders (French: Reporters Sans Frontières; RSF)  RSF is an international non-profit and non-governmental organization with the stated aim of safeguarding the right to freedom of information.  RSF has consultative status at the United Nations, UNESCO, the Council of Europe, and the International Organisation of the Francophonie. Since 1995, Reporters Without Borders (RSF) has been compiling annual round-ups of violence and abuses against journalists based on precise data gathered from 1 January to 1 December of the year in question. Headquarter - Paris, France Notable Report - World Press Freedom Index since 2002

3. Super Typhoon Rai lashes Philippines

Tags: International News

• Super Typhoon Rai, known locally as Odette, continued to wreak havoc across the Philippines, as the storm moved west across the archipelago, bringing with it heavy rain and widespread flooding.
• Rai, the 15th typhoon to hit the Philippines this year, weakened slightly from a Category 5 to a Category 3 storm (as per Saffir–Simpson Hurricane Wind Scale) after making landfall Thursday on Siargao Island, a popular tourist and surfing destination on the central east coast. 

Philippines Capital - Manila Currency - Philippine Peso President - Rodrigo Duterte

4. President Ramnath Kovind on a 3-day State Visit to Bangladesh

Tags: International News

Indian President Ramnath Kovind is currently on a 3-day State visit to Bangladesh from December 15 to 17, 2021.

Bangladesh is observing the golden jubilee celebrations of its independence from Pakistan in 1971. Notably, President Kovind is the only foreign head of state invited to join the celebrations.

Highlights of his visit

• He visited the National Martyrs’ Memorial and paid tributes to the martyrs of the Liberation War of Bangladesh. The Indian President also planted an ‘Ashoka’ sapling at the memorial garden. 
• Subsequently, he visited the Bangabandhu Memorial Museum,Dhaka where he paid homage to Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujibur Rahman, the Father of the nation of Bangladesh.
• The President reiterated that Bangladesh has a special place in India’s ‘neighbourhood first’ policy. 
• The President will also witness the Victory Day parade and attend the Victory Day reception hosted by the President of Bangladesh to mark the conclusion of the "Mujib Borsho (March 17, 2020, to December 16, 2021)” celebrations.
• As part of the celebration, President Kovind is also scheduled to inaugurate the renovated Sri Ramna Kali Mandir in Dhaka, which was completely destroyed by Pakistani forces during Operation Searchlight in 1971.
• A 122-member tri-services contingent of the Indian Armed Forces will also participate in the celebration parade.

Bangladesh 

Capital of Bangladesh: Dhaka

Currency of Bangladesh: Taka 

President of Bangladesh: Mr. Abdul Hamid 

Prime Minister of Bangladesh: Sheikh Hasina 

5. India votes against UN draft resolution on climate change

Tags: International News

• India voted against a draft resolution at the United Nations Security Council (UNSC) linking climate to security. This resolution was moved by Niger, which holds the UNSC presidency for December. It was also sponsored by Ireland.
• Niger organized a debate titled ‘Maintenance of international peace and security: security in the context of terrorism and climate change”. One of the objectives of the debate was to examine how terrorism and security risks could be linked to climate change.
• The resolution was vetoed by Russia even though 12 countries voted in its favour with China abstaining from the vote and India voting against it.

India’s views

 Government of India’s views was put forward by India’s Permanent Representative and Ambassador to the United Nations, T.S. Tirumurti. According to him 

• It was an attempt to shift climate talks from the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC) to the Security Council and a “step backward” for collective action on the issue.
• As per India, the reason countries were attempting to bring climate talks to the Security Council was that decisions could be taken as per the will of a few states who can veto any resolution  without consensus or the involvement of most developing countries, which is clearly neither desirable nor acceptable.
• The draft resolution, as per India, would undermine progress made at Glasgow, where the latest round of talks under the UNFCCC, the 26th Conference of the Parties (COP26), concluded in November.

The United Nations Security Council (UNSC) It is one of the six principal organs of the United Nations (UN), charged with ensuring international peace and security, recommending the admission of new UN members to the General Assembly, and approving any changes to the UN Charter. Its powers include establishing peacekeeping operations, enacting international sanctions, and authorizing military action.  Under the Charter of the United Nations, all Member States are obligated to comply with Council decisions. The Security Council consists of fifteen members, of which five are permanent: The People's Republic of China,  The French Republic,  The Russian Federation,  The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland, and  The United States of America. Permanent members can veto any substantive resolution The remaining ten members are elected on a regional basis to serve a term of two years.  The body's presidency rotates monthly among its members. The current temporary members are- Estonia (2021) India (2022) Ireland (2022) Kenya (2022) Mexico (2022) Niger (2021) Norway (2022) Saint Vincent and the Grenadines (2021) Tunisia (2021) Viet Nam (2021)

The United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC) UNFCCC established an international environmental treaty to combat "dangerous human interference with the climate system", in part by stabilizing greenhouse gas concentrations in the atmosphere. It is highly targeted towards sustainable development. It was signed by 154 states at the United Nations Conference on Environment and Development (UNCED), informally known as the Earth Summit, held in Rio de Janeiro from 3 to 14 June 1992.  The secretariat of the UNFCCC was established in Geneva in 1992 and was later shifted to Bonn, Germany in 1995. The Kyoto Protocol, which was signed in 1997, was the first implementation of measures under the UNFCCC to control the emission of greenhouse gases to deal with global warming.  The Kyoto Protocol came into force in 2005 and it was replaced by the Paris Agreement of 2016. Conference of Parties(COP) The COP is the supreme decision-making body of the UNFCCC. It meets annually to assess the progress made by the member countries in dealing with climate change.   The 26th COP was held at  Glasgow, Scotland, UK from 31st October to 13th November 2021. The 27th COP 2022 will be held from 7th to 18th November 2022 at Sharm El-Sheikh, Egypt.

6. “India” 4th Most Powerful Country in Asia

Tags: International News

• In the Asia Power Index for 2021 that ranks 26 nations and territories in Asia- Pacific, prepared by the Lowy Institute of Sydney, India has been ranked 4th most powerful Asian country. 
• The Lowy Institute ranks the country's power on the basis of 8 indicators. It includes the country’s economic capability, military capability, resilience, cultural influence, economic influences, future resources, defence network, diplomatic influence.

Rank of the powerful countries 

1. United States  82.2 points
2. China  74.6
3. Japan  38.7
4. India  37.7 
5. Russia 33.0 

Highlights of the report:

• India lost 2.0 points (-5% change) in overall score in 2021 (compared to 2020).
• India performed better in future resource measures where it finished behind only the United States and China.
• India finishes in 4th place in four other measures, i.e. Economic Capability, Military Capability (+0.5), Resilience (+1.7) and Cultural Influence.
• India remains in the 7th place in its “Defence Networks”, reflecting progress in its regional defence diplomacy - notably with the Quadrilateral Security Dialogue which includes: Australia, Japan and the United States.
•  On the other hand, India has slipped into 8th position for economic relationships, as it falls further behind in regional trade integration efforts.

Lowy Institute The Lowy Institute is an independent think tank founded in April 2003 by Frank Lowy to conduct original, policy-relevant research about international political, strategic and economic issues from an Australian perspective. Headquarters: Sydney, New South Wales, Australia. Executive Director: Michael Fullilove

7. Israeli PM’s historic visit to UAE

Tags: International News

• Israel’s Prime Minister Naftali Bennett arrived in the United Arab Emirates for the first ever  official visit by a Prime Minister of Israel to the UAE.. 
• The UAE last year became the third Arab nation to establish full diplomatic relations with Israel after Egypt and Jordan.
•  Bahrain and Morocco then followed as part of a series of deals referred to as Abraham Accords brokered by former U.S. President Donald Trump.
•  Sudan also agreed to normalise ties with Israel under the Abraham Accords, but full relations have not yet materialised. 
• For details of the Abraham accord refer to the 25 November post.

Israel It was created in 1948 as a homeland of the Jews after partitioning the Arab dominated Palestine in West Asia.. Capital : Israel claims Jerusalem as its capital but many countries including the United Nations  do not accept it as its capital. Tel Aviv is accepted as the capital of Israel by many countries of the world. Currency : Shekel Parliament : Knesset

UAE(United Arab Emirates) It gained its independence from Britain in 1971 . It is a federation of seven Emirates ,Abu Dhabi, Ajman, Dubai, Fujairah, Ras Al Khaimah, Sharjah and Umm Al Quwain. Capital of UAE: Abu Dhabi  Currency : UAE Dirham

8. New Caledonia votes to remain part of France

Tags: International News

• Voters in the French island territory of New Caledonia chose overwhelmingly to stay part of France, in a referendum  held on 12 December which was boycotted by pro-independence forces.
• Official results showed 96% of those who took part chose to stay in France. However the overall turnout was less than 44%.
• The referendum held on 12 December  was the third and last in a decades-long process aimed at settling tensions between native Kanaks seeking independence and those who want the territory to remain part of France.
• New Caledonia, colonized by Napoleon’s nephew in the 19th century, is a vast archipelago of about 270,000 people east of Australia and hosts a French military base.

 Capital of New Caledonia : Noumea.

Currency: CFP Franc

9. Tigray rebels retake Ethiopian world heritage Lalibela

Tags: International News

Tigray rebels on 12th December recaptured the north Ethiopian town of Lalibela, home to a UNESCO world heritage site from the  Ethiopian government  forces..

Ethiopian Civil War

The conflict started on 4 November, when the  Ethiopian Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed ordered a military offensive against  the northern regional forces in Tigray.

The escalation came after months of feuding between Mr Abiy's government and leaders of Tigray's dominant political party, the Tigray People's Liberation Front (TPLF) .

For almost three decades, the party was at the centre of power, before it was sidelined by Mr Abiy, who took office in 2018 after anti-government protests.

Mr Abiy pursued reforms, but when Tigray resisted, the political crisis erupted into war.

Lalibela

Lalibela is a town in the Amhara Region of Ethiopia. It is famous for its rock-cut monolithic churches. It is a holy pilgrimage site for Christians.  The Rock-Hewn Churches were declared a UNESCO World Heritage Site in 1978

Ethiopia (Federal Democratic Republic of Ethiopia) -  A landlocked country in the horn of Africa.  Capital - Addis Ababa Currency - Birr Lake Tana in the North is the source of Blue Nile Abiy Ahmed - He is the present prime minister of Ethiopia. As the first Ethiopian and the first African head of state, he won the 2019 Nobel Peace Prize for his work in ending the 20-year post-war territorial stalemate between Ethiopia and Eritrea.

Horn of Africa The Horn of Africa takes its name from the horn-shaped land formation that forms the easternmost point of the African continent, projecting into the Indian Ocean south of the Arabian Peninsula.  The term is also used to refer to the greater region of adjacent countries located at the southern end of the Red Sea and on the Gulf of Aden: the Sudan, Eritrea, Djibouti, Somalia and the landlocked Ethiopia. Located on the main shipping route for the transport of oil from the Persian Gulf to Europe and the United States, the Horn of Africa is considered one of the most strategically important regions in the world.

10. Saudi Arabia bans Tablighi Jamaat

Tags: International News

Saudi Arabia has stunned the Islamic World by banning the Tablighi Jamaat, the Islamist proselytizing(conversion) movement. 

The Saudi Ministry of Islamic Affairs announced the measure on its social media platform terming the Sunni Islamic organisation as "one of the gates of terrorism" and that Tablighi Jamaat poses "a danger to society".

Tablighi Jamaat Tablighi Jamaat , which literally means a society for spreading the faith, is a Sunni Islamic missionary movement. The proselytising movement aims to reach out to ordinary Muslims and revive their faith, particularly in matters of ritual, dress, and personal behaviour.  It was launched by Deoband cleric and prominet Islamic scholar Maulana Muhammad Ilyas Khandhalaw in 1927 in Mewat,Haryana. After Partition in 1947, a Pakistan chapter was started in the town of Raiwind, Lahore. Currently, Bangladesh has one of the largest chapters. The Tablighi Jamaat also has a significant base in the United States and Britain, which has a large Indian subcontinent diaspora. It also has a presence in Indonesia, Malaysia, and Singapore. Its roots lie in the Deobandi version of the Hanafi school of jurisprudence. Salafism, which is sometimes also referred to as Wahhabism which is practised in Saudi Arabia  is a rival of the Deobandi school and this move of the Saudi is seen as a rivalry within the Sunni Islam.

Saudi Arabia 

The Kingdom of Saudi Arabia is the largest state in West Asia and a major oil exporting country in the world.

 Saudi Arabia claims to be the leader of the islamic world as it is home to the two most holy mosques of Islam.  

Al-Masjid al-Haram mosque is in  Mecca, which is also the world's largest mosques  and Al-Masjid an-Nabawi in Medina. 

The Organisation of Islamic Countries(OIC) headquarters is at Jeddah ,Saudi Arabia.

Capital of Saudi Arabia : RIyadh 

Currency :Saudi Riyal

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