1. Pakistan and China agree to extend CPEC to Afghanistan
Tags: International News
Pakistan, China and Afghanistan have agreed to forge closer economic ties by extending the Beijing-backed China-Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC) to Afghanistan to fully exploit the country's potential as a hub of regional connectivity.
An overview of the news
Pakistan's Foreign Minister Bilawal Bhutto Zardari, his Chinese counterpart Qin Gang and Taliban-appointed Acting Foreign Minister of Afghanistan Maulvi Amir Khan Muttaki held the 5th China-Afghanistan-Pakistan Foreign Ministers' Talks.
The ministers held in-depth talks on various issues and agreed on good neighbourhood, mutual trust, security cooperation, counter terrorism, connectivity and trade and investment.
The three countries reiterated their resolve to fully utilize the potential of Afghanistan as a hub of regional connectivity
The three countries reaffirmed their commitment to further trilateral cooperation under the "Belt and Road Initiative (BRI)" and to jointly extend the China-Pakistan Economic Corridor to Afghanistan.
About China-Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC)
Launched in 2015, CPEC is the flagship project of the multi-billion dollar Belt and Road Initiative (BRI), launched by Chinese President Xi Jinping.
It aims to increase Beijing's influence around the world through China-funded infrastructure projects.
The3,000 km long China-Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC) comprises highways, railways and pipelines.
The CPEC aims to eventually link the city of Gwadar in southwest Pakistan with Xinjiang, the northwestern region of China, through a vast network of highways and railways.
The proposed project will be financed by heavily subsidized loans.
India has objected to the CPEC as it passes through Pakistan-occupied Kashmir (PoK).
2. Sarbananda Sonowal inaugurates Sittwe Port in Myanmar
Tags: International Relations International News
Union Minister for Ports, Shipping and Waterways and AYUSH Sarbananda Sonowal and Deputy Prime Minister of Myanmar Admiral Tin Aung San jointly inaugurated Sittwe Port in Myanmar on 9 May.
An overview of the news
Admiral Tin Aung San also received the first Indian cargo ship which was flagged off from Syama Prasad Mookerjee Port, Kolkata.
The development of Sittwe port will reduce the cost and time of movement of goods between Kolkata and Agartala and Aizawl by 50 per cent.
It will promote trade links and people-to-people ties between India and Myanmar and the wider region and help boost the economic development of the northeastern states.
About Sittwe port
The project was envisaged to provide alternative connectivity of Mizoram with Haldia, Kolkata or any Indian port through Kaladan River in Myanmar.
Sittwe Port has been developed as a part of the Kaladan Multi-Modal Transit Transport Project (KMTTP) funded under grant-in-aid assistance from the Indian government.
Once the waterway and road components of the KMTTP are fully operational, the east coast of India will be connected to the north-eastern states through the Sittwe port.
The commissioning of Sittwe port will increase bilateral and regional trade as well as boost the local economy of Myanmar's Rakhine state.
The greater connectivity provided by the Port will lead to employment opportunities and enhanced growth prospects in the region.
About Myanmar
It is a country located in Southeast Asia and is bordered by India, Bangladesh, China, Laos and Thailand.
The capital city of Myanmar is Naypyidaw, which was officially designated as the capital in 2005.
President - Myint Swe (Acting)
Prime Minister - Senior Gen. Min Aung Hlaing
Currency - Myanmar kyat
3. 6th India- Canada Ministerial Dialogue on Trade and Investment
Tags: International Relations International News
Sixth India- Canada Ministerial Dialogue on Trade and Investment (MDTI) held on 9th May in Ottawa.
An overview of the news
Union Minister of Commerce & Industry, Piyush Goyal along with Mary Ng, Minister of International Trade, Export Promotion, Small Business and Economic Development, Government of Canada co-chaired the discussions.
The Ministers also reviewed the India-Canada CEPA (Comprehensive Economic Partnership Agreement) negotiations.
In the last MDTI meeting in March 2022, the two ministers launched CEPA negotiations with the possibility of having an interim agreement or EPTA (Early Progress Trade Agreement). Since then seven rounds of talks have taken place.
Goyal participated in various events to promote trade and investment in Toronto from 9 to 10 May 2023.
Piyush Goyal inaugurated the India Pavilion at SIAL Canada-2023, the largest food innovation trade show in North America with participation of over 1000 national and international exhibitors from 50 countries.
Topics of Dialogue
Strengthening bilateral trade relations between India and Canada
Investment Promotion and Cooperation
Green transition - discussions on critical minerals and promotion of new areas of cooperation such as B2B engagement.
About Canada
Canada, the second largest country in the world in area (after Russia).
Prime Minister - Justin Trudeau
Capital - Ottawa
Currency - Canadian dollar
King of Canada (British Monarch) - Charles III
Official Languages - English; French
4. Petersberg Climate Dialogue 2023
Tags: Environment International News
The Petersberg Dialogue on Climate Change was held in Berlin from May 2-3, 2023.
An overview of the news
The Petersberg Climate Dialogue (PCD) was hosted by Germany and the United Arab Emirates, which is hosting the 28th Conference of the Parties (COP28) to the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change.
Ministers from 40 countries attended the conference to discuss the way forward towards COP28.
The main topics of discussion at the event were renewable targets, climate finance and global stocktake.
Key points of the summit
To limit global warming to 1.5°C, the world needs to cut its greenhouse gas emissions at a rapid pace.
The conference agreed to focus on phasing out fossil fuel emissions while phasing out viable, affordable zero-carbon alternatives.
It calls for tripling renewable energy capacity by 2030 and then doubling it by 2040.
2023 is the year of Global Stocktech. The Global Stocktake is essentially a periodic review of global climate action aimed at assessing whether current efforts will enable us to reach the objectives set out in the Paris Agreement.
Conference of Parties(COP)
Every year, the United Nations organizes a climate summit where the main agenda of the parties is to limit global temperature rise.
These summits are called Conference of the Parties (COPs).
Participants come from 197 countries that have signed the 1992 United Nations Climate Accord.
Its purpose is to stabilize greenhouse gas concentrations in the atmosphere to prevent dangerous interference from human activity on the climate system.
The agreement seeks to limit global warming to well below 2 °C, preferably 1.5 °C, compared to pre-industrial levels.
It was signed in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil. Since 1994, COPs have been organised every year. Year 2023 marks the 28th summit, called the COP28 summit.
The COP28 conference will be held in Dubai from 30 November to 12 December 2023.
5. Border Haat between India and Bangladesh inaugurated at Bholaganj in Sylhet
Tags: International Relations International News
On 6 May a new border-haat was inaugurated between India and Bangladesh at Bholaganj under Companyganj Upazila of Sylhet.
An overview of the news
Bangladesh's Minister for Migrant Welfare and Overseas Employment Imran Ahmed and India's Assistant High Commissioner Neeraj Kumar Jaiswal jointly inaugurated the border-haat.
The opening of the border haat at Bholaganj on the border between Sylhet in Bangladesh and the East Khasi Hills of Meghalaya was greeted with great enthusiasm by people on both sides of the border.
This is the fourth border haat in Sylhet division, out of which three are currently functioning. There are plans to open three more border haats in Sylhet division.
The Border Haat will open from 10 am to 4 pm on Wednesdays and Saturdays.
The Bholaganj Border Haat will have 26 stalls from India and 24 stalls from Bangladesh, where traditional items from both the countries will be sold duty free.
The first border haats were inaugurated in 2011 at Kalaichar in West Garo Hills district of Meghalaya and Kurigram in Bangladesh.
6. Indian-origin Neera Tandon becomes domestic policy advisor in Biden administration
Tags: Person in news International News
On 5 May 2023, an Indian-American Neera Tandon has been appointed as the domestic policy advisor in US President Joe Biden's team.
Important Point:-
Tandon's appointment has been made keeping in mind the presidential election to be held in the US in 2024.
Following Biden's decision to appoint Neera Tandon, she became the first Asian-American to lead the White House Advisory Council.
Prior to this, Tandon served as Biden's staff secretary during this term.
Neera Tandon responsibly processed all the paperwork that arrived on the President's desk.
According to the White House, Neera Tandon oversaw decision-making processes in the domestic, economic and national security teams.
Neera Tandon:
Neera Tandon was born in Massachusetts to Indian immigrant parents. Tandon studied at the University of California Los Angeles and Yale University.
With over 25 years of experience working in public policy, Neera Tandon has worked with three US presidents, and also headed one of the country's largest think tanks for nearly a decade.
Neera Tandon is the former US Secretary of State and a close aide of Hillary Clinton, the Democratic presidential candidate in the 2016 presidential election.
Neera also helped pass the Affordable Care Act in the Obama administration.
7. Ukraine apologises for ‘Devi Kali’ tweet
Tags: International News
Ukraine's Deputy Foreign Minister Emin Zhaparova expressed regret over the "misrepresentation" of Goddess Kali by the country's Defense Ministry.
An overview of the news
Apologizing for this act, he said that this country and its people respect the 'unique Indian culture'.
In this illustration, a distorted picture of Goddess Kali was written 'Work of Art' amidst the smoke of the explosion.
This picture was tweeted on April 30, about which objection was expressed on the social media platform.
Jhaparova visited India on 9 April. This was the first official foreign trip by a minister from the Eastern European country (Ukraine) since the Russian invasion of Ukraine began in February last year.
About Ukraine
Ukraine is a country located in Eastern Europe and the second largest country in the continent after Russia.
Its capital is Kiev, located on the Dnieper River in north-central Ukraine.
Prime Minister: Denys Shmyhal
President: Volodymyr Zelensky
Capital: Kyiv
Official Language : Ukrainian
Currency : Rryvnya (UAH)
8. 21st meeting of Bangladesh-India Joint Steering Committee on Cooperation in Power Sector
Tags: International Relations International News
The 21st meeting of the Bangladesh–India Joint Steering Committee (BIJSC) on the power sector was held on 4th May at Khulna, Bangladesh.
An overview of the news
Bangladesh's Ministry of Power, Energy and Mineral Resources Secretary Habibur Rahman and his Indian counterpart Alok Kumar led their respective sides at the meeting.
The meeting reviewed the progress of ongoing activities related to mutual cooperation in the power sector between Bangladesh and India.
The meeting also examined the possibility of power generation projects in India through BIFPCL including power export from Bangladesh to India and setting up of solar power projects.
The delegation also discussed the signing of an agreement to import 500 MW of hydro power from Nepal by GMR to Bangladesh through India.
The progress in the management of the first unit and the implementation of the second unit of the 1320 MW Maitri Super Thermal Power Project construction project was also reviewed.
People’s Republic of Bangladesh
Capital: Dhaka
Prime Minister: Sheikh Hasina Wazed
President: Mohammad Shahabuddin
Currency: Taka
9. India and Israel sign MoU for cooperation on industrial research and development
Tags: International Relations International News
India and Israel signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) to enhance industrial research and development cooperation in high-tech areas such as AI, quantum, semiconductors, healthcare, aerospace, sustainable energy and agriculture.
An Overview of the News
The partnership aims to facilitate collaborative initiatives for industrial research and development in a diverse range of high-tech domains, including artificial intelligence, quantum computing, semiconductor technology, synthetic biology, healthcare, aerospace, sustainable energy and agriculture.
The MoU will focus on specific projects and will be monitored by a Joint Steering Committee to ensure effective implementation.
Memorandum of Understanding (MOU):
It is a type of agreement between two or more parties that expresses a shared intention to take a common line of action.
Memoranda of Understanding can be used in situations where the parties do not intend a legal commitment or cannot form a legally enforceable agreement.
MOUs are often used by many companies and government agencies to define relationships between departments, agencies, or closely related companies.
About Israel
Israel is a Middle Eastern country on the Mediterranean Sea.
It is considered the Holy Land of the Bible by Jews, Christians and Muslims.
Tel Aviv is the financial centre of the country and is known for its beaches and Bauhaus architecture.
Capital and largest city - Jerusalem
Official language - Hebrew
Recognized Language - Arabic
Government - Unitary parliamentary republic
President - Isaac Herzog
Prime Minister - Benjamin Netanyahu
Chief Justice - Esther Hayut
10. Devendra Fadnavis unveiled the statue of Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj in Mauritius
Tags: International News
Maharashtra Deputy Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis unveiled the statue of Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj in Mauritius.
An Overview of the News
The ceremony was attended by Prime Minister of Mauritius Pravind Jugnauth and members of the Mauritius Marathi Mandali Federation.
Fadnavis highlighted Maharashtra's potential as a major industrial and investment destination in India.
Fadnavis participated in the Indo-Mauritius Business Forum and signed an MoU to promote trade between Mauritius and Maharashtra.
He also announced a grant of Mauritius Rupees 44 million for the construction of a multi-purpose hall and a scholarship for 10 students.
Fadnavis also attended a cultural event with Prime Minister Jugnauth and interacted with members of the Maharashtrian community in Mauritius.
About Mauritius
It is an island nation located in the Indian Ocean.
The interior of the island is mountainous and contains the Black River Gorges National Park.
Capital - Port Louis
President - Prithviraj Singh Rupan
Prime Minister - Pravind Kumar Jugnauth
Mauritius currency - Mauritian rupee
