1. India, Vietnam sign joint vision statement on defence partnership for 2030
Tags: International Relations
India and Vietnam signed a 'Vision' document to further widen the "scope" of defence ties by 2030 and a 'Logistic Support' agreement to allow the armies of the two countries to use each other's installations.
Defence minister Rajnath Singh is on a three-day visit to the south-east Asian country.
The MoU on mutual logistics support was inked by both sides.
The two countries also agreed to expeditiously finalise India's defence line of credit of $500 million to Vietnam.
Implementation of the projects through the LoC will significantly enhance Vietnam's defence capabilities and help in taking forward Prime Minister Narendra Modi's vision of 'Make in India, Make for the world'.
India also announced two 'simulators' and funding to set up a language and IT laboratory at the Air Force Officers Training School to improve the capabilities of the Vietnamese Armed Forces.
India, Vietnam relation
Vietnam is an important member of ASEAN (Organisation of Southeast Asian Nations) and has territorial disputes with China in the South China Sea region.
India is undertaking oil exploration projects in Vietnamese waters in the South China Sea.
India and Vietnam have been working together to enhance their maritime security cooperation over the years to protect common interests.
Vietnam has become an important partner in India's 'Act East Policy' and 'Indo-Pacific Vision'.
The two countries share a rich history of civilizational and cultural ties dating back more than 2,000 years.
The relations between the two countries were accorded the status of "strategic partnership" during the visit of the then Prime Minister of Vietnam Nguyen Tan Dung to India in July 2007.
During Prime Minister Narendra Modi's visit to Vietnam in 2016, this status was raised to a "Comprehensive Strategic Partnership".
2. QUAD leaders launch Quad fellowship programme for graduate STEM degrees in the US
Tags: International News
A new Quad fellowship program has been launched by the leaders of Australia, India, Japan, and the US at the Quad Summit in Tokyo on 24 May.
Under the program, 100 students from member countries will be sponsored to study in the US for undergraduate degrees in science, technology, engineering and mathematics (STEM).
This fellowship will act as a bridge connecting the four countries and will empower these countries to provide leadership to address the many challenges faced by them in the Indo-Pacific region and around the world.
The Quad Fellowship application is live and will be open till June 30.
The first classes of Quad Fellows will arrive on campus in the autumn of 2023.
Each Fellow will receive a one-time award of $50,000 that can be used for tuition, research, fees, books and related educational expenses (eg, registration fees, research-related travel).
About Quad
This is known as the 'Quadrilateral Security Dialogue' (QSD).
It is an informal strategic forum comprising four nations - United States of America (USA), India, Australia and Japan.
It aims to work for a free, open, prosperous and inclusive Indo-Pacific region.
The first meeting of the Quad was held in 2007 on the sidelines of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN).
The Quad Summit provides an opportunity for leaders to exchange views on the development of the Indo-Pacific region and current global issues of mutual interest.
Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe was the first to consider the formation of the Quad in 2007.
3. India joins Biden’s new trade initiative for Indo-Pacific
Tags: International Relations International News
US President Joe Biden launched the Indo-Pacific Economic Framework for Prosperity (IPEF) along with 12 initial partners in Tokyo on May 23.
The initial partner countries are India, Australia, Japan, Brunei, Indonesia, Korea, Malaysia, New Zealand, Philippines, Singapore, Thailand and Vietnam.
These 13 countries together represent 40% of the world's GDP.
About IPEF initiative
It is expected to focus on four main pillars including trade, supply chain resilience, clean energy and decarbonisation, and taxes and anti-corruption measures.
The group includes seven of the 10 members of the Association of SouthEast Asian Nations (ASEAN) and all four Quad countries and New Zealand.
India will work closely with other IPEF countries to build an inclusive and resilient Indo-Pacific Economic Framework.
The main roles of the IPEF in the Indo-Pacific will be to set and adhere to standards for the digital economy and cross-border data flows and data localization.
About Indo-Pacific
It covers half of the world's population and more than 60 percent of the global GDP.
It is a geopolitical region that spans two regions of the Indian Ocean and the Pacific Ocean.
Extending from the west coast of the United States of America to the west coast of India, the Indo-Pacific is a regional structure of 24 countries.
It includes the tropical waters of the Indian Ocean, western and central Pacific Ocean.
4. PM Modi to attend to third edition of Quad leaders' summit in Tokyo
Prime Minister Narendra Modi will attend the Quad Leaders Summit in Tokyo on May 24 at the invitation of Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida.
US President Joe Biden, Australian Prime Minister Scott Morrison and Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida will attend the summit.
The summit in Tokyo is the fourth meeting of the Quad Leaders since the first virtual meeting in March last year.
During the visit, Modi will participate in business programs with Japanese business leaders.
He will also address and interact with the Indian community in Japan.
He will also hold a bilateral meeting with US President Joe Biden.
The two leaders will review the India-US Strategic Partnership and act on discussions held during the bilateral meeting of the Prime Minister of India with the US President last September.
Modi is also likely to hold bilateral talks with his Australian counterpart.
Purpose of the meeting
To review progress of Quad Initiatives and Working Groups, identify new areas of cooperation and provide strategic guidance and vision for future collaborations.
The meeting will provide an opportunity to both the leaders to take forward the mutual dialogue after the 14th India Japan Annual Summit held in New Delhi in March this year.
About Quad
This is known as the 'Quadrilateral Security Dialogue' (QSD).
It is an informal strategic forum comprising four nations - United States of America (USA), India, Australia and Japan.
It aims to work for a free, open, prosperous and inclusive Indo-Pacific region.
The first meeting of the Quad was held in 2007 on the sidelines of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN).
The Quad Summit provides an opportunity for leaders to exchange views on the development of the Indo-Pacific region and current global issues of mutual interest.
Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe was the first to consider the formation of the Quad in 2007.
5. US President Joe Biden to host ASEAN summit
Tags: Summits International News
US President Joe Biden will host leaders and top officials of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) in Washington DC.
Washington has focused on the Russo-Ukraine war as well as battling Chinese influence in the Indo Pacific.
The ASEAN "special summit" was postponed from late March just days before Biden's first visit to Asia as president.
ASEAN member state Myanmar, whose government was toppled on 1 February last year, will not participate in the summit.
The US wanted an 'apolitical' representative from Myanmar to attend the meeting.
ASEAN's 'five-point Consensus' to end the turmoil in Myanmar has not progressed since its release in April last year.
About ASEAN
Association of Southeast Asian Nations or ASEAN is an international organisation formed in Bangkok,Thailand in 1967.
It promotes economic development, peace, security, social progress and cultural development in the Southeast Asian region.
ASEAN Secretariat – Indonesia, Jakarta.
General Secretary of ASEAN - Lim Jock Hoi, Brunei
Official Languages - Burmese, Filipino, Indonesian, Khmer, Lao, Malay, Mandarin, Tamil, Thai and Vietnamese
Working Language - English
ASEAN Summit is the supreme policy making body of ASEAN.
ASEAN is third largest market in the world
It is the sixth largest economy in the world, third in Asia.
ASEAN has Free-trade agreements (FTAs) with China, Japan, South Korea, India, Australia and New Zealand.
ASEAN Member Countries
Indonesia
Malaysia
Philippines
Singapore
Thailand
Brunei
Vietnam
Laos
Myanmar
Cambodia
6. India-ASEAN Digital Work Plan 2022 approved at 2nd ASEAN Digital Ministers (ADGMIN) meeting
Tags: Summits
The 2nd ASEAN Digital Ministers (ADGMIN) meeting with India was held on 28 January 2022 on a virtual platform. Shri Devusinh Chauhan, Minister of State for Communications (MoSC) and Admiral Tin Aung San, Ministry of Transport and Communications, Myanmar co-chaired the meeting.
- The ADGMIN is an annual meeting of Telecom Ministers of 10 ASEAN (Association of South-East Asian Nations) countries -Brunei, Cambodia, Indonesia, Laos, Malaysia, Myanmar, Philippines, Singapore, Thailand, and Vietnam and the dialogue partner countries - Australia, Canada, China, EU, India, Japan, Republic of Korea, New Zealand, Russia, United Kingdom and US.
- The meeting discussed and deliberated various matters relevant to strengthening regional digital cooperation in the spirit of digital inclusion and integration.
- The Ministers meeting approved the India-ASEAN Digital Work Plan 2022. The work plan includes system for combating the use of stolen and counterfeit mobile handsets, WiFi Access network interface for nationwide public internet, the capacity building and knowledge sharing in emerging areas in the field of Information and Communication Technologies such as Internet of Things (IoT), 5G, Advanced Satellite Communication, Cyber Forensics, etc.
7. Legendary Footballer Subshash Bhowmick is no more
Tags: Person in news
Former India footballer Subhas Bhowmick,popularly known as ‘Bhombolda' , died on 22 January 2022 in Kolkata following a prolonged illness.
·He was a part of the Indian team that won a bronze medal in the 1970 Asian Games held at Bangkok, Thailand.
·He also had a successful career as a coach. He helped the East Bengal football club to win the ASEAN Club cup in 2003.
8. Bilateral trade between India, China crosses 125 billion USD in 2021
Tags: Economics/Business
According to the official data released by the Chinese customs, the India-China bilateral trade touched a record high of over USD 125 billion in 2021, up 43.3% from 2020 when bilateral trade was worth 87.6 billion USD.
Highlights of the Trade Data
- In 2021, China’s exports to India were 97.52 billion USD, up 46.2%, while China imported 28.14 billion USD worth of goods from India, up 34.2%.
- The trade deficit between the two countries remained in favour of China – at $69 billion.
- Trade between China and the US soared by 28.7% and amounted to $755.6 billion in 2021 - maintaining a strong growth momentum and contributing 12% to China’s record $6 trillion foreign trade for the year.
- The US maintained its place as China’s third-largest trade partner following ASEAN and the European Union.
- India was China’s 15th largest trade partner in 2021.
9. International News
Tags: International News
1. G-7 Foreign and Development Ministers Meeting
- The United Kingdom, which is currently the chairman of the Group of 7 countries, hosted the foreign ministers meeting of the member countries at Liverpool in England on 11-12 December 2021.
- The meeting was held in the midst of concern that Russia is going to attack Ukraine which is denied by Russia.
- The Foreign Ministers of India, European Union, Australia, South Korea, along with representatives from the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN} will take part in G-7 foreign ministers as guests.
2. India to supply medicines to the Afghan people
- The Government of India has joined Qatar, the UAE, Turkmenistan and Pakistan that have sent humanitarian support to Taliban-ruled Afghanistan.
- India has sent medical relief material to the Indira Gandhi Children Hospital in Kabul.
- The medical relief material will be handed to the WHO (World Health Organisation ) in Kabul as the Indian does not recognise the Taliban government in Kabul led by Habitullah Akhunzada .
- The relief material was sent back by special Kam Air flights that had brought 10 Indians and 94 Afghan minority community members from Afghanistan to India.
3. Saudi Arabia bans Tablighi Jamaat
- 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".
Saudi Arabia
Capital of Saudi Arabia: RIyadh
Currency: Saudi Riyal
4. Tigray rebels retake Ethiopian world heritage Lalibela
- 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) .
5. New Caledonia votes to remain part of France
- 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.
- Capital of New Caledonia: Noumea.
- Currency: CFP Franc
6. Israeli PM’s historic visit to UAE
- 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.
7. “India” 4th Most Powerful Country in Asia
- 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.
- Rank of the powerful countries:
- United States 82.2 points
- China 74.6
- Japan 38.7
- India 37.7
- 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.
8. India votes against UN draft resolution on climate change
- 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.
- Government of India’s views were put forward by India’s Permanent Representative and Ambassador to the United Nations, T.S. Tirumurti.
9. Super Typhoon Rai lashes Philippines
- 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.
10. 488 journalists jailed, 46 killed across the world in 2021 - Reporters without Borders
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 number killed this year — 46 — was the lowest since it began issuing annual tallies.
- China once again has the highest number of imprisoned journalists at 127.
- The most dangerous countries were Mexico and Afghanistan, with seven and six journalist deaths respectively, followed by Yemen and India with four deaths each.
11. The World Health Organisation has granted emergency approval to Covovax (NVX-CoV2373)
- It is manufactured by the Serum Institute of India under license from the U.S. based Novavax.
- 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 CoviShield and Covaxin to receive WHO emergency use listing (EUL).
12. President Kovind inaugurates Kalibari Temple in Dhaka
President Ram Nath Kovind inaugurated the renovated Sri Ramna Kali Mandir in Dhaka on 17th December 2021.
- The temple was destroyed by the Pakistani Army’s operation codenamed 'Operation Searchlight' in 1971, targeting the resistance movement in the country.
- The President and First Lady Savita Kovind offered prayers at the renovated temple.
10. G-7 Foreign and Development Ministers Meeting
Tags: International News
- The United Kingdom, which is currently the chairman of the Group of 7 countries, hosted the foreign ministers meeting of the member countries at Liverpool in England .
- It will be held on 11-12 December 2021.
- The meeting was held in the midst of concern that Russia is going to attack Ukraine which is denied by Russia.
- The Foreign Ministers of India, European Union, Australia, South Korea, along with representatives from the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN} will take part in G-7 foreign ministers as guests.
G-7 or Group of Seven
History of G-7
Forthcoming Summits
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