1. Tajikistan -Kyrgyzstan border clash at ‘Vorukh’ leaves at least 54 people dead
Tags: place in news International News
The old border dispute at Vorukh area between the two former Soviet Central Asian republics of Kyrgyzstan and Tajikistan flared up again on 16 September leading to the death of at least 54 persons. The bloody clash in the Vorukh area has seen frequent clashes between the two sides.
Both the sides accused each other of using tanks, mortars, rocket artillery and assault drones to attack outposts and nearby settlements.
The border clash came at the time when the leaders of both the countries, Tajik President Emomali Rakhmon and Kyrgyz President Sadyr Japarov were attending the Shanghai Cooperation Organization (SCO) summit meeting in Samarkand, Uzbekistan.
IMPORTANT FACTS -
Border Dispute :
- Both Kyrgyzstan and Tajikistan were part of the Soviet Union. Both gained Independence in 1991 after the collapse of the Soviet Union.
- The current boundary dispute between the two countries lies in the demarcation of boundaries during the Soviet era.
- Vorukh is an enclave of Tajik territory surrounded by Kyrgyzstan. Many times there have been clashes over the issue of the access of the Tajiks living in Vorukh to Tajikistan. The Tajiks living in the Vorukh territory has to cross the Kyrgyz territory to go to Tajikistan.
- Tajikistan has proposed an exchange of territory with Kyrgyzstan so that Vorukh can have access to Tajikistan but so far Kyrgyzstan has refused to accept this offer.
ADDITIONAL INFORMATION -
Kyrgyzstan :
- Capital: Bishkek
- Currency: Kyrgyzstan Som
- President: Sadyr Japarov
- Tajikistan
- Capital: Dushanbe
- Currency: Somoni
- President: Emomali Rakhmon
2. Kazakhstan renames its capital to Astana and bars second term for President
Tags: place in news International News
The Parliament of Kazakhstan voted to amend the constitution on 16 September 2022 to revert back the name of the nation’s capital to Astana. It also extended the term of the President and barred a person from becoming President more than once.
IMPORTANT FACTS -
Term of the President :
- The term of the President has been extended to seven years from the present five years.
- Also a person can become the President of Kazakhstan only once. Earlier a person can become the President for a maximum two consecutive times.
Renaming of the Capital :
- It also passed a constitutional amendment to change the name of the capital to Astana from Nur-Sultan.
- Kazakhstan moved its capital from Almaty to Astana in 1997 after it became an Independent country in 1991. In Soviet times Astana was called Tselinograd.
- Later when Kazakhstan first President Nur Sultan Nazarbayev resigned after being in power for almost thirty years in 2019, his successor the current President Kassym-Jomart Tokayev renamed Astana to Nur-Sultan in honour of the ex-leader.
- However, now again the name has been changed back to Astana.
Parliament of Kazakhstan :
- The Parliament of Kazakhstan is bicameral. It consists of the upper house senate and a lower house called National Assembly (Mazhilis).
Republic of Kazakhstan :
- Kazakhstan was part of the Soviet Union which gained Independence on 16 December 1991, after the disintegration of the Soviet Union.
- It lies in Central Asia. It is the largest country in central Asia and 9th largest country in the world.
- It has the Baikonur Cosmodrome, which is the world’s first spaceport. The Soviet Union used to launch its space rocket from here.
- The first Indian astronaut Rakesh Sharma was launched into space from here on the Soviet Soyuz T-11 rocket on 3 April 1984.
- Now it has been leased to the Russians.
- Capital: Astana
- Currency: Tenge
- President: Kassym-Jomart Tokayev
3. SCO summit 2022 : India to host SCO summit next year
Tags: International Relations Summits International News
The SCO summit was held two years later in Samarkand, Uzbekistan on 15 and 16 September. The next meeting of the SCO Council of Heads of State will be held in 2023 in India.
Agenda of the summit :
The technological and digital divide, continued turbulence in global financial markets, instability in supply chains, increased protectionist measures and uncertainty in the global economy.
Member States also highlighted the impacts of global climate change and the COVID-19 pandemic, which have posed additional challenges to economic growth, social welfare and food security.
Samarkand Declaration :
The leaders of the member states of the Shanghai Cooperation Organization (SCO) signed the Samarkand Declaration at a meeting of the Council of Heads of State.
The declaration states that the SCO will be headed by India for the next period.
In the declaration, the member states supported the efforts of the countries of the region to ensure prosperity, peace and sustainable development.
They advocated for strengthening the role of SCO in promoting stability and socio-economic development in the region.
IMPORTANT FACTS -
- The leaders stressed the need to adopt new approaches to promote more equitable and effective international cooperation and sustainable economic development.
Member States expressed deep concern over the security threat posed by terrorism, separatism and extremism and strongly condemned terrorist acts around the world.
They also resolved to take measures to contain the spread of terrorism, to eliminate terrorist financing channels.
They supported the establishment of Afghanistan as a free, neutral, united, democratic and peaceful state, free from terrorism, war and drugs.
Member States called for strengthening the effectiveness of the World Trade Organization as the principal forum for discussing the international trade agenda and adopting the rules of the multilateral trading system.
Member States have decided to set up an expert working group on start-ups and innovation, poverty reduction and traditional medicine.
PM Modi's participation in the Summit :
In the summit PM Modi said the Indian economy is expected to grow by 7.5 per cent this year and thus will be the highest among the largest economies in the world.
PM Modi holds bilateral talks with Russian President Vladimir Putin, Iranian President Ebrahim Raisi, Uzbek President Shavkat Mirziyoyev and Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan.
ADDITIONAL INFORMATION -
Shanghai Cooperation Organization (SCO) :
It is a permanent intergovernmental international organization.
It was founded in 2001.
The SCO Charter was signed in 2002, and came into force in 2003.
It is a Eurasian political, economic and military organization.
Its aim is to maintain peace, security and stability in the region.
China, Russia and four Central Asian states – Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Uzbekistan and Tajikistan – were founding members of the SCO.
Its members include China, Russia, India and Pakistan, as well as 4 Central Asian countries - Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Uzbekistan and Tajikistan.
Official Languages - Russian and Chinese
Chairmanship - On the basis of rotation for a year by Member States
4. PM Narendra Modi releases 8 Cheetahs in MP's Kuno National Park
Tags: National State News International News
The first batch of cheetahs, translocated from Namibia to India, has been released into the Kuno National Park in Madhya Pradesh by Prime Minister Narendra Modi on September 17.
IMPORTANT FACTS -
- Cheetahs (5 females and 3 males) have been brought from Namibia in Africa as part of 'Project Cheetah'.
Eight cheetahs were brought in a cargo plane to Gwalior as part of an intercontinental cheetah translocation project.
Later, helicopters from the Indian Air Force transported the cheetahs from Gwalior Air Force Station to Kuno National Park.
This is the first time in the world that a large carnivore has been transferred from one continent to another.
The cheetahs have been brought under a memorandum of understanding signed earlier this year.
Reintroduction Action Plan :
Reintroduction of a species means releasing it in an area where it is capable of surviving.
Under the scheme, 50 cheetahs will be released in various national parks of the country over a period of 5 years.
Extinction of cheetahs :
The last cheetah of the country was found dead in the year 1947 in Chhattisgarh and in the year 1952 it was declared extinct in the country.
Habitat loss, conflict with humans, poaching and high susceptibility to diseases are the major causes of their extinction.
ADDITIONAL INFORMATION -
About ‘Project Cheetah’ :
This is a one of its kind project in which a species is being brought out of the country (from South Africa / Namibia) and restored to the country.
The subspecies of the extinct cheetah in India was the Asiatic cheetah (Acinonyx jubatus venaticus) and the subspecies of the cheetah being brought back to the country is the African cheetah (Acinonyx jubatus jubatus).
Research has shown that the genes of both these subspecies are similar.
5. UN warns 345 million people at risk of starvation
Tags: International News
The United Nations World Food Program warned on 16 September that the world is facing a global emergency, because 345 million people are marching toward starvation.
IMPORTANT FACTS -
- David Beasley, executive director of the UN World Food Program, said 345 million people in 82 countries are facing acute food insecurity.
He said that 50 million people in 45 countries suffer from acute malnutrition.
This widespread and growing food insecurity is the result of direct and indirect effects of conflict and violence.
Rising food, fuel and fertilizer prices have driven 70 million people near starvation since Russia invaded neighbouring Ukraine on February 24.
United Nations World Food Program :
It is the food-assistance branch of the United Nations.
It is the world's largest humanitarian organization focused on hunger and food security and the largest provider of school meals.
It aims to fulfil the 17 Sustainable Development Goals (SDG), with a priority on achieving SDG 2 for "zero hunger" by 2030.
It was awarded the Nobel Peace Prize in 2020 for its efforts to provide food assistance in areas of conflict.
Founded - 1961
Headquartered - Rome
6. South Korea fines Google and Meta for violation of privacy law
Tags: Economy/Finance International News
South Korea’s Personal Information Protection Commission has fined Google 69.2 billion won ($50 million) and Meta (earlier called Facebook) 30.8 billion won ($22 million) for violation of privacy law violation.
Both the companies were found guilty of collecting and analysing behavioural information of the customer without obtaining their prior consent.
IMPORTANT FACTS -
Republic of Korea (South Korea) :
- It lies in the Korean peninsula in East Asia.
- The Korean peninsula was divided into communist Democratic People’s Republic of Korea (North Korea) and Republic of Korea (South Korea) after the Korean War in 1953.
- Capital: Seoul
- Currency: South Korean Won
7. H E Joao Manuel Goncalves Lourenco re-elected as the President of Angola
Tags: Person in news International News
The Prime Minister, Narendra Modi has congratulated H E Joao Manuel Goncalves Lourenco on being re-elected as the President of Angola on 15 September.
IMPORTANT FACTS -
- Angola is an important friend of India and the people of both the countries enjoy cordial and friendly relations.
With Lourenco securing another five-year term, the bilateral ties shared between India and Angola are expected to improve in terms of trade.
He has served as the president of Angola since 26 September 2017.
Prior to this, he was the Defence Minister from 2014 to 2017.
In September 2018, he became the Chairman of the People's Movement for the Liberation of Angola, the ruling party.
ADDITIONAL INFORMATION -
About Angola :
Angola is a country located in South-West Africa
Capital - Luanda
Official Language - Portuguese
8. 6th CICA summit to be held in Kazakhstan
Tags: Summits International News
Kazakhstan will be host the 6th Conference on Confidence Building Measures and Interaction in Asia (CICA) summit in October 2022.
The summit meeting will be held on 12-13 October 2022 at the Kazakhstan capital, Nur-Sultan.
The Conference on Interaction and Confidence Building Measures in Asia (CICA) is a multi-national forum for enhancing cooperation towards promoting peace, security and stability in Asia.
The idea of convening CICA was first proposed by the President of the Republic of Kazakhstan Nursultan Nazarbayev, on 5 October 1992, at the 47th Session of the United Nations General Assembly.
27 countries including India, China, and Pakistan are members of CICA.
IMPORTANT FACTS -
Summit meetings of CICA :
- The First summit meeting was held in Almaty, Kazakhstan on 4 June 2022. It was attended by Prime Minister Atal Bihari Vajpayee.
- The second CICA summit was held in Almaty, Kazakhstan on June 17, 2006
- The third CICA Summit was held in Istanbul, Turkey on 8 June 2010
- The Fourth CICA Summit, was held in Shanghai, China on 21 May 2014
- The Fifth CICA Summit was held in Dushanbe, Tajikistan, on 15 June 2019.
Full Form :
CICA : Conference on Interaction and Confidence Building Measures in Asia
9. Bhutan ratifies International Solar Alliance Framework Agreement
Tags: International News
Bhutan on 14 September ratified the International Solar Alliance Framework Agreement.
IMPORTANT FACTS -
- Bhutan's Ambassador to India Major General Wetsop Namgyal handed over the ratification document to Secretary ER Dammu Ravi in the presence of DG International Solar Alliance.
International Solar Alliance :
It is a treaty-based intergovernmental organization whose primary function is to promote solar development by reducing the cost of financing and technology.
It is the nodal agency to implement 'One Sun, One World, One Grid'.
It aims to transfer the solar energy generated in a specific region to meet the electricity demand of another region.
It was launched by the Prime Minister of India and the President of France on 30 November 2015 at the Conference of the Parties (COP-21) to the UNFCCC in France (Paris) along with 121 solar resource rich nations.
Its key objectives include achieving a global potential of over 1000 GW of solar power generation capacity and mobilising about $1000 billion to invest in solar energy by 2030.
Member-106 countries have signed this Framework Agreement. 86 out of 106 countries have signed and ratified this Framework Agreement.
Headquarters - Gurugram, India
10. President Murmu to attend Queen Elizabeth Funeral
Tags: National Person in news International News
According to a statement released by the Ministry of External Affairs on 14 September 2022, President Droupadi Murmu will represent the government of India at the state funeral of Queen Elizabeth II.
She will be visiting London, United Kingdom on 17-19 September 2022.
The 96 year old Queen Elizabeth II of the United Kingdom died at her remote Highlands residence, Balmoral, in Scotland on 8 September 2022.
