Current Affairs search results for tag: international-news

1. Russian Court fines Meta and Google

Tags: International News

• A court in Moscow slapped Google with an unprecedented fine of nearly USD 98 million(7.2 billion rouble), while Meta (formerly Facebook) received a penalty of  USD27 million(1.9 billion roubles) for  not moderating their content properly and interfering in the country’s affairs.
•  These Social media giants were held guilty of  repeatedly failing to delete illegal content, remove materials that incite religious hatred and promote views of “extremist and terrorist organisations” from their sites 

Russian Currency is Rouble.

Capital of Russia : Moscow

President of Russia : Vladimir Putin 

2. Hong Kong’s Tiananmen Square Statue removed

Tags: International News

• A famous statue which showed the piled-up corpses at the University of Hong Kong marking the Tiananmen Square massacre was removed on 23rd December.
• The Pillar of Shame was created by Danish artist Jens Galschiot as a tribute to the victims of China’s crackdown in Tiananmen Square in June 1989.

3. US President Joe Biden bans import of goods from China's Xinjiang province to prevent use of forced labour

Tags: International News

• United States (US) President Joe Biden has  signed the Uyghur Forced Labor Prevention Act that bans import of goods from the Xinjiang Uyghur Autonomous Region of the People's Republic of China into the US made with forced labour. 

What is the law 

• The Uyghur Forced Labor Prevention Act,  bans all imports from China’s Xinjiang region into the United States unless companies can show the U.S. government “clear and convincing evidence” their supply chains have not used the labor of ethnic Muslims enslaved in Chinese camps.

What is the issue 

• United States accuses China of genocide against the  Muslim Uyghur who are kept in a concentration  camp by Chinese authorities violating their basic human rights and are forced to work without any labour rights .
• The Chinese government describes the camps as "re-education" facilities aimed at combating terrorism.  The Chinese government accuses many Ughyer of being a part of radical Islmaic movement which threaten China .
• An East Turkestan Independence Movement led by the East Turkestan Liberation Organisation  seeks to establish an Independent country for the Ugyhers in the Xinjiang region of China. To crush the separatist movement China has kept a large number of Uygher who it feels are sympathetic to the East Turkestan Movement  in special camps denying them basic human rights . 
• To put pressure on China on its human right issues the United States  and its allies Canada, Australia, New Zealand and the United Kingdom have announced a diplomatic boycott of the Beijing Winter Olympics 2022. 
• The players of these countries will participate in the Beijing Olympics but these governments will not send their  official  delegation to China to protest China's poor human rights record  and its handling of minorities like Ugyer muslims and Tibetaines.

 What is the Economic and Environmental cost to the US 

• However many American companies are against the act as more than  than 40% of the world’s polysilicon supply comes from Xinjiang. Polysilicon is  used as a raw material by the solar photovoltaic and electronics industry. If it is banned from China then the prices of these products will rise in the United States leading to  costly goods for the American consumer .
• It will also hamper US commitment to reduce its dependence on fossil fuels as the solar energy cost will rise. It will have an adverse effect on the US commitment to reduce its greenhouse gas emission.

4. Foreign Secretary Harsh Vardhan Shringla’s 2-day visit to Myanmar

Tags: International News

• Foreign Secretary Harsh Vardhan Shringla flew for a two ­day visit to Naypyitaw and Yangon, in Myanmar to meet the State Administration Council (SAC) chaired by General Min Aung Hlaing.
• Shringla is expected to speak to the Tatmadaw (military) about India’s growing security concerns over insurgent groups based along the 1,600­km India-Myanmar border which have carried out attacks in recent months
• This visit along with appointment of Mr. Vinay Kumar as the new Ambassador to Myanmar last November is an official acknowledgment of India’s recognition of the coup in Myanmar.
• State Administration Council”, is an 11­ member group of military officials and civilians set up by Min Aung Hlaing, who toppled the elected National Unity Government of Aung San Suu Kyi last February and subsequently named himself “Prime Minister”.

Myanmar (Burma)

Capital - Naypyidaw

Currency - Kyat

Legislature - Assembly of the Union

Prime Minister - Min Aung Hlaing

Nobel Laureate - Aung San Suu Kyi of the National League of Democracy (NLD) party, was awarded Nobel Peace Prize in 1991, for her non-violent struggle for democracy and human rights.

5. World Economic Forum (WEF) defers annual Davos meet

Tags: International News

• The World Economic Forum (WEF) has deferred its 2022 annual Davos meet from its original schedule of January 17-21, 2022 owing to rising concerns over the Omicron corona virus Variant.
• The in-person event will be replaced by an online series of “State of the World” sessions.

World Economic Forum (WEF)

• The World Economic Forum (WEF) is an international non-governmental and lobbying organization for Public-Private Cooperation.
• It is based in Geneva, Switzerland. 
• It was founded on 24 January 1971 by German economist Klaus Schwab as a not-for-profit foundation.
• Mission - Improving the state of the world by engaging business, political, academic, and other leaders of society to shape global, regional, and industry agendas
• It is known for its annual event in Davos, the annual meeting brings together various Heads of Government, top business leaders of the world, economist executives, and activists from around the world to discuss global economic and business issues.

Important Reports of WEF-

• Global Competitiveness Report
• Global Information Technology Report
• Global Gender Gap Report
• Global Risks Report
• Global Travel and Tourism Report 
• Global Enabling Trade Report 

6. Gabriel Boric has been elected as the New President of Chile

Tags: International News

• 35 years old Leftist Lawmaker Gabriel Boric becomes Republic of Chile’s youngest-ever president by winning the majority vote in the recently held Presidential election.
• He defeated his rival José Antonio Kast
• He is from Social Convergence Party 
• Chile, officially the Republic of Chile, is a country in the western part of South America. 
• It occupies a long, narrow strip of land between the Andes Mountains (longest continental mountain range in the world) to the east and the Pacific Ocean to the west. 
• Chile is the southernmost country in the world, the closest to Antarctica.
• It is the longest country in the world north to south with 4270 Km length.
• Capital - Santiago
• National Language - Spanish
• Currency - Chilean Peso
• It is situated within the Pacific Ring of Fire
• The Atacama Desert, which receives less than 1 millimetres of rain per year, is the driest place on earth located in the northern part of Chile.
• Chile is rich in mineral resources, especially copper, nitrates, and lithium

7. Organization of Islamic Cooperation (OIC) Foreign Minister meeting

Tags: International News

• The 17th Session of the Emergency Meeting of the OIC Council of Foreign Ministers was held in Islamabad, the capital city of Pakistan.on 19 December 2021.
•  It was focussed on the situation in Afghanistan 
• The OIC appointed Ambassador Tariq Ali Bakheet as his Special Envoy on Afghanistan.
• The Special Envoy will coordinate delivery of humanitarian assistance and support, and is mandated to pursue economic and political engagement with Afghanistan.
• The Taliban Foreign Minister Amir Khan Muttaqi also attended the conference 
• The OIC appealed to the world to help the people Afghanistan who are facing starvation 
• No country in the world recognizes the Taliban government in Afghanistan and humanitarian aid to the country has almost been stopped leading to hunger and starvation in Afghanistan.
• The foreign minister of five   muslim Central Asian countries of Kazakhstan, Kyrgyz Republic, Tajikistan, Turkmenistan and Uzbekistan skipped this meeting and instead went to India to attend a meeting on Afghnasitan.
• The Organisation of Islamic Cooperation (OIC) was  founded in 1969 as the Organisation of the Islamic Conference.
• It is the second largest intergovernmental organization after the United Nations, with the membership of 57 states, covering four continents. 
• The OIC is the collective voice of the Muslim world to ensure and safeguard their interest in economic socio and political areas in the spirit of promoting international peace and harmony.
• Its Headquarters is in Jeddah, Kingdom of Saudi Arabia.
• India is not the member of OIC

8. 3rd Meeting of the India-Central Asia Dialogue.

Tags: International News

• The 3rd India Central Asia Dialogue meeting was held in New Delhi on 18-19 December.
• The meeting was attended by the Foreign Ministers of Central Asian Republics of Kazakhstan, Kyrgyz Republic, Tajikistan, Turkmenistan and Uzbekistan.
• The meeting was hosted by the External Affairs Minister S.Jaishankar. 
• The meeting focussed on trade and connectivity, development partnership and regional developments, including the situation in Afghanistan.
• The dialogue also discussed increasing links in the “4 Cs” of commerce, capacity enhancement, connectivity, and contacts.
• India and the Central Asian countries will mark the 30th anniversary of the establishment of their diplomatic relations next year.

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. President Kovind inaugurates Kalibari Temple in Dhaka

Tags: International News

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.

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