1. Russia-led military alliance CSTO to send peacekeeping forces to Kazakhstan
Tags: International News
The Russian Led military alliance ,Collective Security Treaty Organization (CSTO), has said that it will dispatch peacekeeping forces to Kazakhstan after the country’s President Kassym-Jomart Tokayev asked for help in controlling protests that escalated into violence in various parts of Kazakhstan and rioting in its largest city Almaty.
- The protest started after the government doubled the cost of liquefied petroleum gas which is used in vehicles as it was cheaper than other fuels .
- The protest later spread to many parts of the country with broader demands for increased political representation and improved social benefits.
- Prime Minister Askar Mamin resigned amid the protestand the government has imposed an emergency in the country .
- Alikhan Smailov has been appointed acting Prime Minister.
- Kazakhstan is an oil rich country but its rulers are considered to be corrupt and autocrats .
Kazakhstan
The capital of Kazakhstan is Nur-Sultan
Currency Tenge
President : Kassym-Jomart Tokayev
CSTO (Collective Security Treaty Organisation )
- It is a military alliance of the former Soviet Union countries .
- It was set up in 1992 as Unified Armed Forces , which was later renamed as CSTO in 2002.
- At present the member countries are Russia, Belarus, Armenia, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, and Tajikistan.
- The Headquarter of CSTO is Moscow, Russia
2. Sri Lanka Cabinet clears Trincomalee oil tank farm deal with India
Tags: International News
President Gotabaya Rajapaksa’s government in Colombo has approved a proposed deal with India to develop and modernize most of its strategic petroleum storehouses from the World-War-II-era in Trincomalee on the north-east coast of the island nation.
- The pre-WWII era oil storage facility covers an area of 850 acres and has a capacity of nearly 1 million tonnes, which far outstrips the demand in Sri Lanka. Trincomalee is also the nearest port to Chennai and can be used for developing it as a refueling facility for small ships.
- The Sri Lankan Cabinet of Ministers approved the proposal to allocate 14 oil tanks of the Lower Oil Tank Complex already in use by the Lanka Indian Oil Corporation, a subsidiary of the Indian Oil Corporation, for the company's business activities.
- It also approved the allocation of the 61 tanks to joint venture company, Trinco Petroleum Terminal Private Limited, with 51% stakes to be owned by the Ceylon Petroleum Corporation and 49% by the Lanka IOC. The arrangement is for the next 50 years.
- Talks were being held intermittently since the agreement between then Prime Minister Rajiv Gandhi and Sri Lankan President J R Jayewarndene as part of the annexure to the India-Sri Lanka Accord of July 29, 1987 — that the tank farm would be developed jointly.
- India was initially reluctant to heavily invest in Trincomalee. India's interest in Trincomalee got boosted after China heavily invested in Hambantota port.
3. Sudan’s Prime Minister resigns
Tags: International News
- Abdalla Hamdok Al-Kinani, Sudan’s 15th Prime Minister (2019-2022) resigned from his position after a major crackdown on protesters citing reasons of lack of political consensus, and conflict with the military.
- Hamdok played a major role during the 2019 Sudanese transition to democracy following the transfer of power from the Transitional Military Council to the Sovereignty Council of Sudan.
- Hamdok also served as Deputy Executive Secretary of the United Nations Economic Commission for Africa (UNECA).
Republic of Sudan
It is Africa’s 3rd largest country by area
Capital - Khartoum
Currency - Sudanese Pound
Currently under a military junta.
4. China constructing bridge on pangong lake
Tags: International News
- Continuing with infrastructure build-up on its side of the area near the Line of Actual Control (LAC) in eastern Ladakh, China is building a new bridge on Pangong Tso.
- However, the construction of the bridge is taking place in China and is 25 to 30 kilometers away from India’s claim of Line of Actual Control.
- The bridge connects the North and South banks of the lake which will provide an additional axis to deploy troops faster and closer to the LAC.
Pangong Tso, an endorheic lake, is 135 km long, of which more than two-thirds is under Chinese control. Khurnak Fort, close to where China is building the new bridge, is near the halfway mark of the boomerang-shaped lake. Historically a part of India, Khurnak Fort has been under Chinese control since 1958. From Khurnak Fort, the LAC is considerably west, with India claiming it at Finger 8 and China claiming it at Finger 4
5. Fire ravages South African parliament
Tags: International News
A massive fire in South Africa’s Parliament in Cape Town has completely destroyed its lower house , the National Assembly on 2 January 2022.l
- The name of South Africa’s Parliament is: “The Parliament of the Republic of South Africa ''.
- The South African Parliament consists of two houses
- The lower house is called the National Assembly and the Upper House is called the National Council of Provinces .
South Africa
President: Cyril Ramaphosa
Capitals: Cape Town (Legislative), Pretoria (Executive), Bloemfontein (Judicial)
Currency : Rand
6. Denmark not to use fossil fuels on Domestic flights by 2030
Tags: International News
- The Prime Minister Mette Frederilksen has announced that by 2030 the domestic airlines will not use fossil fuels in order to meet its emission target .
- The Danish Government has set a target of reducing its carbon emission by 70 % by 2030.
- Airline uses ATF(Aviation Turbine Fuel) is derived from hydrocarbons which are either Kerosene type or naphtha type.
- Green fuel for airlines or Sustainable Aviation Fuels is produced from agricultural residues , waste oil from a biological origin etc .
7. India gift Covaxin to Afghanistan
Tags: International News
- India has gifted 5 lakh Bharat Biotech-made Covaxin corona vaccines to Afghanistan. This is part of the 10 lakh vaccine to be gifted by the Government of India to Afghanistan .
- The consignment was sent to Afghanistan by the Iranian Mahan Airlines.
- The consignment will be handed over to the UN official in the Indira Gandhi Children hospital in Kabul .
- India earlier sent vaccines to Afghanistan in February 2021 when Ashraf Ghani was in power in Afghanistan.
- This is the first time India has sent vaccines to Afghanistan after the Taliban captured power in August 2021 and the Government of India does not recognise the Taliban government in Kabul.
Maitri Vaccine initiative of the Government of India
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8. China renames 15 Places in Arunachal Pradesh
Tags: International News
- China has renamed 15 places in Arunachal Pradesh to reaffirm its claim on the state.
- China's Ministry of Civil Affairs announced that it had standardised in Chinese characters, Tibetan and Roman alphabet the names of 15 places in Zangnan, the Chinese name for Arunachal Pradesh.
- China claims 90,000 sq. km of areas in Arunachal Pradesh as part of its territory and calls it Zangnam or South Tibet.
- The Government of India has rejected the Chinese claim.
9. “Israel”, first country to give 4 doses of COVID-19 vaccine
Tags: International News
- Israel approved a fourth dose of Covid vaccine for people with weakened immune systems.
- Israel’s Pandemic Expert Committee has recommended a fourth dose of Pfizer-BioNTech vaccine for all people aged over 60, medics and those with compromised immunity, at least four months after their third jab.
- The move was welcomed by Prime Minister Naftali Bennett, who said it would help the country get through a potential wave of the Omicron variant.
10. India welcomes Egypt as 4th new member of BRICS New Development Bank
Tags: International News
- India on 29th December 2021 welcomed Egypt’s entry as the fourth new member of the New Development Bank (NDB) that was established by the BRICS countries six years ago.
- The NDB admitted Bangladesh, United Arab Emirates (UAE) and Uruguay as its new members in September 2021.
BRICS New Development Bank
The New Development Bank (NDB), formerly referred to as the BRICS Development Bank, is a multilateral development bank established by the BRICS states (Brazil, Russia, India, China and South Africa).
- Formed in: July 2014
- Headquarters: Shanghai, China
- President: Marcos Prado Troyjo
- Members: Egypt, Brazil, Russia, India, China, South Africa, Bangladesh, United Arab Emirates and Uruguay
