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International Current Affairs July 2nd Week 2017
Category : International Current Affairs
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1. WHO declares end of Ebola outbreak in Congo.

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The World Health Organization (WHO) has declared the end of the most recent outbreak of Ebola virus disease (EVD) in the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC). The announcement comes 42 days (two 21-day incubation cycles of the virus) after the last confirmed Ebola patient in the affected Bas-Uélé province of DRC tested negative for the disease for the second time. It was DRC’s eighth outbreak of EVD since the discovery of the virus in the country in 1976. It killed four of the eight people infected in the central African country. The recent outbreak in DRC is not connected to the 2014 deadly Ebola outbreak that had worst hit Guinea, Liberia and Sierra Leone and killed more than 11,300 dead, highest ever since its discovery of virus. This outbreak was declared finished in 2016.
 
Ebola virus disease (EVD) is a viral hemorrhagic fever of humans and other primates caused by ebola viruses. It was first identified in 1976 in the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) in a village near the Ebola River, from which it takes its name.  
 
Transmission: The virus is transmitted to people from wild animals and spreads in the human population through human-to-human transmission. Fruit bats are natural host of this virus. It spreads through contact with body fluids of inflected persons such as blood, urine and saliva. It also spreads through sexual transmission. 
 
Symptoms: High fever, bleeding and central nervous system damage. The average EVD case fatality rate is around 50%. However, in past outbreaks case fatality rates have varied from 25% to 90%. 
 
Treatment: There is as yet no proven treatment available for EVD. However, a range of potential treatments including immune therapies, blood products and drug therapies are currently being evaluated. An experimental Ebola vaccine rVSV-ZEBOV is proved to highly protective against the deadly virus in a major trial in Guinea conducted in 2015.
2. US rolls out expedited entry for low-risk Indian travellers.
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The United States of America (USA) has rolled out pre-approved expedited entry clearance for low-risk Indian travellers under its Global Entry programme (GEP). With this initiative, India became 11th country whose citizens are now eligible to enroll in the Customs and Border Protection (CBP) initiative. Indian Ambassador to US Navtej Sarna was the first Indian national to enroll in the programme. 
 
Under this initiative, international GEP member traveller can enter in US through automatic kiosks, rather than queueing up to clear immigration check by meeting an immigration officer at selected airports. At these selective airports, the specified members need proceed to the Global Entry kiosks, present their machine-readable passport, place their fingerprints on the scanner for verification and complete a customs declaration.
 
The Global Entry kiosk then will issue the traveller a transaction receipt and directs him or her to the baggage claim and the exit. It should be noted that under the GEP, travellers must be pre-approved for the initiative. All applicants for GEP undergo a rigorous background check and in-person interview before enrolment.
 
Presently, Global Entry programme is available at 53 US airports and 15 pre-clearance locations. It is now available to US citizens, Green Card holders and nationals from Germany, Mexico, Netherlands, Panama, South Korea, Argentina, Colombia, Singapore, Switzerland and UK besides India.
3. Indo-Thai joint military exercise Maitree 2017 begins in Himachal Pradesh.

 

 
The Maitree series of bilateral exercises has been one of the major defence cooperation initiatives between India and Thailand. It is an annual event. The previous edition of the exercise was held at Krabi in Thailand in 2016. 
 
Exercise Maitree 2017 is a continuation of a series of joint exercises between the Indian Army and the Royal Thailand Army. It will be conducted in a manner such that both contingents will get to acquaint with each other`s operating procedures in the backdrop of counter-insurgency and counter-terrorism environment. 
 
Approximately 50 troops from Royal Thailand Army and an equal number of Indian soldiers from the Northern Command are participating in the exercise. They will jointly plan and execute a series of drills for the neutralisation of likely threats that may be encountered in counter terrorism environment. 
 
Earlier, a joint training exercise between the Indian Army and the Royal Army of Oman, named Al Nagah-II 2017, was held at Bakloh in March 2017.
4. North Korea claims successful test of its first intercontinental missile.
North Korea has claimed that it has successfully test-fired its first intercontinental ballistic missile (ICBM) Hwasong-14 into waters near Sea of Japan. The claim was confirmed by United States. The launch appeared to be North Korea’s most successful missile test since its ballistic missile programme gathered pace in the late 1990s. The successful test also marks North Korea’s the final step in becoming confident and powerful nuclear state that can strike anywhere on Earth.
 
Based on missile’s height and trajectory path, US scientists claim that missile could potentially be powerful enough to reach Alaska.  The missile had reached an altitude higher and flew longer than any of the North Korea’s previous similar tests. The missile had landed in Japan’s exclusive economic zone. US has strongly condemned the launch and added that it will never accept a nuclear-armed North Korea. The ICBM testing represents a new escalation of the threat to US and its allies and partners, the region and the world.
5. India and Israel sign 7 Agreements.
India and Israel have signed 7 agreements on areas including space, tech and agriculture during the visit of Prime Minister Narendra Modi to Israel. Prime Minister Narendra Modi will be the first Indian Prime Minister to visit Israel. Also, Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s visit marks the 25 years of establishment of diplomatic relationship between India and Israel. 
 
In the joint statement released after talks between India and Israel, both the countries have called for taking strong measures against terror organisations and also against those who encouraged, supported and financed terrorism.
  • MoU for setting up of India-Israel Industrial R&D & Technological Innovation Fund (I4F).
  • MoU for conservation of water in India. 
  • MoU on State Water Utility Reform in India. 
  • India-Israel Development Cooperation- 3-year work program in Agriculture (2018-2020). 
  • Plan of cooperation regarding cooperation in atomic clocks. 
  • MoU regarding cooperation in GEO-LEO optical link. 
  • MoU regarding cooperation in electric propulsion for small satellites.

6. Prime Minister Modi’s Israel Visit: Other Important Takeaways.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s three-day visit to Israel which is the first by an Indian prime minister to Israel resulted in the signing of seven agreements on areas including space, tech and agriculture. The other prominent takeaways of the visit are the following:

OCI card :

Prime Minister Modi has assured faster facilitation of OCI cards for Jewish Citizens of Indian origin in Israel. He also assured that the OCI card will be given even to those people of Indian origin who had served in the Israeli government’s compulsory army service.

Air Connectivity :

The launch of a new Air India flight connecting India and Israel was announced, the flight is expected to connect Delhi/Mumbai with Tel Aviv.

Israeli flower named after PM Modi :

As a special gesture, a new fast growing Israeli Crysanthumun flower was named “MODI” after Prime Minister Narendra Modi, during the Indian Premier’s visit to the Danziger flower farm, which is one of the leading floriculture companies of Israel having founded in 1953.

Strategic partnership :

India and Israel have announced that they have elevated their ties to a strategic partnership as India has identified Israel as a major development and technological partner. Both countries have also agreed to combat growing radicalization and terrorism and expand co-operation in cyber security.

Indian Cultural Centre :

Prime Minister Narendra Modi has announced the establishment of an Indian Cultural Centre in Israel to enhance people-to-people contacts between the two countries. Israel’s has also voiced its strong support to promote the practice of yoga by designating June 21 as International Yoga Day.

Israel India Innovation Initiative Fund (I4F) 

The $40 million Israel India Innovation Initiative Fund has been launched as a five-year technology fund with an aim at growing the business relationship between both the countries. The similar type of fund had boosted Israel’s ties with that of the US in the past 40 years.

7. US calls for new U.N. sanctions against N.Korea.

The United States has decided to present a draft resolution in the U.N. Security Council aimed at imposing new sanctions on North Korea as it has successfully launched its first intercontinental ballistic missile (ICBM).

An emergency meeting of the UNSC was called by the United States, Japan and South Korea to agree on a response to the North Korea’s ICBM test. In the emergency meeting, the US has said that the launch of an ICBM by the North Korea is a clear and sharp escalation. Under the new sanctions, the US has decided to use trade restrictions targeting those countries that continue to have dealings with North Korea.

France has expressed its support for a new resolution. In last year, the United Nations Security Council (UNSC) had adopted two sanctions resolutions to curtail hard currency needed to fund North Korea’s military programs. Those resolutions paved the way for imposing bans on North Korea’s coal exports, which is its major source of revenue.

In addition, the sanctions also placed restrictions on banking and provided for mandatory searches of all cargo to and from North Korea. In total, so far six sets of sanctions have been imposed on North Korea since it has first tested an atomic device in 2006.

8. European Parliament approves first EU-Cuba pact.

The European Parliament overwhelmingly approved Wednesday a first-ever cooperation deal between the EU and Cuba, despite lingering concerns about human rights violations in the communist-ruled country.

Lawmakers in the eastern French city of Strasbourg approved the Political Dialogue and Cooperation Agreement, signed in December 2016, which is widely seen as a European riposte to US President Donald Trump’s hardline stance against Havana.

“Europe has a great opportunity to demonstrate to the United States, which intends to withdraw, that it is possible to maintain the highest level of expectations on Cuba” and normalize relations with Havana, said MEP Elena Valenciano, the rapporteur of the agreement.

With the deal, Cuba joins other Latin American countries with similar agreements with the EU, whose relations with the island had previously been conducted within the so-called Common Position that linked ties to improvements in human rights.

Human rights remained a major hurdle to the deal, which had been negotiated since April 2014, with many MEPs calling for tougher language on the issue.

In an effort to placate opponents of the deal, the European Parliament adopted a non-legislative resolution on Wednesday in which MEPs urged the EU to assist “the economic and political transition in Cuba” including towards “democratic standards.”

MEPs, who in the past granted Cuban dissidents the Sakharov Prize for human rights, also urged the release of all those jailed “for their ideals and their peaceful political activity.”

With the vote, the agreement, which also lays the basis for trade relations, will enter into force provisionally in the coming months.

Full implementation will require ratification by the EU’s 28 member countries in a complex process that can take years.

 9. India ranks 23rd among 165 nations in Cybersecurity Index.

India has been placed at the 23rd position in the global cybersecurity index among other 165 nations. The index measures the commitment of nations across the globe to ensuring cybersecurity to their digital systems.

Released by the UN telecommunications agency International Telecommunication Union (ITU), the second Global Cybersecurity Index (GCI) reported that around half of the countries have a cyber security policy or are in the process of developing one. They urged countries to consider national policies to shield against cybercrime.

India with a score of 0.683 is listed in the maturity category, which refers to 77 countries that have developed complex commitments to cyber security.

Singapore with a score of 0.925 topped the index.

 

The top 10 most committed countries to cyber security are Singapore, United States, Malaysia, Oman, Estonia, Mauritius, Australia, Georgia, France and Canada. Russia is ranked 11th.

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 10. UNESCO puts Old City of Hebron on its heritage in danger list.

 
The UNESCO World Heritage Committee acting on a proposal brought by Palestine has put the West Bank city of Hebron on its list of world heritage in danger.  This has made Israel angry and has triggered a new Israeli-Palestinian spat at the international body.

The inclusion of the Old City of West Bank into the list of World Heritage in danger is aimed at drawing world’s attention to the situation in Hebron. 

The resolution for declaring Hebron as a protected area of outstanding universal value was brought by the Palestine and the resolution was fast-tracked by the UNESCO on the basis that the site was under severe threat. Palestine accuses Israel for involving in violations, vandalism and for causing damage to properties in the area. 

In a separate vote, the heritage committee had also supported a resolution condemning Israel’s actions in Jerusalem. This has further infuriated Israel. The resolution is viewed as a major victory for the Palestinian Diplomacy at the UN. In 2012, Palestine has been granted observer status by the UN General Assembly, meaning it is not recognised as a fully-fledged country.
 
11. Vietnam renews Indian Oil Deal.
 
Vietnam has granted ONGC Videsh a two-year extension to explore oil block 128 in the South China Sea. The permission was first granted in the year 2006 which is due to expire in mid-June. The part of the oil block 128 is in the U-shaped ‘nine-dash line,’ the area which is claimed by China. 

The area is also a route for more than $5 trillion in trade every year and is also claimed by the Philippines, Brunei, Malaysia and Taiwan. In the areas south of block 128, the drilling works have already commenced. The block is owned jointly by Vietnam’s state oil firm, Spain’s Repsol and Mubadala Development Co of the United Arab Emirates.
 
12. 122 Countries adopts historic global treaty to ban Nuclear Weapons. 
 
The United Nations has adopted a historic global treaty banning nuclear weapons. The treaty was adopted by a vote of 122 members in favour. The Netherlands was the only country who voted against the treaty. Singapore abstained from voting.

Costa Rica’s ambassador, Elayne Whyte Gomez, was the president of the UN conference that negotiated the treaty. Nearly 129 countries signed up to take part in the drafting of the treaty which represents two-thirds of the UN’s193 member states. Nearly 141 countries led by Austria, Brazil, Mexico, South Africa and New Zealand drafted the treaty in a hope that the treaty would increase pressure on the nuclear powers to take disarmament more seriously.

The treaty would be opened for signature on September 20. It will enter into force once 50 countries ratified it. All of the ratifying countries should never under any circumstances develop, test, produce, manufacture, otherwise acquire, possess or stockpile nuclear weapons or other nuclear explosive devices. The treaty also bans any transfer or use of nuclear weapons or nuclear explosive devices.
 
13. 12th G20 Summit: Countries pledge to act tough on Terrorism and eliminate Safe Havens.
 
In the 12th G20 Summit held in Hamburg, the leaders of the G20 countries has agreed for taking concrete steps to stop funding of the terror activities. The leaders have also pledged for a joint crackdown on the global scourge of terrorism and check its funding sources.

Responding to Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s call for united action against terrorism and elimination of terrorist safe havens, the G20 countries strongly condemned all terrorist attacks worldwide and pledged greater coordination to counter the menace. 

Earlier Prime Minister Modi in the G20 Summit had called for a concerted global crackdown against countries that support terrorism for their own political goals. The leaders also agreed to facilitate swift action and targeted exchange of information between intelligence, law enforcement and judicial authorities.

The G20 leaders have also called upon the private sector including the communication firms to curb the misuse of the internet for terror propaganda. Further, the leaders have also pledged to ensure terrorists are brought to justice.

Further, the G20 leaders reiterated their resolve to make the international financial system entirely hostile to terrorist financing. The leaders have also called for taking strong measures against the terrorist organisation like ISIS/ISIL/Daesh, Al Qaida etc.

14. India and Bangladesh have decided to construct bridge along Mizoram Border.

 
India and Bangladesh have decided to construct a bridge over Mizoram’s Khawthlangtuipui river (also known as Karnaphuli river) to facilitate trade and to improve communication between the two countries. The decision was taken after officials from both the side met at Tlabung town in Mamit district of Mizoram. The Mamit district is situated adjacent to Khagrachari district of Southeast Bangladesh. 

The proposed bridge is expected to be constructed as closer as possible to the nearest custom station located in the Bangladesh side.

The proposed bridge is expected to serve as an important link between India and Bangladesh. It would improve road connectivity between the two regions. The proposed bridge is also expected to strengthen the ties between the people of the two countries.

Mizoram has a 318 km unfenced border with Bangladesh. In March 2017, the Union Government had announced that half of the 4,096-km long border India shares with Bangladesh has been fenced. The remaining half will be fenced by 2019 deadline. India and Bangladesh share a 4,096 km land boundary, largest among the international boundaries that India shares with its neighbours. The border runs along five states, West Bengal (2,216.7 km), Assam (263 km), Meghalaya (443 km), Tripura (856 km) and Mizoram (318 km).
 
15. World Bank: India emerging as front-runner in fight against Climate Change. 
 
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The World Bank has observed that India is emerging as a frontrunner in the fight against climate change. It has noted that India is gradually replacing coal energy with solar power as a source of energy.

The World Bank has observed that India has made a sweeping commitment to solar power, innovative solutions and energy efficiency initiatives to provide round the clock electricity to its people by 2030. With these initiatives and a firm decision to use more clean energy, India has emerged as the front-runner in the global fight against climate change.

The report of the World Bank had also praised India for walking away from plans to install nearly 14 GW of coal-fired power plants in order to use solar power to generate electricity as it is affordable for the country now to use solar power instead of fossil fuels. The expense involved in generating electricity from solar photovoltaic (PV) is at present a quarter of what it was in 2009 and is also predicted to fall another 66% by 2040. India gets 300 days of sunshine every year and has one of the best conditions in the world to capture and use solar energy.

India has set an ambitious target for generating 160 gigawatts (GW) of the wind and solar power by 2022. It would help India to help its population to light their homes, study at night, provide families with refrigerators to preserve food items. In addition, it would also act as an incentive for international firms to invest in India’s solar market.