General Awareness

INTERNATIONAL AFFAIRS - October 2014

Oct 2014

Jul 11, 2023

Erdogan Backs Sweden's NATO Membership

Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan agreed to support Sweden's membership in NATO, bloc's Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg said, in a surprising turn of events.
The announcement came as a breath of fresh air amidst Turkey's previous roadblock to approving Sweden's bid to join the Western alliance. According to NATO's Stoltenberg, Erdogan gave his consent to present Sweden's NATO membership application to the Turkish parliament for approval.
Swedish Prime Minister Ulf Kristersson hailed it as a historic day for Sweden.

Uzbekistan Leader Re-elected for Seven-year Term in Snap Election

Uzbekistan President Shavkat Mirziyoyev was re-elected with 87.1% of the vote, the Central Election Commission announced.
Mirziyoyev, in power since 2016, called a snap election after changing the Constitution through a referendum which reset his term count and extended the presidential term to seven years from five.
Mirziyoyev opened up the country of 35 million people to foreign trade and investment while also easing restrictions on religious and political freedoms.

Jul 10, 2023

New Zealand Prime Minister Hipkins Signs Ambitious Trade Deal with EU

Prime Minister Chris Hipkins seal a historic deal that will remove 91% of duties on New Zealand goods and is worth an estimated $1.8 billion annually to Kiwi exporters.
While there has been much focus on the monetary benefits and value of the deal, this agreement also marked strengthening of ties at a time when there are big geopolitical tensions.

Dutch Government Collapses

Dutch Prime Minister Mark Rutte's government collapsed after coalition parties failed to reach an agreement on immigration policy. The parties were unable to bridge their differences on how to handle the issue, which has become increasingly divisive in the Netherlands in recent years.
The Dutch government coalition, which formed 18 months ago, went into crisis when PM Rutte had proposed to limit the right to family reunions for refugees from war zones to 200 people per month after a period of two years. The proposal was unacceptable to two of the coalition parties, D66 and the Christian Union, and led to a major escalation of the differences between the parties.

Jul 08, 2023

Iceland is the Most Peaceful Country in the World

The 2023 Global Peace Index released its annual ranking of the most peaceful countries in the world.
The Institute for Economics and Peace 2023 study measured a country's level of negative peace using three domains of peacefulness: Ongoing domestic and international conflict, Societal safety and security, Militarization/
Overall the index found that the world is a little less safe than last year, due to the impacts of the COVID-19 pandemic, which is unchanged from the 2022 survey results.
While the United States ranked 131 on the list, seven out of the top 10 most peaceful countries in the world are in Europe.
Iceland remained the most peaceful country in the world since the study was first released in 2008.
It also ranked as the third happiest country in the world, after Finland and Denmark.
The top 10 most peaceful countries in the world are: Iceland, Denmark, Ireland, New Zealand, Austria, Singapore, Portugal, Slovenia, Japan and Switzerland.

Jul 06, 2023

Scotland Marks Coronation of King Charles III and Queen Camilla

Scotland marked the coronation of King Charles and his wife Camilla with a grand procession full of pageantry and a solemn church service where he was presented with the 'Honours of Scotland', Britain's oldest crown jewels. Charles and Camilla were crowned in London's Westminster Abbey in May in front of about 100 world leaders in Britain's biggest ceremonial event for seven decades.

UAE Establishes New Ministry of Investment to Boost Economic Competitiveness

The United Arab Emirates (UAE) established of a new Ministry of Investment, which is aimed at developing the investment vision of the country and enhancing its competitiveness in the global market.
Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum, Vice President, Prime Minister of the UAE, and Ruler of Dubai, chaired the UAE Cabinet meeting, where the decision was made.
Under the directives of President Sheikh Mohamed bin Zayed Al Nahyan, the UAE Cabinet approved the establishment of the Ministry of Investment and appointed Mohamed Hassan Al Suwaidi as the minister.
The ministry's main responsibilities include proposing investment policies, preparing strategies and legislation, and implementing national programs to promote the investment environment and enhance its competitiveness.
The establishment of the Ministry of Investment reflects the UAE's commitment to attracting investments in various sectors and leveraging its world-class infrastructure as a global platform.

Jul 05, 2023

NATO Agrees to Extend Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg's Tenure

NATO's members extended the tenure of alliance chief Jens Stoltenberg for one year, after struggling to find a replacement in the shadow of Russia's war in Ukraine.
The announcement came one week ahead of a summit of NATO leaders in Lithuania that will be dominated by the Western military alliance's response to the war and Ukraine's push for membership.
NATO countries made the call to extend the tenure of the former Norwegian Prime Minister, at the helm of the alliance since 2014, after failing to agree an obvious replacement.
Others seen as potential candidates, including Danish Prime Minister Mette Frederiksen and British Defence Minister Ben Wallace, had dropped out of contention.

China's Qu-Dongyu Re-elected Unopposed as Head of FAO

At the 43rd session of conference of United Nation Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) held at FAO's headquarter, Rome Qu-Dongyu was re-elected as a Director General of United Nations Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO).
In 2019, Qu-Dongyu was elected as the head of the UN agency and he is the first Chinese national to serve in the position.
Since assuming office, Qu-Dongyu had actively led the FAO to address the challenges in global food security and contribute to the food and agriculture development of all countries, especially developing countries.
His efforts were recognised by FAO member nations and re-elected him as the Director General of the FAO by getting 168 votes out of 182 votes.

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