General Awareness

INTERNATIONAL AFFAIRS - January 2015

Jan 2015

Apr 30, 2024

Humza Yousaf Resigns as Scottish First Minister

Humza Yousaf, Scotland's first Muslim First Minister and leader of the Scottish National Party (SNP), has announced his resignation amid political turmoil. The decision follows the collapse of the SNP's coalition with the Scottish Greens, triggering opposition no-confidence motions. Yousaf cited a refusal to compromise his values and principles for political power, amidst challenges including a funding scandal and the departure of former leader Nicola Sturgeon.
In a televised address, Yousaf emphasised his unwillingness to compromise on his values or engage in political dealings solely for the sake of retaining power. This principled stance comes amidst internal debates within the SNP over policy approaches and the party's attempts to reconnect with voters.
Yousaf, born to Pakistani immigrants in Glasgow, made history as Scotland's youngest elected leader and the first Muslim to head a major political party. Despite his skills as a communicator and efforts to unite the SNP, his tenure faced challenges, culminating in his resignation after just over a year in office.

UK's New 'World First' Laws Crack Down on Smart Cyber Attacks

All Internet-connected smart devices will be required to meet minimum security standards under what the UK government has dubbed as "world first" laws, to protect consumers and businesses from hacking and cyber-attacks.
Under the new regime, manufacturers will be banned from having weak, easily guessable default passwords like "admin" or "12345" and if there is a common password, the user will be prompted to change it on start-up.
"From today, consumers will have greater peace of mind that their smart devices are protected from cyber criminals, as we introduce world first laws that will make sure their personal privacy, data and finances are safe," said UK Minister for Cyber Viscount Camrose, Jonathan Berry.

Apr 29, 2024

Pakistan's Foreign Minister Ishaq Dar is Deputy Prime Minister

In a surprise move, Pakistan's Foreign Minister Ishaq Dar was appointed as the country's Deputy Prime Minister.
Dar a chartered accountant and a veteran politician, belongs to Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif's Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) party.
According to a notification issued by the Cabinet Division, the appointment was made by Prime Minister Sharif with immediate effect and until further orders.
The announcement was made when both Prime Minister Sharif and Foreign Minister Dar were away in Saudi Arabia to attend a World Economic Forum's moot.
Dar has served as Finance Minister in two previous governments. He was considered the party's answer to all economic problems, serving as finance minister for the fourth and last time in the previous Pakistan Democratic Movement (PDM) coalition government.

Italy's Giorgia Meloni to Contest EU Election to Boost Support for Party

Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni will be fighting European Union (EU) elections slated to be held in June this year (2024), she announced Sunday (Apr 28). However, she won't be taking up the seat if elected. The elections will be held from June 6-9 and would be a litmus test for her 18-month-old rule. The move, Meloni says, is an effort to boost support for her Brothers of Italy party.
Meloni, a right-wing leader, has been a ferocious opponent to the European Union. She even called for leaving the Euro Zone in her 2022 election campaign, which had set alarm bells ringing in European capitals.

Apr 27, 2024

Haiti PM Henry Resigns as Transitional Council Takes Over

Haitian Prime Minister Ariel Henry quit from his post following which a transitional council came to power in a bid to bring back stability to the country wracked by gang violence.
Henry's former Finance Minister, Michel Patrick Boisvert, took over as the interim Prime Minister.
The transitional government's mandate runs until February 2026.

Apr 26, 2024

Italian PM Meloni Invites PM Modi to G7 Summit Outreach Session in June

Prime Minister Narendra Modi received an invitation from his Italian counterpart Giorgia Meloni to attend the G7 Summit Outreach Session in Italy on June 13-15.
Modi thanked Italian Prime Minister Meloni for the invite to the G7 Summit Outreach Sessions to be held in Italy's Puglia.

Prabowo Subianto Declared Indonesia's President-Elect Amid Controversy

Indonesia's electoral commission officially declared Prabowo Subianto as the President-elect after the country's highest court rejected challenges to his landslide victory lodged by two losing presidential candidates. Subianto, currently serving as the Defence Minister, secured 58.6% of the votes, amounting to more than 96 million ballots, which is more than twice the number received by either of his rivals.
However, Subianto's victory was not without controversy, as his opponents alleged widespread fraud and state interference in the electoral process. Authorities deployed over 4,200 police and soldiers to maintain order during the declaration ceremony held at the General Election Commission compound.
Prabowo Subianto, a longtime commander in Indonesia's Kopassus special forces, was discharged from the military in 1998 after Kopassus soldiers tortured activists who opposed dictator Suharto, his father-in-law. Although he denies any involvement, several of his men were tried and convicted.
Subianto went into self-exile in Jordan before returning and founding the Gerindra Party in 2008. He has previously worked closely with hard-line Islamists to undermine his opponents and made three unsuccessful bids for the presidency, challenging his own losses to Widodo in 2019, which led to violence that claimed nine lives in Jakarta.

Russia Vetoes UN Vote on Stopping Arms Race in Outer Space

Russia vetoed a UN Security Council resolution calling on all nations to prevent a dangerous nuclear arms race in outer space, describing it as 'a dirty spectacle'.
The draft resolution, put forward by the US and Japan, sought to reaffirm a principle already set out in the 1967 Outer Space Treaty.
It also called on countries to uphold the Outer Space Treaty, under which all parties agreed 'not to place in orbit around the Earth any objects carrying nuclear weapons or any other kinds of weapons of mass destruction'.
Of the council's 15 members, 13 voted in favour, while Russia - one of five permanent members with a veto - voted against and China abstained.

Apr 25, 2024

India's Gita Sabharwal Appointed as UN Resident Coordinator in Indonesia

The United Nations Secretary-General, António Guterres, appointed Gita Sabharwal of India as the new UN Resident Coordinator in Indonesia. Sabharwal brings with her nearly three decades of experience in development, supporting climate transition, sustainable peace, governance, and social policy, while leveraging digital technology and data to accelerate the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs).
With the host government's approval, Sabharwal's appointment as the UN Resident Coordinator in Indonesia came after her previous roles as the UN Resident Coordinator in Thailand and as the Peacebuilding and Development Adviser for the United Nations in Sri Lanka. Before joining the UN, she served as The Asia Foundation's Deputy Country Representative for the Maldives and Sri Lanka and held positions as the Poverty and Policy Adviser for the United Kingdom's Department for International Development in India and Vietnam.
The UN Resident Coordinator is the highest-ranking representative of the UN Development System at the country level. Resident Coordinators lead UN country teams and coordinate UN support to countries in implementing the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development.

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