General Awareness

INTERNATIONAL AFFAIRS - June 2015

Jun 2015

Aug 05, 2023

Pakistan PM Shehbaz Sharif to Dissolve Parliament

Pakistan Prime Minister Shahbaz Sharif announced the dissolution of the National Assembly on August 9. The decision came after he met with parliamentary leaders where the country's political situation was thoroughly discussed.
On August 9, Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif will send formal advice to the President for the dissolution of the National Assembly. According to constitutional provisions, the President must sign the advice within 48 hours to effectuate the dissolution. If, for any reason, the President does not sign the advice, the Assembly will be automatically dissolved.
Furthermore, Prime Minister Shehbaz assured that after three days of consultation with the opposition, he will submit the name of the caretaker Prime Minister to the President.
However, if no agreement is reached, the Election Commission of Pakistan (ECP) will step in and nominate a candidate for the caretaker Prime Minister position from the proposed names.

PM Modi Accepts Invite to Join BRICS Summit in Johannesburg (5)

Prime Minister Narendra Modi accepted South African President Cyril Ramaphosa's invitation for BRICS Summit, scheduled to take place on August 22-24 in Johannesburg.
During the telephonic conversation, the South African President extended a cordial invitation to PM Modi for the BRICS Summit and briefed him on the preparations for the same.
South Africa is poised to host the prestigious 15th BRICS Summit in Johannesburg from 22nd to 24th August 2023 with great anticipation. Initially formed as BRIC, a visionary concept coined by Goldman Sachs economist Jim O'Neil in 2001.
The alliance was comprised of Brazil, Russia, India, and China - a collective representation of burgeoning emerging markets brimming with current and future economic prowess. In a momentous development in 2010, South Africa joined the ranks, bestowing the acronym BRICS upon this formidable bloc of nations.

Parliament of World's Religions Invites Jain Acharya Lokesh Muni as Speaker at Opening Ceremony i...

The Parliament of World's Religions invited prominent Jain leader Acharya Lokesh Muni as a speaker at its opening ceremony on August 14.
The five-day event in Chicago beginning August 14 is being attended by about 10,000 delegates from 80 countries. It is said to be the largest gathering of religious leaders from across the world.
Several other Indian religious leaders have been invited to the five-day event in Chicago. Prominent among them is Nivedita Raghunath Bhide, all India vice-president of Vivekananda Kendra, Kanyakumari. Author of 15 books, Bhide was awarded Padmashri in 2017 for social service.

Aug 04, 2023

Indian-American Shohini Sinha Named Special Agent in Charge of FBI in Salt Lake City

Indian-American Shohini Sinha was appointed as the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) special agent in charge of the Salt Lake City Field Office.
Sinha was appointed to the post by FBI Director Christopher Wray.
Sinha served as executive special assistant to the Director at FBI Headquarters in Washington, DC. She joined the FBI as a special agent in 2001. She was first assigned to the Milwaukee Field Office, where she worked in counterterrorism investigations.
She also served in temporary assignments at the Guantanamo Bay Naval Base, the FBI Legal Attaché Office in London, and the Baghdad Operations Center.
Sinha was in 2009 promoted to supervisory special agent and transferred to the Counterterrorism Division in Washington, DC.

Aug 03, 2023

Russia Adds Norway to List of Countries 'Unfriendly' to its Diplomats

Russia added Norway to its list of unfriendly countries for allegedly targeting Russian diplomats abroad, further worsening its relations with the West.
The Russian government published the order, which restricts the number of local staff the Norwegian diplomatic mission can hire in Russia to 27 people.
In April 2023, Norway expelled 15 Russian diplomats after accusing them of carrying out intelligence activities under diplomatic cover. Russia retaliated by expelling 10 Norwegian diplomats in what Norway said was an act of revenge.
The United States and Czech Republic were added to Russia's list of unfriendly countries in May 2021 and Greece, Denmark, Slovenia, Croatia and Slovakia were added in July 2022.

Indonesia Buys Drones Worth USD 300 Million from Turkish Aerospace

The Indonesian government bought 12 drones worth USD 300 million from Turkish Aerospace as part of efforts to strengthen Indonesia's defence system.
The deal came after Indonesian President Joko Widodo in July warned his cabinet to maintain a healthy budget as he highlighted outsized spending by the country's security agencies, including the defence ministry.
The deal with Anakara-based Turkish Aerospace was finalised in February and the drones are expected to be delivered within 32 months. It also includes training and flight simulators.

Aug 02, 2023

Taiwan Amends Sexual Harassment Laws

Taiwan amended three laws governing sexual harassment in a special session of the legislature, after a wave of #MeToo accusations hit the island in June.
The changes approved include higher penalties and longer periods for victims to come forward and report an incident to authorities. The changes are an attempt to address the issues raised by the recent accusations of sexual violence in Taiwan.

Aug 01, 2023

UNESCO Recommends Adding Venice to Endangered List

As per the UN's cultural agency, Venice should be added to a list of world heritage sites in danger.The iconic Italian city is at risk of irreversible damage from overwhelming tourism, overdevelopment and rising sea levels due to climate change, according to a report from UNESCO.
The agency aims to encourage the better preservation of the site for future.
Venice is known as 'La Serenissima', which translates to 'very serene' - but that nickname no longer fits.
The UNESCO report blames the Italian authorities for a lack of strategic vision to solve the problems faced by one of Italy's most picturesque cities.

Indian-American Nisha Biswal Becomes Deputy Chief Executive Officer of US Finance Agency

Indian-American policy expert Nisha Biswal was confirmed by the Senate to serve as the Deputy Chief Executive Officer (CEO) of a US finance agency. Ms. Biswal will serve as the Deputy CEO of the United States International Development Finance Corporation. US President Joe Biden announced had nominated Nisha Desai Biswal in March 2023 for the position of Deputy Chief Executive Officer of the United States International Development Finance Corporation. She has a high-profile career of over 30 years of experience in US foreign policy and international development programmes within the White House; US Congress and the private sector. Ms. Biswal currently holds the position of Senior Vice President for International Strategy and Global Initiatives at the US Chamber of Commerce, overseeing the US-India Business Council and US-Bangladesh Business Council.

Ukraine and Croatia Agree on Use of Croatian Ports for Grain Exports

Ukrainian Foreign Minister Dmytro Kuleba said that after talks with his Croatian counterpart, Kyiv and Zagreb agreed on the use of Croatian ports to export Ukrainian grain.
Both nations agreed on the possibility of using Croatian ports on the Danube and the Adriatic Sea.
This came days after Russia suspended its participation in the Black Sea grain export deal, and said that it will only return to the deal if Moscow's conditions are met.

India among Invitees as Saudi Arabia to Host Ukraine Talks

India is expected to participate in yet another attempt to broker peace in Ukraine, this time in Saudi Arabia where for the second time since June, the West and the Global South will take part for two days on August 4 and 5.
Saudi Arabia would invite western nations, Ukraine and major developing countries to the talks, but exclude Russia.

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