General Awareness

INTERNATIONAL AFFAIRS - August 2015

Aug 2015

Jun 30, 2024

Artificial Intelligence Preparedness Index 2024

The International Monetary Fund (IMF) released an Artificial Intelligence Preparedness Index (AIPI) Dashboard on their website, tracking 174 economies globally for AI readiness.
The Index categorised each country into Advanced Economy (AE), Emerging Market Economy (EM), and Low-Income Country (LIC). Singapore (0.80), Denmark (0.78), and the United States (0.77) were among the highest-rated AEs, with India categorised as an EM with a 0.49 rating. India ranked 72 in a total of 174 countries, with Bangladesh (0.38) on 113, Sri Lanka (0.43) on 92, and China (0.63) on 31.
The rating for each country is given based on the assessment of readiness in four key areas - digital infrastructure, human capital and labour market policies, innovation and economic integration, and regulation.

Additional Secretary Chandra Shekhar Kumar Represents India at the Three-day Meeting of CLGF Annu...

Additional Secretary, Ministry of Panchayati Raj, Chandra Shekhar Kumar represented India at the three - day meeting of CLGF Annual Board in Colombo, Sri Lanka in June 2024. The conference facilitated regional exchange and priority setting for ongoing initiatives in Commonwealth Asia. It also guided the future work of CLGF's Commonwealth Women in Local Government Network. Prime Minister of Sri Lanka, Shri Dinesh Gunawardena inaugurated CLGF's Commonwealth Women in Local Government Network South Asia Regional Meeting on "Reinforcing Social Resilience through Women's Political Representation".
Addressing the CLGF conference, Chandra Shekhar Kumar requested to host the next CLGF meeting in India, the largest member country of the Commonwealth. This initiative aims to promote and strengthen democratic local governments across the Commonwealth and foster the exchange of best practices.

Jun 29, 2024

António Costa New President of European Council

Portugal's former Socialist Prime Minister António Costa was elected as the next president of the European Council.
The decision was announced in Brussels, with Italian Prime Minister Georgia Meloni being the only European leader who voted against.
Mr. Costa said in his acceptance speech that he will take up the post with a "great sense of mission", committed to promoting unity between the 27 member states and the Strategic Agenda for the next five years.
The post is being vacated by Mr. Costa's predecessor Charles Michel as of December 1, 2024.

Jaishankar to Lead Indian Delegation to Attend SCO Summit in Astana

Prime Minister Narendra Modi will not attend the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation (SCO) summit this year (2024). External Affairs Minister S. Jaishankar will lead the Indian delegation to Kazakhstan capital Astana.
The summit will take place from July 3-4 in Astana. Kazakhstan took over the SCO presidency from India, which was the president last year (2023). India hosted the SCO summit virtually in July 2023.
The SCO, comprising India, China, Russia, Pakistan, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan and Uzbekistan, is considered an influential economic and security bloc. The summit hosted by Kazakhstan is expected to see participation by Putin, Chinese President Xi Jinping and Pakistan PM Shehbaz Sharif.

Jun 28, 2024

EU leaders Nominate Von der Leyen in the Bloc's Top Job

EU leaders nominated current European Commission head Ursula von der Leyen for a second five-year term in the bloc's top job at a summit in Brussels.
Estonian Prime Minister Kaja Kallas was picked as the EU's next foreign affairs chief and former Portuguese Prime Minister António Costa was chosen as the next chairman of EU summits.
All three candidates are from centrist, pro-EU factions.
The European Parliament is due to vote on the nominations next month.

Jun 27, 2024

Julian Assange Pleads Guilty in US Court, Walks out a Free Man

Assange entered the plea in a US District Court hearing in Saipan on the Northern Mariana Islands, a US-controlled territory chosen due to his refusal to travel to the mainland United States and its proximity to his native Australia.
A US judge freed Julian Assange in a plea deal culminating years of legal drama for the WikiLeaks founder, who was long wanted by Washington for revealing military secrets.
The judge sentenced Assange to five years and two months in prison — with credit for the same amount of time he spent behind bars in Britain while fighting extradition to the United States.
Julian Assange is an Australian editor, publisher, and activist who founded WikiLeaks in 2006. He came to international attention in 2010 after WikiLeaks published a series of leaks from Chelsea Manning, a former United States Army intelligence analyst.

Jun 26, 2024

NATO Appoints Outgoing Dutch Prime Minister Mark Rutte as its Next Secretary-general

NATO appointed Mark Rutte as its next secretary-general, putting the outgoing Dutch Prime Minister in charge of the world's biggest security organization at a critical time for European security as war rages in Ukraine.
The outgoing Dutch premier will take over from the current secretary general, Norway's Jens Stoltenberg, on Oct. 1. Stoltenberg spent more than a decade at the helm. His mandate was repeatedly extended, in part to provide continuity after Russia invaded Ukraine in 2022.

European Union Launches Membership Negotiations with Ukraine

The European Union launched membership talks with Ukraine, a decade after Russian troops seized Crimean Peninsula to deter the country from moving closer to the West, part of a chain of events that set the two neighbours on the path to war.
Ukraine's accession negotiations were set in motion at an intergovernmental conference in Luxembourg.
In opening remarks presented via video-link, Ukrainian PM Denys Shmyhal described it as "a historic day" that marks "a new chapter" in his country's ties with the bloc. The talks could take years to conclude.

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