General Awareness

INTERNATIONAL AFFAIRS - August 2015

Aug 2015

Oct 16, 2023

Daniel Noboa Becomes Ecuador's Youngest President

Businessman Daniel Noboa became the youngest President in Ecuador's history, at 35 years.
Noboa won the election with 52.3% of the vote, ahead of Luisa González's 47.7%. She conceded defeat and congratulated her rival.
Noboa of the National Democratic Action party is the son of Álvaro Noboa, who ran unsuccessfully for the presidency five times.
Noboa will only have 17 months in office until the next election.
He will govern from the end of November 2023 to May 2025, due to the fact that the current election was triggered early when outgoing President Guillermo Lasso dissolved parliament amid an impeachment trial. He can run again for the 2025-29 presidential term if he wishes to.

Dubai Soars as World's Fastest-Recovering Services Hub in 2023

Dubai, a global economic powerhouse, proved its mettle as the world's fastest-recovering destination in the services sector, marking an impressive growth rate of 3.2% in the first half of 2023. This achievement underpinned Dubai's standing as a leading city that defies economic challenges, driven by visionary leadership. His Highness Sheikh Hamdan bin Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum, Crown Prince of Dubai and Chairman of The Executive Council of Dubai, lauded this achievement and emphasised that Dubai's rapid economic expansion is aligned with the goals of the Dubai Economic Agenda D33. A key goal of the Dubai Economic Agenda (D33) is to double the size of Dubai's economy over the next decade and to consolidate its position among the top three global cities.
Dubai's success story in the first half of 2023 is marked by significant growth in key sectors, including transportation, wholesale and retail trade, financial and insurance, accommodation and food services, real estate, information and communication, and manufacturing. These sectors collectively contributed to about 93.9% of growth, with the transportation and storage sector leading with an astonishing 10.5% growth.

Mumbai Ranks 19th in Knight Frank's Global Prime Residential Index

London-based property consultant, Knight Frank, has ranked Mumbai in the 19th position, Bengaluru in the 22nd position, and New Delhi in the 25th position in the Global Prime Residential Index.
With an annual percentage change of six per cent, Mumbai significantly moved up 76 places to secure the 19th position on Knight Frank's Global Residential Cities Index Q2 2023, from 95th place in Q2 2022. Mumbai is the highest-ranking Indian city in terms of percentage increase on the global index. The city witnessed residential price appreciation of six per cent YoY in Q2 2023.
The Turkish capital Ankara led Knight Frank's Global Residential Cities Index Q2 2023 with the highest growth rate of 105.9 per cent, followed by Istanbul at 85.1 per cent. Stockholm ranked the lowest in terms of price appreciation (-14.3.0%) on the Global Residential Cities Index.

Former Businessman Christopher Luxon Wins New Zealand Election

Conservative former businessman Christopher Luxon will be New Zealand's next Prime Minister after winning a decisive election.
People voted for change after six years of a liberal government led for most of that time by Jacinda Ardern.
The exact makeup of Luxon's government is still to be determined as ballots continued to be counted.
Outgoing Prime Minister Chris Hipkins, who spent just nine months in the top job after taking over from Ardern in January, called Luxon to concede defeat.

ADB to Provide 338m for Vaccine Production in Bangladesh

Asian Development Bank (ADB) agreed to provide $338 million to Bangladesh for manufacturing vaccines against various diseases.
As per ADB Country Director Edimon Ginting, this initiative was taken to help Bangladesh reduce the dependency on vaccine imports and facilitate more production in the country.
Bangladesh will not be able to buy cheap vaccines after transitioning from LDC. For this reason, it is necessary to increase the capacity of vaccine production in the country from now, he added.

Oct 15, 2023

India Ranks 111th on Global Hunger Index 2023

The government rejected the 2023 Global Hunger Index in which India ranked 111th, calling it a flawed measure of hunger that does not reflect the country's true position.
The Women and Child Development Ministry said the index suffers from "serious methodological issues and shows a malafide intent".
India ranked 111th out of 125 countries in the Global Hunger Index-2023, released on October 12, with the country reporting the highest child wasting rate at 18.7 per cent.
The Global Hunger Index (GHI) is a tool for comprehensively measuring and tracking hunger at global, regional, and national levels.

Oct 14, 2023

Putin Visits Kyrgyzstan in 1st Foreign Trip since ICC Warrant

President Vladimir Putin arrived in Kyrgyzstan on a rare trip abroad for the Russian leader who was indicted earlier this year by the International Criminal Court (ICC) for war crimes in Ukraine.
Putin took part in the Commonwealth of Independent States summit, which Kyrgyzstan hosted.
The leaders of Azerbaijan, Belarus, Kazakhstan, Tajikistan, Turkmenistan and Uzbekistan also attended the summit. Armenian Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan skipped the summit.
It is the first time this year (2023) that the Russian President travelled outside Russia and Russian-held territories of Ukraine.

Oct 13, 2023

Plaque of 'Vasudhaiva Kutumbakam' Unveiled in Premises of Permanent Mission of India to UN in New...

A plaque with the inscription 'Vasudhaiva Kutumbakam' was installed in the premises of the Permanent Mission of India to the United Nations, embodying New Delhi's commitment to unity and global collaboration.
The plaque was unveiled at a special ceremony by the President of the Indian Council for Cultural Relations (ICCR) Vinay Sahasrabuddhe and India's Permanent Representative to the UN Ambassador Ruchira Kamboj.
The gold-hued plaque with the phrase 'Vasudhaiva Kutumbakam' written in Hindi and 'The World is One Family' in English adorns a wall inside the entrance of the premises of India's Permanent Mission in the city.
The unveiling of the plaque took place a day after the Permanent Mission of India, along with the ICCR, organised an international conference on 'Vasudhaiva Kutumbakam' at the United Nations headquarters.

Births in China Plummet 10% to Hit Lowest Level

The number of births in China tumbled 10% last year to hit their lowest level on record - a drop that comes despite a slew of government efforts to support parents and amid increasing alarm that the country become demographically imbalanced.
China had just 9.56 million births in 2022, according to a report published by the National Health Commission. It was the lowest figure since records began in 1949.
The high costs of childcare and education, growing unemployment and job insecurity as well as gender discrimination have all helped to deter many young couples from having more than one child or even having children at all.
Much of the demographic downturn is the result of China's one-child policy imposed between 1980 and 2015, though the abandonment of that policy is having some effect.

Oct 12, 2023

Sri Lanka hosts IORA Council of Ministers meeting in Colombo

Sri Lanka has assumed the Chairmanship of the Indian Ocean Rim Association (IORA) during the 23rd Council of Ministers meeting held in Colombo.
The association's member states will hold discussions on collaboration in various sectors, including trade and investment, maritime safety and security, fisheries management, disaster risk management, and the blue economy, among others.
Sri Lanka will hold the chairmanship of the association from 2023 to 2025, with the Foreign Minister of Bangladesh ceremoniously handing over the chairmanship to Sri Lanka's Foreign Minister M.U.M. Ali Sabry.
The IORA, an intergovernmental organization established in 1997, comprises 23 member states and 11 dialogue partners hailing from regions surrounding the Indian Ocean.

India re-elected as President of the Asia-Pacific Institute

India has been re-elected as the President of the Asia-Pacific Institute for Broadcasting Development (AIBD) General Conference (GC) for an unprecedented third successive term.
This remarkable accomplishment, announced by Apurva Chandra, Secretary of the Information & Broadcasting Ministry, signifies a monumental moment in AIBD's history. The decision showcases the immense confidence bestowed upon India by broadcasting organizations across the Asia Pacific and the global arena.
India had already served two terms as President from 2018–2021 and 2021–2023.
India is one of the founding members of AIBD and Prasar Bharati, India's public service broadcaster is the representative body of the Ministry of Information & Broadcasting, Government of India at AIBD.

India, Italy sign defence agreement

Aim: To promote bilateral cooperation in areas such as security and defence policy, research and development, education in military field, maritime domain awareness, sharing of defence information
India and Italy signed an agreement on defence cooperation during defence minister Rajnath Singhs.
The relationship between India and Italy was elevated to strategic partnership in March 2023 during the visit of Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni to India.

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