General Awareness

INTERNATIONAL AFFAIRS - February 2016

Feb 2016

Feb 01, 2024

WHO Honours Countries for the First Time For Eliminating Industrially Produced Trans Fats

In a significant milestone, the World Health Organization (WHO) issued its first-ever certificates acknowledging advancements in eliminating trans fatty acids (TFA), both industrially produced and naturally occurring. Five countries, Denmark, Lithuania, Poland, Saudi Arabia, and Thailand, were commended for their pioneering efforts in demonstrating effective policies and robust monitoring and enforcement mechanisms in their TFA elimination strategies.
Despite the challenges, WHO's global initiative to eliminate TFA has shown remarkable progress. While the ambitious target set in 2018 to fully eradicate TFA from the global food supply by the end of 2023 was not met, significant strides were made globally. The results from the first five years of WHO's initiative highlight substantial advancements towards this goal.

Jan 31, 2024

Billionaire Sultan Ibrahim Sworn in as Malaysia's 17th King

The billionaire sultan who rules Malaysia's Johor state was sworn in as the nation's new king, under a unique rotating monarchy system.
Sultan Ibrahim Iskandar took his oath of office at the palace and signed the instrument of the proclamation of office in a ceremony witnessed by other royal families, Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim and Cabinet members.

World's Most and Least Corrupt Countries

Transparency International released its 2023 Corruption Perceptions Index (CPI). As per the report, the CPI global average remained unchanged at 43 for the twelfth year in a row, with more than two-thirds of countries scoring below 50.
Denmark once again emerged as a beacon of integrity, seizing the top position, boasting an impressive score of 90. Its stellar performance, which the report attributed to a "well-functioning justice system," secured its place at the forefront for an unprecedented sixth consecutive year.
Finland (87) and New Zealand (85) clinched the second and third spots in the esteemed ranking.
The Corruption Perceptions Index (CPI) ranks 180 countries and territories by their perceived levels of public sector corruption, according to experts and businesspeople.
In the 2023 Corruption Perceptions Index India ranked 93 with a score of 39/100. The ranking was a slight dip from 2022, when the nation, with a score of 40, held the 85th position.

Jan 30, 2024

India, Other Nations Attend Conclave Organised By Taliban in Kabul

India was among 10-odd countries which attended a conclave in Kabul organised by the Taliban with a broader aim for regional cooperation. India has not yet recognised the Taliban setup and has been pitching for the formation of a truly inclusive government in Kabul.
The participating countries included India, Kazakhstan, Turkey, Russia, China, Iran, Pakistan, Uzbekistan, Turkmenistan, Indonesia and Kyrgyzstan. Russia was represented at the conclave by its special representative for Afghanistan, Zamir Kabulov.
The Regional Cooperation Initiative meeting was addressed by the Taliban regime's acting Foreign Minister Amir Khan Muttaqi.

Bhutan's Liberal Tobgay Becomes Prime Minister after Fourth Free Vote

Bhutan's liberal politician Tshering Tobgay, leader of the People's Democratic Party (PDP), officially began his second term as Prime Minister, following elections earlier this month (January 2024).
Tobgay is the country's fourth freely elected Prime Minister since democracy was established in the Himalayan kingdom 15 years ago. A former bureaucrat and an advocate for Bhutan's Buddhist culture, he was previously Prime Minister from 2013 to 2018. He was also the leader of opposition in the parliament set up after the first free vote in 2008 until 2013.

Three West African States Quit ECOWAS Regional Block

Niger, Mali and Burkina Faso, three West African states led by the military, immediately left the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS), a regional economic bloc that has been urging them to return to democratic rule.
The decision by the three, announced in a simultaneous joint statement is a blow to the bloc's regional integration efforts after it suspended the three following coups.
The bloc had previously said that it does not recognise the military-led governments, vowing that coups would no longer be tolerated after the military takeovers in Mali, Burkina Faso and Guinea and an attempted coup in Guinea-Bissau.

Jan 26, 2024

Canada Officially Adds India to its Probe of Election Meddling

Escalating further diplomatic tensions with India, Canada officially added India to its probe of election meddling. The country's public inquiry into foreign interference will examine whether India interfered in Ottawa's national elections or not in 2019 and 2021.
Prime Minister Justin Trudeau initiated the probe in 2023, following the leak of intelligence documents to the media. The leaks talked in depth about China's interference in Canada's elections by supporting candidates friendly to President Xi Jinping's government.
The commission tasked with the job confirmed that Prime Minister Narendra Modi's government was indeed under investigation.
Interestingly, this is the first time that New Delhi's name has been dragged into the election interference process despite China being a notable one, in addition to Russia and other state and non-state actors.

Jan 25, 2024

Swiss Financial Regulator Gets a New Leader

Switzerland's financial markets authority got a new Chief Executive as the rich Alpine country looks at ways to strengthen regulations after UBS hurriedly took over ailing rival Credit Suisse last year (2023) partly to prevent a global banking meltdown.
The Swiss government selected Stefan Walter, a German national who was director-general of the European Central Bank for the last decade, to head the Swiss financial authority known as FINMA.

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