General Awareness

INTERNATIONAL AFFAIRS - February 2016

Feb 2016

Dec 19, 2023

Kuwait Crown Prince Sheikh Meshal Named New Emir

Sheikh Meshal al-Ahmad al-Jaber Al-Sabah was declared the new Emir of Kuwait following the passing of his brother, Sheikh Nawaf al-Ahmad al-Sabah.
Sheikh Meshal al-Ahmad al-Sabah had been Kuwait's de facto ruler since 2021, when the frail emir Sheikh Nawaf handed over most his duties.
Before becoming the crown prince, Sheikh Meshal dedicated much of his career to building the security and defence of the Gulf state.
Sheikh Meshal became Kuwait's third emir in just over three years. His brother, Sheikh Nawaf, became emir in September 2020 following the death of his brother, Sheikh Sabah al-Ahmad.

TIWB Launched Saint Lucia Program, With India as the Administration Partner

Tax Inspectors Without Borders (TIWB), a joint initiative of the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) and the Organisation for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD), launched a programme in Saint Lucia. India was chosen as the Partner Administration and would provide Tax Experts for this programme.
This programme is expected to be of 12-18 months' duration in which India, in collaboration with the TIWB Secretariat and support of the UNDP Country Office, Barbados and the Eastern Caribbean, aims to aid Saint Lucia in strengthening its tax administration by transferring technical knowledge and skills to its tax administration, and through sharing of best practices. The focus of the programme will be on effective use of automatic exchange of information under the Common Reporting Standard (CRS) framework.

Dec 18, 2023

Putin to Run for Russian President as an Independent Candidate in March 2024

Russian President Vladimir Putin will seek re-election as an independent candidate in 2024.
A group of over 700 politicians and figures from the sporting and cultural worlds met in Moscow and gave unanimous endorsement to Vladimir Putin as an independent candidate.
Putin had announced earlier that he will seek another six-year term in March 2024 in the Russian presidential election.
Putin has led Russia as either President or Prime Minister since 1999. He swapped presidential job with Prime Minister Dmitry Medvedev in 2008, following which he changed the rules that limited consecutive presidential mandates. He has been President since 2012 and can potentially remain so until 2036.

Reuven Azar to be Israel's New Ambassador to India

The Israeli government approved the appointment of Reuven Azar as the new Ambassador to India.
Azar, will also serve as the non-resident Ambassador to Sri Lanka and Bhutan.
His appointment is one of the 21 new Heads of Missions cleared by the Israeli government to assume service soon.
Azar will replace Naor Gilon, who has been serving as the Israeli ambassador to India since 2021.
Azar has earlier served as Head of the Israel-US-China internal task force at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, immediately after serving for three years as Deputy National Security Advisor for Foreign Policy at the National Security Council and Foreign Policy Advisor to the Prime Minister of Israel.
From 2014 to 2018, Azar was Deputy Ambassador at the Embassy of Israel in Washington, DC.

Dec 17, 2023

Hungary Blocks EU's $54.9 Billion Aid for Kyiv

Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orban blocked the European Union's planned financial aid package for Ukraine, sending the debate into early next year as the EU struggles to counter concerns that Western support is faltering.
Kyiv notched a significant political victory when the EU unexpectedly agreed to open membership talks, but negotiations over a €50 billion ($54 billion) package remained stuck, even with 26 of the 27 members backing it.
The aid delay is likely to increase anxiety in Kyiv at a critical moment for the war-torn country.

Dec 16, 2023

EU to Open Membership Talks with Ukraine and Moldova

European leaders decided to open EU membership talks with Ukraine and Moldova and to grant candidate status to Georgia.
Ukraine's President Volodymyr Zelensky hailed the decision, made at a summit in Brussels, as 'a victory' for his country and Europe.
Hungary has long opposed talks starting with Kyiv, but did not veto the move.
Prime Minister Viktor Orban left the room momentarily in what officials described as a pre-agreed and constructive manner, while the other 26 leaders went ahead with the vote.

Dec 15, 2023

India's Uma Sekhar Triumphs over US, Russia, China Candidates in UNIDROIT Election

India's Uma Sekhar was elected to the governing council of the Rome-based International Institute for the Unification of Private Law (UNIDROIT) in an election that saw 32 contestants in the fray including from the US, China, Saudi Arabia, Turkey and France.
The UNIDROIT is an independent intergovernmental organisation dealing with various legal issues including studying needs and methods for modernising commercial and private laws.
Uma Sekhar was elected to the Governing Council of the International Institute for the Unification of Private Law (UNIDROIT) with an impressive 45 votes out of 59 votes in the first round at the elections held in Rome.
India will be a member of the body for the period 2024-28.

Maldives Govt. Scraps Hydrographic Survey Agreement with India

As India-Maldives relations experience further strain following the demand for troop withdrawal, the Maldivian government led by President Mohamed Muizzu, chose to terminate the hydrographic survey agreement with India. The announcement came merely a month after President Muizzu requested the withdrawal of Indian military personnel from the Maldives, aligning with his 'India Out' campaign platform.
The hydrographic survey agreement, inked on June 8, 2019, during Prime Minister Narendra Modi's visit to the Maldives, permitted India to conduct a comprehensive study of the island nation's territorial waters, encompassing reefs, lagoons, coastlines, ocean currents, and tide levels.
The third Joint Hydrographic survey by the Indian Navy and the MNDF was carried out by Indian Naval Ship Investigator (INS Investigator) from January 19 to February 26, 2023. The ship surveyed Northern Maldives covering Ihavandhippolhu and Thiladhanmatee atolls and Gallandhu Kandu.

Next BRICS Summit in Russia will Establish a Fair World Order

President Vladimir Putin criticised the West for demanding a so-called 'rules-based world order' and said that the next BRICS summit under Russia's presidency in October 2024 will be dedicated to establishing a 'fair world order'.
Putin said the next BRICS summit in the Russian city of Kazan, under Russia's chairmanship, will influence the current situation to move in the right direction.
He said the summit will demonstrate that there are enough forces in this world, powerful countries who want to live not by those unwritten rules, but rather by the rules enshrined in fundamental, cornerstone documents, which include the United Nations Charter.

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