General Awareness

INTERNATIONAL AFFAIRS - February 2016

Feb 2016

Dec 08, 2023

Indian-origin Media Veteran Samir Shah New BBC Chairman

The UK government named India-born media executive Samir Shah as its preferred candidate to take over as the new BBC chairman.
Shah has over 40 years of experience in TV production and journalism and was previously the head of current affairs and political programmes at the BBC.
He will replace Richard Sharp, who was forced to resign after his communication with former Prime Minister Boris Johnson came under scrutiny.
The British Broadcasting Corporation (BBC) is a British public service broadcaster headquartered at Broadcasting House in London. Originally established in 1922 as the British Broadcasting Company, it evolved into its current state with its current name on in 1927.
The oldest and largest local and global broadcaster by stature and by number of employees, the BBC employs over 21,000 staff in total, of whom approximately 17,900 are in public-sector broadcasting.

Dec 07, 2023

Italy's Giorgia Meloni, India's Nirmala Sitharaman among World's most Powerful Women

Italy's Prime Minister Giorgi Meloni and India's Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman featured among world's most powerful women of 2023. While Meloni was listed as world's fourth most powerful woman by the Forbes, Sitharaman was ranked at 32nd spot.
Forbes said that its 2023 Power List was determined by four main metrics, 'money, media, impact and spheres of influence'.
European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen topped the Forbes List of the world's most powerful women leaders followed by European Central Bank's president Christine Lagarde and the US Vice President Kamala Harris.
Popstar Taylor Swift was listed as the world's fifth most powerful woman in 2023.
Philanthropist Melinda Gates was listed as the tenth most powerful woman in 2023.

Peru's Ex-president Freed after 15 Years in Jail

Former Peruvian President Alberto Fujimori, who was serving a 25-year prison term for human rights abuses during his decade-long rule in the 1990s, was released from jail despite criticism from an international human rights court.
Peru's highest court ruled in favour of an appeal to restore a 2017 pardon for Fujimori on humanitarian grounds. The Inter-American Court of Human Rights (IACHR) had earlier requested the move be blocked.
Fujimori served around 16 years after being extradited from Chile in 2007.

Italy Withdraws from China's Belt and Road Project

Italy formally withdrew from China's vast Belt and Road infrastructure initiative, more than four years after becoming the only G7 nation to sign up.
The long-expected decision was communicated to Beijing.
Italy pulled out, without giving details beyond saying it was done in such a way as to "keep channels of political dialogue open".
In March 2019, Italy became the only G7 Nation to sign a non-binding memorandum of understanding relating to China's Belt and Road Initiative

Dec 06, 2023

UK Signs New Treaty with Rwanda to Send Illegal Migrants to the African Nation

British Home Secretary James Cleverly signed the new migrant treaty with Rwanda which attempts to circumvent the legal block placed on the government's policy of sending asylum seekers to the African country.
The UK Supreme Court ruled that such a move violates the international human rights enshrined in domestic legislation. One of the biggest points raised by the court was that the asylum seekers would then be deported back to their home nations from where they had escaped the torturous conditions.
To mitigate the SC's concerns, the new treaty states that anyone sent to Rwanda will be given permanent leave to remain there even if their asylum application failed.

Dec 05, 2023

Nepal Urges Russia Not to Recruit its Citizens into Army

Nepal asked Moscow not to recruit its citizens into the Russian army and immediately send back any Nepali soldiers commissioned there back to the Himalayan nation after revealing six soldiers serving Russia's military were killed.
Nepali soldiers, called Gurkhas, are known for their bravery and fighting skills, and have been serving the British and Indian armies following the independence of India in 1947 under an agreement between the three countries.
The small Himalayan nation, wedged between China and India, has no such agreement with Russia, which invaded neighbouring Ukraine in February 2022 and has been engaged in a war since.

India Ranks 49th in 2023 World Digital Competitiveness Ranking

The International Institute for Management Development (IMD) unveiled its 2023 World Digital Competitiveness Ranking (WDCR), revealing India's position at 49th among 64 economies. According to IMD's study, India marked its significance in cybersecurity knowledge but lacked on fronts like technology and future readiness.
The WDCR is a comprehensive assessment that provides insights into how nations are navigating the digital landscape amid the rise of artificial intelligence (AI).
According to IMD, the United States reclaimed the top spot in this year's (2023) ranking. The Netherlands secured the second position, advancing four places, while Singapore secured the third spot.

India Re-Elected to International Maritime Organisation with Highest Vote Tally

India was re-elected to the International Maritime Organisation (IMO) Council with the highest tally, and the term of council will be for the biennium 2024-25. India's re-election fell under the category of 10 states with 'the largest interest in international seaborne trade', alongside Australia, Brazil, Canada, France, Germany, the Netherlands, Spain, Sweden, and the United Arab Emirates (UAE).
The highest votes are indicative of the government's determination to strengthen India's varied contributions to international maritime operations.
The council is the executive organ of IMO and is responsible, under the assembly, for supervising the work of the organisation.
The IMO was established following agreement at a UN conference held in Geneva in 1948 and the IMO came into existence ten years later, meeting for the first time on March 17, 1958. Headquartered in London, United Kingdom, IMO currently has 175 Member States and three Associate Members.

Dec 04, 2023

Madagascar Court Confirms Andry Rajoelina's Election to the Presidency

Madagascar's Constitutional Court confirmed the re-election of President Andry Rajoelina from the Young Malagasies Determined political party, marking his third term in office. The court declared Rajoelina the winner with 59% of the votes cast.
The election took place amid significant challenges, including the withdrawal of ten out of thirteen presidential contenders.
Despite their withdrawal, their names remained on the ballot, adding a layer of complexity to an already contentious electoral process.

India Elected Executive Committee Member of UN's Food Standard-setting Body

India was unanimously elected as a member representing the Asian region in the executive committee of the Codex Alimentarius Commission (CAC), the food safety and quality standard-setting body created by the UN, at its meeting in Rome.
The term 'Codex Alimentarius' is Latin and means 'food code'.
The executive committee is an important arm of the CAC and the member countries have a considerable interest in getting its membership. In this capacity, India would not only get an opportunity to contribute substantially in the international standard setting process for different food product categories but will also be involved in the decision-making process.

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