General Awareness

INTERNATIONAL AFFAIRS - February 2016

Feb 2016

Sep 15, 2023

Cricketer Harmanpreet Kaur among 3 Indians on TIME100 NEXT 2023 List of Emerging Leaders

Three Indians, including cricketer Harmanpreet Kaur, were named by TIME magazine as the top 100 emerging leaders shaping the world.
The '2023 TIME100 Next: the Emerging Leaders Shaping the World' list, released in September, featured three Indians, Harmanpreet Kaur, Nandita Venkatesan and Vinu Daniel. It also featured Indian-origin Nabarun Dasgupta.

Sep 14, 2023

China Becomes First Country to Name New Afghan Ambassador under Taliban

A new Chinese ambassador presented his credentials to the Taliban's Prime Minister in Kabul. It was the first appointment of a foreign envoy at the ambassadorial level since the Taliban took power in 2021.
The Taliban has not been officially recognised by any foreign government. It was not immediately clear if this appointment signalled any steps by Beijing towards formal recognition of the Taliban.
Mohammad Hassan Akhund, the Prime Minister of the Islamic Emirate of Afghanistan, accepted the credentials of Zhao Xing, the new Chinese ambassador to Afghanistan, during a ceremony.

The Gender Snapshot 2023 Report, Progress on the Sustainable Development Goals

The United Nations, in its latest report titled 'The Gender Snapshot 2023', sheds light on the somber reality surrounding progress towards achieving gender equality by 2030, as stipulated in the U.N.'s Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). The report underscored that deeply entrenched biases against women, prevalent across various sectors such as health, education, employment, and politics, threatened to derail this ambitious goal. It identified active resistance to gender equality and chronic underinvestment as pivotal roadblocks, even leading to reversals in some instances.
The report's recommendations called for enhanced collaboration, increased funding, and policy interventions to address gender disparities comprehensively. It emphasized that neglecting gender equality imperils the entire 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development. Highlighting the potential benefits, the report noted that addressing gender gaps in agrifood systems could reduce food insecurity and boost global GDP by nearly $1 trillion.

Sep 13, 2023

Sarbananda Sonowal Represents India at the Eastern Economic Forum, 2023 Held in Vladivostok

The Union Minister of Ports, Shipping & Waterways and Ayush, Sarbananda Sonowal represented India at the Eastern Economic Forum held at the Russian port city of Vladivostok. The Minister met Alexey Chekunkov, Minister for the Development of the Russian Far East and Arctic; Vitaly Saveliev, Minister for Transport of Russia among others with an objective to maintain strong ties and foster strategic, trade and logistical cooperation across various sectors. Eastern Economic Forum, 2023: The 8th Eastern Economic Forum 2023 took place on 10–13 September 2023 in Vladivostok on the Far Eastern Federal University (FEFU) campus. The Eastern Economic Forum is a key international platform for establishing and strengthening ties within the Russian and global investment communities, and for comprehensive expert evaluation of the economic potential of the Russian Far East, the investment opportunities it offers, and business conditions within advanced special economic zones.
The Eastern Economic Forum was established by decree of the President of the Russian Federation Vladimir Putin in 2015 to support the economic development of Russia's Far East and to expand international cooperation in the Asia-Pacific region.

Dhaka, Paris Sign Bilateral Instruments on Infrastructure, Satellite System

Dhaka and Paris signed two instruments regarding Bangabandhu-2 Satellite and improvement of urban infrastructure in Bangladesh.
The instruments were signed and exchanged in presence of Bangladesh Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina and French President Emmanuel Macron at the Karobi Hall at the Prime Minister's Office (PMO).
The instruments are - Credit Facility Agreement between Economic Relations Division (ERD), Bangladesh and the France Development Agency (AFD), France on 'Improving Urban Governance and Infrastructure Program' and Letter of Intent (LOI) on Cooperation between Bangladesh Satellite Company Limited (BSCL) and Airbus Defence and Space SAS, France related to Bangabandhu-2 Earth Observation Satellite System.

Sep 12, 2023

EC Arun Goel on Visit to Maldives to Observe Presidential Election

Election Commissioner Arun Goel led a three-member delegation to the Maldives to observe the Presidential polls conducted there. As per the Election Commission of India (ECI), he went to observe at the invitation of the Election Commission of Maldives.
The team visited 22 polling booths located in Male and Hulhumale and observed the system and procedure of voter registration and identification and the arrangements of booths for polling. Observers representing other countries also participated in the election observation programme.
The Goel-led delegation includes Deputy Election Commissioner Ajay Bhadoo and Principal Secretary Pramod Kumar Sharma.
The Presidential poll was conducted according to the Constitution of Maldives, 2008, Election (General) Act, 2008, Presidential Elections Act, 2008 and Presidential Elections Rules and Regulations, 2008.

United States Marks 22 Years since 9/11

From Ground Zero to small towns, Americans looked back on 9/11 with moments of silence, tearful words and appeals to teach younger generations about the deadly terror attacks that struck the nation exactly 22 years before (on September 11, 2001).
Joe Biden spoke at a military base in Anchorage, Alaska. The President's visit, en route to Washington from a trip to India and Vietnam, was a reminder that the impact of 9/11 was felt in every corner of the nation, however remote.
At Ground Zero in New York, Kamala Harris, the vice-president, joined other dignitaries at the ceremony on the National September 11 Memorial plaza. Instead of remarks from political figures, the event features victims reading the names of the dead and delivering brief personal messages.

Israeli Delegation Makes First Open Visit to Saudi Arabia

An Israeli delegation attended a UNESCO meeting in Riyadh, marking the country's first publicly announced visit to Saudi Arabia as speculation grows about a potential normalisation of ties.
Three Israeli officials were seen sitting at Israel's chairs of the 45th session of UNESCO's World Heritage Committee.
The delegation comprised of the Foreign Ministry's deputy director-general for international organisations and the ambassador to international organisations in Paris.

Sep 11, 2023

WTO to Have a Fully Functional Dispute Settlement System by 2024

The G20 leaders expressed their commitment to conduct discussions for having a fully and well-functioning dispute settlement system of the World Trade Organisation (WTO) by 2024.
Besides formulating norms for global exports and imports, the Geneva-based 164-member multi-lateral body adjudicates trade disputes among the member countries.
The dispute settlement mechanism of the WTO has been derailed due to a non-functional appellate body since December 2019.

Ethiopia Announces Completion of Filling of Disputed Nile Dam

Ethiopia filled the Grand Renaissance Dam on the Nile. The dam has been a topic of dispute between Ethiopia, Egypt and Sudan.
The announcement from Ethiopia came just a fortnight after the countries restarted negotiations after a long break. The negotiations are on an agreement over the Nile water that takes into account water needs of all three countries.
Sudan and Egypt fear that the huge USD 4.2 billion dam will drastically reduce their share of water. Both countries have repeatedly asked Ethiopia to stop filling the dam until the three countries reach agreement.

India-Brazil-SA-US Commit to Address Global Challenges

Leaders of India, Brazil, South Africa, and the United States met on the margins of the G20 Leaders' Summit in New Delhi and reaffirmed their shared commitment to the G20 as the premier forum for international economic cooperation to deliver solutions for shared world. In a joint statement, the leaders said that as the G20's current and next three Presidencies, they will build on the historic progress of India's G20 Presidency to address global challenges. In this spirit, together with the World Bank President, they welcomed the G20's commitment to build better, bigger, and more effective multilateral development banks. This commitment underscores what they can do, by working together through the G20, to support our people toward a better future.

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