General Awareness

INTERNATIONAL AFFAIRS - February 2016

Feb 2016

Jul 24, 2023

Russian Strikes on Odesa Damage Orthodox Cathedral

Russian missiles badly damaged a historic Orthodox cathedral in the southern Ukrainian port city of Odesa, sparking outrage and prompting President Zelensky to vow retaliation.
The Transfiguration Cathedral is Odesa's largest church building. It was consecrated in 1809, destroyed during the Soviet era in 1936 before being rebuilt when Ukraine became an independent nation.
The cathedral lies in Odesa's city centre, which UNESCO named a World Heritage Site amid the threat of Russia's invasion.
Odesa is a key cultural centre, and has long links with Russia. It was founded under Catherine the Great and was once Russia's second most important port.

Indian-origin Doctor S. Vincent Rajkumar New Chairman of International Myeloma Foundation

Renowned scientist, clinician and researcher, S. Vincent Rajkumar, was appointed as chairman-elect of the Board of Directors of the International Myeloma Foundation (IMF).
He took over from the current chairman, Brian G.M. Durie, who did not seek re-election to the post.
Durie, the co-founder and chairman of the Board of Directors for 33 years, has said that he will not seek re-election as chairman when his current term ends in spring 2024. He will, however, remain a member of the Board, hold the position of Chairman Emeritus and continue to perform his current activities.
Multiple myeloma is a cancer of the bone marrow plasma cells — white blood cells that make antibodies. A cancerous or malignant plasma cell is called a myeloma cell. Myeloma is called 'multiple' because there are frequently multiple patches or areas in the bone where it grows. It can appear as both a tumor and/or an area of bone loss, and it affects the places where bone marrow is active in an adult: the hollow area within the bones of the spine, skull, pelvis, rib cage, and the areas around the shoulders and hips.
The IMF was founded in 1999 and is the first, largest global foundation focusing specifically on multiple myeloma. The Foundation's reach extends to more than 5,25,000 members in 140 countries.

Algeria Applies to Join BRICS Bank

Algeria formally applied to join the BRICS group and submitted a request to become a shareholder member of the BRICS Bank. The Algerian President, Abdelmadjid Tebboune, revealed this development during his visit to China, where he expressed Algeria's eagerness to open new economic opportunities and strengthen its partnerships with countries like China.
The BRICS group, which currently comprises Brazil, Russia, India, China and South Africa, represents a significant portion of the global population and economy, accounting for more than 40 per cent of the world's population and approximately 26 per cent of the global economy.
Algeria's bid came in the midst of what some have called a worldwide eagerness for a geopolitical reconfiguration, with many in the Global South having shown signs of displeasure with the West's dominance over global affairs.

Jul 22, 2023

In a First, Brazilian Constitution Gets Translated into Indigenous Language

The Brazilian Constitution made history as it received its first-ever official translation into an indigenous language, marking a significant moment for the country and its native populations.
The ceremony, held in São Gabriel da Cachoeira, a town in the Amazon, was attended by esteemed Brazilian authorities and indigenous leaders.
Chief Justice Rosa Weber of the Supreme Court, the guardian of the Constitution, expressed the significance of the event, calling it a milestone in the constitutional history of Brazil.
The 1988 Constitution, drafted during the transition from a two-decades-long military dictatorship, recognised and protected the culture and way of life of Indigenous Brazilians, owing to the active involvement of the Indigenous movement.
This historic translation into Nheengatu, also known as the Amazonian general language, bridges that gap, being the only living modern version of Tupi and serving as a lingua franca among different Amazonian groups.

Jul 21, 2023

Russian President Vladimir Putin to Skip BRICS Summit in South Africa Due to Arrest Threat

Russian President Vladimir Putin will not attend the 15th BRICS Summit at the Sandton Convention Centre in Sandton, Johannesburg, South Africa from August 22 to 24, 2023. Putin will be the only BRICS leader to attend the summit virtually while all other leaders will join the event in person in South Africa.
The move is seen as a major setback for Putin, who has touted his relations with the BRICS countries - India, China, Brazil and South Africa - as evidence that the US and European efforts to isolate him over the war in Ukraine have failed.
The International Criminal Court had issued an arrest warrant for Russian President Putin in March 2023, linking him to the war crime of deporting Ukrainian children. Putin could be arrested under the warrant if he leaves Russian soil.
South Africa is a signatory to the Rome Statute that established the ICC and is bound by the court's decisions. However, the African country drew international criticism in 2015 when it refused to execute an ICC arrest warrant against then-Sudanese President Omar al-Bashir during the African Summit.

Jul 20, 2023

Sri Lanka Okays Law on Corruption in Line with IMF Plan

Sri Lanka's Parliament approved an anti-corruption legislation as the island nation attempts to overcome an unprecedented economic crisis.
The legislation is part of the pre-requisites of an International Monetary Fund (IMF) bailout package approved in March, under which nearly USD 3 billion in government budgetary support will be disbursed in stages to the bankrupt nation.

Sign Language Becomes the Twelfth Official Language of South Africa

Sign language became the twelfth official language of South Africa. With this, South Africa is the fourth country in the African continent to do so after Kenya, Zimbabwe, and Uganda. South African President Cyril Ramaphosa signed an amendment to an Act to make sign language an official language in the country.
As per President Ramaphosa, South African Sign Language (SASL) has served as an essential communication tool for its citizens living with disabilities and this step will further empower that community.
The new legislation seeks to advance the cultural acceptance of SASL, ensure the realisation of rights of persons who are deaf and hard of hearing to equal protection and benefit of the law and human dignity and promote inclusive and substantive equality and prevent or eliminate unfair discrimination on the grounds of disability, as guaranteed by Section 9 of the Constitution.

Jul 19, 2023

UK Government's Contested Illegal Immigration Plan to Become Law

British Prime Minister Rishi Sunak's highly contested plan to make it easier to send asylum seekers to Rwanda is set to become law after the government defeated attempts by parliament's upper house to make changes to the legislation.
The Illegal Migration Bill was stuck in a battle between parliament's House of Commons and the House of Lords, Britain's unelected upper chamber, which had repeatedly made changes to the legislation to water it down.
the last of those proposed changes were voted down. It can now go for Royal Assent, where it is formally approved by the king and become law.
The plan to deport asylum seekers was criticised by some opposition politicians, lawyers, and civil rights groups as inhumane, cruel and ineffective.

Biden Appoints Indian-American Business Leader to Serve on President's Export Council

US President Joe Biden announced his intent to appoint Shamina Singh, a prominent Indian-American business leader, to the President's Export Council, which serves as the principal national advisory committee on international trade.
Singh, who is the Founder and President of the Mastercard Center for Inclusive Growth, has said that she is honoured to join the group of esteemed leaders that make up the President's Export Council.
The President's Export Council serves as the principal national advisory committee on international trade. The Council advises the president of government policies and programmes that affect US trade performance, promotes export expansion and provides a forum for discussing and resolving trade-related problems among the business, industrial, agricultural, labour and government sectors.
The President's Export Council was created by Executive Order on December 20, 1973.

Russia Exits UN-brokered Deal to Export Ukrainian Grain via Black Sea

Russia halted participation in the year-old UN-brokered deal that lets Ukraine export grain through the Black Sea, causing concern in poorer countries that price rises will put food out of reach.
The Kremlin said that there was no link between the attack and its decision to suspend the grain deal, over what it called a failure to meet its demands to implement a parallel agreement easing rules for its own food and fertiliser exports.
Unfortunately, the part of these Black Sea agreements concerning Russia has not been implemented so far. So its effect is terminated.

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