General Awareness

INTERNATIONAL AFFAIRS - February 2016

Feb 2016

Jun 27, 2023

Centre-right Kyriakos Mitsotakis New PM of Greece

Kyriakos Mitsotakis promised to rebuild Greece's credit rating, create jobs, raise wages and boost state revenues after he was sworn in for a second term as Prime Minister following a resounding election win.
His centre-right New Democracy party got 158 seats in the 300-seat parliament in the repeat election, well ahead of the 48 secured by leftist Syriza which ran Greece from 2015-2019 at the height of the decade-long economic crisis.
Mitsotakis former banker and scion of a powerful political family was Prime Minister from 2019 until stepping down in favour of a caretaker Premier following an inconclusive May 21, 2023 vote.
As per ratings agency Moody, New Democracy's victory was credit-positive. A second four-year term under Mitsotakis will ensure continuity in fiscal and economic policies. In particular, continued focus on improving the business environment and banking sector health.

Asian Development Bank to Provide 400 Million US Dollars in Loans to Bangladesh

The Asian Development Bank (ADB) will provide 400 million US dollars in loans to Bangladesh for the construction of 102 kilometress long dual gauge railways between Chattogram and Cox's Bazar to promote trade, investment and tourism.
The loan agreement was signed between the representatives of ADB and the government of Bangladesh in Dhaka. The new rail link is expected to open this year. It aims to transport 2.9 million passengers annually between Chattogram and Cox's Bazar by 2024.
Chattogram-Cox's Bazar Railway is part of the Trans-Asia Railway (TAR) network, an initiative led by the United Nations, aiming to provide seamless rail links between Asia and Europe to better connect people and markets.
The assistance formed the third part of USD 1.5 billion ADB loans for the SASEC's (South Asia Subregional Economic Cooperation) Chattogram-Cox's Bazar Railway Project.

Global Competitiveness Index 2023

The 2023 Global Competitiveness Index, published by the International Institute for Management Development (IMD), named Denmark, Ireland, and Switzerland as the top three most competitive economies among 64 nations surveyed. The report highlighted the unique approaches taken by these countries to achieve competitiveness and emphasised the importance of long-term value creation.
India, despite experiencing a slight drop of three ranks, ranked 40th in the 2023 Global Competitiveness Index, indicating an improvement compared to its consistent 43rd position between 2019 and 2021.
The top 10 economies in the 2023 Global Competitiveness Index Rank are: Denmark, Ireland, Switzerland, Singapore, Netherlands, Taiwan, Hong Kong, Sweden, United States and United Arab Emirates.

Jun 26, 2023

Wagner Group Chief Will Move to Belarus to Avoid Arrest

The rebellious Russian mercenary commander who ordered his troops to march on Moscow before abruptly reversing course will move to neighbouring Belarus and not face prosecution as part of a deal to defuse a crisis that represented the most significant challenge to President Vladimir Putin in his more than two decades in power.
The charges against Yevgeny Prigozhin for mounting an armed rebellion will be dropped and the troops who joined him also will not be prosecuted, and fighters from his Wagner Group who did not take part in the uprising will be offered contracts by the Defense Ministry.
The deal appeared to defuse a dramatically escalating crisis that represented the most significant challenge to President Vladimir Putin in his more than two decades in power. The deal was mediated by Belarusian President Alexander Lukashenko, a staunch Putin ally.

Dr. Vanessa Kerry is WHO Director-General Special Envoy for Climate Change and Health

The World Health Organization (WHO) appointed Dr. Vanessa Kerry, a medical doctor, as the first-ever Director-General Special Envoy for Climate Change and Health. Dr. Kerry, the CEO of Seed Global Health, a Massachusetts-based organisation which helps provide medical and nursing training support in resource-limited countries, will play an important role in expanding the WHO's climate and health messaging. She will also undertake high-level advocacy.
The responsibilities of Dr Kerry as the Director-General Special Envoy for Climate Change and Health include spreading WHO's crucial messages on the significance of climate change and health, influential figures and policymakers to ensure a widespread understanding. She will also foster the adoption and adaptation of WHO's recommendations, and consider the unique contexts of local, national and regional circumstances.
Dr. Kerry's leadership has helped Seed educate more than 34,000 doctors, nurses and midwives in seven countries. This has helped improve healthcare for more than 73 million people.

Jun 25, 2023

UK Net Debt Passes 100% of GDP for First Time Since 1961

The United Kingdom's public sector net debt surpassed 100% of its GDP in May 2023, a level not seen since 1961, according to the Office for National Statistics (ONS). The rising debt, excluding state-controlled banks, reached £2.567 trillion ($3.28 trillion), representing 100.1% of GDP. Government borrowing in May, though slightly lower than in April, exceeded expectations and remained at a high level, while inflation remained steady, defying predictions of a decline.

OceanGate's Titan submersible Imploded

A four-day-long search for OceanGate's Titan submersible came to a tragic end. The US Coastal Guard confirmed that all five passengers onboard Titan died as the vessel was subject to catastrophic implosion at some point during its voyage towards the Titanic shipwreck. The debris of the submersible was found on the sea floor, around 500 metres away from the bow of the Titanic.
The Titan submersible, which is different from a submarine was designed by OceanGate. The submersible was designed to carry five people into a depth of 13,120 feet. The submersible had a life-support system that can keep five people alive for up to 96 hours.

Jun 24, 2023

UN Adds Russia to its 'List of Shame' over Ukraine War

The United Nations put the Russian army and its armed groups on its 'list of shame' for killing and maiming hundreds of children during its ongoing war in Ukraine.
The UN report said that at least 24,300 violations had been committed against children in 2022.
The annual report is about the treatment of children in conflict zones which is submitted to the 15-member UNSC and accounts attacks such as for killing, maiming, sexual abuse, abduction or recruitment of children, denial of aid access and targeting of schools and hospitals.
The report was compiled by Virginia Gamba, United Nations chief Antonio Guterres' special representative for children and armed conflict.
Notably, the so-called "list of shame" is intended to shame the parties involved in the conflict and hopes to push them to implement measures for protecting children during a war.

Global Liveability Index 2023

Austria's capital Vienna was named as the world's 'most liveable city' for 2023, as per a list released by the Economist Intelligence Unit (EIU). The list contained the names of 173 cities around the world that were ranked based on a number of significant factors, including health care, education, stability, infrastructure and the environment. Five cities from India - Bengaluru, Ahmedabad, Chennai, New Delhi and Mumbai - were also in the list based on their performance in various metrics.
The EIU is a sister organisation to The Economist and releases its Global Liveability Index every year.
After Vienna, Denmark's Copenhagen was placed second, retaining its position. Australia's Melbourne and Sydney are also on the list, ranked third and fourth.
Canada had the highest number of cities - 3 namely Calgary, Vancouver and Toronto - in top 10. Two Swiss cities were also among the top in the liveability index, with Zurich taking sixth place and Geneva tying for seventh place with Calgary.
Osaka in Japan has secured the 10th position.

Jun 23, 2023

Ruby Sinha Appointed as President of BRICS CCI WE Women's Vertical

The BRICS Chamber of Commerce and Industry (BRICS CCI) appointed Ruby Sinha as the President of BRICS CCI WE, the women's vertical of the BRICS CCI for a period of three years.
The BRICS Chamber of Commerce and Industry works towards promoting active trade, commerce and entrepreneurship between the BRICS and other friendly nations. She took over from Shabana Nasim who became an Executive Director in BRICS CCI and Chief Patron of BRICS CCI WE.
The BRICS CCI women's vertical is endeavouring towards building a credible repository of working professionals, entrepreneurs, business partners across different geographies and industry verticals and promoting business interactions among members by organising regular events platforms and other forms of interactions. It also facilitates mentoring/training programs for women professionals.

India Ranks 127 in Gender Gap Index 2023

India was ranked at 127 out of 146 countries in terms of gender parity — an improvement of eight places from last year (2022), according to the annual Gender Gap Report, 2023 of the World Economic Forum (WEF).
India was ranked 135 in the report's 2022 edition. The country improved by 1.4 percentage points and eight positions since the last edition, marking a partial recovery towards its 2020 parity level.
The country had attained parity in enrolment across all levels of education, it said.
India had closed 64.3% of the overall gender gap, the report said. However, it underlined that India had reached only 36.7 % parity on economic participation and opportunity.
The index ranked India's neighbours Pakistan at 142, Bangladesh at 59, China at 107, Nepal at 116, Sri Lanka at 115 and Bhutan at 103.
Iceland is the most gender-equal country in the world for the 14th consecutive year and the only one to have closed more than 90% of its gender gap, according to the report.

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