General Awareness

INTERNATIONAL AFFAIRS - February 2016

Feb 2016

Jun 07, 2023

Amid Tensions with US, Iran Unveils 'Hypersonic Missile'

Iran claimed that it had created a hypersonic missile capable of travelling at 15 times the speed of sound, adding a new weapon to its arsenal as tensions remain high with the US over Tehran's nuclear programme.
The new missile, called Fattah, or "conqueror" in Farsi, was unveiled even as Iran said that it reopened its diplomatic posts in Saudi Arabia after reaching a détente with Riyadh following years of conflict.

Zerodha's Nikhil Kamath Becomes Youngest Indian to Join 'The Giving Pledge'

Nikhil Kamath, co-founder of Zerodha, became the youngest and fourth Indian to join 'The Giving Pledge,' in which the world's wealthiest families and individuals vow to donate the majority of their income to charity organisations.
The initiative was founded in 2010 by Warren Buffett, Melinda Gates, and Bill Gates.
Kamath (35) is only the fourth Indian after Azim Premji, Kiran Mazumdar-Shaw, and Rohini and Nandan Nilekani to join the community.
Kamath founded Zerodha in 2010, as well as Gruhas for private investments, hedge fund True Beacon that manages wealth for ultra HNIs in India, fintech incubator Rainmatter, and Rainmatter Foundation, which supports climate-related non-profits.
The Giving Pledge invites billionaires worldwide to contribute a majority of their wealth to social causes like poverty alleviation, refugee aid, disaster relief, global health, education, women's and girls' empowerment, medical research, arts and culture, criminal justice reform, and environmental sustainability.
The Giving Pledge is a campaign to encourage wealthy people to contribute a majority of their wealth to philanthropic causes.

Jun 06, 2023

Tehran to Reopen its Embassy in Riyadh

Iran's foreign ministry announced it would reopen its diplomatic missions in Saudi Arabia, restoring diplomatic ties after a seven-year rift.
In March, Iran and Saudi Arabia agreed to establish diplomatic ties, in a Chinese-brokered deal. Saudi Arabia broke ties with Iran in 2016 after protesters invaded Saudi diplomatic posts in Tehran and the north-eastern city of Mashhad.

Jun 05, 2023

World's Spy Chiefs Meet in Secret Conclave in Singapore

Senior officials from about two dozen of the world's major intelligence agencies held a secret meeting on the fringes of the Shangri-La Dialogue security meeting in Singapore.
Such meetings are organised by the Singapore government and have been discreetly held at a separate venue alongside the security summit for several years.
The US was represented by Director of National Intelligence Avril Haines, the head of her country's intelligence community, while China was among the other countries present, despite the tensions between the two superpowers.
Samant Goel, the head of India's overseas intelligence gathering agency, the Research and Analysis Wing, also attended the meet.

Abdulla Al Mandous New President of WMO

Abdulla Al Mandous, Director-General of the National Centre of Meteorology (NCM) in the United Arab Emirates (UAE), was elected as the new President of the World Meteorological Organization (WMO) for a four-year term from 2023 to 2027. Al Mandous was elected by the representatives of WMO's 193 member states and territories who have convened in Geneva, Switzerland as part of the 19th session of the World Meteorological Congress, held from May 22 to June 2.This is the first time that a GCC meteorologist and an Arab meteorologist from Asia was named as the president of WMO. Al Mandous is a highly respected meteorologist with over 30 years of experience in the field. He has served as Director-General of NCM since 2014 and has played a leading role in the development of meteorology and climate science in the UAE.As the president of WMO, Al Mandous will be responsible for leading the organization's work on weather, climate, hydrological and related environmental fields. He will also represent WMO at the international level and work to strengthen the organization's cooperation with other UN agencies and partners.

Indonesia Proposes UN Referendum for Ukraine

Indonesia's Defence Minister Prabowo Subianto proposed a peace plan to end the war in Ukraine, calling for a demilitarised zone and a United Nations referendum in what he called disputed territory.
Ukrainian Foreign Ministry Spokesperson Oleg Nikolenko dismissed the plan, reiterating Kyiv's position that Russia should withdraw its troops from Ukraine.
Subianto called on defence and military officials from around the world, gathered at the Shangri-La Dialogue defence meeting in Singapore, to issue a declaration calling for a cessation in hostilities. He proposed a multi-point plan, including a ceasefire and establishing a demilitarised zone by withdrawing 15 kilometres (nearly 10 miles) from each party's forward position.
The demilitarised zone should be observed and monitored by a peacekeeping force deployed by the UN, he said, adding that a UN referendum should be held to ascertain objectively the wishes of the majority of the inhabitants of the various disputed areas.
Ukrainian Foreign Ministry Spokesperson said that there are no disputed territories between Ukraine and the Russian Federation to hold referendums there.

Edgars Rinkevics New President of Latvia

Latvian lawmakers picked the country's long-serving popular Foreign Minister Edgars Rinkevics, a strong backer of Ukraine, as its new head of state in a tight vote.
The 100-seat Saeima legislature elected Edgars Rinkevics, the country's top diplomat since 2011, as President to serve for a four-year term. He received 52 votes, one vote more than required to win. Incumbent Egils Levits, Latvia's head of state since 2019, didn't seek re-election. Rinkevics will represent Latvia, a European Union and NATO member nation, at NATO's Vilnius summit in July.
Rinkevics took the largely ceremonial role after serving as Latvia's Foreign Minister since 2011. He has also served in the country's civil service.

Biden Signs Debt Ceiling Deal into Law, Averting Historic Default

President Joe Biden signed into law a bill to suspend the nation's debt limit through January 1, 2025, and averted a first-ever US default.
Raising the nation's debt limit, now at $31.4 trillion, will ensure that the government can borrow to pay debts already incurred.
By signing the US debt limit bill through 2025, it takes the threat of default off the table until after next year's presidential polls.
Biden praised McCarthy and his negotiators for operating in good faith, and all congressional leaders for ensuring swift passage of the legislation.

Sri Lankan Cabinet Ministers Approve Proposal for Establishment of Truth and Reconciliation Mecha...

Sri Lanka's Cabinet Ministers approved the proposal for the establishment of the 'Truth and Reconciliation Mechanism' in the island nation on the lines of Truth and Reconciliation Commission in South Africa. Earlier in March 2023, Sri Lanka's Foreign Affairs Minister Ali Sabry and Justice Minister Wijedasa Rajapakshe visited South Africa to discuss the working of the Commission. Sabry had said that he got insightful inputs, and added that a credible and transparent domestic Truth and Reconciliation Commission could be the solution to deal with intrusive and agenda-driven attempts. In October 2018, Ranil Wickremesinghe, who was then Prime Minister, had presented a Cabinet Memorandum together with a 26-page Concept Paper that was to form the basis for such a body. As President, Wickremesinghe had renewed efforts for setting up of the Commission. Several affected Tamils had been demanding to know of the whereabouts of thousands missing in the island nation which was affected by a three decade long armed conflict. However, there is scepticism among certain sections, as efforts were made earlier in 2015 also under pressure from the United Nations Human Rights body which were not followed up.

Jun 04, 2023

Suriname to Host Indian Energy Majors in June

The South American nation of Suriname is hosting an oil and gas conference from June 19 to 23 in hopes of attracting energy companies, particularly from India.
As per reports, Suriname is thought to have at least 3-4 billion barrels of oil reserves which were discovered in recent years.
While American and European energy companies currently dominate the energy market in Suriname, the country's officials are interested in bringing in Indian companies and expertise.
Major firms like ExxonMobil, Royal Dutch Shell and Total have been active in drilling for energy off the coast of Suriname, which is located on the north-eastern coast of South America. Invitations have been extended to Indian energy majors. India has demonstrated an increased interest in Latin America and the Caribbean for its energy needs.

Jun 03, 2023

Elon Musk Reclaims Title of World's Richest Person

Elon Musk has yet again claimed his position as the world's richest person after beating the CEO of the French luxury brand Louis Vuitton Bernard Arnault, according to Bloomberg Billionaires Index.
According to the Bloomberg Billionaires Index, Musk's net worth was about USD 192 billion, with Arnault's USD 187 billion.
Index data showed behind Musk and Arnault are Jeff Bezos and Bill Gates at USD 144 billion and USD 125 billion, respectively.
The index is a daily ranking of the world's wealthiest people. Details about the calculations are provided in the net worth analysis on each billionaire's profile page. The figures are updated at the close of every trading day in New York.
Musk and Arnault have been neck-and-neck on the list of the richest people.

Share on

TCY Analytics (View Subscription Plans)

Subscribe to GK Updates

I want to receive

GK Tags

July GK, June GK, May GK, INTERNATIONAL AFFAIRS, ENVIRONMENT, BUSINESS AND ECONOMY, SCIENCE & TECHNOLOGY, SPORTS, NATIONAL AFFAIRS, DEFENCE, PERSONS IN NEWS, DAYS AND EVENTS, AWARDS AND HONOURS, GOVERNMENT POLICIES AND SCHEMES, GENDER/ HEALTH/ EDUCATION, ART AND CULTURE, BOOKS AND AUTHORS, TOURISM AND HOTEL INDUSTRY AWARENESS, ART AND CULTURE, LAW AND CONSTITUTIONAL AFFAIRS

Start Discussion

On any topic

Take Tests

Compiled from GK updates

Login

Sign Up

Forgot Password

Download TCY App

Unlock All Services And Enjoy The Premium Benefits

US$ 10

US$ 13

US$ 15

US$ 17

US$ 19

US$ 20

US$ 21

US$ 22

US$ 23

US$ 24

US$ 25

US$ 26