General Awareness

INTERNATIONAL AFFAIRS - February 2016

Feb 2016

May 17, 2023

US Declares 1,419 Nuclear Warheads in Arsenal

In an attempt to pressure Russia to rejoin a bilateral treaty to limit number of nuclear weapons, the US declared that it has 1,419 deployed nuclear warheads in its arsenal.
The US Department of State released the information publicly although it had decided earlier not to share the data. The release follows a scare that spread on Ukrainian social networks that during the Russian strike on an ammunition depot in Khmelnitsky, Ukraine, a large batch of British depleted uranium (DU) tank ammunition was also destroyed.
In February 2023, Russia had walked out of the New Strategic Arms Reduction Treaty (New START), which had come into force in 2011 and was extended for a further five years in 2021. It limits the number of strategic nuclear warheads that the US and Russia can deploy.

Australia Quad Summit Cancelled

The leaders' meeting of the Quad in Canberra was cancelled, and the leaders will instead meet on the sidelines of the Group of Seven summit in Japan. Australian PM Anthony Albanese made the announcement after he received a call from US President Joe Biden expressing his inability to make it to Australia due to the deadlock over debt limit in the US.
India is among the five developing countries invited to attend some of the deliberations of the G7 summit.

May 16, 2023

The First Meeting of India-EU Trade, Technology Council at Brussels

The first ministerial level meeting of India-European Union Trade and Technology Council (TTC) was held on May 16 in Brussels to discuss ways to increase cooperation in strategic technologies, digital connectivity, clean energy, trade and investments. Commerce and Industry Minister Piyush Goyal was one of the co-chairs along with External Affairs Minister S. Jaishankar and Union Minister of state for Electronics and Information Technology Rajeev Chandrasekhar.
The EU side was co-chaired by Executive Vice Presidents (EVPs) Dombrovskis and Vestager.
The first ministerial meeting laid the roadmap for the cooperation under all three working groups and provide direction to achieve desired outcomes before the next ministerial meeting in the coming year.
During the high level meetings with senior leadership of the European Union as well as Belgium various issues came up for discussions and that included ongoing negotiations for Free Trade Agreement (FTA), addressing issues of mutual market access, reforms in the World Trade Organisation (WTO).

May 15, 2023

Geeta Rao Gupta Appointed as Ambassador at Large for Global Women's Issues

Indian-American Geeta Rao Gupta was confirmed by the US Senate as the Ambassador at Large for Global Women's Issues in the State Department.
Gupta was confirmed by the US Senate by 51 to 47 votes.
Known internationally as a leader in promoting gender equality and women's economic security, Gupta's appointment was welcomed by the State Department, which expressed its anticipation of her efforts to advance girls and women's rights through US foreign policy.

Thailand's Opposition Wins Big After Voters Reject Army-Backed Government

Thailand's opposition parties secured by far the largest number of votes in national elections, delivering a damning verdict to the military-backed government that has ruled the country for nearly a decade.
The progressive Move Forward Party, which developed a huge following among young people, and Pheu Thai, the populist party associated with exiled former Prime Minister Thaksin Shinawatra, took a strong lead.
For any party to take power, however, they will need to form a coalition, and this could lead to unlikely alliances as candidates face an electoral system that is weighed in favour of the military. Intense negotiations are likely underway as candidates try to thrash out deals. It's unclear if Move Forward or Pheu Thai will join together.

Deepika Padukone Appears on Cover of TIME Magazine

Bollywood star Deepika Padukone featured on the latest cover of TIME magazine. The iconic American magazine described Padukone as a 'global star' bringing 'the world to Bollywood'. It had previously named Padukone among its list of 100 most influential people in the world in 2018. Deepika is called 'the most popular actress in the world's most populous country'.
The actor became one of the rare Indian stars to feature on the cover of TIME, earlier graced by names like Priyanka Chopra, Aishwarya Rai and others.
TIME magazine is a renowned weekly news publication based in the United States. It was first published in 1923 and has since become one of the most influential and widely read magazines in the world. TIME covers a wide range of topics including politics, world events, culture, science, technology, and entertainment.

May 14, 2023

China to Send Special Envoy to Ukraine, Russia

China will send a special envoy to Ukraine, Russia and other European nations to discuss a "political settlement" to the war in Ukraine, Beijing announced as it continues to project itself as a mediator in global conflict dynamics.
Ambassador Li Hui, special representative of the Chinese government for Eurasian Affairs, will visit Ukraine, Poland, France, Germany and Russia to communicate with all parties on the political settlement of the Ukrainian crisis.
Li, a fluent Russian speaker who spent 10 years as China's ambassador to Russia, has been Beijing's Eurasian Affairs' special envoy since 2019.

May 13, 2023

EAM Jaishankar Attends Indian Ocean Conference in Dhaka

External Affairs Minister S. Jaishankar attended the '6th Indian Ocean Conference' which deliberated on the prospects of regional cooperation.
The India Foundation, in association with Bangladesh's foreign ministry, organised the sixth edition of the conference with its theme, "Peace, Prosperity and Partnership for a Resilient Future".
Bangladesh Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina inaugurated the conference and Jaishankar delivered the keynote address at the opening ceremony.
It was attended by the President of Mauritius Prithvirajsing Roopun, Maldivian Vice President Faisal Naseem, and several ministers from across the world.
The Indian Ocean Conference (IOC) was started in 2016 and in the last six years, has emerged as the 'Flagship Consultative Forum' for countries in the region over regional affairs.

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