General Awareness

INTERNATIONAL AFFAIRS - February 2016

Feb 2016

Jan 02, 2023

Croatia Now Fully Integrated EU Member

At the stroke of midnight on December 31, Croatia switched to the shared European currency, the euro, and removed dozens of border checkpoints and joined the world's largest passport-free travel area. Croats are now among almost 420 million people who are free to roam its 27 member countries without passports for work or leisure.
Adopting the euro likewise offers Croatia the benefits stemming from deeper financial ties with the currency's 19 other users and with the European Central Bank. It also made travelling and doing business easier, removing the hassle of currency exchange for Croats going abroad and for tens of thousands of tourists who visit their country each year for work or to enjoy its stunning Adriatic coastline.

Lula Sworn in as Brazil's President

Leftist leader Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva was sworn in as President of Brazil under tightened security in the capital Brasilia.
Lula had narrowly defeated Bolsonaro in October 2022 to win an unprecedented third presidential term after a hiatus that saw him spend a year and a half behind bars on corruption convictions that were later overturned. Now, he faces the daunting challenge of improving Brazil's stagnant economy while also uniting a country that has become polarised under Bolsonaro.

Jan 01, 2023

Israel's Netanyahu Sworn In As Prime Minister for 3rd Term

Benjamin Netanyahu was sworn in as Israel's Prime Minister following a vote in parliament that brought in the most right-wing government in the country's history.
Netanyahu was sworn in a few minutes after his new government was approved, with 63 deputies out of 120 voting in favour of the administration.
Netanyahu formed his government after signing agreements with ultra-Orthodox parties and parties from the far right.

NATO Chief Calls for more Weapons for Ukraine

NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg called on NATO member states to supply more weapons to Ukraine.
As per Stoltenberg, it was perhaps even more important that Ukraine receive enough ammunition for the systems already in place, adding that the need for ammunition and spare parts was enormous.
Last week, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy in an address to a group of Western leaders asked for a wide range of weapons and air defence systems to help efforts to counter the Russian invasion.

Dec 31, 2022

US Vice-President Kamala Harris Names Indian-American to National Space Council Advisory Group

Vice President Kamala Harris named Indian American Rajeev Badyal to a key national space advisory group, which is tasked to maintain a robust and responsible US space enterprise and preserve space for current and future generations.
Badyal, vice-president of Project Kuiper of Amazon, is among the 30 space experts named by Harris to the National Space Council's Users Advisory Group (UAG).
Harris named US Air Force Rtd General Lester Lyles as chair of the UAG.
Previously he was the vice president of satellites at SpaceX.

Dec 30, 2022

Philippines President Marcos Seeks Agreements in China amid Tensions

Philippines' President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. hopes to sign a number of agreements during a visit to Beijing next week that comes amid ongoing territorial disputes in the South China Sea.
As per a statement from the Philippines Department of Foreign Affairs, a number of projects were under discussion, including in agriculture, renewable energy, nickel processing, tourism, and bridge construction.
China accounts for 20 per cent of the Philippines' foreign trade and is also a major source of foreign direct investment.

Dec 29, 2022

Bangladesh Gets its First-ever Metro Service

Dhaka, the capital of Bangladesh and also one of the most crowded cities in the world, got its first-ever metro rail. A section of the urban rail project, known as Line 6, was inaugurated by Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina. The line connects the northern zone of Dhaka to a hub of government offices and hospitals in the middle for now.
PM Hasina hailed the opening of the metro rail as a crowning achievement. The metro rail added another feather to Bangladesh's cap and is another milestone in development.

Bangladesh, ADB Ink Deals Worth $627mn for Development, Climate Projects

The Asian Development Bank (ADB) and the Bangladesh government signed loan agreements worth $627 million for the implementation of development and climate resilience projects.
Sharifa Khan, secretary of the Economic Relations Division, and Jiangbo Ning, deputy country director and officer-in-charge of Bangladesh resident mission of the ADB, signed the agreements on behalf of their respective sides.
The ADB will provide about $278 million in loan for the Third Public-Private Infrastructure Development Facility-- Tranche 2, and $100 million for the Greater Dhaka Sustainable Urban Transport Project (BRT-Gazipur).
Meanwhile, the bank will also give about $246 million in loan for the Coastal Towns Climate Resilience Project and a grant of $4 million for the Coastal Towns Climate Resilience Project.

Eye-for-an-Eye Sharia Law Returns to Afghanistan Courts

Kneeling in front of a turbanned judge in a tiny room at the Ghazni Court of Appeal in eastern Afghanistan, an old man sentenced to death for murder pleaded for his life.
The old admitted to have shot dead a relative, out of revenge, because of rumours he had sexual relations with his daughter-in-law.
Under eye-for-eye sharia punishments, officially ordered by the Taliban's supreme leader for the first time in November, he faced public execution -- with the sentence to be carried out by a relative of his victim.
Islamic law, or sharia, acts as a code of living for Muslims worldwide, offering guidance on issues such as modesty, finance and crime. However, interpretations vary according to local custom, culture and religious school of thought.
Taliban scholars in Afghanistan have employed one of the most extreme interpretations of the code, including capital and corporal punishments little used by most modern Muslim states.

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