General Awareness

INTERNATIONAL AFFAIRS - February 2016

Feb 2016

Dec 27, 2022

Serbia is Terminating Visa-free entry for Indians

With an intention to control illegal immigration and follow the requirements of the European visa policy, the government of Serbia decided to end visa-free travel for Indians. According to the statement, from January 1, 2023, Indian passport holders will no longer have the luxury of traveling to Serbia without a valid visa.
Earlier, diplomatic and official Indian passport holders were allowed to visit the country for 90 days without any visa, while the duration was 30 days for ordinary passport holders.
Earlier, Indian citizens with ordinary passports and other necessary travel documents did not require a visa to enter Serbia. Indians could also live, without a visa, in the country for a period of 30 days a year. However, the Government of Serbia has now withdrawn this existing arrangement keeping in mind the requirements of the European Union visa policy.
The new change in visa rule will not be applicable to Indians who have a valid Schengen, UK and US visa, or a residence permit for any of these countries. The statement from the embassy mentioned that Indian passport holders having a visa or permit from these nations will continue to be allowed visa-free entry into Serbia on or after January 1 for a period of up to 90 days.

Nepal's Former TV Anchor Lamichhane Becomes Deputy PM, Home Minister

Rabi Lamichhane, a former TV anchor whose newly-launched party won a surprisingly huge mandate in the November 20 elections, joined Nepal's new government led by former Maoist rebel chief Pushpa Kamal Dahal Prachanda as the Deputy Prime Minister and Home Minister.
Lamichhane's Rastriya Swatantra Party (RSP), which was formed just months ago, won 20 seats in the 275-member House of Representatives and is the third largest party among the ruling alliance.

Dec 26, 2022

Indian-origin Scientist Parwinder Kaur Named to STEM expert Panel in Australia

An Indian-origin biotechnologist was appointed to the Australian government's expert panel to boost diversity and increase women's participation in STEM sectors.
Associate Professor Parwinder Kaur, a University of Western Australia Public Policy Institute Fellow, who hails from Nawanshahr, Punjab, will draw on years of experience as a scientist, academic and immigrant to support diversity in Australia's STEM sectors.
The three-member panel for the Pathway to Diversity in STEM Review was appointed by Minister for Industry and Science Ed Husic, and it will report its findings and make recommendations to the government in late 2023.
Kaur will serve alongside chair Sally-Ann Williams, a leader in the technology and entrepreneurial space, and Mikaela Jade, a Cabrogal woman of the Dharug-speaking nations of Sydney.

US President Nominates Indian American Richard Verma to Top Diplomatic Position in State Department

US President Joe Biden nominated Indian-American lawyer diplomat Richard Verma, also a former US ambassador to India, to a top diplomatic position in the State Department, a move hailed by the Indian diaspora.
As per the White House, Biden announced nominated Verma to be Deputy Secretary of State for Management and Resources. If confirmed by the US Senate, Verma would be the highest ranking Indian-American in the State Department.
Currently Chief Legal Officer and Head of Global Public Policy at Mastercard, Verma, served as the US Ambassador to India from January 16, 2015 to January 20, 2017.
During the Obama administration, Verma also served as Assistant Secretary of State for Legislative Affairs.

Nepal President Appoints Pushpa Kamal Dahal as New Prime Minister

Nepal President Bidhya Devi Bhandari appointed Maoist Center leader Pushpa Kamal Dahal as the Prime Minister of the Himalayan nation.
Dahal was appointed PM for the third time after he secured the support of 169 members of the Parliament to form the new government. Dahal, also known by his nom de guerre Prachanda, meaning "fierce", served as Prime Minister of Nepal from 2008 to 2009 and again from 2016 to 2017.
A coalition of 6 parties decided to project Pushpa Kamal Dahal as the Prime Minister. An agreement was reached. Dahal will lead the government for two and a half years and the CPN-UML will be in power in the remaining two-and-a-half years.
In the new coalition, the CPN-UML has 78, Maoist Center 32, Rastriya Swatantra Party 20, Rastriya Prajatantra Party 14, Janata Samajbadi Party 12, Janamat Party 6, Nagarik Unmukti Party has four MPs and three independent lawmakers are in support of Prachanda.

Sitiveni Rabuka Sworn in as Fiji Prime Minister after Close Election

Sitiveni Rabuka was sworn in as Fiji's Prime Minister more than two decades after the former military commander first held the office in a term lasting nearly seven years.
Rabuka won the nomination by one vote over incumbent Frank Bainimarama at a sitting of the Fijian Parliament in Suva.
Rabuka, the head of the People's Alliance Party, was elevated to the position after forming a majority coalition with two other parties following a close and contentious election.
The tripartite coalition had announced its intention to form a government with a combined 29 seats compared to the 26 held by Bainimarama's Fiji First Party.
The People's Alliance Party and affiliated National Federation Party shared 26 seats but were able to form an alliance with the Social Democrat Liberal Party to break the deadlock.

New Gender Reform Laws of Spain and Scotland

Scotland and Spain passed gender reform laws to make it easier for individuals to change their legally registered gender without requiring any medical supervision.
The new Spanish law requires minors aged 12 and 13 years to receive the judge's authorization to change their gender.
Those minors aged between 14 and 16 years will have to be accompanied by their parents or legal guardians.
Up until now, Spanish transgender people are required to be diagnosed with gender dysphoria, which refers to the psychological condition of not feeling a match between one's biological sex and gender identity.
Under the new legislation, any individual applying for a Gender Recognition Certificate must have lived full-time in the declared identity for 3 months (6 months in case they are aging between 16 and 17 years).
The passing of the Gender Recognition Reform (Scotland) bill makes Scotland the first country in the United Kingdom to approve the self-identification process for changing gender.
It makes it easier for people as young as 16 years of age, to change their legally recognized gender.
It also has similar features as that of Spain's Gender Recognition Reform Bill.

Dec 23, 2022

India, China and Russia Abstain on First UNSC Resolution against Myanmar

India, China and Russia abstained in the UN Security Council on a draft resolution that demanded an immediate end to violence in Myanmar and urged the military junta to release political prisoners, including State Counsellor Aung San Suu Kyi.
The 15-nation Security Council, under India's Presidency this month, adopted the resolution after 12 members voted in favour, none against and India, China and Russia abstained.
This is the first Security Council resolution adopted on Myanmar in 74 years. The only other UNSC resolution on Myanmar was in 1948 after the country formerly known as Burma got independence from Britain when the Council recommended to the General Assembly that the Union of Burma be admitted to membership in the United Nations.

Dec 22, 2022

Israeli Prime Minister-designate Benjamin Netanyahu Secures a Deal to Form New Government

Israel's longest-serving Prime Minister, Benjamin Netanyahu secured a deal to form a new government after weeks of tough negotiations with far-right coalition partners. Netanyahu informed President Isaac Herzog that he managed to form a government. Minutes before a midnight deadline to form a coalition set by the Israel President.
The new government, which Netanyahu must now present within a week, will take office after a year that has seen the worst levels of violence in the West Bank in more than a decade.

IMF Approves New Program to Support Ukraine's Macroeconomic Stability

The IMF approved a new programme for Ukraine to support its macroeconomic and financial stability and catalyse donor financing.
The four-month Program Monitoring with Board Involvement does not directly provide financial assistance, but creates instruments for transitioning to a new, long-term upper-credit tranche programme of the IMF.
The programme is aimed at mobilising state budget revenues, strengthening the financial sector, and improving management transparency and effectiveness for state-owned enterprises.

UAE to Host World Trade Organisation Ministerial Conference 2024

The next World Trade Organization ministerial conference will be held in Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates in February 2024, the global trade watchdog confirmed. The UAE and Cameroon were both vying to host the event and came to an informal agreement for Abu Dhabi to host the first one and Cameroon to do the next.
For the UAE, hosting the meeting is part of its own push to position itself as a global hub for business amid growing competition in the Middle East. It has been rolling out bilateral trade deals with fast-growing markets since the pandemic. Next year the Gulf Arab state will host COP28, the UN's Climate Change conference.
Founded in 1995, the WTO is the successor to the General Agreement on Tariffs and Trade (GATT) established in the wake of the Second World War. The WTO is run by its 164 members.
It is headquartered in Geneva, Switzerland
WTO is the only international organization that deals with the rules of trade between countries.
Its aim is to promote free trade, which is done through trade agreements that are discussed and signed by the member states.

Dec 21, 2022

Bank of England Unveils Design of Banknotes Featuring King Charles

The Bank of England unveiled the design of banknotes featuring King Charles III.
As per the central bank, the portrait of the King will appear on existing designs of all four polymer banknotes (5, 10, 20 and 50 pounds), with no other changes to the existing designs.
The King's image will appear on the front of the banknotes, as well as in cameo in the see-through security window.
The new notes are expected to enter circulation by mid-2024.
All polymer banknotes carrying a portrait of the late Queen Elizabeth II remain legal tender, and the public can continue to use these as normal.

World Comes Together to Land Historic Pact

In Montreal at the fifth Conference of the Parties (COP15) to the UN Convention on Biological Diversity, the world came together to land a historic deal to protect nature and biodiversity -- a major win for the planet, was the first reaction of Canadian Minister of Environment and Climate Change, Steven Guilbeault.
"The Kunming-Montreal Global Biodiversity Framework is a major win for our planet and for all of humanity, charting a new course away from the relentless destruction of habitats and species," said Guilbeault, as the historic deal was adopted by 196 countries under the UN Convention on Biological Diversity.
Just as Paris produced an agreement to keep global temperatures below 1.5 degrees Celsius, in Montreal an agreement that commits to the protection of 30 per cent of global land and water by 2030 was reached.

SRK Only Indian to Feature on British Magazine's List of 50 Greatest Actors

Bollywood superstar Shah Rukh Khan was the only Indian named in an international list of 50 greatest actors of all time by a prominent British magazine.
He was included in Empire magazine's list which also recognises Hollywood giants like Denzel Washington, Tom Hanks, Anthony Marlon Brando, Meryl Streep, Jack Nicholson and many others.
In the accompanying short profile, the magazine said Khan has a career that has now spanned four decades of "near unbroken hits, and a fanbase of pretty much billions".

South African President Ramaphosa Re-elected Leader of Ruling ANC Party

South African President Cyril Ramaphosa was re-elected as the leader of the ruling African National Congress party.
Mr. Ramaphosa beat his rival, former Health Minister Zweli Mkhize by 2,476 votes to 1,897 votes from a total of 4,386 votes cast by party delegates from across the country.
This win came as a welcome victory for Ramaphosa, who has been mired in a scandal and facing calls to step down as president of the country and to be replaced as the leader of the ANC.
Ramaphosa's victory paved the way for him to run for reelection to a second term as South Africa's president in the national elections in 2024.

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