General Awareness

INTERNATIONAL AFFAIRS - February 2016

Feb 2016

Dec 05, 2022

Isaac Herzog Becomes First Israeli President to visit Bahrain

Israeli President Isaac Herzog held talks with Bahraini King Hamad bin Isa Al Khalifa and Crown Prince Salman bin Hamad Al Khalifa during the first trip by an Israeli head of state to the small Gulf kingdom.
Herzog made the trip after the two countries normalised diplomatic relations in 2020.
The leaders discussed issues that included regional security and "ways to encourage communication between the representatives of the private sector in the two countries.

Iran Begins Construction of New Nuclear Power Plant in Khuzestan

Iran began the construction of a new nuclear power plant in its south-western province of Khuzestan.
Mohammad Eslami, the head of the Atomic Energy Organization of Iran, and some local officials witnessed the start of construction of the 300-megawatt Karoon nuclear power plant, which will install a pressurised light water reactor that uses 4-per cent enriched uranium oxide as the fuel.

Pakistan Govt. Invites Imran Khan's Party for 'Unconditional Negotiations'

The Pakistan government invited Imran Khan's Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf party for holding unconditional talks, saying negotiations are part of the political process and complex problems are resolved when two sides hear each other out.
The development came after PTI chief Khan on Friday warned that he would dissolve the assemblies in Punjab and Khyber Pakhtunkhwa provinces ruled by his party if the federal government led by Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif did not sit down for talks and announce dates for the general elections.

India Ranks 8th among Countries at Highest Risk for Mass Killing

India was ranked eighth among the countries that are at the highest risk for mass killing in 2022 and 2023, according to a US-based research organisation. India saw a drop in rank from second position in the earlier year.
There is a 7.4% – or approximately one in 14 – chance of a new mass killing beginning in India in 2022-2023," the Early Warning Project, that identifies countries at risk of mass violence, said.
The Project is a joint initiative of the Simon-Skjodt Centre for the Prevention of Genocide at the United States Holocaust Memorial Museum and the Dickey Centre for International Understanding at Dartmouth College.
While Pakistan topped the list this year (2022), Yemen ranked second, Myanmar third, Ethiopia fifth, Nigeria sixth and Afghanistan seventh, among all 162 countries, in the 2022-23 report.

India Jumps to 48th Place in ICAO Aviation Safety Ranking

India jumped to the 48th position in the global aviation safety ranking by the International Civil Aviation Organization (ICAO), according to DGCA officials.
Four years ago, the country was ranked at the 102nd position.
In the ranking, Singapore was at the top, followed by the UAE and South Korea at the second and third positions, respectively.

Dec 04, 2022

India to Assume Chairmanship of Wassenaar Arrangement on January 1, 2023

India will assume chairmanship of the plenary of the Wassenaar Arrangement for a year on January 1, 2023, just five years after joining the 42-member voluntary export control regime that monitors transfers of conventional weapons and dual-use goods.
At the 26th annual plenary of the Wassenaar Arrangement held in Vienna, Ireland's ambassador Eoin O'Leary handed over the chairmanship to India's ambassador Jaideep Mazumdar, who is the permanent representative to the UN and international organisations in Vienna.
India joined the Wassenaar Arrangement in December 2017 as its 42nd participating state. The body is a multilateral export control regime that works to promote transparency and greater responsibility in transfers of conventional arms and dual-use goods and technologies through regular exchanges of information among its members.

QUAD Summit Goes to Sydney in Mid-2023

Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese selected his home-town Sidney for hosting the QUAD summit mid-2023 even as Japan expressed serious concerns this week to China and Russia over joint air patrols over Sea of Japan and scrambled fighters in response.
While the dates of the QUAD summit are still to be worked out, US President Joe Biden, Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Japan Prime Minister Fumio Kishida will travel to Sydney to further cement cooperation and push back the Chinese belligerence in Indo-Pacific and aggressive behavior against all four democratic countries. But before that India will be hosting the QUAD foreign ministers' meet in New Delhi as dates are being worked out.

Dec 03, 2022

Yogi Adityanath to be First UP CM Take Part in World Economic Forum Meet in Davos

Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath would be travelling to Davos city in Switzerland in January to attend the World Economic Forum (WEF) from January 16 to 20, 2023 becoming the first CM of the state to be attending the WEF meeting.
A delegation of senior officials from the state industries department is expected to accompany him.
Invest UP, the newly created investment promotion and facilitation agency of the Uttar Pradesh government, has been tasked with the responsibility to make arrangements for the Davos trip, which as per officials, would also be used by the state to publicise its upcoming Global Investors Summit to be held in February 2023.
The World Economic Forum is the International Organization for Public-Private Cooperation that brings together key political, business, cultural figures and other leaders of society to discuss global, regional and industry agendas.
It was established in 1971 as a not-for-profit foundation and is headquartered in Geneva, Switzerland and describes itself as an "independent, impartial and not tied to any special interests".

World's most Expensive Cities: New York and Singapore Top List

The world's most expensive cities were jointly New York and Singapore, according to the annual Economist Intelligence Unit (EIU) survey.
It is the first time New York topped the rankings. Last year's number one, Tel Aviv, was now placed third.
Overall, the average cost of living in the world's biggest cities is up 8.1% this year (2022), the EIU survey reported.
The war in Ukraine and Covid's impact on supply chains were identified as factors behind the increase.
Inflation was particularly high in Istanbul - with prices up by 86% - Buenos Aires (64%) and Tehran (57%).
High inflation in the US was one of the reasons for New York topping the list.
Los Angeles and San Francisco also made the top 10.

Dec 02, 2022

South Korea's Mina Sue Choi Crowned Miss Earth 2022

South Korea's Mina Sue Choi was crowned Miss Earth 2022 during the pageant's coronation at Cove Manila, Okada Hotel, Parañaque City. There were 86 Eco-warriors, and only three queens were awarded the pageant's three elements titles.
Miss Fire 2022 was Andrea Aguilera of Columbia, Miss Water 2022 was Nadeen Ayoub of Palestine, and Miss Air 2022 was Sheridan Mortlock of Australia. During the pre-pageant activities, Choi bagged a few medals too. She won resort wear, long gown, beach wear, and swimsuit competition.
The new queen inherited the title from Destiny Wagner, who was the first woman from Belize to capture a major international crown.
Destiny Wagner won in a virtual competition conducted in 2021.

Dec 01, 2022

European Union Adopts New Legislation to Strengthen Cybersecurity

Amid increased cyberattacks, European Union adopted the new revised Network and Information Systems directive (NIS2) to strengthen the EU's cybersecurity work. These new rules are part of wider actions to build the EU's resilience against physical and digital risks.
It will strengthen the EU's cybersecurity work by improving the resilience of public and private entities, introducing stricter enforcement and increasing information-sharing.
The move came after many nations started realising the threat posed by Chinese technological advancements.

Three Indian-Origin Women Scientists among Australia's "Superstars of STEM"

Three Indian-origin women were among 60 scientists, technologists, engineers, and mathematicians who were selected as Australia's Superstars of STEM, an initiative that aims to smash society's gender assumptions about scientists and increase the public visibility of females and non-binary people.
Every year Science and Technology Australia (STA), which is the country's peak body in the sector and represents more than 105,000 scientists and technologists, supports 60 Australian experts employed in science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM) to become highly visible media and public role models.
This year (2022) among those recognised as Superstars of STEM include three Indian-origin women--Neelima Kadiyala, Dr. Ana Baburamani, and Dr. Indrani Mukherjee.

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