General Awareness

INTERNATIONAL AFFAIRS - February 2016

Feb 2016

Oct 27, 2022

Russia, Belarus Ambassadors Barred from Nobel Prize Ceremony

The ambassadors of Russia and Belarus were excluded from this year's Nobel Prize ceremony because of the war in Ukraine.
The Nobel Foundation, a private foundation which administers the prestigious awards, normally invites ambassadors stationed in Sweden to the annual award ceremony on December 10.

For First Time in New Zealand's History, Women Lawmakers Outnumber Men in Parliament

For the first time in New Zealand's history, a majority of lawmakers are women. Soraya Peke-Mason from the liberal Labour Party was sworn into Parliament, replacing former Speaker Trevor Mallard, who left to become ambassador to Ireland. With the resignation of another male lawmaker, it has tipped the balance in Parliament to 60 women and 59 men.
The milestone places New Zealand among a half-dozen nations in the world that this year can claim at least 50% female representation in their parliaments, according to the Inter-Parliamentary Union. Other nations include Cuba, Mexico, Nicaragua, Rwanda and the United Arab Emirates. Globally, about 26% of lawmakers are women, according to the union.
New Zealand has a history of strong female representation. In 1893, it became the first nation to allow women to vote. Current Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern is the nation's third female leader, and women currently also hold a number of other top roles including chief justice of New Zealand's Supreme Court and governor-general.

Shefali Juneja Elected as Chairperson of Air Transport Committee of ICAO

Shefali Juneja was named the chairperson of the Air Transport Committee (ATC) of the International Civil Aviation Organization (ICAO), a specialized agency of the United Nations, becoming the first Indian in 28 years to do so.
India will be chairing the important committee after 28 years and has had the opportunity of chairing the ATC only twice so far.
This committee handles a big component of ICAO work relating to air transport as nine technical panels report to it. It is therefore a tremendous opportunity to steer issues in the policy arena and deal with new emerging challenges to carve out a better future for international air transport.
In September last year, Juneja was elected as the chairperson of the ICAO'S Aviation Security Committee (ASC) and made an Indian taking charge of the position after a gap of 12 years. Juneja has been serving as India's representative in the council of the ICAO since 2019.

Oct 26, 2022

Pakistan, China to Launch Three New CPEC-like Corridor Projects

Pakistan and China are set to start three new corridors in November, in addition to the multiple billion dollars China Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC), to strengthen bilateral ties.
The formal launch of the projects could take place during Pakistan Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif's visit to China next month following the invitation by President Xi Jinping.
These projects, which include health and digital corridors, were announced by Pakistan's Ambassador to China Moinul Haq while speaking to the China Economic Net (CEN) in Beijing.

Rishi Sunak the UK's New Prime Minister

British politician Rishi Sunak was elected Conservative leader and became the Prime Minister, after being invited to form government by King Charles III. Rival Penny Mordaunt failed to secure the necessary 100 nominations from her fellow MPs, following which she backed out paving the way for Sunak to become the first Indian-origin Prime Minister of United Kingdom.
He lost to Liz Truss in September, but she resigned six weeks later. In the latest leadership contest, Sunak racked up the support of his fellow MPs early, and fast. He crossed the 100 nominations he needed long before the deadline - including from MPs that had previously backed Truss or Boris Johnson.

Oct 25, 2022

May Wong, the First Asian-American to Feature on US Currency

Late Hollywood actress and fashion icon Anna May Wong (1905-1961) became the first Asian American to feature on US currency. A quarter-dollar coin featuring a close-up image of Wong's face chin resting on her hand began circulating from October 24, the US Mint said, as the fifth coin in the American Women Quarters (AWQ) Program.
Regarded as the film industry's first Chinese-American star, Wong's decades-long career in motion pictures, television and theatre came at a time of widespread racism.

Pakistan Taken off FATF's Grey List for Terror Financing, Money Laundering

Pakistan was taken off from the grey list of the FATF, the global watchdog on terror financing and money laundering, four years after the country was put in the infamous categorisation.
Significantly, for the first time, the FATF put Myanmar in the "high risk jurisdictions subject to a call for action", often referred to as the watchdog's black list.
In a statement, the Financial Action Task Force (FATF) said that it welcomes Pakistan's significant progress in improving its anti-money laundering, combating financial terrorism (AML/CFT) regime.
The decision was taken by the FATF in its plenary held in Paris in October 2022.
With Pakistan's exit from the "grey list", Islamabad may now try to get financial aid from the International Monetary Fund (IMF), the World Bank, the Asian Development Bank (ADB) and the European Union (EU), to boost its cash-strapped economy.

Sri Lanka Passes Constitutional Amendment Curtailing President's Powers

The Sri Lankan Parliament passed, with over 2/3 majority, the 22nd Amendment to the Constitution curtailing certain powers of the President.
All main opposition parties voted together with the parties aligned with the government, led by President Ranil Wickremesinghe, in favour to make a total 174 out of 225 MPs at the third reading of the amendment.
Only one MP from Sri Lanka Podujana Peramuna (SLPP) voted against the amendment while most of the others from ex-President Gotabaya Rajapaksa's party abstained from voting while the others were absent.
Curtailing super powers enjoyed by the President, the 22nd Amendment will shift some of President's powers to the Constitutional Council representing both government and opposition lawmakers and independent bodies such as the National Election Commission (NEC), the Public Service Commission (PSC), the National Police Commission (NPC), the Human Rights Commission of Sri Lanka (HRCSL), the Commission to Investigate Bribery or Corruption (CIABOC), the Finance Commission and the Delimitation Commission which would be led by non-political independent persons.

Oct 24, 2022

Russia Barred from Future Projects of FATF Due to Ukraine Invasion

Russia was barred from participating in future projects of global terror financing and money laundering watchdog Financial Action Task Force (FATF). FATF chairperson T. Raja Kumar said that the move came in the wake of Moscow's invasion of Ukraine. He said that Russia's actions continued to violate FATF's core principles, which aim to promote the security, safety and integrity of financial systems.

Germany Hails 1st Delivery of Green Hydrogen from UAE, to Replace Coal

Germany took formal delivery of its first, modest, batch of hydrogen from the United Arab Emirates, a green fuel it hopes will help replace coal and gas used by energy-intensive industries in future.
Germany is scrambling to substitutenatural gas imports from Russia while also staying on track for its ambitious goal of cutting greenhouse gas emissions to net zero by 2025.
One alternative is energy-rich hydrogen gas, provided it is made with the help of renewable energy. Since hydrogen is difficult to transport it is sometimes stored as liquid ammonia.
The delivery in Hamburg was modest: just a single container with 13 metric tons of ammonia.

Boris Johnson, Rishi Sunak Lead Race to Become UK's Next Prime Minister

Boris Johnson and former Finance Minister Rishi Sunak were leading the potential contenders to replace British Prime Minister Liz Truss, with candidates canvassing support to become Conservative Party leader in a fast-tracked contest.
After Truss quit, ending her six weeks in power, those who want to replace her were trying to find the 100 votes from Conservative lawmakers needed to run in a contest which the party hopes will reset its ailing fortunes.
With the Conservatives all but facing a wipe out in the next national election according to opinion polls, the race is on to become the fifth British premier in six years.

Oct 23, 2022

India Ranks 3rd in List of Centi-millionaires, to Overtake China by 2032

With levels of poverty, inflation and hunger notwithstanding, India ranked third in the world's first-ever global study on the rise of centi-millionaires, individuals with assets of more than Rs. 830 crore ($100 million).
According to the report released by international investment migration advisory firm Henley & Partners stated, out of the world's 25,490 centi-millionaires, India has 1,132, beating countries like the UK, Russia and Switzerland, in a swift growing and powerful class of super-rich tech titans, financiers, multinational CEOs, and heirs. By 2032, India will overtake China (number 2) as the fastest growing market for centi-millionaires, with an anticipated 80 per cent growth rate in individuals worth over $100 million.
Of the world's 25,490 centi-millionaires, the US, which ranked at number 1, is home to 38 per cent (9,730) of global centi-millionaires, despite constituting only 4 per cent of the world's total population.
It is closely followed by big emerging markets of China and India in second and third place, with 2,021 and 1,132 centi-millionaires, respectively. The UK was in fourth place (with 968 centi-millionaires) followed closely by Germany in fifth place (with 966). Switzerland (808), Japan (765), Canada (541), Australia (463), and finally Russia (435) make up the rest of the top 10 countries for centi-millionaires.

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