General Awareness

INTERNATIONAL AFFAIRS - February 2016

Feb 2016

Sep 28, 2022

Saudi Arabia's Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman Named Prime Minister

Saudi Arabia's Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman was appointed Prime Minister by royal decree.
The crown prince, who is heir to the throne held by King Salman, already wields wide powers and is seen as the kingdom's day-to-day leader.
The crown prince, widely known by the acronym MBS, took the lead on Vision 2030, the kingdom's wide-ranging plan to transform its economy and end its dependency on oil.

Sep 27, 2022

Italy Gets First Woman PM

Giorgia Meloni, leader of the Brothers of Italy party won the Italian election, defeating Mario Draghi by a huge margin. By doing so, Giorgia became Italy's first female Prime Minister and that too, of a right-wing government.
Giorgia forged a pre-poll alliance with Forza Italia and the League, two parties helmed by Silvio Berlusconi and Matteo Salvini, respectively. According to reports, the alliance claimed over 43% votes, which would translate to 114 seats in the Senate. A political party needs 104 seats to claim a majority in the Italian Senate.

Sep 26, 2022

QUAD Inks HADR Partnership Guidelines

The QUAD countries signed the Humanitarian Assistance and Disaster Relief (HADR) partnership guidelines.
The signed the HADR partnership guidelines ensures expansion of scope of the QUAD alliance.
The signing took place during the QUAD foreign ministers' meeting held at the sidelines of the United Nations General Assembly in New York.
The HADR partnership was announced during the Quad Leaders' Tokyo Summit in May 2022 as part of the grouping's shared vision of free and open Indo-Pacific.
These guidelines trace their origins to the 2004 ad hoc Tsunami Core Group, which sought to strengthen international response during the aftermath of the 2004 tsunami.
These guidelines aim to respond to disasters occurring in the Indo-Pacific region.
The partnership will act as a dedicated framework for QUAD countries and help them boost coordination during disaster response operations.

US Revokes Taliban Ruled Afghanistan's Designation as Major Non-NATO Ally

Over a year after the Taliban overthrew the democratically elected government in Kabul, the United States rescinded the designation of Afghanistan as a major non-NATO ally.
The United States named Afghanistan a major non-NATO ally in July 2012, which paved the way for the two sides to maintain economic and defence ties. It also helped Kabul with defence and security-related aid and equipment.
The change in Afghanistan's status follows Biden's withdrawal of US troops from the country last year, ending nearly 20 years of war.

G-4 Countries Reiterates UNSC Reform

The G4 grouping comprising India, Japan, Germany and Brazil expressed their concern over lack of any meaningful forward movement on long-pending reform of the UN Security Council (UNSC) and demanded urgency on the issue.
The Foreign Ministers of the G4 countries held a virtual meeting coinciding with the 75th session of the UN General Assembly during which they held extensive discussion on the need for urgent reform of the UNSC. The ministers highlighted the urgency of reforming the UN and updating its main decision-making bodies, in order to better reflect contemporary realities.
All members of the G4 support each other's bids for permanent seats on the United Nations Security Council, formed in 2004.
Each of these four countries has figured among the elected non-permanent members of the council since the UN's establishment.

Sep 25, 2022

Tenth IBSA Trilateral Ministerial Commission Meeting Held in New York

The 10th India-Brazil-South Africa Dialogue Forum (IBSA) Trilateral Ministerial Commission meeting was held in New York. The meeting was chaired by External Affairs Minister S. Jaishankar. Minister of Foreign Affairs of Brazil Carlos Alberto Franco França and Minister of Health of South Africa Joe Phaahla were also present during the meeting. The Ministers reviewed the entire gamut of IBSA cooperation.
They held discussions on mutual interests including cooperation in multilateral organizations, South-South cooperation, UNSC reform, 2030 agenda, Sustainable Development Goals, climate change, countering terrorism, and financing for developmental activities. They also held discussions on regional issues like African Union, the Middle East peace process, and the situation in Ukraine.

Sep 24, 2022

Atul Chaturvedi Elected as First Chairman of Asian Palm Oil Alliance

The apex edible oil industry associations from five major palm oil importing countries of Asia -- India, Pakistan, Sri Lanka, Bangladesh and Nepal -- came together and formed the Asian Palm Oil Alliance (APOA).
APOA was launched during the Globoil Summit at Agra on September 21.
The first general body meeting of the Alliance elected Atul Chaturvedi, Director of Adani Wilmar Ltd and President of SEA, as the first Chairman. The website and logo of the APOA were also launched on the occasion. The APOA secretariat would initially be managed by the Solvent Extractors' Association of India (SEA).
APOA is expected to safeguard the economic and business interests of the palm-oil consuming countries and create a level-playing field for all fats and oils used in food, feed and oleo-chemicals in Asia. It will further work towards increasing the consumption of sustainable palm oil in member countries.

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