General Awareness

INTERNATIONAL AFFAIRS - August 2016

Aug 2016

Mar 29, 2024

In a First, Saudi Arabia to Participate in Miss Universe Pageant

In a historic first, Saudi Arabia would be represented by Rumy Alqahtani at the Miss Universe 2024 pageant, signalling a significant milestone in a country considered conservative throughout its history.
Alqahtani follows in the footsteps of Lujane Yacoub, who represented Bahrain in the previous year's (20232) Miss Universe pageant, marking the first appearance of a contestant from the Gulf region.
Alqahtani has previously won the titles of Miss Saudi Arabia, Miss Arab World Peace 2021, and Miss Woman (Saudi Arabia).
The Miss Universe 2024 competition will take place in Mexico in September and will also witness Iran's debut.

South Africa's Former President Jacob Zuma Barred from Running in May Elections

South Africa's former President Jacob Zuma was barred from contesting upcoming elections scheduled for May 29, the electoral commission said.
The Electoral Commission of South Africa (IEC) upheld an objection filed against the former President without giving details.
Zuma has been campaigning for the opposition uMkhonto we Sizwe (MK) party in an attempt to relaunch his political career ahead of the general election.
The former President stepped down in 2018 following corruption allegations after being in power for nearly a decade.
In 2021, he was handed a 15-month prison sentence for contempt of court. According to South Africa's constitution, a person who has been convicted and sentenced to more than 12 months in prison is not allowed to hold public office.

Florida Imposes Restrictions on Social Media for Minors

Florida Governor Ron DeSantis signed a bill that prohibits minors under 14 from having social media accounts. The law requires parental permission for 14- and 15-year-olds to create accounts on platforms like Meta, TikTok, and others. All social media users in Florida must submit identification documents to verify their ages.
The Florida legislation is part of a larger effort by some states to clamp down on social media firms.
There are rising concerns about the impact on youth mental health and the spread of sexually explicit content.
States like Arkansas and Ohio have enacted similar laws requiring parental approval for minors' social media accounts.

Mar 28, 2024

Baltimore Bridge Collapse

A tragic incident occurred when a cargo ship collided with the Francis Scott Bridge in Baltimore, the US causing a section of the span to collapse. The ship, named Dali, had reportedly lost power before the crash, yet continued towards the bridge at a rapid pace.
The incident not only disrupted traffic but also halted shipping operations at the vital Port of Baltimore. The bridge collapse is expected to have long-lasting ramifications, impacting both cargo and commuter traffic in the region.

Bassirou Diomaye Faye Wins Senegal's Presidential Election

Bassirou Diomaye Faye, an anti-establishment figure, won the Senegalese presidential election with 54.28 per cent of the votes in the first round. Faye is set to become Africa's youngest elected president and the first opponent to win in the first round since Senegal's independence from France in 1960. His victory still needs to be validated by Senegal's Constitutional Council in the next few days.
Faye comfortably defeated the governing coalition's candidate, former Prime Minister Amadou Ba, who received 35.79 percent of the votes.
Aliou Mamadou Dia came in third with just 2.8 percent of the votes among the 19 candidates.
The voter turnout was 61.30 percent, higher than in 2012 but lower than the previous election in 2019.

Mar 26, 2024

Simon Harris Becomes Irish PM-in-waiting

Simon Harris became Ireland's Prime Minister in waiting after he was elected unopposed to succeed Leo Varadkar as leader of the governing Fine Gael party.
Harris best known for helping steer the country's initial response to COVID-19, set out some of his priorities to party members at an event in the Irish midlands town of Athlone.
He will be voted in as Ireland's youngest ever Prime Minister when parliament next sits on April 9, 2024 thanks to support from Fine Gael's coalition partners.

UN Security Council Demands Immediate Gaza Ceasefire after US Abstains

The United Nations Security Council adopted a resolution demanding an immediate ceasefire between Israel and Palestinian militants Hamas after the United States abstained from the vote, sparking a spat with its ally Israel.
The remaining 14 council members voted for the resolution - proposed by the 10 elected members of the body - that also demanded the immediate and unconditional release of all hostages.
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said the failure of the U.S. to veto the resolution was a "clear retreat" from its previous position and would hurt Israel's war efforts and bid to release more than 130 hostages still held by Hamas.

Mar 24, 2024

Rata NZ's New Envoy to India

Career diplomat Patrick John Rata, who is currently serving as the Acting High Commissioner in Colombo, was named the next High Commissioner of New Zealand to India at a time when Auckland expressed strong interest in improving its political, trade, economic, social and cultural ties.
Rata's appointment was among a clutch of crucial diplomatic posts announced by New Zealand. Besides replacing Rata in Colombo with David Pine, Andrew Needs was named the High Commissioner to Australia, and Mark Trainor Ambassador to Russia.

Mar 23, 2024

India Elected Co-Chair of ITU's Digital Innovation Board

Neeraj Mittal, Secretary of India's Department of Telecommunications, led a significant delegation to Geneva for strategic meetings at the International Telecommunication Union (ITU) Headquarters. The aim was to enhance collaboration and explore innovative initiatives in telecommunications and information and communication technology (ICT) sectors.
Neeraj Mittal was unanimously elected as the co-chair of the Digital Innovation Board of ITU, which operates under the Innovation and Entrepreneurship Alliance for Digital Development.
The Digital Innovation Board comprises ministers and vice ministers of telecom/ICT from 23 member countries of ITU, with a mission to foster innovation and entrepreneurship for a more inclusive digital future.
The alliance aims to address significant unmet needs of ITU Membership in innovation, as outlined in the Kigali Action Plan and outcomes of the ITU Plenipotentiary Conference 2022.
It operates through three main vehicles: the Digital Transformation Lab, Network of Acceleration Centres, and the Digital Innovation Board.
Meetings with ITU officials, including Dr. Cosmos Zavazava, focused on scaling up ITU Area Office India, Digital Transformation Lab, Acceleration centres, and the Global Innovation Centre in India.
Mittal proposed hosting the next meeting of the Digital Innovation Board in India alongside the World Telecommunication Standardization Assembly (WTSA) 2024.
Bilateral discussions with Japan and Bahrain emphasised collaboration on AI, 5G use cases, cybersecurity, and mutual revisiting of MOUs on ICT.

Share on

TCY Analytics (View Subscription Plans)

Subscribe to GK Updates

I want to receive

GK Tags

July GK, June GK, May GK, INTERNATIONAL AFFAIRS, ENVIRONMENT, BUSINESS AND ECONOMY, SCIENCE & TECHNOLOGY, SPORTS, NATIONAL AFFAIRS, DEFENCE, PERSONS IN NEWS, DAYS AND EVENTS, AWARDS AND HONOURS, GOVERNMENT POLICIES AND SCHEMES, GENDER/ HEALTH/ EDUCATION, ART AND CULTURE, BOOKS AND AUTHORS, TOURISM AND HOTEL INDUSTRY AWARENESS, ART AND CULTURE, LAW AND CONSTITUTIONAL AFFAIRS

Start Discussion

On any topic

Take Tests

Compiled from GK updates

Login

Sign Up

Forgot Password

Download TCY App

Unlock All Services And Enjoy The Premium Benefits

US$ 10

US$ 13

US$ 15

US$ 17

US$ 19

US$ 20

US$ 21

US$ 22

US$ 23

US$ 24

US$ 25

US$ 26