General Awareness

INTERNATIONAL AFFAIRS - December 2016

Dec 2016

Jan 25, 2023

Uganda's First Oil Drilling Program

Uganda has one of the largest oil reserves in the Saharan desert, according to the International Monetary Fund. Oil was discovered in Uganda twenty years back. But the production was delayed due to a lack of funds and infrastructure. With the assistance of China, Uganda launched its first oil field in Lake Albert. Extraction is to be done in four phases and the first phase was launched.
The China National Offshore Oil Corporation launched the drilling in the lake along with the Uganda National Oil Company. China is investing 10 billion USD in the project. Along with the project, Uganda is also launching a controversial pipeline. The pipeline will connect the oil fields in Lake Albert to the Tanzanian coast for easy transport.
Under the program, Uganda is planning to produce 230,000 barrels of oil per day.

Chris Hipkins sworn in as New Zealand PM

Chris Hipkins was sworn in as New Zealand's 41st Prime Minister, following the unexpected resignation last week of Jacinda Ardern.
Hipkins promised a back-to-basics approach focusing on the economy and what he described as the "pandemic of inflation."
He will have less than nine months before contesting a tough general election, with opinion polls indicating his Labour Party is trailing its conservative opposition.
New Zealand Governor-General Cindy Kiro officiated the brief swearing in ceremony in front of friends and colleagues after earlier accepting Ardern's resignation.

Jan 24, 2023

Bangladesh to Hold Presidential Election by February 23

Bangladesh will hold the presidential election by February 23, the country's poll body announced.
The announcement was made by the Election Commission (EC) Secretary Md Jahangir Alam.
As per Md Jahangir Alam, incumbent President Abdul Hamid will not to be re-elected for another term, as the country's Constitution allows only a maximum two-term limit consisting of five years each.
Hamid's tenure will expire on April 24.
In Bangladesh, the President is elected by an indirect election by MPs.

Brazil and Argentina Discuss Plans to Develop Common Currency

Brazil and Argentina aim for greater economic integration, including the development of a common currency, Brazilian President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva and Argentine leader Alberto Fernandez said in a joint article they penned.
Both the countries intend to overcome the barriers to their exchanges, simplify and modernise the rules and encourage the use of local currencies.
The idea of a common currency was raised originally in an article written last year (2022) by Fernando Haddad and Gabriel Galipolo, now Brazil's Finance Minister and his Executive Secretary, respectively, and was mentioned by Lula during the campaign.

Jan 23, 2023

Polar Preet Sets New World Record for Longest Solo, Unsupported, Unassisted Polar Expedition by a...

A British Sikh Army officer and physiotherapist set a new world record for the longest solo, unsupported, and unassisted polar expedition by a woman.
Captain Harpreet Chandi, known as Polar Preet having already completed a trekking challenge to become the first Indian-origin woman to set the record of a solo unsupported trek to the South Pole, travelled 1,397 km across Antarctica in temperatures as cold as minus 50 degrees Celsius. The previous record was 1,381 km, set by Anja Blacha in 2020.

UNESCO Dedicates 2023 International Day of Education to Afghan Girls and Women

UNESCO decided to dedicate the International Day of Education 2023, which falls on January 24 to Afghan girls and women. Director General Audrey Azoulay said that no country in the world should bar women and girls from receiving an education and it is a universal human right that must be respected.
She further said that the international community has the responsibility to ensure that the rights of Afghan girls and women are restored without delay. According to UNESCO, currently, around 80 per cent of school-aged Afghan girls and young women are out of school under the Taliban rule, as they denied them access to secondary schools and universities.

Chris Hipkins Set to Replace Jacinda Ardern as New Zealand Prime Minister

Chris Hipkins, who played a significant role in New Zealand's response to the COVID-19 pandemic, is set to replace Jacinda Ardern as Prime Minister after emerging as the only candidate to lead the ruling Labour Party.
Hipkins is expected to be confirmed as leader at a meeting of Labour's 64 lawmakers, or Caucus, succeeding Ardern, who made a surprise announcement that she would step down.
First elected to parliament for the Labour Party in 2008, Hipkins became a household name fronting the government's response to the pandemic. He was appointed health minister in July 2020 before becoming the COVID response minister at the end of the year.

Jan 22, 2023

UN Approves Second Four-year Term for Environment Chief Inger Andersen

The UN General Assembly elected Inger Andersen of Denmark to a second four-year term as executive director of the United Nations Environment Program, after defeating a Russian-sponsored resolution that would have opened the job to other candidates.
The decision extends her leadership of the UN's environment agency, based in Nairobi, Kenya, from June 15, 2023, until June 14, 2027.
Before taking the helm of UNEP in June 2019, Andersen was director general of the International Union for Conservation of Nature for four years. Previously, she spent 15 years at the World Bank, including as vice president of the Middle East and North Africa region from 2011 to 2015.

Jan 21, 2023

US Lawmaker Introduces Bill to Remove Pakistan as Major Non-NATO Ally

A US lawmaker introduced a legislation in the US House of Representatives that seeks to terminate Pakistan's designation as a major non-NATO ally, and require annual certification from the president with certain conditions for Islamabad to be given such a designation.
The bill (HR 80) was introduced by Congressman Andy Biggs, who represents the fifth Congressional district of Arizona.
It needs to be passed by the House and the Senate before it can be signed into law by the US President, and has been sent to the House Foreign Affairs Committee for necessary actions.
Normally, such bills do not fructify, but the present bill reflects the sentiments of the lawmakers against Pakistan, which is known for harbouring terrorism and using it as a matter of State policy.

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