General Awareness

INTERNATIONAL AFFAIRS - December 2016

Dec 2016

Aug 18, 2022

India's IT Secretary Alkesh Kumar Sharma Appointed to high-level UN Internet Panel

UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres appointed India's Electronics and Information Technology Secretary Alkesh Kumar Sharma to a panel of eminent experts on internet governance.
Internet pioneer Vint Cerf and Nobel Prize-winning journalist Maria Reesa were also appointed to the 10-member Internet Governance Forum (IGF) Leadership Panel.
The panel was set up under the mandate of the IGF and the recommendations in Guterres's Roadmap for Digital Cooperation.
The panel's role is to deal with "strategic and urgent issues" of the Internet and provide strategic advice to the IGF.

Aug 17, 2022

UN Selects Former Grenada Minister as Climate Chief

Grenada's former Climate Resilience Minister Simon Stiell would become the new United Nations climate chief, UN Secretary General António Guterres announced.
Stiell would take over as Executive Secretary of the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change with under three months before the latest round of climate negotiations at COP27 in Egypt. He would replace Mexican diplomat Patricia Espinosa.
Stiell served for five years as Grenada's Minister for Climate Resilience and the Environment until June 2022 and previously served as Minister for Education and Human Resource Development.
The UN called Stiell a "true champion for formulating creative approaches for our collective global response to the climate crisis".

William Ruto is Kenya's Next President

Kenya's Deputy President William Ruto was elected as the country's next President, the electoral commission announced.
Ruto won with 50.49% of the vote, narrowly defeating veteran opposition leader and former Prime Minister Raila Odinga, who was contesting his fifth election.
He would become Kenya's fifth President since independence, winning the seat on his first attempt. Ruto's party, the Kenya First coalition, won a majority of seats in Kenya's senate, the second highest in the National Assembly.

Aug 16, 2022

Argentina's Rear Admiral Guillermo Pablo Rios is UNMOGIP's Head

An experienced Argentinean navy officer, Rear Admiral Guillermo Pablo Rios was named Head of Mission and Chief Military Observer for the United Nations Military Observer Group in India and Pakistan (UNMOGIP) by UN Secretary General Antonio Guterres . Major General José Eladio Alcain of Uruguay stepped down in favour of Rear Admiral Guillermo Pablo Rio of Argentina as Head of Mission and Chief Military Observer for UNMOGIP, whose task is about to be completed. Major General Alcan was thanked by the Secretary-General for his assistance with UN peacekeeping activities.
Rear Admiral Guillermo Pablo Rios has had a long career in the Argentinean Navy since graduating as a middleshipman from the Navy Academy in 1988, according to the announcement.

Kuwait Names First Ambassador to Iran in over Six Years

Kuwait appointed an ambassador to Iran more than six years after recalling its top envoy to Tehran in solidarity with Saudi Arabia after it severed ties with the Islamic Republic in 2016.
Ambassador Bader Abdullah Al-Munaikh handed his credentials to Iranian Foreign Minister Hossein Amirabdollahian in Tehran. Kuwait's Foreign Ministry confirmed Munaikh was appointed envoy to Iran.
The move came as Sunni Muslim powerhouse Saudi Arabia works to improve ties with Shi'ite Iran, with which it has been locked in a rivalry that has played out across conflicts in the region.
Riyadh had broken off ties with Tehran in January 2016 after Iranian protesters stormed the Saudi embassy in Iran after Saudi Arabia executed a prominent Shi'ite cleric.

Aug 15, 2022

US House Gives Biden a Win with Massive Bill on Climate Change, Drug Prices

The Democratic-led US House of Representatives approved a $430 billion bill that is seen as the biggest climate package in US history, delivering a major legislative victory for President Joe Biden ahead of the November 8 midterm elections.
The legislation to fight climate change and lower prescription drug prices aims to cut domestic greenhouse gas emissions. It will also allow Medicare to negotiate lower drug prices for the elderly and ensure that corporations and the wealthy pay the taxes they owe. Democrats say it will help combat inflation by reducing the federal deficit.
The House voted 220-207 along party lines to pass the measure titled the "Inflation Reduction Act" and send it on to Biden to sign into law.

Turkey Urges Sweden, Finland to Fulfil NATO Accession Commitments

Turkish Foreign Minister Mevlut Cavusoglu urged Finland and Sweden to take concrete steps about their commitments that should be fulfilled before their accession to the NATO.
Finland and Sweden decided to join NATO after the outbreak of the ongoing Russia-Ukraine war on February 24.
However, their accession bid was initially blocked by Turkey, which accused the two countries of supporting terrorist organisations after they refused Ankara's extradition requests for suspects affiliated with the Kurdistan Workers' Party (PKK) and the Gulen movement.
The three countries had signed a memorandum of understanding (MoU) in June that addressed Turkey's concerns at the NATO summit in Madrid, in which Finland and Sweden pledged to support Ankara's fight against terrorism and agreed to address its pending deportation or extradition requests of terror suspects expeditiously and thoroughly.

Aug 14, 2022

Latvia and Estonia Withdraw from Cooperation Group

Latvia and Estonia withdrew from a cooperation group between China and over a dozen Central and Eastern European countries. The move came amid Western criticism of China over escalating military pressure on Taiwan. Relations between Lithuania and China worsened after former allowed Taiwan to open a de facto embassy late in 2021. Both Latvia and Estonia would continue to work towards constructive and pragmatic relations with China while respecting the rules-based international order and human rights.
Latvia's Foreign Ministry said the country's continued participation in the China group was no longer in line with their strategic objectives in the current international environment.
Bulgaria, Croatia, the Czech Republic, Greece, Hungary, Poland, Romania, Slovakia, and Slovenia are among countries that remain in the cooperation format.

Share on

TCY Analytics (View Subscription Plans)

Subscribe to GK Updates

I want to receive

GK Tags

August GK, July GK, June 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