General Awareness

INTERNATIONAL AFFAIRS - February 2017

Feb 2017

Jul 31, 2023

ISRO Successfully Places Singapore's DS-SAR, 6 other Satellites into Intended Orbit

ISRO successfully launched its proven PSLV rocket carrying seven Singaporean satellites from Satish Dhawan Space Centre and placed them into intended orbits.
Around 23 minutes after lift-off, the primary satellite got separated and it was followed by six other co-passenger satellites, which were deployed into the intended orbits sequentially.
This ISRO mission, which came after the much-awaited Chandrayaan-3 launch earlier this month, was undertaken by its commercial arm NewSpace India Limited (NSIL).

Hirsh Vardhan Singh Enters US Presidential Race

Hirsh Vardhan Singh, an Indian-American engineer, announced his bid for the White House, becoming the third person of Indian descent after Nikki Haley and Vivek Ramaswamy to join the crowded Republican field of candidates vying to become US President in 2024.
He officially filed his candidacy with the Federal Election Commission.

Jul 30, 2023

Bengaluru Becomes 1st Indian City to Join World Cities Culture Forum

Bengaluru, the capital of Karnataka became the first Indian city to be part of the World Cities Culture Forum (WCCF), a global network of cities that share research and intelligence to explore the role of culture in future prosperity. Bengaluru became the 41st city to join the forum and the network currently includes 40 cities across six continents.
It was founded in 2012 by Justine Simons, London's Deputy Mayor for Culture & the Creative Industries. She was awarded an Order of the British Empire(OBE) in 2015 by Queen Elizabeth for her Services to Culture in London.
WCCF partners share the belief that culture is the key to their future as sustainable urban centres.
The WCCF undertakes comparative research to assess the impact and significance of culture and creativity and shares its findings with the Forum so that partner cities can make evidence-based policy decisions.

Jul 29, 2023

Indo-Canadian Anita Anand Named Treasury Board President in Trudeau Cabinet Reshuffle

In the latest cabinet reshuffle, Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau appointed Anita Anand, of Indian origin, to the position of Treasury Board president. She has been promoted from her previous role as the Defence Minister in the Canadian government.
Anita Anand was first elected as the Member of Parliament for Oakville in 2019. She has previously served as Minister of National Defence and as Minister of Public Services and Procurement. The Indian-origin leader has also worked as a scholar, lawyer, and researcher. She has been a legal academic, including as a Professor of Law at the University of Toronto.

Jul 27, 2023

Cambodian PM to Step Down, Son to Succeed

Long-time Cambodian leader Hun Sen said that he will step down in three weeks as Prime Minister and hand the position to his oldest son, who won his first seat in parliament in election.
The announcement came after their Cambodian People's Party won a landslide victory in weekend elections that Western countries and rights organizations criticized as neither free nor fair, and in which the country's main opposition was suppressed.
Hun Sen has been Cambodia's autocratic leader for 38 years but said ahead of the elections he would hand off the position to his oldest son, Hun Manet, sometime during the next five-year term.
Hun Manet is currently the chief of the country's army.

Singapore's Former Indian-origin Minister Launches Presidential Bid

Tharman Shanmugaratnam, Singapore's former Indian-origin minister formally launched his presidential campaign. Shanmugaratnam had stepped down from active politics in June 2023 after 22 years.
Tharman has vowed to evolve Singapore's culture as a "shining spot" in the world.
Tharman outlined the supposed challenges faced by Singapore both globally and domestically and said that the nation's real challenge was to avoid becoming a divided society.
He has served as the Minister for Education and Finance and was the Deputy Prime Minister from 2011 to 2019. He has also held prominent posts at international organisations including the International Monetary Fund, the World Economic Forum and the United Nations.

Jul 26, 2023

China Names Wang Yi as New Foreign Minister, Replaces 'Missing' Qin Gang

China named veteran diplomat Wang Yi its new Foreign Minister, removing former rising star Qin Gang after a mysterious one-month absence from duties.
Qin a former aide to President Xi Jinping and envoy to the United States, took over the ministry in December 2022 but has not been seen in public since June 25, 2023 when he met visiting diplomats in Beijing.
The ministry has said that he was off work for health reasons without giving details, sparking speculation and drawing attention to the secrecy often surrounding China's Communist leadership and decision making.
Qin's successor Wang was also his predecessor, holding the post from 2013-2022 as ties frayed with rival superpower the United States to a point Beijing described as an all-time low.

Russia Bans Sex Change and Transgender Marriages

Russian President Vladimir Putin signed new legislation, which marked the final step in outlawing gender-affirming procedures, a crippling blow to Russia's already embattled LGBTQ+ community.
The bill, which was approved unanimously by both houses of parliament, bans any medical interventions aimed at changing the sex of a person, as well as changing one's gender in official documents and public records. The only exception will be medical intervention to treat congenital anomalies.
It also annuls marriages in which one person has changed gender and bars transgender people from becoming foster or adoptive parents.
The ban is said to stem from the Kremlin's crusade to protect what it views as the country's traditional values. Lawmakers say the legislation is to safeguard Russia against Western anti-family ideology," with some describing gender transitioning as pure satanism.

Jill Biden in Paris to Mark US Return to UN Educational and Scientific Agency

U.S. first lady Jill Biden attended a flag-raising ceremony at UNESCO in Paris on July 25, marking Washington's official re-entry into the U.N. agency after a controversial five-year hiatus.
The Stars and Stripes was hoisted up outside UNESCO's headquarters with the Eiffel Tower on the skyline to rousing applause and a rendition of the national anthem. Before the flag-raising, Biden made remarks about the importance of American leadership in preserving cultural heritage and empowering education and science across the globe.
The U.S. decision to return to Paris-based UNESCO was based mainly on concerns that China has filled a leadership gap since Washington withdrew during the Trump administration. This development underscores the broader geopolitical dynamics at play, particularly the growing influence of China in international institutions. The U.S. exit from UNESCO in 2017 cited an alleged anti-Israel bias within the organization. The decision followed a 2011 move by UNESCO to include Palestine as a member state, which led the U.S. and Israel to cease financing the agency. The U.S. withdrawal became official a year later in 2018.
This is the second time the U.S. has returned to UNESCO after a period of withdrawal. The country previously left the organization in 1984 under the Reagan administration, citing mismanagement, corruption and perceived advancement of Soviet interests. It rejoined in 2003 under George W. Bush's presidency.

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