General Awareness

INTERNATIONAL AFFAIRS - February 2017

Feb 2017

Jul 19, 2023

UK Government's Contested Illegal Immigration Plan to Become Law

British Prime Minister Rishi Sunak's highly contested plan to make it easier to send asylum seekers to Rwanda is set to become law after the government defeated attempts by parliament's upper house to make changes to the legislation.
The Illegal Migration Bill was stuck in a battle between parliament's House of Commons and the House of Lords, Britain's unelected upper chamber, which had repeatedly made changes to the legislation to water it down.
the last of those proposed changes were voted down. It can now go for Royal Assent, where it is formally approved by the king and become law.
The plan to deport asylum seekers was criticised by some opposition politicians, lawyers, and civil rights groups as inhumane, cruel and ineffective.

Biden Appoints Indian-American Business Leader to Serve on President's Export Council

US President Joe Biden announced his intent to appoint Shamina Singh, a prominent Indian-American business leader, to the President's Export Council, which serves as the principal national advisory committee on international trade.
Singh, who is the Founder and President of the Mastercard Center for Inclusive Growth, has said that she is honoured to join the group of esteemed leaders that make up the President's Export Council.
The President's Export Council serves as the principal national advisory committee on international trade. The Council advises the president of government policies and programmes that affect US trade performance, promotes export expansion and provides a forum for discussing and resolving trade-related problems among the business, industrial, agricultural, labour and government sectors.
The President's Export Council was created by Executive Order on December 20, 1973.

Russia Exits UN-brokered Deal to Export Ukrainian Grain via Black Sea

Russia halted participation in the year-old UN-brokered deal that lets Ukraine export grain through the Black Sea, causing concern in poorer countries that price rises will put food out of reach.
The Kremlin said that there was no link between the attack and its decision to suspend the grain deal, over what it called a failure to meet its demands to implement a parallel agreement easing rules for its own food and fertiliser exports.
Unfortunately, the part of these Black Sea agreements concerning Russia has not been implemented so far. So its effect is terminated.

Jul 18, 2023

UN Security Council Holds First Talks on AI Risks

The United Nations Security Council held its first formal discussion on artificial intelligence (AI) in New York, with Britain to call for an international dialogue about its impact on global peace and security.
Governments around the world are considering how to mitigate the dangers of emerging AI technology, which could reshape the global economy and change the international security landscape.
Britain holds the rotating presidency of the UN Security Council this month (July 2023) and has been seeking a global leadership role in AI regulation.
British Foreign Secretary James Cleverly chaired the discussion.
In June, U.N. Secretary-General Antonio Guterres backed a proposal by some artificial intelligence executives for the creation of an international AI watchdog body like the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA).

Jul 17, 2023

Saudi Arabia Becomes 51st Country to Sign ASEAN's TAC

On the sidelines of the 56th ASEAN Foreign Ministers' Meeting (AMM) in Jakarta, Saudi Arabia officially become the 51st country to accede to the Treaty of Amity and Cooperation (TAC). Indonesian Foreign Minister Retno Marsudi, on behalf of ASEAN, expressed her appreciation to Saudi Arabia for joining the treaty.
The signing of the TAC by Saudi Arabia marks a significant milestone in expanding the reach and influence of the treaty beyond ASEAN's member countries. Prior to Saudi Arabia, Ukraine was the last country to accede to the TAC in 2022. Notably, Papua New Guinea was the first country outside of ASEAN to accede to the TAC in 1989.
Saudi Arabia's commitment to the TAC is expected to foster stronger ties between the Kingdom and ASEAN nations, contributing to regional peace, stability, and cooperation in the Indo-Pacific area.

Britain Signs Treaty to Join Trans-Pacific Trade Pact

The UK formally signed the Comprehensive and Progressive Agreement for Trans-Pacific Partnership (CPTPP) trade bloc, a move which will help grow the country's economy and provide access for British businesses to a market of over 500 million people.
The UK will now seek to ratify the agreement, which will include parliamentary scrutiny as the CPTPP member countries complete their legislative processes to admit Britain into the trading bloc – of which India is not a member.
The signing came as a new UK government report reveals one in every 100 UK workers was employed by a business headquartered in a CPTPP member nation in 2019, equating to over 400,000 jobs across the country.
The UK will be the first European member and first new member since CPTPP was created, which the government stresses would have been impossible without leaving the European Union (EU) economic bloc.

Jul 16, 2023

Australia Names First Woman to Lead its Central Bank

Australia appointed the first female head of its central bank, passing over the current governor to elevate his deputy to the high-profile job amid a public backlash over steeply rising interest rates.
Australian Treasurer Jim Chalmers and Prime Minister Anthony named Michele Bullock as head the Reserve Bank of Australia (RBA) for the next seven years, having chosen not to reappoint Governor Philip Lowe for a second term.

Jul 15, 2023

With Tie-breaking Votes, Kamala Makes History

Kamala Harris set another record in the US history when she matched a 191-year-old record of casting tie-breaking votes as a vice president and backed the nomination of Indian-origin Kalpana Kotagal to be a federal agency member.
Harris, who made history as the first woman or person of colour in 2020, equalled the record held by Senator John C Calhoun, a Democratic-Republican who served as vice president from 1825 to 1832. Harris broke a 50-50 tie to bring her total of tie-breaking votes cast to 31.

Israel Parliament Approves Bill that Limits Supreme Court Power

Israel's parliament gave preliminary approval to a bill that limits some Supreme Court power, part of a rebooted judicial overhaul by Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu that has set off a deep political crisis.
The drive to change the justice system by Netanyahu's ruling coalition of nationalist and religious parties has sparked unprecedented protests, stirred concern for Israel's democratic health among its Western allies and bruised the economy.
Commanding 64 of the Knesset's 120 seats, Netanyahu's coalition won the first of three required votes for the new bill to be written into law, with protests expected to intensify.
The new bill seeks a curb on the Supreme Court's power to void decisions made by the government, ministers and elected officials by ruling them unreasonable. It now returns to committee for discussion and could be altered before being brought for the final votes.

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