General Awareness

INTERNATIONAL AFFAIRS - February 2017

Feb 2017

Jun 30, 2023

India Ranks 67th on Energy Transition Index, Sweden on Top

The World Economic Forum ranked India at the 67th place globally on its Energy Transition Index and said that it is the only major economy with energy transition momentum accelerating across all dimensions.
Sweden topped the list and was followed by Denmark, Norway, Finland and Switzerland in the top five on the list of 120 countries.
The WEF said that out of 120 countries, 113 have made progress over the last decade but only 55, including India, have improved their scores by more than 10 percentage points.

UN Chief Appoints Xu of China as Deputy Head of UNDP

United Nations Secretary-General António Guterres announced the appointment of Haoliang Xu of China as Under-Secretary-General and Associate Administrator of the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP). Xu will succeed Usha Rao-Monari of India, to whom the Secretary-General expressed his appreciation for her service and commitment during her tenure as Associate Administrator.
Xu has been serving as the Assistant Secretary-General and Director of the Bureau for Policy and Programme Support, UNDP since 2019. His extensive background also includes his time as the UNDP Assistant Administrator and Director of the Regional Bureau for Asia and the Pacific, a position he held between 2013 and 2019.
Xu brings to the position nearly three decades of experience in the field of international development. He has fulfilled various roles within the organization, working in various field and headquarters assignments in Asia-Pacific, Europe and Central Asia. Before his career at the United Nations, Xu worked in the field of civil engineering in China and the United States.

Jun 29, 2023

India Removed from UNSG Report on Impact of Armed Conflict on Children

UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres removed India from his annual report on the impact of armed conflict on children, citing measures taken by the government to better protect them.
In his latest report, he also called upon India to implement the remaining measures identified in consultation with his special representative and the United Nations.
These include the training of armed and security forces on child protection, prohibition of the use of lethal and non-lethal force on children, including ending the use of pellet guns, ensuring that children are detained as a last resort and for the shortest appropriate period of time.
Guterres also stressed the implementation of measures to prevent all forms of ill-treatment in detention and the full implementation of the Juvenile Justice (Care and Protection of Children) Act and the Protection of Children from Sexual Offences Act.

World Bank Approves $391 Million for Assam, Tripura

The World Bank approved $391 million in financing to improve access to high-quality healthcare services and to economic opportunities for people in Assam and Tripura. The Assam State Secondary Healthcare Initiative for Service Delivery Transformation (ASSIST) Project, for which $251 million was approved, will improve access to high-quality secondary healthcare services in Assam and directly serve at least 1.8 million people.
The project will increase access to comprehensive emergency obstetric and newborn care services and improve treatment and management of non-communicable diseases. The project will also upgrade up to 10 lower-level facilities to district hospitals in essential districts and strengthen the capacity of nurses and healthcare managers for better service delivery.
For Tripura Rural Economic Growth and Service Delivery Project, USD 140 million was approved, intending to promote socioeconomic development and improve the quality of life of 142,000 households in select tribal blocks, territories where tribal communities live and work.

Jun 28, 2023

South Koreans Become Younger under New Age-counting Law

South Koreans became a year or two younger as a new law aligns the nation's two traditional age-counting methods with international standards.
The law scrapped one traditional system that deemed South Koreans one year old at birth, counting time in the womb.
Another counted everyone as ageing by a year every first day of January instead of on their birthdays.
The switch to age-counting based on birth date took effect on June 28.
President Yoon Suk-yeol pushed strongly for the change when he ran for office last year (2022). The traditional age-counting methods created unnecessary social and economic costs.

Indian-Origin Satellite Industry Expert Aarti Holla-Maini Appointed as Director of UNOOSA

Aarti Holla-Maini, a highly accomplished expert in the satellite industry of Indian origin, was appointed by United Nations Secretary-General Antonio Guterres as the Director of the United Nations Office for Outer Space Affairs (UNOOSA) in Vienna. Her appointment follows the end of Simonetta Di Pippo's tenure. The primary objective of UNOOSA is to promote global collaboration in the peaceful exploration and utilization of outer space, as well as the effective application of space science and technology to foster sustainable economic and social progress.
With over 25 years of professional experience in the space sector, including managerial and advocacy roles, Aarti Holla-Maini brings a wealth of knowledge to her new position. Prior to her appointment as the Director of UNOOSA, she served as the Executive Vice-President of Sustainability, Policy & Impact at NorthStar Earth & Space. Before that, Holla-Maini held the position of Secretary-General at the Global Satellite Operators Association for a remarkable 18 years.

Jun 27, 2023

Centre-right Kyriakos Mitsotakis New PM of Greece

Kyriakos Mitsotakis promised to rebuild Greece's credit rating, create jobs, raise wages and boost state revenues after he was sworn in for a second term as Prime Minister following a resounding election win.
His centre-right New Democracy party got 158 seats in the 300-seat parliament in the repeat election, well ahead of the 48 secured by leftist Syriza which ran Greece from 2015-2019 at the height of the decade-long economic crisis.
Mitsotakis former banker and scion of a powerful political family was Prime Minister from 2019 until stepping down in favour of a caretaker Premier following an inconclusive May 21, 2023 vote.
As per ratings agency Moody, New Democracy's victory was credit-positive. A second four-year term under Mitsotakis will ensure continuity in fiscal and economic policies. In particular, continued focus on improving the business environment and banking sector health.

Asian Development Bank to Provide 400 Million US Dollars in Loans to Bangladesh

The Asian Development Bank (ADB) will provide 400 million US dollars in loans to Bangladesh for the construction of 102 kilometress long dual gauge railways between Chattogram and Cox's Bazar to promote trade, investment and tourism.
The loan agreement was signed between the representatives of ADB and the government of Bangladesh in Dhaka. The new rail link is expected to open this year. It aims to transport 2.9 million passengers annually between Chattogram and Cox's Bazar by 2024.
Chattogram-Cox's Bazar Railway is part of the Trans-Asia Railway (TAR) network, an initiative led by the United Nations, aiming to provide seamless rail links between Asia and Europe to better connect people and markets.
The assistance formed the third part of USD 1.5 billion ADB loans for the SASEC's (South Asia Subregional Economic Cooperation) Chattogram-Cox's Bazar Railway Project.

Global Competitiveness Index 2023

The 2023 Global Competitiveness Index, published by the International Institute for Management Development (IMD), named Denmark, Ireland, and Switzerland as the top three most competitive economies among 64 nations surveyed. The report highlighted the unique approaches taken by these countries to achieve competitiveness and emphasised the importance of long-term value creation.
India, despite experiencing a slight drop of three ranks, ranked 40th in the 2023 Global Competitiveness Index, indicating an improvement compared to its consistent 43rd position between 2019 and 2021.
The top 10 economies in the 2023 Global Competitiveness Index Rank are: Denmark, Ireland, Switzerland, Singapore, Netherlands, Taiwan, Hong Kong, Sweden, United States and United Arab Emirates.

Jun 26, 2023

Wagner Group Chief Will Move to Belarus to Avoid Arrest

The rebellious Russian mercenary commander who ordered his troops to march on Moscow before abruptly reversing course will move to neighbouring Belarus and not face prosecution as part of a deal to defuse a crisis that represented the most significant challenge to President Vladimir Putin in his more than two decades in power.
The charges against Yevgeny Prigozhin for mounting an armed rebellion will be dropped and the troops who joined him also will not be prosecuted, and fighters from his Wagner Group who did not take part in the uprising will be offered contracts by the Defense Ministry.
The deal appeared to defuse a dramatically escalating crisis that represented the most significant challenge to President Vladimir Putin in his more than two decades in power. The deal was mediated by Belarusian President Alexander Lukashenko, a staunch Putin ally.

Dr. Vanessa Kerry is WHO Director-General Special Envoy for Climate Change and Health

The World Health Organization (WHO) appointed Dr. Vanessa Kerry, a medical doctor, as the first-ever Director-General Special Envoy for Climate Change and Health. Dr. Kerry, the CEO of Seed Global Health, a Massachusetts-based organisation which helps provide medical and nursing training support in resource-limited countries, will play an important role in expanding the WHO's climate and health messaging. She will also undertake high-level advocacy.
The responsibilities of Dr Kerry as the Director-General Special Envoy for Climate Change and Health include spreading WHO's crucial messages on the significance of climate change and health, influential figures and policymakers to ensure a widespread understanding. She will also foster the adoption and adaptation of WHO's recommendations, and consider the unique contexts of local, national and regional circumstances.
Dr. Kerry's leadership has helped Seed educate more than 34,000 doctors, nurses and midwives in seven countries. This has helped improve healthcare for more than 73 million people.

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