General Awareness

INTERNATIONAL AFFAIRS - February 2017

Feb 2017

Dec 29, 2022

Bangladesh Gets its First-ever Metro Service

Dhaka, the capital of Bangladesh and also one of the most crowded cities in the world, got its first-ever metro rail. A section of the urban rail project, known as Line 6, was inaugurated by Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina. The line connects the northern zone of Dhaka to a hub of government offices and hospitals in the middle for now.
PM Hasina hailed the opening of the metro rail as a crowning achievement. The metro rail added another feather to Bangladesh's cap and is another milestone in development.

Bangladesh, ADB Ink Deals Worth $627mn for Development, Climate Projects

The Asian Development Bank (ADB) and the Bangladesh government signed loan agreements worth $627 million for the implementation of development and climate resilience projects.
Sharifa Khan, secretary of the Economic Relations Division, and Jiangbo Ning, deputy country director and officer-in-charge of Bangladesh resident mission of the ADB, signed the agreements on behalf of their respective sides.
The ADB will provide about $278 million in loan for the Third Public-Private Infrastructure Development Facility-- Tranche 2, and $100 million for the Greater Dhaka Sustainable Urban Transport Project (BRT-Gazipur).
Meanwhile, the bank will also give about $246 million in loan for the Coastal Towns Climate Resilience Project and a grant of $4 million for the Coastal Towns Climate Resilience Project.

Eye-for-an-Eye Sharia Law Returns to Afghanistan Courts

Kneeling in front of a turbanned judge in a tiny room at the Ghazni Court of Appeal in eastern Afghanistan, an old man sentenced to death for murder pleaded for his life.
The old admitted to have shot dead a relative, out of revenge, because of rumours he had sexual relations with his daughter-in-law.
Under eye-for-eye sharia punishments, officially ordered by the Taliban's supreme leader for the first time in November, he faced public execution -- with the sentence to be carried out by a relative of his victim.
Islamic law, or sharia, acts as a code of living for Muslims worldwide, offering guidance on issues such as modesty, finance and crime. However, interpretations vary according to local custom, culture and religious school of thought.
Taliban scholars in Afghanistan have employed one of the most extreme interpretations of the code, including capital and corporal punishments little used by most modern Muslim states.

Dec 28, 2022

South Korea Pardons Former Leader Myung-bak Lee for Corruption Crimes

The South Korean government of President Yoon Suk Yeol granted a special pardon to ex-President Lee Myung-bak, who was sentenced to a 17-year prison term for a range of corruption crimes.
Lee was among 1,373 convicts who were pardoned. The Justice Ministry included some politicians, such as Lee, as part of efforts to promote a national unity.
The CEO-turned-conservative hero was convicted of taking bribes from big businesses including Samsung, embezzling funds from a company that he owned, and other corruption-related crimes before and during his presidency from 2008 to 2013.
He was South Korea's first president with a business background and once symbolised the country's economic rise.

Taiwan Extends Mandatory Military Service to 1 Year Citing China Threat

Taiwan announced an extension in mandatory military service from four months to one year, citing the threat from an increasingly hostile China.
The extended requirement will apply to men born after January 1, 2005.
The move, which had been well-flagged, came as China ramps up military, diplomatic and economic pressure on Taiwan to assert its sovereignty claims, including almost daily Chinese air force missions near the island over the past three years.
Under President Xi Jinping, China's sabre-rattling has intensified in recent years, and Russia's invasion of Ukraine deepened worries in Taiwan that Beijing might move similarly to annex the island.

Dec 27, 2022

Serbia is Terminating Visa-free entry for Indians

With an intention to control illegal immigration and follow the requirements of the European visa policy, the government of Serbia decided to end visa-free travel for Indians. According to the statement, from January 1, 2023, Indian passport holders will no longer have the luxury of traveling to Serbia without a valid visa.
Earlier, diplomatic and official Indian passport holders were allowed to visit the country for 90 days without any visa, while the duration was 30 days for ordinary passport holders.
Earlier, Indian citizens with ordinary passports and other necessary travel documents did not require a visa to enter Serbia. Indians could also live, without a visa, in the country for a period of 30 days a year. However, the Government of Serbia has now withdrawn this existing arrangement keeping in mind the requirements of the European Union visa policy.
The new change in visa rule will not be applicable to Indians who have a valid Schengen, UK and US visa, or a residence permit for any of these countries. The statement from the embassy mentioned that Indian passport holders having a visa or permit from these nations will continue to be allowed visa-free entry into Serbia on or after January 1 for a period of up to 90 days.

Nepal's Former TV Anchor Lamichhane Becomes Deputy PM, Home Minister

Rabi Lamichhane, a former TV anchor whose newly-launched party won a surprisingly huge mandate in the November 20 elections, joined Nepal's new government led by former Maoist rebel chief Pushpa Kamal Dahal Prachanda as the Deputy Prime Minister and Home Minister.
Lamichhane's Rastriya Swatantra Party (RSP), which was formed just months ago, won 20 seats in the 275-member House of Representatives and is the third largest party among the ruling alliance.

Dec 26, 2022

Indian-origin Scientist Parwinder Kaur Named to STEM expert Panel in Australia

An Indian-origin biotechnologist was appointed to the Australian government's expert panel to boost diversity and increase women's participation in STEM sectors.
Associate Professor Parwinder Kaur, a University of Western Australia Public Policy Institute Fellow, who hails from Nawanshahr, Punjab, will draw on years of experience as a scientist, academic and immigrant to support diversity in Australia's STEM sectors.
The three-member panel for the Pathway to Diversity in STEM Review was appointed by Minister for Industry and Science Ed Husic, and it will report its findings and make recommendations to the government in late 2023.
Kaur will serve alongside chair Sally-Ann Williams, a leader in the technology and entrepreneurial space, and Mikaela Jade, a Cabrogal woman of the Dharug-speaking nations of Sydney.

US President Nominates Indian American Richard Verma to Top Diplomatic Position in State Department

US President Joe Biden nominated Indian-American lawyer diplomat Richard Verma, also a former US ambassador to India, to a top diplomatic position in the State Department, a move hailed by the Indian diaspora.
As per the White House, Biden announced nominated Verma to be Deputy Secretary of State for Management and Resources. If confirmed by the US Senate, Verma would be the highest ranking Indian-American in the State Department.
Currently Chief Legal Officer and Head of Global Public Policy at Mastercard, Verma, served as the US Ambassador to India from January 16, 2015 to January 20, 2017.
During the Obama administration, Verma also served as Assistant Secretary of State for Legislative Affairs.

Nepal President Appoints Pushpa Kamal Dahal as New Prime Minister

Nepal President Bidhya Devi Bhandari appointed Maoist Center leader Pushpa Kamal Dahal as the Prime Minister of the Himalayan nation.
Dahal was appointed PM for the third time after he secured the support of 169 members of the Parliament to form the new government. Dahal, also known by his nom de guerre Prachanda, meaning "fierce", served as Prime Minister of Nepal from 2008 to 2009 and again from 2016 to 2017.
A coalition of 6 parties decided to project Pushpa Kamal Dahal as the Prime Minister. An agreement was reached. Dahal will lead the government for two and a half years and the CPN-UML will be in power in the remaining two-and-a-half years.
In the new coalition, the CPN-UML has 78, Maoist Center 32, Rastriya Swatantra Party 20, Rastriya Prajatantra Party 14, Janata Samajbadi Party 12, Janamat Party 6, Nagarik Unmukti Party has four MPs and three independent lawmakers are in support of Prachanda.

Sitiveni Rabuka Sworn in as Fiji Prime Minister after Close Election

Sitiveni Rabuka was sworn in as Fiji's Prime Minister more than two decades after the former military commander first held the office in a term lasting nearly seven years.
Rabuka won the nomination by one vote over incumbent Frank Bainimarama at a sitting of the Fijian Parliament in Suva.
Rabuka, the head of the People's Alliance Party, was elevated to the position after forming a majority coalition with two other parties following a close and contentious election.
The tripartite coalition had announced its intention to form a government with a combined 29 seats compared to the 26 held by Bainimarama's Fiji First Party.
The People's Alliance Party and affiliated National Federation Party shared 26 seats but were able to form an alliance with the Social Democrat Liberal Party to break the deadlock.

New Gender Reform Laws of Spain and Scotland

Scotland and Spain passed gender reform laws to make it easier for individuals to change their legally registered gender without requiring any medical supervision.
The new Spanish law requires minors aged 12 and 13 years to receive the judge's authorization to change their gender.
Those minors aged between 14 and 16 years will have to be accompanied by their parents or legal guardians.
Up until now, Spanish transgender people are required to be diagnosed with gender dysphoria, which refers to the psychological condition of not feeling a match between one's biological sex and gender identity.
Under the new legislation, any individual applying for a Gender Recognition Certificate must have lived full-time in the declared identity for 3 months (6 months in case they are aging between 16 and 17 years).
The passing of the Gender Recognition Reform (Scotland) bill makes Scotland the first country in the United Kingdom to approve the self-identification process for changing gender.
It makes it easier for people as young as 16 years of age, to change their legally recognized gender.
It also has similar features as that of Spain's Gender Recognition Reform Bill.

Dec 23, 2022

India, China and Russia Abstain on First UNSC Resolution against Myanmar

India, China and Russia abstained in the UN Security Council on a draft resolution that demanded an immediate end to violence in Myanmar and urged the military junta to release political prisoners, including State Counsellor Aung San Suu Kyi.
The 15-nation Security Council, under India's Presidency this month, adopted the resolution after 12 members voted in favour, none against and India, China and Russia abstained.
This is the first Security Council resolution adopted on Myanmar in 74 years. The only other UNSC resolution on Myanmar was in 1948 after the country formerly known as Burma got independence from Britain when the Council recommended to the General Assembly that the Union of Burma be admitted to membership in the United Nations.

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