General Awareness

INTERNATIONAL AFFAIRS - March 2017

Mar 2017

Jun 23, 2023

Ruby Sinha Appointed as President of BRICS CCI WE Women's Vertical

The BRICS Chamber of Commerce and Industry (BRICS CCI) appointed Ruby Sinha as the President of BRICS CCI WE, the women's vertical of the BRICS CCI for a period of three years.
The BRICS Chamber of Commerce and Industry works towards promoting active trade, commerce and entrepreneurship between the BRICS and other friendly nations. She took over from Shabana Nasim who became an Executive Director in BRICS CCI and Chief Patron of BRICS CCI WE.
The BRICS CCI women's vertical is endeavouring towards building a credible repository of working professionals, entrepreneurs, business partners across different geographies and industry verticals and promoting business interactions among members by organising regular events platforms and other forms of interactions. It also facilitates mentoring/training programs for women professionals.

India Ranks 127 in Gender Gap Index 2023

India was ranked at 127 out of 146 countries in terms of gender parity — an improvement of eight places from last year (2022), according to the annual Gender Gap Report, 2023 of the World Economic Forum (WEF).
India was ranked 135 in the report's 2022 edition. The country improved by 1.4 percentage points and eight positions since the last edition, marking a partial recovery towards its 2020 parity level.
The country had attained parity in enrolment across all levels of education, it said.
India had closed 64.3% of the overall gender gap, the report said. However, it underlined that India had reached only 36.7 % parity on economic participation and opportunity.
The index ranked India's neighbours Pakistan at 142, Bangladesh at 59, China at 107, Nepal at 116, Sri Lanka at 115 and Bhutan at 103.
Iceland is the most gender-equal country in the world for the 14th consecutive year and the only one to have closed more than 90% of its gender gap, according to the report.

Jun 22, 2023

PM Modi's Yoga Day Event at UN HQ Creates Guinness World Record

The Yoga Day event led by Prime Minister Narendra Modi at the United Nations headquarters in New York created a Guinness World Record for seeing the participation of most nationalities in a Yoga session.
PM Modi led the historic event at the UN headquarters to commemorate the 9th International Yoga Day. The PM was joined by the President of the 77th session of the UN General Assembly Csaba Korisi, Deputy Secretary-General Amina Mohammed, and New York City Mayor Eric Adams. The event also saw several other UN officials, diplomats, and prominent personalities.

Finland Parliament Elects Petteri Orpo as Country's New PM

Petteri Orpo, the leader of the conservative party in Finland, was elected as the country's Prime Minister by the parliament. Orpo will lead a coalition government comprising four parties, including the far-right Finns Party, which intends to implement strict measures on immigration. With 107 members in favour, 81 opposed, and 11 absent, the parliament expressed its support for Orpo, who emerged victorious in the elections.

Jun 21, 2023

Pakistan's Economic Crisis Deepens with Dollar Crunch Halting Food Imports

Pakistan is currently facing a severe economic crisis characterised by a shortage of dollars, leading to a complete halt in the import of essential food and beverages. The situation has resulted in thousands of stranded containers at ports, incurring fines and additional charges for traders. The lack of sufficient foreign exchange, which the Pakistan State Bank (PSB) has been unable to provide, has further exacerbated the country's economic challenges.
Pakistan's dollar crisis can be attributed primarily to the depletion of the country's foreign reserves over the past year. The economy suffered a significant setback due to devastating floods in north-western Pakistan, followed by disruptions in oil supplies during the Russia-Ukraine war. These events made it challenging to pay high tariffs on imported oil, contributing to the current crisis.

Oman Creates History as First Foreign Government to Promote Country through Yoga

In a pioneering initiative, the Indian Embassy in the Sultanate of Oman introduced an innovative video called 'Soulful Yoga, Serene Oman' on the eve of the International Day of Yoga 2023.
The video showcases yoga enthusiasts from different countries performing beautiful yoga poses against stunning backdrops such as mountains, beaches, and sand dunes in and around Muscat.
What makes this video unique is its collaboration with the Government of Oman.
The Indian Embassy partnered with 'Visit Oman,' a subsidiary of Oman's Ministry of Tourism, to produce the video. This marked the first instance of a foreign government using yoga to promote its own country.
The video not only demonstrates the increasing popularity and acceptance of yoga as a health practice worldwide but also highlights its growing prominence in Oman.

World Bank to Approve Aid Package worth 700 Million to Sri Lanka

The World Bank is likely to approve $700 million in budgetary and welfare support for Sri Lanka at its next board meeting in June, the biggest funding tranche for the crisis-hit island nation since an IMF deal in March 2023.
The economy of the country of 22 million is expected to shrink 2% this year before returning to growth next year.
The International Monetary Fund approved a bailout of nearly $3 billion in March 2023, which Sri Lanka expects will bring additional funding of up to $4 billion from the World Bank, the Asian Development Bank and other multilateral agencies.
Of the proposed World Bank funding, $500 million will be for budgetary support and is likely to come in two tranches of $250 million each.
The remaining $200 million will be earmarked for programmes to assist the poor, whose numbers have doubled to 25% of the population since the onset of the Indian Ocean nation's worst economic crisis early in 2022.

Jun 20, 2023

Xi Jinping, Blinken Agree to Stabilise US-China Relations

China and the United States agreed to stabilise their intense rivalry so it doesn't veer into conflict but failed to produce any major breakthrough during a rare visit to Beijing by US Secretary of State Antony Blinken.
The top US diplomat and Xi both stressed the importance of having a more stable relationship, as any conflict between the world's two largest economies would create global disruption.
However, China refused to entertain Washington's bid to resume military-to-military communication channels and cited US sanctions as the obstacle. The two sides appeared entrenched in their positions over everything from Taiwan to trade, including US actions toward China's chip industry, human rights and Russia's war against Ukraine.

Jun 19, 2023

NITI Aayog and United Nations Join Hands to Accelerate Sustainable Development in India

The Government of India and the United Nations signed the Government of India – United Nations Sustainable Development Cooperation Framework 2023-2027 (GoI-UNSDCF). This collaboration between NITI Aayog, the government policy think tank, and the UN in India aims to advance India's sustainable development goals. The framework focuses on key areas such as gender equality, youth empowerment, human rights, and overall sustainable development, aligning with the 2030 Agenda.
The strategic roadmap aims to achieve India's sustainable development targets.
Four pillars of the framework are: People, Prosperity, Planet, and Participation.
The Six key outcome areas are: health and well-being, quality education, economic growth, environment and climate, and empowerment of individuals and communities.
The strategic roadmap aims to achieve India's sustainable development targets.
Four pillars of the framework: People, Prosperity, Planet, and Participation.
Six key outcome areas: health and well-being, quality education, economic growth, environment and climate, and empowerment of individuals and communities.

African Leaders in Russia to Discuss their Peace Plan with Putin

Russian President Vladimir Putin hosted a group of African leaders who travelled to Russia on a self-styled "peace mission" after their trip to Ukraine.
Seven African leaders — Presidents of Comoros, Senegal, South Africa and Zambia, as well as Egypt's Prime Minister and top envoys from the Republic of Congo and Uganda — visited Ukraine to try to help end their nearly 16-month-old war.
The mission to Ukraine, the first of its kind by African leaders, comes in the wake of other peace initiatives — such as one by China — and carried particular importance for Africa that relies on food and fertiliser deliveries from Russia and Ukraine.

Suresh Srivastava Unanimously Elected as Vice-chairman of Global UN Advocacy Body

Suresh Srivastava, a senior Indian advocate was unanimously elected as the vice-chairman of the World Federation of United Nations Associations (WFUNA), an international UN advocacy body. This appointment reflects the prominent role of the Indian Federation of United Nations Associations (IFUNA), an affiliate body of WFUNA. The election took place during the executive committee meeting of WFUNA, held at the United Nations premises in New York.
Suresh Srivastava in assuming the position of vice-chairman of WFUNA will have significant responsibility in shaping the organization's policies and priorities. He will also contribute to advancing WFUNA's mission on a global scale.
WFUNA is a global non-profit organization that represents and coordinates the membership of more than 100 national United Nations Associations (UNAs) and their constituents. It serves as a platform for collaboration and coordination among these associations, working towards the shared goal of supporting the United Nations and its mission.

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