General Awareness

INTERNATIONAL AFFAIRS - March 2017

Mar 2017

Feb 11, 2023

India Ranks Fifth in Accreditation Systems in the World

India's national accreditation system under the Quality Council of India (QCI) was ranked fifth out of 184 countries in the world.
In 2020, India was ranked ninth in the world in accreditation.
The statement came in the backdrop of the Global Quality Infrastructure Index (GQII) 2021 that was released in December, 2022. The GQII ranks the 184 economies in the world on the basis of the quality infrastructure (QI).
The GQII rankings are published and presented post-facto for each year based on the data collected till the end of that year. The 2021 rankings are based on data till the end of December 2021, collected and analysed through 2022. It is an initiative on metrology, standardisation, accreditation and related services, supported by Physikalisch-Technische Bundesanstalt (PTB) and the Federal Ministry for Economic Cooperation and Development (BMZ), Germany.

Pakistan Signs Deal with International Monetary Fund (IMF) over Stalled Bailout Package

Cash-strapped Pakistan and the IMF signed a staff-level agreement after tough parleys, unlocking over $1 billion loan tranche under Extended Fund Facility (EFF) for the country's ailing economy.
A meeting took place between Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif and the International Monetary Fund (IMF) delegation, where the mission informed the premier about the agreement.
The two sides discussed all aspects of the ailing economy of Pakistan and the fund insisted on tough conditions, including increase in electricity and gas prices and raising new taxes, to bridge the gap in the budget deficit.
The two sides had finally reached consensus over the details of the lending programme.

Feb 10, 2023

Iran Unveils Underground Air Force Base Codenamed 'Eagle 44'

Iran unveiled its first underground air force base, which is capable of storing fighter jets armed with long-range cruise missiles. The base - named Oghab 44 ("Eagle" in Persian) - can accommodate "all types of fighter jets and bombers, in addition to drones. The exact location of the base has not been revealed, but as per reports it is at the depth of hundreds of metres under the mountains.

Feb 09, 2023

New British Stamp with Image of King Charles III Unveiled

Britain's Royal Mail unveiled the first postage stamps to feature the image of King Charles III, following his ascension to the throne last September.
The new so-called "definitive stamp", intended for everyday use and consisting solely of the monarch's head, the stamp's value and a barcode, will go on general sale from April 4.
The image, which was approved by Charles himself, is adapted from the official effigy that appears on new UK coins after he succeeded his mother, Queen Elizabeth II.

India Highest Attacked Country by Hackers in Asia, 2nd Globally in 2022

As per a report, India was the highest attacked country by hackers in Asia and the second-most attacked country globally (after the US) in 2022.
The number of cyber attacks on India increased by 24.3 per cent last year.
Asia-Pacific remained the most targeted region globally, receiving 20.4 per cent of all attacks in 2021 and 24.1 per cent of all attacks in 2022.
The year 2022 observed an increase in cybercrime with a surge in sophisticated and targeted cyber attacks. This can be attributed to an increase in underground activity leading to a rise in utility of malicious tools and malware.

Quad Nations Launch Public Campaign to Enhance Cyber Security

The Quadrilateral Security Dialogue or Quad comprising India, United States, Japan and Australia launched a public campaign 'Quad Cyber Challenge' to improve cyber security across their nations.
The Quad invited Internet users across the Indo-Pacific and beyond to become part of the challenge and practice "safe and responsible cyber habits.
The 'Quad Cyber Challenge' shows the continuous efforts of Quad nations to bolster cyber security awareness and action and to foster a more secure and resilient cyber ecosystem to benefit economies and users.

Feb 08, 2023

Indian-Origin Banker Appointed Chair of Centre for Australia-India Relations

A veteran Indian-origin senior banking executive, Swati Dave, was named the inaugural Chair of the Advisory Board to the Centre for Australia-India Relations, a national platform to strengthen the relationship between the two countries.
Australian Foreign Affairs Minister Penny Wong, announcing Dave's appointment, said that the Centre, to be launched this year, will promote a stronger business and cultural understanding between Australia and India.
Dave brings valuable strategic, leadership and business experience to the role from her extensive senior executive and non-executive director roles across the public and private sectors.
Dave currently serves as Deputy Chair of Asia Society Australia and as a member of the National Foundation for Australia-China Relations Advisory Board.

Myanmar and Russia Sign Pact on Developing Nuclear Power

Myanmar's military-led government, working with Russia's state atomic energy company, inaugurated a nuclear power information centre as a step toward developing atomic power to fill energy shortages in the strife-torn Southeast Asian nation.
The head of the military government, Senior Gen. Min Aung Hlaing, met with Alexey Evgenievich Likhachev, director general of the Russian State Atomic Energy Corp., or Rosatom.
Myanmar hopes to build and operate a reactor under a preliminary agreement between Myanmar and Rosatom that was signed in 2015. The two sides signed memorandums of understanding in Moscow in July (2023) on nuclear energy, training and promotion of public understanding of atomic power.
The development is likely to ignite concerns that Myanmar's military would like to develop a nuclear weapons capability.

Apsara Iyer First Indian-American Student to be Elected President of Harvard Law Review

A second year Indian-American student at Harvard Law School was elected president of the prestigious Harvard Law Review, becoming the first woman from the community to be named to the position in the prestigious publication's 136-year history.
Apsara Iyer was elected the 137th president of the Harvard Law Review, which was founded in 1887 and is among the oldest student-run legal scholarship publications.
Iyer's distinguished predecessors in the role include Supreme Court Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg and former president Barack Obama.

Feb 07, 2023

China and Australia Trade Ministers Hold their First Meeting since 2019

Australian and Chinese trade ministers held their first bilateral meeting in three years as Australia urged China to lift official and unofficial barriers that are costing exporters 20 billion Australian dollars ($14 billion) a year.
China thawed its diplomatic freeze on Australia since Prime Minister Anthony Albanese's center-left Labor Party was elected in May for the first time in nine years.
Trade Minister Don Farrell said that he and his Chinese counterpart Wang Wentao had agreed to enhance dialogue at all levels as a pathway "towards the timely and full resumption of trade."

Turkey Earthquake: Historical ''Gaziantep Castle'' in South-eastern Turkey Collapses

The partial destruction of a Roman-era castle 'Gaziantep Castle' in the Turkish city of Gaziantep led to fears that two earthquakes that struck may have damaged other priceless monuments in Turkey and Syria, areas rich in cultural heritage.
Photos of Gaziantep Castle, considered one of the best-preserved citadels in Turkey, showed parts of its stone walls had cascaded down the side of the fort.
Syria and Turkey are considered cradles of human civilisation and home to some of the world's most precious relics of antiquity, boasting several UNESCO world heritage sites, including the ancient city of Aleppo, already ravaged by the Syrian civil war.

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