General Awareness

INTERNATIONAL AFFAIRS - March 2017

Mar 2017

Aug 29, 2024

Iran Appoints Fatemeh Mohajerani as First Female Government Spokesperson

In Iran, for the first time, a woman is the government spokesperson. At the suggestion of Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian and with the approval of the Cabinet of Ministers, Fatemeh Mohajerani was appointed as the first female government spokesperson.
Fatemeh Mohajerani is the former head of Technical and Vocational Training University of Shariati (for women) in Iran's 11th government. Prior to this, Mohajerani, a noted academician and administrator, had served as the chief of Centre for Brilliant Talents by then-Education Minister Seyyed Mohammad Bat'hai in 2017 and has also held other positions in the country's Education Ministry.

The 2nd Meeting of Joint Russian-Indian Commission

The Second Meeting of the Joint Russian-Indian Commission on the Cooperation in the Field of Emergency Management was held in Moscow, Russia. Nityanand Rai, Minister of State for Home Affairs, India led the Indian delegation.
Vinay Kumar, Ambassador of India to Russia was also present with the Indian delegation comprising of Rajendra Singh, Member & HOD NDMA, Sanjeev Kumar Jindal, Additional Secretary, MHA, Director NRSC and other senior officials of MHA.
The working plan of the Joint Russian- Indian Commission on the Cooperation in the Field of Emergency Management for 2025-2026 was signed by Nityanand Rai, Minister of State for Home Affairs, India and Mr. Kurenkov Aleksandr Vyacheslavovich, Minister of the Russian Federation for Civil Defence, Emergencies and Elimination of Consequences of Natural Disasters (EMERCOM of Russia).
Both the countries agreed to implement this Plan during 2025-2026 and also decided to continue exchange of the best practices and lesson learnt in the field of Disaster Management.

Aug 28, 2024

Former Malaysian PM Muhyiddin Yassin Charged with Sedition for 'Mocking Former King'

Former Malaysian Prime Minister Muhyiddin Yassin was charged with sedition over a speech he made that allegedly questioned the integrity of the country's previous King.
Muhyiddin, who led Malaysia from March 2020 until August 2021, pleaded not guilty in a court in northeast Kelantan state. According to the charge sheet, Muhyiddin made the seditious remarks during a by-election campaign in Kelantan.
Nine ethnic Malay state rulers take turns as Malaysia's king for five-year terms under the country's rotating monarchy, which began when Malaysia gained independence from Britain in 1957. The monarchy plays a largely ceremonial role, but is revered by the nation's majority Muslims.
In his speech, Muhyiddin had questioned why then-King Sultan Abdullah Sultan Ahmad Shah didn't invite him to be prime minister following a hung Parliament in November 2022. Muhyiddin had claimed he had the backing of majority lawmakers.

Aug 27, 2024

Canada to Cut Down on Low-Wage, Foreign Workforce

Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau said that the country would reduce the number of low-wage, foreign workers. He added that it was now time for Canadian businesses to invest in their own workers and youth.
The announcement came after unemployment rate in Canada was at a 30-month high of 6.4 per cent in July 2024.

Aug 26, 2024

Arun Agarwal Named Chairman of Texas Economic Development Corporation

Texas Governor Greg Abbott appointed Dallas-based Indian-American entrepreneur Arun Agarwal as the chairman of the Texas Economic Development Corporation's (TEDC) board of directors. A key public-private partnership with the Governor's Office of Economic Development and Tourism, TEDC is responsible for marketing Texas as the top US state for business, both domestically and globally.
This appointment underscores Texas's commitment to diversity and highlights the growing influence of Indian American leaders in major economic roles.
Agarwal's extensive experience in business, philanthropy, and international relations is expected to further elevate Texas's standing as a global economic powerhouse.

Australia's 'Right to Disconnect' Law: Workers Can Now Ignore After-Hours Emails and Calls

Australia introduced a groundbreaking "right to disconnect" law, allowing workers to ignore work-related emails, texts, and calls outside of their official working hours without fear of repercussions. This new legislation, which took effect on August 26, is a response to the increasing intrusion of work into personal time—a trend exacerbated by the COVID-19 pandemic, which blurred the boundaries between home and the workplace.
The law aims to empower employees by giving them the legal right to refuse after-hours work communications, except in specific cases where it is deemed reasonable to respond.

Second India-Singapore Ministerial Roundtable held in Singapore

Four Union Ministers – Nirmala Sitharaman, Piyush Goyal, S. Jaishankar and Ashwini Vaishnaw, attended the second India-Singapore Ministerial Roundtable meeting. The ministers interacted with their Singaporean counterparts and leadership.
The ISMR is a unique mechanism established to set a new agenda for India-Singapore bilateral relations. Its inaugural meeting was held in New Delhi in September 2022.
This second meeting enabled both sides to review various aspects of their strategic partnership and identify new avenues to further elevate and broaden it.
For India, Singapore has been a major source of FDI (foreign direct investment).

Zelenskyy Red-flags 'Balancing' Act on War as He Pitches for India to Host Peace Summit

Ukraine President Volodymyr Zelenskyy told Prime Minister Narendra Modi that India can be a possible venue for a peace summit, and New Delhi is examining the offer to bring together the warring parties of Russia and Ukraine.
This came even as Zelenskyy said that he needed India on his side and "not balancing between US and Russia".
The inaugural peace summit was held at a resort near Lucerne in Switzerland in June that was attended by more than 90 countries and global institutions with a sole focus on bringing peace to Ukraine.

Aug 23, 2024

World's Second-largest Diamond Found in Botswana

The second-largest diamond ever found - a rough 2,492-carat stone - was unearthed in Botswana at a mine owned by Canadian firm Lucara Diamond.
It is the biggest find since the 3,106-carat Cullinan diamond, found in South Africa in 1905 and cut into nine separate stones, many of which are in the British Crown Jewels.
The diamond was found at Karowe mine, about 500km (300 miles) north of Botswana's capital, Gaborone.
As per Botswana's government, it is the largest diamond ever discovered in the southern African state.
The previous biggest discovery in Botswana was a 1,758-carat stone found at the same mine in 2019.
Botswana is one of the world's biggest producer of diamonds, accounting for about 20% of global production.

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