General Awareness

INTERNATIONAL AFFAIRS - May 2017

May 2017

Jul 10, 2023

New Zealand Prime Minister Hipkins Signs Ambitious Trade Deal with EU

Prime Minister Chris Hipkins seal a historic deal that will remove 91% of duties on New Zealand goods and is worth an estimated $1.8 billion annually to Kiwi exporters.
While there has been much focus on the monetary benefits and value of the deal, this agreement also marked strengthening of ties at a time when there are big geopolitical tensions.

Dutch Government Collapses

Dutch Prime Minister Mark Rutte's government collapsed after coalition parties failed to reach an agreement on immigration policy. The parties were unable to bridge their differences on how to handle the issue, which has become increasingly divisive in the Netherlands in recent years.
The Dutch government coalition, which formed 18 months ago, went into crisis when PM Rutte had proposed to limit the right to family reunions for refugees from war zones to 200 people per month after a period of two years. The proposal was unacceptable to two of the coalition parties, D66 and the Christian Union, and led to a major escalation of the differences between the parties.

Jul 08, 2023

Iceland is the Most Peaceful Country in the World

The 2023 Global Peace Index released its annual ranking of the most peaceful countries in the world.
The Institute for Economics and Peace 2023 study measured a country's level of negative peace using three domains of peacefulness: Ongoing domestic and international conflict, Societal safety and security, Militarization/
Overall the index found that the world is a little less safe than last year, due to the impacts of the COVID-19 pandemic, which is unchanged from the 2022 survey results.
While the United States ranked 131 on the list, seven out of the top 10 most peaceful countries in the world are in Europe.
Iceland remained the most peaceful country in the world since the study was first released in 2008.
It also ranked as the third happiest country in the world, after Finland and Denmark.
The top 10 most peaceful countries in the world are: Iceland, Denmark, Ireland, New Zealand, Austria, Singapore, Portugal, Slovenia, Japan and Switzerland.

Jul 06, 2023

Scotland Marks Coronation of King Charles III and Queen Camilla

Scotland marked the coronation of King Charles and his wife Camilla with a grand procession full of pageantry and a solemn church service where he was presented with the 'Honours of Scotland', Britain's oldest crown jewels. Charles and Camilla were crowned in London's Westminster Abbey in May in front of about 100 world leaders in Britain's biggest ceremonial event for seven decades.

UAE Establishes New Ministry of Investment to Boost Economic Competitiveness

The United Arab Emirates (UAE) established of a new Ministry of Investment, which is aimed at developing the investment vision of the country and enhancing its competitiveness in the global market.
Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum, Vice President, Prime Minister of the UAE, and Ruler of Dubai, chaired the UAE Cabinet meeting, where the decision was made.
Under the directives of President Sheikh Mohamed bin Zayed Al Nahyan, the UAE Cabinet approved the establishment of the Ministry of Investment and appointed Mohamed Hassan Al Suwaidi as the minister.
The ministry's main responsibilities include proposing investment policies, preparing strategies and legislation, and implementing national programs to promote the investment environment and enhance its competitiveness.
The establishment of the Ministry of Investment reflects the UAE's commitment to attracting investments in various sectors and leveraging its world-class infrastructure as a global platform.

Jul 05, 2023

NATO Agrees to Extend Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg's Tenure

NATO's members extended the tenure of alliance chief Jens Stoltenberg for one year, after struggling to find a replacement in the shadow of Russia's war in Ukraine.
The announcement came one week ahead of a summit of NATO leaders in Lithuania that will be dominated by the Western military alliance's response to the war and Ukraine's push for membership.
NATO countries made the call to extend the tenure of the former Norwegian Prime Minister, at the helm of the alliance since 2014, after failing to agree an obvious replacement.
Others seen as potential candidates, including Danish Prime Minister Mette Frederiksen and British Defence Minister Ben Wallace, had dropped out of contention.

China's Qu-Dongyu Re-elected Unopposed as Head of FAO

At the 43rd session of conference of United Nation Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) held at FAO's headquarter, Rome Qu-Dongyu was re-elected as a Director General of United Nations Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO).
In 2019, Qu-Dongyu was elected as the head of the UN agency and he is the first Chinese national to serve in the position.
Since assuming office, Qu-Dongyu had actively led the FAO to address the challenges in global food security and contribute to the food and agriculture development of all countries, especially developing countries.
His efforts were recognised by FAO member nations and re-elected him as the Director General of the FAO by getting 168 votes out of 182 votes.

Jul 04, 2023

Senegal President Macky Sall Ends Speculation, Rules Out Re-election Bid

Putting an end to all speculations, Senegal President Macky Sall announced that he will not seek re-election in the upcoming elections scheduled for February 2024. Speculations had been circulating that Sall would attempt to extend his time in office, which led to unrest and violence in the country since 2021. Critics argued that a third term would be illegal, causing concerns about a potential democratic decline in Senegal.
By declaring his intention not to run for another term, President Sall's announcement is expected to alleviate fears of a democratic regression in Senegal.

Canada's First Turbaned Police Officer Baltej Singh Dhillon Appointed Chair of WorkSafeBC Board o...

Baltej Singh Dhillon, the first turbaned Sikh officer in the Royal Canadian Mounted Police (RCMP), was appointed Chair of WorkSafeBC's Board of Directors, making him the first South Asian to hold the top post.
Dhillon, a member of the Board since 2017, was appointed for a three-year term effective after an announcement by Minister of Labour, Harry Bains.
He will be committed to WorkSafeBC's role in investigating serious workplace incidents to prevent similar incidents from happening again.
The WorkSafeBC is a provincial agency dedicated to promoting safe and healthy workplaces across British Columbia.
Dhillon retired from the police force in 2019 after a three-decade-long career working in intelligence, special enforcement, protection services, and in investigations for the 1985 Air India bombing task force and the Pickton case.

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