General Awareness

INTERNATIONAL AFFAIRS - October 2017

Oct 2017

Jan 30, 2024

India, Other Nations Attend Conclave Organised By Taliban in Kabul

India was among 10-odd countries which attended a conclave in Kabul organised by the Taliban with a broader aim for regional cooperation. India has not yet recognised the Taliban setup and has been pitching for the formation of a truly inclusive government in Kabul.
The participating countries included India, Kazakhstan, Turkey, Russia, China, Iran, Pakistan, Uzbekistan, Turkmenistan, Indonesia and Kyrgyzstan. Russia was represented at the conclave by its special representative for Afghanistan, Zamir Kabulov.
The Regional Cooperation Initiative meeting was addressed by the Taliban regime's acting Foreign Minister Amir Khan Muttaqi.

Bhutan's Liberal Tobgay Becomes Prime Minister after Fourth Free Vote

Bhutan's liberal politician Tshering Tobgay, leader of the People's Democratic Party (PDP), officially began his second term as Prime Minister, following elections earlier this month (January 2024).
Tobgay is the country's fourth freely elected Prime Minister since democracy was established in the Himalayan kingdom 15 years ago. A former bureaucrat and an advocate for Bhutan's Buddhist culture, he was previously Prime Minister from 2013 to 2018. He was also the leader of opposition in the parliament set up after the first free vote in 2008 until 2013.

Three West African States Quit ECOWAS Regional Block

Niger, Mali and Burkina Faso, three West African states led by the military, immediately left the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS), a regional economic bloc that has been urging them to return to democratic rule.
The decision by the three, announced in a simultaneous joint statement is a blow to the bloc's regional integration efforts after it suspended the three following coups.
The bloc had previously said that it does not recognise the military-led governments, vowing that coups would no longer be tolerated after the military takeovers in Mali, Burkina Faso and Guinea and an attempted coup in Guinea-Bissau.

Jan 26, 2024

Canada Officially Adds India to its Probe of Election Meddling

Escalating further diplomatic tensions with India, Canada officially added India to its probe of election meddling. The country's public inquiry into foreign interference will examine whether India interfered in Ottawa's national elections or not in 2019 and 2021.
Prime Minister Justin Trudeau initiated the probe in 2023, following the leak of intelligence documents to the media. The leaks talked in depth about China's interference in Canada's elections by supporting candidates friendly to President Xi Jinping's government.
The commission tasked with the job confirmed that Prime Minister Narendra Modi's government was indeed under investigation.
Interestingly, this is the first time that New Delhi's name has been dragged into the election interference process despite China being a notable one, in addition to Russia and other state and non-state actors.

Jan 25, 2024

Swiss Financial Regulator Gets a New Leader

Switzerland's financial markets authority got a new Chief Executive as the rich Alpine country looks at ways to strengthen regulations after UBS hurriedly took over ailing rival Credit Suisse last year (2023) partly to prevent a global banking meltdown.
The Swiss government selected Stefan Walter, a German national who was director-general of the European Central Bank for the last decade, to head the Swiss financial authority known as FINMA.

Jan 24, 2024

Vienna International Arbitral Centre Appoints Arush Khanna as India's First-Ever Ambassador

The Vienna International Arbitral Centre (VIAC) announced the appointment of Arush Khanna, Co-Founder & Partner, Numen Law Offices as its ambassador for India, marking a historic moment in the institution's 47-year history.
Khanna, who is also a Fellow at the Chartered Institute of Arbitrators, London and an Officer of the International Bar Association brings a wealth of expertise in Commercial Disputes and Arbitration to this role.

Turkey Ratifies Sweden's Much-delayed NATO Bid, Ball Now in Hungary's Court

The Turkish parliament gave its long-awaited approval to Sweden's NATO membership, pushing the Nordic country significantly closer to the Western military alliance.
Three months after Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan submitted a bill which approved Sweden's membership to parliament, the country's MPs voted in favour of ratification.
NATO chief Jens Stoltenberg welcomed the approval of Turkey and appealed to Hungary to do the same, appealing Budapest to "complete its national ratification as soon as possible.
The approval by Turkey made Hungary the only country left to ratify Swedish membership.

Jan 23, 2024

Scott Morrison Former Australian Prime Minister to Quit Politics

Former Prime Minister Scott Morrison announced he will retire from politics at the end of February, ending a 16-year career in federal parliament, including four served as Prime Minister.
Morrison, a conservative who was first elected in 2007, was the country's leader from 2018 to 2022.
He oversaw Australia's pandemic response, the Aukus defence pact, and was embroiled in a historic scandal for secretly appointing himself to several ministerial positions while PM.

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