General Awareness

INTERNATIONAL AFFAIRS - January 2018

Jan 2018

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.

Feb 06, 2023

India, France, UAE Establish Trilateral Cooperation Initiative

India, France and the United Arab Emirates (UAE) announced the creation of a formal trilateral cooperation initiative for projects in solar and nuclear energy, the fight against climate change and joint production of military hardware.
The initiative will also act as a platform to bolster cooperation on sustainable projects between the development agencies of the three countries, which will also work to align their economic, technological and social policies with the objectives of the Paris Agreement.
The initiative follows the first meeting of the foreign ministers of India, France and the UAE on the margins of the UN General Assembly in New York on September 19, 2022. External Affairs Minister S. Jaishankar and his counterparts from France and the UAE – Catherine Colonna and Sheikh Abdullah bin Zayed Al Nahyan – adopted a roadmap for implementing the initiative.
The three Foreign Ministers had agreed at their meeting last year to establish the trilateral cooperation initiative in line with the shared desire to promote international stability and prosperity and to build on constructive and collaborative ties between the three countries.

U.S. Shoots Down Chinese Balloon over the Atlantic

The United States downed a suspected Chinese spy balloon off the Carolina coast on orders from President Joe Biden after it traversed sensitive military sites across North America, becoming the latest flashpoint in tensions between Washington and Beijing.
This is not the first time Chinese spy balloons have crossed into U.S. airspace in recent years. At least three times during the Trump administration and at least one other time during Biden's time as President they've seen balloons cross, but not for this long.
China denied any claims of spying and said it is a civilian-use balloon intended for meteorology research. The Ministry of Foreign Affairs emphasized that the balloon's journey was out of its control and urged the U.S. not to "smear" it because of the balloon.

PM Modi Emerges most Popular Global Leader

Prime Minister Narendra Modi was pegged as the world's most popular leader with an approval rating of 78 per cent as per a survey by a US-based consulting firm 'Morning Consult.'
As per the rating PM Modi's ratings trumped those of other leaders including US President Joe Biden, French President Emmanuel Macron and UK Prime Minister Rishi Sunak. The poll surveyed 22 global leaders for the ratings.
The "Global Leader Approval" survey was based on data collected from January 26-31 this year (2023).
Mexican President Andrés Manuel López Obrador came in second with 68 per cent ratings and Swiss President Alain Berset occupied the third position with 62 per cent approval rating.

Feb 05, 2023

Muraleedharan Attendd Lanka's Independence Day Celebrations

State Minister for External Affairs V. Muraleedharan represented India at Sri Lanka's 75th Independence Day celebrations held on February 4 and hold bilateral interactions with President Ranil Wickremesinghe and Foreign Minister Ali Sabry.
Along with Muraleedharan, several other foreign dignitaries, including the head of the Commonwealth Patricia Scotland attended the main event in the capital, Colombo.

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