International instituitions

Finland joins NATO. NATO is the North Atlantic Treaty Organization. It’s a military and political alliance that was founded in 1949 in response to the actions of the Soviet Union. In 1955, the Warsaw Pact was formed by the Soviet Union and seven Eastern bloc nations as a collective defense treaty in response to NATO. Members: There were 12 founding members of the alliance …

The United Nations 2023 Water Conference held recently was the first such meeting in 46 years. What is the Water Conference? The UN 2023 Water Conference is formally known as the 2023 Conference for the Midterm Comprehensive Review of Implementation of the UN Decade for Action on Water and Sanitation (2018-2028). It was held …

Nothing lasts forever, neither the good times nor the bad times. Therefore, over centuries, numerous ancient texts and philosophers have advised people to prepare for the inevitable downturn, while enjoying the present upturn. For instance, Christine Lagarde, the former chief and managing director of the IMF and current president of the European Central …

The International Monetary Fund (IMF) confirmed a $3 billion bailout plan for Sri Lanka’s struggling economy. What is a bailout? Bailout is a general term for extending financial support to a company or a country facing a potential bankruptcy threat. It can take the form of loans, cash, bonds, or stock purchases. A bailout may or may not …

Former Brazilian President Dilma Rousseff has been unanimously elected as the head of New Development Bank (NDB). The New Development Bank (NDB) was formerly referred to as the BRICS Development Bank. It is a multilateral development bank established by the BRICS countries (Brazil, Russia, India, China and South Africa). The Agreement on the New Development …

The International Monetary Fund (IMF) last week confirmed a $3 billion bailout plan for Sri Lanka’s struggling economy. IMF officials are also in negotiations with Pakistan for a $1.1 billion bailout plan as the country faces a severe economic crisis marked by a falling currency and price rise. Why do …

The International Criminal Court issued an arrest warrant for war crimes for Russian  President. The court says Putin bears individual criminal responsibility for the abduction and deportation of Ukrainian children since Russia’s full-scale invasion began. Russia has defended the transfers on humanitarian grounds. What is the International Criminal Court? The International Criminal Court is an intergovernmental organization and international tribunal. It is the first and only permanent international …

The Supreme Court of the United States (SCOTUS) has begun hearing two pivotal lawsuits that will for the first time ask it to interpret Section 230 of the U.S. Communications Decency Act of 1996, the law that has shielded tech companies from liabilities over decades. The lawsuits pose a long-standing …

While assuming the G-20 presidency in December 2022, India stated that its agenda would be inclusive, ambitious, action-oriented, and decisive. New Delhi also said that its primary objectives are to build global consensus over critical development and security issues and deliver global goods. This resulted in placing multilateral reform as …

During the recent meeting of Quad members in New Delhi, the Foreign Ministers of the Quad countries called for lasting peace in Ukraine and, in an indirect reference to the Russian invasion, underlined respect for territorial sovereignty and integrity. They also addressed China’s aggressive behavior in the Indo-Pacific and its attempts to block the UN designation of …

World Hearing Day is celebrated on the 3rd of March each year to raise awareness on how to prevent deafness and hearing loss and promote ear and hearing care across the world. Each year, the World Health Organization (WHO) determines the theme. The theme of this year is “Ear and hearing care for all”. Normal hearing …

According to the Academic Freedom Index report, India’s academic freedom index is in the bottom 30% among 179 countries in 2022. Academic freedom refers to the principle that scholars and researchers should have the freedom to pursue their research and express their findings without interference, censorship, or retaliation from the government, private institutions, or …

In 1959, the United Nations General Assembly adopted the Declaration of the Rights of the Child, the first charter of its kind ensuring basic rights to all children below 18 years, with these words: “Mankind owes to the child the best it can give.” Yet, as is well-documented, children, because …

The crucial hurdle in the way of reforming the United Nations comes from the disunited state of the UN General Assembly (UNGA), Csaba Korosi, President of the 77th UNGA, said here on Monday. Speaking at a media stakeout, Mr. Korosi, who arrived here on Sunday on a four-day visit ahead …

Israel’s Defence Minister signalled on Friday that the military would stop its air strikes if Palestinian militant groups halted rocket attacks, a day after the deadliest Israeli raid in decades raised the prospect of a major flare-up in fighting. The limited exchange of fire between Gaza militants and the Israeli …

Six million Jews were murdered in cold blood — a consequence of the worst form of government-sponsored antisemitism in Nazi-Germany. Today, on International Holocaust Remembrance Day (January 27), we remember those who became the victims of the unprecedented and systematic killings. Remembering the dead is our responsibility, and fighting against …

The lifting of COVID-19 restrictions in China is set to boost global oil demand this year to a record high, the International Energy Agency (IEA) said on Wednesday, while price cap sanctions on Russia could dent supply. “Two wild cards dominate the 2023 oil market outlook: Russia and China,” the …

The Government’s summit for developing nations, called the “Voice of the Global South Summit”, as its first big leadership-level G20 event, is an extremely important signal. It is also a departure from New Delhi’s looking towards the “high-table” of global leadership, involving its relationship with the UNSC P5 and G-7 …

India has welcomed the designation of Lashkar-e-Taiba (LeT) deputy chief Abdur Rehman Makki as a sanctioned terrorist by the UN Security Council, after China withdrew the “technical hold” it had placed on the listing last year. Makki, the brother-in-law of 26/11 mastermind Hafiz Saeed, is on the most wanted lists …

The ISIL and Al-Qaida Sanctions Committee of the UN Security Council (UNSC) has placed Abdul Rehman Makki, a fundraiser and key planner of the Pakistan-based terrorist outfit Lashkar-e-Taiba (LeT), on its sanctions list. The move was made possible after China withdrew the “technical hold” that it had imposed last June, …