A meeting of Foreign Ministers from the BRICS countries in South Africa recently was overshadowed by questions about whether Russian President Vladimir Putin would be arrested if he attended a summit of the five-nation bloc in August in Johannesburg. South Africa is thinking about legal options if Russian President, the subject of a war crimes arrest warrant issued by the ICC, did attend the summit. The ICC accused Mr. Putin in March of the war crime of forcibly deporting children from Russian-occupied territory in Ukraine. Moscow denies the allegations. South Africa being an ICC membe, would theoretically be required to....Read More

TURKEY The Turkish President, Recep Tayyip Erdogan, has been relected in the recent election following a tense run-off. Erdogan received 52.14% of votes, beating his rival, Kemal Kilicdaroglu, who won 47.86%. Erdogan is set to extend his rule by another five years, joining the likes of Turkey’s founder, Mustafa Kemal Ataturk, who served for 15 years. NIGERIA Bola Tinubu was sworn in as the President of Nigeria recently, amidst mounting pressure to address the country’s persistent economic and security issues. The inauguration ceremony was held at Eagles Square in the capital city of Abuja.Read More

The Asian Development Bank (ADB) recently rolled out its 2023-27 Country Partnership Strategy (CPS) for India that identifies accelerating structural transformation and job creation, promoting climate-resilient growth, and deepening social and economic inclusiveness as key focus areas. ADB projects India to grow at 6.4% in FY24. As of December 2022, ADB had committed $52.6 billion in public sector loans, grants, and technical assistance in India, as well as $8 billion in private sector investments. ABOUT ASIAN DEVELOPMENT BANK Asian Development Bank (ADB) was established in the year 1966. This bank was modelled on the lines of the World Bank. HQ-....Read More

Girish Chandra Murmu, the Comptroller and Auditor General of India, has been re-elected as the External Auditor of the World Health Organization (WHO) for a four-year term from 2024 to 2027. The re-election took place during the 76th World Health Assembly in Geneva. He was also elected as the External Auditor for the International Labour Organisation (ILO) in March 2023. Additionally, the CAG of India holds the position of External Auditor for other international organizations like Food and Agriculture Organization, International Atomic Energy Agency, and Inter-Parliamentary Union. Function of the External Auditor of the WHO- To conduct independent audits and....Read More

Iraq recently unveiled a $17 billion project named Route of Development project linking Europe, west Asia and Asia. It is an ambitious road and rail infrastructure project. It also envisage development of Grand Faw Port in the oil-rich south of Iraq linking it to the Turkish border. It also envisions facilitating the transportation of tourists and pilgrims to Shiite holy sites in Iraq and the holy city of Mecca in Saudi Arabia for the Haj pilgrimage.Read More

USA hosted the 2nd Indo-Pacific Economic Framework for Prosperity (IPEF) ministerial meeting in Detroit ABOUT INDO-PACIFIC ECONOMIC FRAMEWORK FOR PROSPERITY (IPEF) IPEF is a US led framework for 14 participating countries to solidify their relationships and engage in crucial economic and trade matters that concern the region. IPEF Member countries: The United States, India, Australia, Brunei, Fiji, Indonesia, Japan, South Korea, Malaysia, New Zealand, Philippines, Singapore, Thailand, and Vietnam. The framework is structured around four pillars relating to Trade (Pillar I); Supply Chains (Pillar II); Clean Economy (Pillar III); and Fair Economy (Pillar IV). Framework                    Represents India’s status Pillar....Read More

The Anti-Corruption Working Group meeting under the G20 India Presidency concluded recently at the Tehri, Uttarakhand. ABOUT ANTI-CORRUPTION WORKING GROUP Established in 2010, the G20 Anti-Corruption Working Group (ACWG) reports to G20 Leaders on anti-corruption. The ACWG is chaired by the Presidency of the G20 and a co-chair. Its primary goal is to prepare "comprehensive recommendations for consideration by leaders on how the G20 could continue to make practical and valuable contributions to international efforts to combat corruption". Thematic focus areas include public and private sector integrity and transparency, bribery, international cooperation, asset recovery, beneficial ownership transparency, vulnerable sectors and....Read More

Eurasian Economic Union (EAEU) met recently to speed up efforts on proposed Free Trade Agreement (FTA) with India. It would give India market access to resource-rich Eurasia. FTA is a pact between two or more nations to reduce barriers to imports and exports among them. ABOUT EAEU The Eurasian Economic Union is an international organization for regional economic integration. It came into existence on 1st January 2015. Member states: Armenia, Belarus, Kazakhstan, the Kyrgyz, and Russia. The EAEU provides for free movement of goods, services, capital, and labor within its borders. It pursues, coordinates, & harmonizes the policies in the....Read More

For the second time in a decade, the N.-recognised Global Alliance of National Human Rights Institutions (GANHRI) has deferred the accreditation of National Human Rights Commission of India. It cited objections like political interference in appointments, involving the police in probes into human rights violations, and poor cooperation with civil society. The United Nations’ Paris Principles, adopted in 1993 by the U.N. General Assembly, provide the international benchmarks against which National Human Rights Institutions (NHRI) can be accredited. ABOUT GANHRI Established in 1993 as International Coordinating Committee of National Institutions for promotion and protection of human rights (ICC). Highest deliberative....Read More

Indian Railways has handed over 20 broad gauge (BG) locomotives to Bangladesh in a bid to strengthen bilateral relations. A commitment regarding this was made by the Indian government during Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina’s visit to India in 2019. The locomotives, valued at over Rs 100 crore, will help augment Bangladesh’s railway network and improve passenger and freight trainRead More