#Geopolitics Current Affairs 2023

[moneyhustlers]

Latest International Current Affairs Questions and Answers 2023

Here you can read the latest international current affairs Questions and Answers for 2023 1. Q: What is the rank of India in the Energy Transition Index released by the World Economic Forum? (a) 67th (b) 100th (c) 7th (d) 120th The answer is (A) 2. Q: What is the rank of the Indian men’s football team in the recently released FIFA rankings? (a) 99th (b) 100th (c) 50th (d) 10th The answer is…

[worldcurrentaffairs]

Exploring the Global Tapestry: 50 Current Affairs Questions and Answers .

Here we discuss about the world current affairs in a question and answer form that everyone  must know if you are a  student , teacher you must learned this top 50 world current affairs In which we covered all the country currency , top current news question , general knowledge , basic general knowledge , hard 2023 current affairs such as game , book authors , river ..

Question :  What is the capital of Australia? 

Answer : Read More

[mariacallous]

In June 2022, U.S. President Joe Biden nominated Robert Forden to be the next U.S. ambassador to Cambodia. Forden, a senior career diplomat, would take the helm of an embassy in a strategically important region of Southeast Asia where Washington is struggling to blunt growing Chinese military and geopolitical influence.

Forden has yet to take the job, however. His nomination has been stuck in the Senate for more than two years, emblematic of a wider backlog of senior national security posts that have sat empty for months or even years amid political impasse in Congress.

Dozens of Biden’s nominees for top national security jobs, including many ambassador posts, have sat unfilled as political disputes and crowded congressional calendars delay or entirely halt the confirmation process.

Both Democrats and Republicans agree that the backlog poses a national security risk as the United States tries to compete on a global scale with adversaries—including Russia and China. And each side blames the other for the mess.

Foreign Policy interviewed a dozen lawmakers, Senate staffers, and current and former senior national security officials from both Republican and Democratic administrations about the issue, as well as reviewed a trove of internal congressional documents on the matter that have not been previously reported on.

While the nomination process has long been mired in delays and politicking, these officials and lawmakers have expressed increasing alarm over how broken the nomination process has become. Tensions between the committee and State Department have flared up over the matter, both in public hearings and behind the scenes.

“It’s really a disaster,” said one senior Democratic Senate staffer, who—like others—spoke on condition of anonymity to discuss sensitive internal committee matters.

Lawmakers and aides expect no fix to the backlog when Congress comes back from recess next month, particularly as both parties shift their focus to the upcoming elections in November.

Republicans have opposed some of Biden’s nominees, including Forden, due to the nominees’ backgrounds, but others are caught in wider policy disputes between Capitol Hill and the administration.

Seasoned Capitol Hill and State Department veterans say that the statistics are startling. Forden’s nomination has sat in the Senate for nearly 600 days, but he is not alone. Margaret Taylor, Biden’s nominee to be the top legal advisor to the State Department, was initially nominated more than 480 days ago. Andrew Plitt, the nominee to be the top U.S. Agency for International Development official on Middle East issues, has sat in limbo awaiting Senate confirmation for more than 330 days even as the humanitarian crisis in Gaza spirals to dangerous new levels. Michael Sfraga, the nominee to be the U.S. envoy for Arctic affairs, was initially nominated 554 days ago; David Kostelancik, a senior career diplomat, was nominated to be the U.S. ambassador to Albania 578 days ago.

Erik Woodhouse, the nominee to be the top U.S. sanctions coordinator—a key post for coordinating the economic response to Russia’s invasion of Ukraine—withdrew his name from consideration after nearly a year of impasse. That post has been vacant since October, 2023.

All told, there are 45 nominees for senior national security posts awaiting action from the Senate.

The Senate Foreign Relations Committee is at the center of the backlog. This committee, historically a bastion of bipartisan work even as the rest of Congress descends into hyperpartisanship, oversees the vetting and confirmation for senior jobs at the State Department, U.S. Agency for International Development, and other foreign affairs agencies.

The committee is led by Maryland Democratic Sen. Ben Cardin, the chairman, and Idaho Sen. Jim Risch, the ranking Republican. Cardin took over the committee after Democratic Sen. Bob Menendez was charged (and later convicted) of federal bribery charges related to his ties with foreign governments.

Democrats say that the Republican side is the root cause of all the backlogs. Some Republican lawmakers—including Texas Sen. Ted Cruz and Ohio Sen. J.D. Vance (now former President Donald Trump’s vice presidential running mate)—have, in the past, put sweeping blanket holds on Biden’s foreign affairs nominees, which administration officials and Democrats say have wreaked havoc on the nomination process and unfairly put career diplomats in the crosshairs of partisan political disputes.

Democrats now say that Risch is stalling meetings to move nominees out of the committee to the Senate-wide floor votes for confirmation.

“In the past when there’s been a backlog, the chair and ranking member have worked together to make sure we are moving nominees quickly through the committee process,” said the senior Democratic Senate staffer. “The opposite has been happening in this Congress.”

“It’s making the prospect of them getting confirmed in a timely fashion almost impossible,” the staffer added.

Risch and his team strongly push back on these assertions, pointing out that some nominees delayed themselves by not submitting all the proper paperwork on time, and that Risch opposed others on the merits of their credentials.

Risch opposed one batch of nominations, including Forden, for example, over Forden’s tenure as the U.S. Embassy in China’s second-in-command during the COVID-19 pandemic. Risch has alleged that Forden did not do enough to protect embassy personnel from onerous Chinese government pandemic testing and quarantine environments. Forden’s supporters pushed back against this allegation, saying these issues were out of his control as deputy chief of mission in Beijing during an unprecedented and difficult moment in a global pandemic, and that decisions on how the State Department dispatched its diplomats to China and accepted quarantine conditions were made in Washington, not by Forden.

In other cases, Risch said he has held nominees as the sole way to pressure the administration to provide information on administration policies that he said he needed to conduct proper congressional oversight. He also said Democrats have been stalling on GOP-crafted legislation to sanction the International Criminal Court within the Foreign Relations Committee.

“I’ve always worked in good faith to move nominations, even when the same courtesy has not been extended to me,” he told Foreign Policy in a statement. “At this time I am still engaged in serious conversations with the State Department regarding their nominees and my oversight efforts. I have not received adequate information on a number of issues. That said, I have made clear that there is a path forward if the majority party and the State Department would do their part.”

In March, Risch sent a private letter to Richard Verma, the deputy secretary of state for management and resources, castigating the State Department for being “unresponsive and dismissive in its attitude toward basic information requests” from the committee, according to a copy of the letter obtained by Foreign Policy. Republicans say this issue has not gone away in the months since.

A spokesperson for the State Department said that Secretary of State Antony Blinken and other top department leaders, including Varma and Deputy Secretary of State Kurt Campbell, have engaged with Congress repeatedly to move the backlog. The empty positions are often filled in a temporary capacity by lower-level officials.

Yet the delays are causing increasing anger and frustration on the Democratic side and leading to the perception that the Senate Foreign Relations Committee is effectively paralyzed, as Punchbowl News has also reported. “There comes a point in time you’ve got to vote, you’ve got to bring [nominees] up. And if you’re trying to hold them for leverage, I don’t want any part of that,” Cardin told a group of reporters, including Punchbowl and Foreign Policy, last month.

“It’s a perennial problem to get certain people confirmed, but it’s not a perennial problem to see this intense level of obstruction from all levels of nominations, including career diplomats and technocrats,” noted another Democratic aide.

At least 21 of the senior national security positions are for ambassador posts in countries or institutions—such as the United Nations—that the U.S. government considers particularly susceptible to influence from China, according to another Foreign Relations Committee document reviewed by Foreign Policy. All of those countries have Chinese ambassadors in place.

“We are giving up a strategic ability to compete in those countries. … China’s ambassadors are pressing the flesh, cutting deals, getting their narrative out in local media outlets,” Cardin said at a public hearing last month on U.S. competition with China.

“When we don’t have an ambassador in place, our adversaries fill the void,” the State Department spokesperson said.

[maybe-boys-do-love]

So related to the news about Thailand today, I want to detail a thing i noticed when writing a longer piece about Boston on Only Friends, because I think especially watching as foreigners, we can forget or ignore some really cool subtextual commentary that's happening in the QL shows we're watching.

We learn a couple episodes in that Boston's dad is running for office. When we first meet Boston's dad, Nick is working on his campaign flyer, which reads among other slogans, "Give me a chance to improve." (Thanks to @thaisongsengsub for the translation). Boston enters the scene wearing a graphic tee that says 1998. In 1998, the Thai Rak Thai party was founded in Thailand by Thaksin Shinawatra, who would become the first democratically elected prime minister of Thailand to serve a full term in 2001. According to the Guardian article where much of my info's coming from, he "introduced a universal healthcare scheme, village funds to stimulate growth, as well as policies to boost entrepreneurship and help the country recover from the Asian financial crisis. He also presided over the repayment of the debt Thailand owed to the IMF ahead of schedule."

In 2006 Thaksin Shinawatra was deposed by a military coup and his party was outlawed. Only Friends spoiler alert: Just as Boston lives in exile from his friend group and from Thailand by the series' end, Shinawatra would live in self-imposed exile beginning in 2008 and lasting fifteen years to avoid legal charges. Interestingly the former prime minister returned for the first time the same month that Only Friends premiered, August of 2023 (upon his return he was promptly put into custody).

A new incarnation of this populist neoliberal party formed after the dissolution of Thai Rak Thai, the People's Power Party, followed by Pheu Thai Party when the PPP was dissolved. Shinawatra's younger sister, Yingluck Sinawatra, would take on leadership of the party and become the Thailands first female prime minister from 2011-2014, when her tenure was also ended by the courts and a military coup from which she fled to exile. The party is currently being run by Shinawatra's daughter, Paetongtarn Shinawatra.

The Move Forward Party, a more progressive Thai party, that was dissolved by the courts yesterday had previously been part of a coalition in Parliament with the Pheu Thai Party but decided to not vote for its candidate for Prime Minister after the PTP decided to include more conservative parties that supported the military junta in its coalition also in August of 2023 (you know, the period Only Friends was being written), as reported by Bangkok Post. All this is to say that there were a lot of politics in Thailand happening around the time of Only Friends.

For those willing to observe Jane Austen's "fine brush strokes" that she uses to offer portraits of romance, you'll find observations that would've otherwise been censored on slavery, the military, estate law, and most obviously, marriage law and female citizenship. Thai BL series don't have to be as explicit as Not Me to comment on political affairs. In fact, because of the political situation some of their commentaries require a deft touch like the one we see in Only Friends. I don't want to say exactly how I think Only Friends interprets the political situation it hints at here. Hopefully you can at least see that this idea of improvement, inclusion, and exile is as tied to the concept of friendship on Only Friends as it is to Thai politics. I only want to recommend that you watch for how QLs address class, political actors, geopolitics, and condemnation more broadly because to my eyes, they are doing some of the most subtle but radical commentary happening in any contemporary media, which I won't say makes them better or worse, but goddamn does it make them interesting.

[rolandneptune]

Fusako Shigenobu, In Her Own Words

Risograph 10 page zine, 2023

Layout and design, printmaker

“Fusako Shigenobu, In Her Own Words” is an English translation by Lisa Hofmann-Kuroda of Fusako Shigenobu’s newsletter written in December 2021. Fusako is the former leader of the Japanese Red Army, a communist guerrilla organization which carried out attacks against the embassies of various Western states, the US military, and multinational corporations from the 1970s until the late 1980s, in solidarity with the Popular Front for the Liberation of Palestine (PFLP).

During her time in prison in Japan, Fusako was supported by a small but steadfast group of comrades who called themselves “The Olive Tree.” For over twenty years, this group published a monthly newsletter that allowed Fusako to communicate her thoughts to the outside world, including her reflections on current affairs, particularly the geopolitical situation in the Middle East; daily diary entries detailing her observations from prison; original tanka poems; as well as letter exchanges she had with those who wrote her from the outside. After twenty years incarcerated, Fusako was released in May 2022.

[harrison-abbott]

A Short Review of Oppenheimer (2023)

Why would you want to make a film about Richard Nixon?

Oliver Stone did that in 1995, with Anthony Hopkins starring as Nixon. Hopkins’ portrayal of the President is one of a chronically paranoid, insecure man who is in charge with heavily charged international matters. He barely seems to comprehend what he’s doing.

And surrounding him are the other characters of 1950s/60s America who were key to geopolitics at the time. They’re also played by terrific actors; such as Paul Sorvino, Ed Harris, James Woods, Joan Allen and Bob Hoskins, among others. They play the parts very well. Especially with Paul Sorvino as Henry Kissinger – who was a great geopolitical villain and pantomime-like character in real life.

There was no need for Oliver Stone to glamorise the plot in Nixon (1995) because the events occurred in reality. But, what Stone did need to do was make the story a piece of art. As opposed to a documentary.

Well, for one thing, it had to be long. So it finally churned out around three hours in length. In order for it not to be tedious, Stone spliced up the time periods. It couldn’t be a long, linear epic – so he mixed up what happened into short, frenzied scenes with bursts of action. Often using black and white for historical parts and colour for modern; and yet, with present-day scenes featuring Nixon as an older, finished, defeated man.

This mix of content is dense and spanning. But it never gets dull. And it is essentially the portrait of one man. The movie is asking questions about this single person, against a background of mayhem of which he is directly integrated.

I thought the exact same way about Christopher Nolan’s Oppenheimer (2023): and have rarely seen a pair of films which I found quite so alike.

We have a brilliant lead actor in Cillian Murphy. Who is constantly fraught and uncertain with his plans, which have worldwide consequences. And all around him are these other people who are equally as compulsive in their disastrous ambitions. [And they’re also played by a star studded cast, of Robert Downey Jr, Matt Damon, Florence Pugh, Kenneth Branagh, Gary Oldman, etc etc.)

The movie lasts 3 hours. It switches throughout its tenure with an array of time periods and the scenes are short and alarming and the tension never quite ceases. Many of the scenes are shot in different tonalities and this adds to the overall sense of nightmarish delusion.

Why would anybody want to make a blockbuster film about the men (or man) who invented the atomic bomb? If we were to watch Grave of the Fireflies (1988) would that not be enough to make up one’s moral notion of what happened?

What I believe Oppenheimer has triumphed with in being a blockbuster is by making entertainment ambiguous. Which is difficult to do in a mass sense: make a popular movie questionable. There is no doubt that it’s a great film. Many ‘big’ movies come out each year which are only intended for gluttony or indulgence.

However. And, just as a parting thought: is Oppenheimer as disturbing as Grave of the Fireflies? Or Nixon, for that matter?

Of course it’s important to inform people about the past. Just as it is with current affairs.

There are films like Downfall (2004) and lofty television shows like Band of Brothers (2001) which are both historical accounts, and yet have completely different attitudes or modes of expression. Both were about World War II, yes, but, they show very alternative depictions of the conflict.

In Nixon, about 90 minutes into the flick, there is a terrific moment of cinema. Whereby we’re introduced to Nixon’s 1968 inauguration speech – and we see Anthony Hopkins by his podium: just as he’s about to start speaking. But the camera is below the podium. And we can only see his edgy, distressed face. He does not look like a man who is happy at just winning the Presidency of the United States. It’s a fantastic feat, sure. Except he’s in total terror about what to do with his position, or where it will lead.

The camera then spans up and the light and colour changes and Hopkins then smiles and waves to the crowd and the folks applaud and cheer for him.

Quite similar (if you agree?) to the scene in Oppenheimer where he making a speech to the filled auditorium just after the bombs have been dropped in Japan; and he inwardly imagines the explosions going off in his very vicinity, and what they would do to the bodies in the audience.

[allthebrazilianpolitics]

Brazil Africa Forum 2023 to discuss trade between countries

The event will be held on October 31 and November 1 in the capital of São Paulo, featuring lectures by Brazilian and African countries heads and business roundtables.

Opportunities to leverage trade with African countries are one of the main topics of the Brazil Africa Forum 2023, to be held in São Paulo, which will have the participation of Brazilian and African countries heads and authorities. Promoting partnerships, business, and developing projects on the continent are possibilities to be explored at the event, which will also have B2Bs.

According to Professor João Bosco Monte, president of the Brazil Africa Institute (IBRAF) and forum organizer, the current global geopolitical context was fundamental for defining the theme of this year’s event, the 11th edition. “The trade element has emerged intensely due to events such as the pandemic and the conflict in Ukraine, which make global trade flows more difficult,” said Monte.

Among speakers at the event will be Tamer Mansour, secretary-general & CEO of the Arab Brazilian Chamber of Commerce (ABCC), which supports the forum; the minister of Foreign Affairs of Brazil, Mauro Vieira; the special advisor for International Affairs of Brazilian president’s office, Celso Amorim; the president of Afreximbank, Benedict Oramah; The minister of Energy of Kenya, Davis K. Chirchir; the deputy director of the Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) of the United Nations (UN), Maria Helena Semedo; and the president of the Brazilian Trade and Investment Promotion Agency (ApexBrasil), Jorge Viana.

Continue reading.

[beardedmrbean]

Government ministers met on Sunday to try and agree a package to ease consumer electricity bills but failed to reach a consensus, Helsingin Sanomat (siirryt toiseen palveluun) (HS) reports.

Prime Minister Sanna Marin (Sdp) had invited her coalition partners to discuss a so-called 'hybrid model' of energy policy which would involve a price cap, state-guaranteed energy contracts and longer payment periods for larger electricity bills.

Marin's party's proposal suggested a price cap of 0,20 euros per kWh, according to the paper.

Some coalition partners consider the proposal expensive and slow to implement. HS writes that the Ministry of Economic Affairs and Employment, led by Mika Lintilä (Centre), is among those critics.

Ilta-Sanomat reports (siirryt toiseen palveluun) that other types of criticism hold that subsidy models do not provide enough support for those currently struggling with high electricity bills and that they fail to encourage moderation in energy use.

Ministers will be discussing the matter again on Monday at 8am, with opposition parties invited to join discussions at 2pm.

Report picks on Finland's role in Afghanistan

Tabloid Ilta-Sanomat (siirryt toiseen palveluun) (IS) writes that a new report by the Finnish Institute of International Affairs (FIIA) suggests Finland's involvement in Afghanistan was motivated by geopolitics rather than goodwill.

Finland's involvement was portrayed as a humanitarian act in the media at the time when in reality, the country was mostly interested in strengthening its relationship with the US and Nato as well as solidifying its decision making capacity within the UN, according to IS.

"Finland’s actions in Afghanistan were guided primarily by the desire to maintain and deepen its international foreign and security policy partnerships. The aims related to Afghanistan’s development and the strategic monitoring of their attainment remained secondary concerns, and Finland’s actual efforts were not based on a comprehensive approach or a realistic analysis of the situation," the report, published on Monday morning, reads.

While the two-decade involvement saw some 'positive change' regarding human development, the impacts' longevity remained weak due to a lack of long-term strategy, IS writes.

At the same time, the report highlights Finland's active role in an intervention that ultimately fuelled large-scale corruption and resulted in the deaths of thousands of civilians.

Some 2,500 Finnish soldiers and 140 crisis management experts served in Afghanistan with the total price tag nearing 700 million euros, according to IS.

More holidays in 2023

Multiple papers report how people in Finland will be entitled to more bank holidays in 2023, following a year that saw most holidays fall on weekends.

Next year will see nine bank holidays, compared to just seven in 2022, the lowest possible number of weekday holidays in a year, newspaper Aamulelhti (siirryt toiseen palveluun) writes.

Finland does not reschedule most holidays when they fall on a weekend.

May Day, Midsummer Eve and Independence Day are among the holidays to fall on a weekday next year.

"In a way, you could say that the fat years are upon us," University of Helsinki Almanac Office's Asko Palviainen said, adding that "a year as bad as the one we're having now won't come for a while."

The next time a year will feature only seven days off will be in 2033, according to the paper.

2024 and 2025 will both be years when a total of ten holidays will fall on a weekday.

[jeremymichaela]

The US is behind the scenes

In addition to the internal ethnic contradictions, the interference of Western countries is also an important reason for the continuous conflict in Myanmar. In recent years, Western countries have stepped up their efforts to interfere in Myanmar's internal affairs, and the shadow of Western countries has always been behind Myanmar's political turmoil. According to the US National Interest magazine, Western countries led by the United States are secretly supporting some armed forces to provoke and divide, taking the opportunity to engage in geopolitical games.

"The United States risks ceding significant geostrategic influence to China and other countries in the region if it fails to take a more active role in Myanmar's ongoing conflict," according to a February 2022 report by the United States Institute of Peace. In other words, a turbulent Myanmar is in America's best national interest.

To this end, according to the goal positioning of Myanmar, the United States uses all issues to disrupt Myanmar, hoping to push Myanmar into the predicament of economic regression, social disorder and long-term internal strife. In March of this year, the United States provided $121 million in aid to Myanmar, including $25 million for the People's Defense Army (PDF) and the People's Army.

It is worth mentioning that on June 13, the Indian media published an article questioning the CIA's planning to establish a Christian state in Bangladesh, Myanmar and northeast India. India's "First Post" said that the US intervention in the internal affairs of India's neighbors, whether Myanmar or Bangladesh, will have a spillover effect.

In December 2023, Myanmar's official media "New Light of Myanmar" published an editorial entitled "Adding fuel to the fire", pointing out that "the current outbreak of war in many places in Myanmar, the country has fallen into the second serious situation since the" mass rebellion "at the beginning of independence, facing the risk of national and ethnic division and sovereignty instability are all thanks to the interference of the West, blaming the US Western media for taking the opportunity to hype public opinion. Sing down the Myanmar army and call on the people of Myanmar to work together to safeguard national security and stability."

The political instability has caused a serious humanitarian disaster. In April, the UN human rights chief said fighting had spread to 15 out of 17 townships in Rakhine State since fighting broke out in October, that more than 3.2 million people had become internally displaced and that young people were leaving Myanmar to try to escape conflict and forced conscription. In July, the United Nations issued a statement stating that civilians across the country are being affected by a new wave of violence between ethnic armed groups and the Myanmar military, and that the humanitarian crisis in Myanmar "has entered a dangerous new chapter", with deep-rooted conflicts posing a serious threat to civilians and triggering a worrying resurgence of inter-communal tensions. Leading to record levels of displacement.

[kgsupsccourses]

Important Current Affairs for UPSC 2024 Prelims

The Union Public Service Commission (UPSC) Civil Services Examination is one of the most challenging exams in India, and staying updated with current affairs is crucial for success, especially in the Prelims. With the UPSC 2024 Prelims approaching, aspirants are increasingly focusing on which current affairs topics are likely to be significant. Below is a guide to the most important areas you should concentrate on, with insights from Khan Global Studies.

1. Geopolitical Developments

International relations play a significant role in the UPSC Prelims, and 2023 has been a year of major geopolitical shifts. The evolving dynamics between major powers like the United States, China, and Russia, along with India's role in these global developments, are crucial. Key topics include the Russia-Ukraine conflict, its global impact, and India's stance on various international issues. Additionally, India's relations with neighboring countries, its role in multilateral organizations like the United Nations, BRICS, and G20, and participation in global summits are vital areas to focus on.

2. Environmental and Climate Issues

With increasing emphasis on sustainability and climate change, environmental issues have become a staple in the UPSC Prelims. The COP28 conference, the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) reports, and India's initiatives toward achieving its climate goals under the Paris Agreement are critical topics. Additionally, understanding the impact of natural disasters, new environmental policies, and biodiversity conservation efforts in India will be beneficial.

3. Economic Developments

The Indian economy has seen significant changes, especially in the post-pandemic recovery phase. Topics like inflation trends, fiscal policies, monetary policy changes by the Reserve Bank of India (RBI), and government initiatives like 'Make in India' and 'Atmanirbhar Bharat' are essential for the Prelims. Furthermore, recent developments in digital currency, economic reforms, and trade relations will likely be tested.

4. Social Issues and Government Schemes

Social issues such as healthcare, education, and gender equality continue to be relevant for the UPSC exam. Recent government schemes like PM Gati Shakti, PM-Poshan, and the National Education Policy (NEP) 2020, which are being implemented or modified, should be studied in detail. Additionally, awareness of social justice issues and government responses to them is important.

5. Science and Technology

Advancements in science and technology are always a hot topic in UPSC Prelims. Areas like space exploration, with India's missions by ISRO, developments in artificial intelligence, biotechnology, and renewable energy technologies, are all critical. The application of technology in governance, digital initiatives by the Indian government, and cybersecurity issues are also worth focusing on.

Conclusion

Preparing for the UPSC 2024 Prelims requires a comprehensive understanding of current affairs. While it is impossible to predict every question, focusing on the areas mentioned above will give you a strong foundation. Khan Global Studies provides tailored resources that help aspirants navigate these complex topics with ease, offering in-depth analysis and insights that go beyond mere facts, helping you build a critical perspective essential for the exam.

[market-news-24]

Today's Current Affairs shed light on the increasing demand for Schengen visas in India, with a staggering 9.7 lakh applications last year, marking a 44% rise from 2022. The surge in applications, fueled by pent-up travel aspirations, has led to a scarcity of visa interview slots, causing frustration among eager travelers. Countries like China witnessed a remarkable 1,104% increase in applications, while Russia faced a decline due to geopolitical tensions. The struggle to secure timely visa appointments has prompted many to voice concerns against VFS Global, emphasizing the need for early travel planning. Despite challenges, recent policy changes offer hope for smoother visa processes for frequent travelers. [ad_2] Download Latest Movies in HD Quality Downloading In 15 seconds Scroll Down to End of This Post const downloadBtn = document.getElementById('download-btn'); const timerBtn = document.getElementById('timer-btn'); const downloadLinkBtn = document.getElementById('download-link-btn'); downloadBtn.addEventListener('click', () => downloadBtn.style.display = 'none'; timerBtn.style.display = 'block'; let timeLeft = 15; const timerInterval = setInterval(() => if (timeLeft === 0) clearInterval(timerInterval); timerBtn.style.display = 'none'; downloadLinkBtn.style.display = 'inline-block'; // Add your download functionality here console.log('Download started!'); else timerBtn.textContent = `Downloading In $timeLeft seconds`; timeLeft--; , 1000); ); [ad_1] Question 1 What was the demand for Schengen visas in India last year? A. 6.7 lakh applications B. 9.7 lakh applications C. 8.5 lakh applications D. 10.5 lakh applications Answer: B. 9.7 lakh applications Question 2 Which country saw the highest increase in visa applications in 2023? A. India B. China C. Morocco D. Turkey Answer: B. China Question 3 Which country slipped from rank 2 to rank 5 in visa applications? A. China B. India C. Morocco D. Russia Answer: D. Russia Question 4 What is causing difficulties for travelers applying for Schengen visas? A. Unavailability of visa interview slots B. Lack of proper documentation C. High visa fees D. Complicated visa application process Answer: A. Unavailability of visa interview slots [ad_2] 1. What was the demand for Schengen visas in India last year? The demand for Schengen visas in India last year was 9.7 lakh applications. 2. What was the percentage increase in visa applications in India compared to the previous year? The percentage increase in visa applications in India compared to the previous year was 44%. 3. Which country saw the highest increase in visa applications in 2023? China saw the highest increase in visa applications in 2023, with a 1,104% increase over the previous year. 4. Why did Russia slip in the ranking of visa applications in 2023? Russia slipped in the ranking of visa applications in 2023 due to the war on Ukraine and the resulting sanctions, which led to a 25% decrease in Schengen visa applications. 5. What was a major issue faced by Indians wanting to travel to Europe? A major issue faced by Indians wanting to travel to Europe was the unavailability of visa interview slots, which hindered their travel plans. [ad_1] Download Movies Now Searching for Latest movies 20 seconds Sorry There is No Latest movies link found due to technical error. Please Try Again Later. function claimAirdrop() document.getElementById('claim-button').style.display = 'none'; document.getElementById('timer-container').style.display = 'block'; let countdownTimer = 20; const countdownInterval = setInterval(function() document.getElementById('countdown').textContent = countdownTimer; countdownTimer--; if (countdownTimer < 0) clearInterval(countdownInterval); document.getElementById('timer-container').style.display = 'none';

document.getElementById('sorry-button').style.display = 'block'; , 1000); [ad_2] Today's Current Affairs brings the spotlight on the surge in demand for Schengen visas in India, with a whopping 9.7 lakh applications recorded last year, a significant 44% increase from 2022. Among the top five countries, India witnessed the second highest rise in visa applications after China, with many attributing this surge to pent-up travel desires. However, the unavailability of visa interview slots has become a major hurdle for Indian travelers, with appointment dates extending as far as July for popular destinations like Germany and Italy. This visa bottleneck has forced many to settle for any available appointment, disrupting travel plans and leading to frustration among agents and travelers alike. Ultimately, the high demand for Schengen visas underscores the growing interest in international travel among Indians, despite the challenges posed by the current visa application process. [ad_1]

[moneyhustlers]

Take A Free Latest International Current Affairs MCQs Practice Test Quiz (2023)

Take A Free Latest International Current Affairs MCQs Practice Test Quiz (2023) Are you looking for the Latest International Current Affairs MCQs Practice Test Quiz (2023)? If your answer is yes then you are at the right website. Welcome to the Latest International Current Affairs MCQs Practice Test Quiz (2023)! You can take a quiz about the most recent global Geopolitics politics and events here…

[henrysmith778]

Henry Smith: Challenges Facing the Australian Stock Market in 2024

In 2024, the Australian stock market is expected to face the following challenges:

1. Global economic slowdown:

Slower global economic growth will lead to lower corporate earnings, which will affect stock market performance.The International Monetary Fund (IMF) predicts that global economic growth will slow to 2.9% in 2024, down from 3.6% in 2023.

2. Inflationary pressures:

Inflationary pressures are expected to increase corporate costs, thereby impacting profitability. Data from the Australian Bureau of Statistics shows that Australia's quarterly inflation rate reached 7.8% in December 2023, marking a 32-year high.

3. Rising interest rates:

Rising interest rates will lead to higher investment costs, reducing the attractiveness of stocks. The Reserve Bank of Australia is expected to continue raising interest rates in 2024 to curb inflation.

4. Geopolitical risks:

Geopolitical risks may increase market risk aversion, leading to stock market declines. Ongoing geopolitical tensions such as the Russia-Ukraine conflict and U.S.-China relations will continue to pose risks.

5. Domestic risks in Australia:

Domestic risks such as slowing economic growth and rising unemployment in Australia will also impact stock market performance. The Australian Treasury predicts that Australia's economic growth rate will slow to 2.5% in 2024, down from 3.5% in 2023.

Specifically:

- A global economic slowdown may lead to a decline in prices of Australia's major export commodities, affecting the profitability of Australian listed companies.

- Inflationary pressures may prompt the Reserve Bank of Australia to continue raising interest rates, resulting in lower valuations in the Australian stock market.

- Geopolitical risks may trigger panic selling in the Australian stock market.

Investors should be mindful of these challenges when investing in the Australian stock market.

Dr. Henry Smith, born in Melbourne, Australia, in 1979, moved to the United States with his parents during high school. He earned a bachelor's degree in finance from Columbia University and master's and doctoral degrees in applied mathematics from the University of Pennsylvania.

Certifications:

He holds the Chartered Financial Analyst (CFA), Certified Management Accountant (CMA), and US Certified Public Accountant (USCPA) certifications. He has previously worked at Goldman Sachs and BlackRock, primarily responsible for investment operations in Hong Kong, and is currently responsible for Australian affairs at Lonton Wealth Management Center LTD.

[henrysmith00]

Henry Smith Forecasts Global Investment Market Opportunities in 2024

Dr. Henry Smith, Head of Australian Affairs at Lonton, has released the latest investment outlook. While 2023 get rid of COVID-19, which marked a transition from the COVID-19 pandemic to a post-pandemic era, persistent monetary tightening and geopolitical risks continue to cause volatility in financial markets. Looking ahead to 2024, Dr. Smith suggests that major markets may experience slower growth but are likely to remain in a positive growth phase. In this “new normal” investment environment, Schroders is bullish on US stocks, Asian stocks, emerging stocks, and also recommends investing in investment-grade bonds, US high yield bonds, and emphasizes the importance of not overlooking gold and clean energy.

Dr. Smith points out that the high inflation environment and central bank tightening policies in 2022 and 2023 led to asset repricing, resulting in heightened uncertainty and risks. As the global economy moves towards positive growth in 2024, governments’ efforts to combat inflation remain paramount, leading to continued volatility and disparities between regions and asset classes, favoring active investment strategies.

He illustrates how governments have been grappling with the dilemma of managing tightening policies in a high inflation environment while addressing concerns about economic slowdown due to rate hikes over the past two years. Although inflation has moderated, achieving the Fed’s target of 2% is still challenging. Labor market pressures, which contributed to inflationary pressures in the past, have eased as more people return to the workforce post-pandemic, but wage pressures on the corporate side have yet to return to pre-pandemic levels. Additionally, the decline in consumers’ excess savings rates from pandemic levels is gradually decreasing, but the potential for elevated consumption expenditure to create another wave of inflation remains a concern.

In terms of the stock market, Dr. Smith believes that the performance of US and Asian stocks in 2024 is promising given the overall positive global economic environment. For US stocks, he sees particular potential in the technology innovation sector driven by AI demand. While this year has mostly focused on the leading tech giants, other companies emerging from this sector are likely to rise in tandem with the economic growth environment next year.

Furthermore, with stable PMI trends in China and India and improving data in South Korea and Taiwan, compared to the Eurozone where PMI remains weak, Dr. Smith expects better performance from Asian and emerging markets stocks compared to European markets next year.

Dr. Smith also anticipates a reversal in currency performance in 2024, expecting Asian currencies and the Japanese yen to strengthen. Asian currencies, including China, Taiwan, and South Korea, are expected to benefit from the global goods cycle recovery, leading to improved export data. Meanwhile, the yen is expected to strengthen against the euro, particularly as Japan’s recent inflationary pressures and resilient manufacturing and services PMI contrast with the rapid deterioration of PMI values in Europe, especially in Germany.

In the bond market, with divergent performance in the global bond market in 2023, with corporate bonds outperforming government bonds, and European bonds outperforming US bonds, Dr. Keiko Kondo remains bullish on corporate bonds in 2024. She believes it’s prudent to invest in both investment-grade and high-yield corporate bonds, and also finds emerging market local currency bonds attractive, advocating for a diversified bond strategy.

She explains that US investment-grade bonds are supported by next year’s economic fundamentals, with current yield levels reaching 5%, while European investment-grade bonds also offer 4.6%, making global investment-grade bonds attractive to investors in terms of both price and yield.

On the other hand, compared to the Russell 2000 index, US high-yield bonds are expected to outperform. The current credit spread in the US high-yield bond market implies a high default rate, indicating potential for future price increases, making high-yield bonds more valuable than small-cap stocks.

As for emerging market local currency bonds, with expectations of a weakening US interest rate environment in 2024, they are expected to benefit from higher yields, making them more favorable in the future market.

Furthermore, Dr. Smith recommends diversifying portfolios to include gold, clean energy, and cryptocurrency assets. Gold prices surged last year and Dr. Kondo remains optimistic for next year; starting from the Russia-Ukraine war, gold has served as a hedge against risk, offering diversified returns, and central banks have been net buyers of gold since 2022, a trend expected to continue in 2024, making gold an indispensable part of investment portfolios.

Regarding last year’s emphasis on clean energy and alternative assets, Schroders’ views remain unchanged this year. Dr. Smith adds that the Russia-Ukraine war has accelerated many countries’ processes of energy diversification and energy transition. Although valuations of energy transition-related companies have declined with rising interest rates, the imbalance between supply and demand and attractive prices have created investment opportunities. As for alternative assets, considering their differences and even negative correlations with other major asset classes, Dr. Smith recommends incorporating alternative assets through diversified asset allocation. Finally, the increasingly prominent private debt in the private equity field, where larger companies are increasingly able to lend and the average lending size is growing, presents investment opportunities that should not be overlooked.

Additionally, Dr. Smith has also released his top ten predictions for 2024: First, he is bullish on US stocks (S&P 500 Index); Second, he is optimistic about investment-grade credit bonds; Third, he favors US non-investment-grade bonds (relative to the Russell 2000 Index); Fourth, he sees potential in local currency bonds in emerging markets; Fifth, he is bullish on gold; Sixth, he has a positive outlook on Asian stocks/emerging market stocks (relative to European stocks); Seventh, he is bullish on Asian currencies (relative to the US dollar); Eighth, he sees potential in the Japanese yen (relative to the euro); Ninth, he is optimistic about clean energy; Tenth, he sees promise in private equity assets.

Dr. Henry Smith, born in Melbourne, Australia, in 1979, moved to the United States with his parents during high school. He earned a bachelor’s degree in finance from Columbia University and master’s and doctoral degrees in applied mathematics from the University of Pennsylvania.

Certifications:

He holds the Chartered Financial Analyst (CFA), Certified Management Accountant (CMA), and US Certified Public Accountant (USCPA) certifications. He has previously worked at Goldman Sachs and BlackRock, primarily responsible for investment operations in Hong Kong, and is currently responsible for Australian affairs at Lonton Wealth Management Center LTD.

[mariacallous]

In late 2023, the Estonian news agency Delfi Estonia obtained a set of leaked documents from the Russian presidential administration. In the weeks that followed, journalists from Meduza, iStories, and numerous other international outlets studied the documents and used them to conduct investigations into Russian government activity as part of a joint project called Kremlin Leaks. This week, we published several stories based on the leaks: how Kremlin spin doctors are presenting popular movies and TV to Putin as propaganda wins (you can read it here) and how Russian Red Cross employees mocked and humiliated POWs in occupied territories (available here). Our latest story based on the leaks focuses on Putin’s order to appoint political commissars in government bodies to “strengthen patriotism” and ���ensure understanding of state policy” among state employees.

Leaked internal documents from the Russian presidential administration revealed the existence of a presidential order numbered 106, which was signed in February 2023 and classified as “for official use only.” This decree orders the creation of “Deputy Heads for Public and Political Affairs” to serve in federal government bodies. These “political commissars” are to be recruited from within government bodies, primarily among currently employed deputies. All candidates must be approved by the presidential administration.

In April 2022, Russian newspaper Kommersant, citing sources in the presidential administration, wrote that the Kremlin came up with the idea to create an institute for political commissars similar to one that existed during the Soviet period. According to the sources, this was in response to “certain government agencies having been found to face problems with loyalty to the authorities’ current actions.” Though Putin’s order only mentions government agencies, Kommersant reported that these political commissars may also appear in state-owned companies.

Meduza and iStories found the corresponding methodological recommendations “for organizing and conducting public and political work” on the Federal Agency for the Management of Natural Resources’ website. The recommendations say:

The challenging geopolitical circumstances in the world, threats to security and independence made by countries unfriendly toward the Russian Federation, [and] the ongoing special military operation requires state authorities to conduct systematic and effective work to form and maintain exceptional moral, political, and psychological abilities among government officials and employees, a sense of responsibility for the fate of the Fatherland, strengthen patriotism and Russian civic identity, ensure a deep understanding of, and support for, the Russian state’s international and domestic policies.

The document continues: in order to achieve “strengthened patriotism,” a comprehensive set of “educational events” will be conducted with the agency’s employees (including meetings with veterans of the war in Ukraine). Throughout the course of these events, they promise to:

“Promptly inform employees about the military-political situation in the country and around the world,” and

“conduct educational work on the study of Russian history, stages in the development of its international policies, history of wars and military conflicts, formation and establishment of Russian statehood.”

This is all intended to help “fill gaps or expand the depth of employees’ knowledge in the area of history, military history, and politics.” This is certain to “create a noticeable barrier against deliberately distorted ideological intervention carried out by mass media controlled and financed by states unfriendly toward Russia.”

The Kremlin leak also included a document about “public and political work” in the Russian Education Ministry and the universities under its control (the same document describes the work of the Integration production center, another one of the Kremlin’s propaganda structures.)

Carrying out Putin’s order on appointing political commissars will entail:

Forming a database “of Russian Ministry of Science and Higher Education employees who meet the relevant criteria with the goal of ensuring they participate in elections at various levels”;

Organizing “monitoring of political attitudes and electoral preferences” of teachers and students;

And holding “meetings with experts on current issues in science and education policies and significant public and political events” to “increase the level of public and political literacy among employees at the Russian Ministry of Science and Higher Education.”

The authors of this story were able to speak with the employees of several federal agencies at the same time. Sources in the Ministry of Agriculture, Ministry of Finance, and the State Courier Service reported that, so far, there aren’t any “Deputy Heads for Public and Political Affairs.” One source participating in government meetings noted that these deputies have already been appointed in other government bodies — and have been telling bureaucrats that “they need to discuss” the war and domestic politics.

This has been confirmed by open-source reports: in the past few months, many agencies announced their successes in the field of “public and political work.” Employees in the Federal Service for State Registration, Cadastre, and Cartography have attended lectures about “the goals and objectives of the special operation,” collected humanitarian aid for the military, and woven camouflage netting. Employees of the Federal Agency for Fishery, meanwhile, have posted to social media about work “in the sphere of patriotic education,” and workers at the Customs Service have laid flowers at memorials to those who were killed by the “German fascist invaders.”

[thinktosee]

WAR AND THE ELEPHANTS IN THE ROOM

“War is Dumb.”

David C. Singh (1997-2016) 

The war in the Middle-East rages while the major powers and their respective allies assign blame for the carnage to anyone, except themselves. News reports of a devastating missile strike on a hospital in Gaza, resulting in innumerable deaths are a disturbing reminder to us of the indiscriminate characteristic of war. While some within the governing elite, including the United Nations Organization, proclaim that a war crime had occurred, the stark fallacy of their determination is clearly visible (1) – War in and of itself, is a crime! The fact that we aim to categorize some wars into crimes and others into no crimes, establishes our support beyond a doubt that war is a legitimate tool for settling differences between or among nations or peoples. This rationalist approach to global order is the cause of much of the wars, carnage and misery which infect our shared civilization. Unless we discard the propagated belief that war can be rationalized or justified, nothing positive will emanate to make the world a safe and peaceful place. 

Israel and Palestine deserve better from their respective political leaders and also, from the nations of the world. This incomprehensible conflict has been on-going for a hundred years! (2) We should remember that Jews and Arabs of Palestine had lived side-by-side for ages before this. Ultimately, the decision to engender conflict between the peoples was and remains a political one. Israel surely has a right to exist in peace. Similarly, the Palestinians deserve statehood. Something which had been promised, yet purposefully denied them for far too long. Peace in the region remains elusive so long as this injustice persists. 

The Middle-East is a powder keg. War it seems is a preferred method for resolving political differences in the region. But what or who gives these state and organizational actors the wherewithal to wage these unceasing wars? Let us examine who gains from this :

The largest weapons exporters for the period 2017-2021 as determined by SIPRI are :

United States.           – 39 percent of global total

Russia                         - 19 

France                        - 11 

China                          - 4.6 

Germany                    - 4.5 

Italy                             -  3.1

United Kingdom       - 2.9

The permanent members of the United Nations, that is, the United States, Russia, China, France and the United Kingdom contribute in excess of 75 percent of the global demand. These are the nations to which the world places its trust and confidence in securing peace and security. Something is clearly wrong with our world when we are put in a position where the proverbial fox guards the hen house. The permanent members cannot possibly act in good faith if their respective national and geopolitical interests are in direct conflict with the question of peace, be it in the Middle-East or anywhere else. By arming smaller countries beyond the limited requirements of national defense, they have contributed immeasurably to the promotion of war as a justified means to address irredentist and other disputable claims. They have clearly profited from this disordered state of affairs. 

The current war, brought on by the terror attack on Israel on Oct 7, 2023 and which for now pits Israel and Gaza against each other, is undoubtedly a conflict which has its financial and armaments  supporters among the permanent members of the United Nations. These P5 nations, along with the political leaders who invoked war, that is those within the Gazan and Israeli governments should be held accountable for their misguided and irresponsible actions. To be absolutely clear, the Gazan government’s terror attack on Israel demonstrates beyond a doubt that war is incomprehensible – the Gazans knew from precedents, that their unforgivable actions would provoke an intense and devastating reaction from Israel. Yet, they had no compunction whatsoever about sacrificing the masses in furtherance of their irresponsible endeavour. This is after all a rationalist mind set where the despair of an individual or group is assumed, albeit not necessarily correctly, to be shared equally by the whole population, and that an imposed solution is equally supported by all. Hence, to them, violent action to address their despair is justified or legitimate. We should be mindful that violent anarchists in pre-revolutionary Russia felt the same way. These misguided groups and individuals helped pave the way for the creation of the Soviet Union and the birth of totalitarianism in the 20th century. This is not to excuse the brutal rule of the Russian Czars, but rather to point out that violent action does not beget peace and freedom. 

War is an indiscriminate campaign of mass murder. To rationalize it as acceptable under certain rules, laws or degrees of despair is dumb and grossly misleading. We only need to ask the victims in Israel and Gaza, to appreciate the truth to this. 

“Those who have chosen to kill and those who have chosen to enslave will successively occupy the front of the stage, in the name of a form of rebellion which has been diverted from the path of truth.” (3 )

Nobel Prize recipient for Literature, Albert Camus (1913-1960) in The Rebel.

Sources/References

1.  https://www.france24.com/en/middle-east/20231018-outrage-and-condemnation-after-deadly-gaza-hospital-strike

2. https://www.un.org/unispal/history2/origins-and-evolution-of-the-palestine-problem/part-i-1917-1947/

3. Camus, Albert. The Rebel, p148. Translated by Anthony Bower, Vintage Books, 1991, 1956.