International Current Affairs

The International Criminal Court on March 17, 2023, announced an arrest warrant for Russian President Vladimir Putin on the war crime accusation of unlawfully deporting Ukrainian children.

The US regulators have shut down Silicon Valley Bank (SVB) and taken control of its customer deposits in the largest failure of a US bank since 2008. The firm, which was a key tech lender, was scrambling to raise money to plug a loss from the sale of assets affected by higher interest rates. Silicon Valley Bank faced inadequate liquidity and insolvency.

The science fiction comedy, ‘Everything Everywhere All at Once’ dominated the Oscars, by winning seven awards. At the 95th Academy Awards, the film received seven awards, which included the Best Picture award, best actress, best director, best supporting actor, best supporting actress, best editing and best original screenplay.  Michelle Yeoh has become only the second woman of colour to win the best actress Oscar after 2002.

China brokered the deal between Saudi Arabia and Iran to normalize diplomatic relations. The deal was announced on March 10, 2023, after four days of talks in Beijing between top security officials from the two countries. The agreement included their affirmation of the respect for the sovereignty of states and the non-interference in internal affairs.

Denmark is the first country in the world to open an underwater graveyard for carbon dioxide (CO2). The project, called Greensand, is located in the North Sea and is expected to store up to 8 million tonnes of CO2 per year by 2030. The CO2 is injected into the seabed at a depth of 1,800 meters, where it is trapped between layers of rock and sediment. The project is a collaboration between Danish energy company Ørsted, British chemical giant Ineos, and German oil company Wintershall Dea.

The Stratospheric Observatory for Infrared Astronomy (SOFIA) was a telescope mounted on a Boeing 747 SP aircraft that used infrared light to observe the universe. It is a joint effort between NASA and the German Aerospace Center and was cancelled in 2022 due to its high cost and inadequate scientific output. For the first time, Oxygen-18 was detected in Earth’s mesosphere and lower-thermosphere using the data collected by the GREAT instrument on SOFIA observatory. This is the first time that the heavy oxygen has been detected outside a laboratory.

The World Bank released the ‘Women, Business and the Law Index’. It is an annual report that measures the legal and regulatory environment for women in business in 190 economies. The index covers 10 areas of law that affect women’s economic opportunities, including starting a business, getting credit, working, paying taxes, and engaging in international trade.

The United Arab Emirates has opened a centre housing a mosque, church and the country`s first official synagogue with the aim of promoting interfaith coexistence in the Muslim nation. The oil-rich Gulf federation, which normalised relations with Israel in 2020, is home to a small but active Jewish community that usually prays in private.

Spain`s parliament approved on February 16, 2023 a law granting paid medical leave to women suffering severe period pain, becoming the first European country to advance such legislation. The law, which passed by 185 votes in favour to 154 against, is aimed at breaking a taboo on the subject, Spain`s left-wing government has said. Menstrual leave is currently offered only in a small number of countries across the globe, such as Japan, Indonesia and Zambia.

An Israeli firm called “Team Jorge” sought to influence more than 30 elections around the world. The firm was founded by Tal Hanan, a former Israeli intelligence officer. Hanan and his team claimed to have successfully influenced elections in Africa, Asia, and Latin America. They used a variety of methods, including hacking, spreading disinformation, and paying people to disrupt political campaigns.