Country in News 2023
December 2023
- Nepal has recently become the first South Asian country to formally recognize and register a same-sex marriage.
- India has become the first country in the world to demonstrate the capability of engaging four targets simultaneously at around 25 km ranges by command guidance using a single firing unit.
- According to the recently released “Migration and Development Brief 39” by the World Bank, India is the largest remittance recipient country in 2023.
September-October-November 2023
- Bhutan has become the world’s first country to successfully sterilize and vaccinate its entire stray dog population.
- India’s Whiskies secured the top spot at the 2023 Whiskies of the World Awards.
- Israel’s defense forces initiated Operation ‘Iron Swords’ in response to a surprise attack on the country.
- Georgia embraces Hindu heritage, declaring October as ‘Hindu Heritage Month’.
- Australia moves towards recognizing Indigenous people in its constitution through a referendum.
- Bangladesh grapples with the world’s highest dengue death rate, raising concerns over healthcare infrastructure.
- Trinidad and Tobago’s Dennis Francis takes the helm as President of the 78th UN General Assembly.
- ASEAN leaders deny Myanmar the opportunity to assume rotating leadership in 2026, citing political instability.
- Britain rejoins EU’s science-sharing program “Horizon Europe” and space program’s Earth observation component “Copernicus”.
- Maharashtra government to repatriate Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj’s ‘wagh-nakh’ weapon from the United Kingdom.
- India expands its cross-border bill payment presence in the United Kingdom through the Bharat Bill Payment System (BBPS).
- Switzerland retains its top spot as the world’s best country in U.S. News & World Report’s annual rankings.
- India and the United Kingdom collaborate to leverage expertise and investment for India’s National Infrastructure Pipeline.
- India joins the elite group of countries authorized to issue OIML (International Organization of Legal Metrology) Certificates.
- India and Armenia signed a MoU to share successful Digital Solutions for Digital Transformation at the Population Scale.
- India hosts the inaugural United Nations Commission on International Trade Law (UNCITRAL) South Asia conference.
- Indian banker scales Mt. Manaslu, becoming the first Indian climber to summit the world’s eighth-highest peak this season.
- Zambia unveils the world’s oldest wooden structure, dating back 476,000 years, showcasing ancient human ingenuity.
- India and Russia join hands to train Indian seafarers in navigating the challenging Polar and Arctic waters.
August 2023
- Recently, Iraq became the 18th country to successfully eliminate trachoma as a public health concern.
- Recently, Greece conferred PM Modi with the “Grand Cross of the Order of Honour.”
- Recently, Emmerson Mnangagwa has been re-elected as president of Zimbabwe.
- In a major geopolitical move, BRICS is expanding, welcoming Egypt, Ethiopia, Iran, Argentina, the United Arab Emirates, and Saudi Arabia as new members starting from January 1, 2024.
- Sri Lanka hosted its very first Karnataka cultural festival.
July 2023
- New Zealand became the first country in the world to ban thin plastic bags for carrying fresh produce from supermarkets.
- Australia became the first country in the world to allow the use of MDMA and magic mushrooms for the medical treatment of certain mental health conditions.
- Senegal became the fourth country to sign the Just Energy Transition Partnership (JET-P)
deal.
- UAE became the first Arab country to receive observer status in the Asia/Pacific
Group (APG) on Money Laundering.
- Saudi Arabia became the 51st country to sign the ASEAN’s Treaty of Amity and Cooperation in Southeast Asia (TAC).
June 2023
- Canada becomes the first country in the world where warning labels must appear on individual cigarettes.
- Recently, a security pact was signed between Papua New Guinea and the USA to develop and operate military bases in Papua New Guinea.
- Recently, Oman became the first foreign government to promote the country through
Yoga.
- Estonia became the first Baltic country to pass a law to legalize same-sex marriage.
- Recently, the World Health Organization (WHO) has certified Belize a Central American country as a malaria-free country.
May 2023
- According to recent World Bank data, India will become the first country in the world to have annual remittances from abroad crossing $ 100 billion in 2022.
- Recently, the World Bank approved financing of USD 1.25 billion under the Country Partnership Framework (CPF) for Bangladesh (2023-27).
April 2023
- The Election Commission of Bangladesh has announced to hold the next general elections in the country using the ballot paper.
- India became the first country to develop a country-level mathematical model to estimate the prevalence of tuberculosis (TB) cases.
- Ghana became the first country to approve the malaria vaccine “R21/Matrix-M”, developed by the University of Oxford.
- Diwali, a Hindu festival of Light and Wisdom, has been recognized as a holiday across the US State of Pennsylvania.
March 2023
- The military of South Korea has unveiled a “Kill Web” concept amid rising nuclear tensions from the neighboring country.
- Denmark has inaugurated the “Greensand” project to store carbon dioxide, becoming the first country in the world to bury CO2 imported from abroad.
- Rwanda became the first African country to have a facility for manufacturing messenger RNA (mRNA) vaccines.
- India has signed an MoU with Cambodia for the reintroduction of tigers in that country.
- The Safe Third Country agreement, recently seen in the news, is related to Canada-USA.
February 2023
- Focus country of the Madrid International Book Fair 2025. ☛ India
- Partner country for BioAsia event 2023 held in Hyderabad. ☛ United Kingdom
- Recently, the United States of America (USA) has signed a deal with the Philippines to give US troops access to ☛ 4 bases in that country.
- the first country in Europe to pass a Menstrual Paid Leave Law. ☛ Spain
- Guest country at the New Delhi International Book Fair 2023. ☛ France
January 2023
- The first country to rename a football club after Pele: ☛ Cape Verde
- second country after China to start the “trade-plus-one” (T+1) settlement cycle in the stock markets. ☛ India
- Which country launched an International Information campaign to reduce the number of migrants to the country? ☛ Sweden
- As China’s population decreases, India is expected to become the most populous country in: ☛ 2023.
