General Awareness

INTERNATIONAL AFFAIRS - May 2015

May 2015

Jan 23, 2021

European Union Leaders Agree to Keep Borders Open, Want to Limit Travels

European Union leaders agreed that borders should remain open and assessed more measures to counter the spread of coronavirus variants during a video summit as the bloc's top disease control official said urgent action was needed to stave off a new wave of hospitalizations and deaths.
Expressing great concern about the virus' mutations, the 27 leaders looked at further border restrictions like limits on all non-essential travel, better tracking of mutations and improving coordination of lockdowns.
Though worried that another surge of deaths across the EU was imminent, they could not immediately agree on whether to halt non-essential travel.
European Commission president Ursula von der Leyen insisted on the importance of keeping borders open to ensure that goods continue to move smoothly.

Mongolian Prime Minister Submits Resignation

Mongolia's Prime Minister Khurelsukh Ukhnaa submitted his resignation to parliament after protests in the capital Ulaanbaatar over the government's handling of the Covid-19 pandemic.
Khurelsukh said in his resignation statement that he should "assume the responsibility upon himself and accept the demand of the public." His resignation needs to be approved by parliament.
The protests erupted over what some Mongolians saw as the inhumane treatment of a Covid-19 patient and her newborn baby.
The protests triggered the dismissal of senior health officials. Mongolia's deputy prime minister and health minister also tendered their resignations.

Joe Biden Announces US Will Rejoin Paris Climate Accord

President Joe Biden returned the United States to the worldwide fight to slow global warming in one of his first official acts and immediately launched a series of climate-friendly efforts that would transform how Americans drive and get their power.
Biden signed an executive order rejoining the Paris climate accord within hours of taking the oath of office, fulfilling a campaign pledge.
The move undoes the US withdrawal ordered by predecessor Donald Trump, who belittled the science behind climate efforts, loosened regulations on heat-trapping oil, gas and coal emissions, and spurred oil and gas leasing in pristine Arctic tundra and other wilderness.

Joe Biden's US Revives Support for WHO, Reversing Donald Trump Retreat

President Joe Biden's top adviser on the pandemic said the United States will resume funding for the World Health Organization and join its consortium aimed at sharing coronavirus vaccines fairly around the globe, renewing support for an agency that the Trump administration had pulled back from.
Just hours after Biden's inauguration, Dr. Anthony Fauci wrote a letter to UN Secretary-General Antonio Gutteres saying the US had reversed the planned pull out from the WHO that was expected to take effect in July.

Jan 22, 2021

Kamala Harris Formally Submits Her Senate Resignation

Vice President-elect Kamala Harris officially resigned from her Senate seat ending her four-year innings in the upper chamber of the United States Congress. The move comes two days before the 56-year-old would be sworn in along with President-elect Joe Biden, making history as the first female, first Black and first South Asian American vice president.
Harris, a Democrat, has formally submitted her letter of resignation to California Governor Gavin Newsom.
Harris won her seat in November 2016 and was sworn in January 2017. At the time, Harris was California's attorney general.

Donald Trump Becomes 4th President to Boycott Inauguration Ceremony of Successor

Refusing to abide by tradition and participate in the ceremonial transfer of power, Trump will instead hold his own departure ceremony at Joint Base Andrews in Maryland before his final flight aboard Air Force One.
Trump became only the fourth President in history to boycott his successor's inauguration.
He did not invite the Biden's to the White House for the traditional bread-breaking, nor had he spoken with Biden by phone. Vice President Mike Pence had spoken with his successor, Vice President-elect Kamala Harris, calling her to congratulate her and offer assistance. Pence attended Biden's inauguration, a move Biden welcomed.

Pakistan Names General Envoy to Saudi Arabia as Military Seeks Control of Ties

Lt Gen Bilal Akbar has been named Pakistan's new envoy to Saudi Arabia, with the move signalling the military establishment's desire to take control of bilateral ties that have witnessed turbulence in recent months.
Akbar will replace ambassador Raja Ali Ejaz, who is retiring in May. Ejaz, a career diplomat, has been Pakistan's ambassador in Riyadh since January 2019.
Akbar's appointment on the "recommendation of the General Headquarters indicates the military's desire to take control of the bilateral ties that have lately been hit by turbulence to prevent them from further deterioration.

Jan 21, 2021

Conte Wins Crucial Senate Vote to Stay in Power

Italian Prime Minister Giuseppe Conte has won a crucial vote to stay in power - days after former PM Matteo Renzi pulled his party out of the coalition.
The vote in the Senate - 156-140, with 16 abstentions - means, however, that Mr Conte does not have an absolute majority in the upper chamber.
Opposition parties say they plan to ask President Sergio Mattarella to intervene to force him to resign.
Mr. Conte, a law professor, has led a centrist coalition since 2018.
The main parties in his coalition are the anti-establishment Five Star (M5S) and the centre-left Democratic Party (PD).
The prime minister told the Senate it was vital to maintain political cohesion faced with the historic challenge" of the pandemic.
Speaking in the Senate debate, Mr Renzi told Mr Conte to make bolder reforms, saying "Italy is wasting its biggest opportunity since the Marshall Plan" - a reference to the US aid for war-shattered Europe in 1948. He accused Mr Conte of being preoccupied with distributing government posts.

Joe Biden and Kamala Harris Make History

Joe Biden was sworn in as the 46th President of the United States and Kamala Harris took the oath as the first woman US Vice President in a historic but scaled-down ceremony. The event took place under the unprecedented security umbrella of thousands of security personnel, who transformed the Capitol into a fortress to prevent any breach by pro-Donald Trump extremists.
Biden, the 78-year-old veteran Democrat leader was administered the oath of office by Chief Justice John Roberts at the West Front of the Capitol - the traditional location for presidential inaugural ceremonies where the deadly violence took place just two weeks ago.

Jan 20, 2021

Seven Nations Lose Right to Vote in UNGA

Seven countries including Iran have lost their right to vote in the UN General Assembly because of upaid dues.
The UN charter calls for such a voting rights suspension for countries whose arrears equal or surpass the amount of the contributions due from them to UN coffers in the previous two years.
The other six countries are Niger, Libya, the Central African Republic, Congo Brazzaville, South Sudan and Zimbabwe.
The letter spells out an amount each country can pay, short of their total debt, to recover their right to vote.

Qatar Says it's Time Gulf Arab Nations Start Talks with Iran

Qatar has urged Gulf Arab nations to enter a dialog with Iran, saying the time was right for Doha to broker negotiations now the neighbors have begun to patch up their own differences.
Qatari Foreign Minister Sheikh Mohammed bin Abdulrahman Al Thani, who's long called for a summit between leaders of the six-member Gulf Cooperation Council and the Islamic Republic, said that his government was hopeful that this would happen, and we still believe this should happen.
The comments come days before Joe Biden moves into the White House with a promise to revive the 2015 nuclear deal between Iran and world powers and roll back the "maximum pressure" campaign that won the support of Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates. He's already named a series of diplomats who helped forge the original agreement to top policy posts.

Jan 19, 2021

US Designates UAE and Bahrain as 'Major Strategic Partners'

The United States has designated the United Arab Emirates (UAE) and Bahrain as its major strategic partners, the White House announced, amid preparations for a transition from the Donald Trump administration to that of President-elect Joe Biden.
The announcement was made by White House Press Secretary Kayleigh McEnany.
This decision demonstrates a new level of partnership between the United States, the United Arab Emirates, and the Kingdom Bahrain, and represents an enduring commitment to economic and security cooperation. It also reflects their extraordinary courage, determination, and leadership in entering into the Abraham Accords.

PM Giuseppe Conte Wins Lower House Confidence Vote

Italian Prime Minister Giuseppe Conte won a crucial confidence vote in the Chamber of Deputies, hanging on to power after a junior partner quit his coalition and opened a political crisis amid the raging COVID-19 pandemic. Had he lost the vote, Conte would have been forced to resign.
After his appeal to opposition and non-aligned lawmakers to back him following last week's walk-out by former premier Matteo Renzi's Italia Viva party, Conte's government won the lower-house vote by 321 to 259.
The margin was wider than expected and gave the government an absolute majority in the 629-seat chamber.
Conte will face a tougher test in the Upper House Senate, where the government had only a slim majority even when Italia Viva was still part of the coalition.

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