General Awareness

INTERNATIONAL AFFAIRS - November 2015

Nov 2015

Aug 05, 2021

Joe Biden Nominates Mark Brzezinski as U.S. Ambassador to Poland

President Joe Biden has nominated Mark Brzezinski, an Obama-era diplomat with deep ties to Poland, to serve as his Ambassador to Warsaw.
If confirmed, Mr. Brzezinski would be dispatched to Poland at a moment when Central and Eastern European allies of the United States are closely watching the Biden administration's approach to Russian President Vladimir Putin.
Mr. Brzezinski served in Barack Obama's administration as the first executive director of the White House's Arctic Executive Steering Committee and as the U.S. Ambassador to Sweden.
He also served on the White House National Security Council during Bill Clinton's administration, first as a director for Russia and Eurasia and later as director for the Balkans.

Malaysian PM Muhyiddin Yassin Refuses to Resign

Embattled Malaysian Prime Minister Muhyiddin Yassin refused to resign after a key ally pulled support for him, but said that he will seek a vote of confidence in Parliament next month to prove his legitimacy to govern.
Shortly after a meeting with King Sultan Abdullah Sultan Ahmad Shah at the palace, Muhyiddin said that he had been informed by the monarch that eight lawmakers from a key party in his ruling alliance had withdrawn support for him.
The party, the United Malays National Organization, is the largest in the alliance with 38 lawmakers, but it is split with some not backing the premier. UMNO's president declared that Muhyiddin had lost the right to govern with the withdrawal of support from some party lawmakers and after an UMNO minister resigned.
Muhyiddin took power in March 2020 after initiating the collapse of the former reformist government that won 2018 elections. His party joined hands with UMNO and several others to form a new government.

Aug 04, 2021

Afghan Foreign Minister Speaks to EAM Jaishankar on Escalating Violence by Taliban

Afghan Foreign Minister Mohammed Hanif Atmar spoke to his Indian counterpart S. Jaishankar on August 3 to explore the possibility of convening an emergency session of the U.N. Security Council (UNSC) to discuss ways to stop the Taliban's violence and human rights abuses in Afghanistan.

Aug 03, 2021

Nikol Pashinyan Re-appointed as PM of Armenia

Nikol Pashinyan has been re-appointed as the Prime Minister of Armenia by President Armen Sarkissian on August 02, 2021. Pashinyan, the leader of the Civil Contract Party, won the majority of seats in parliamentary elections in June 2021. The 46-year-old Pashinyan was first appointed as the Prime Minister in 2018.

Thailand Moves to Strengthen EU Ties

According to analysts, European investors are increasingly playing a bigger role in the Thai economy, allowing the Southeast Asian country to diversify trade and business away from the United States and China.
In 2020, European Union investment accounted for 8.2% of all overseas investment in Thailand, compared with 3.8% for the US and 15.4% for China. The figure has increased each year from just 4.4% in 2016.
The bloc is also Thailand's fourth-largest trading partner, with bilateral trade worth €29 billion ($35 billion) in 2020.
According to the ISEAS–Yusof Ishak Institute's latest State of Southeast Asia report, around 47% of Thai respondents chose the EU as their preferred "third country" to hedge against the uncertainties of the US-China strategic rivalry.

Myanmar Military Leader Extends Rule, Pledges to Hold New Multiparty Elections in 2023

Nearly six months after the Myanmar military snatched power from the country's civilian government, the chief of the armed forces said that the new elections would be held in the country and the prevailing state of emergency would be revoked by August 2023, thus extending the rule of the military by nearly 18 months.
The state of emergency was imposed initially for a period of one year, according to the military's announcement days after it ousted the elected leader of the country Aung San Suu Kyi in February this year.
The state administration council, as the junta calls itself, also appointed Min Aung Hlaing as the Prime Minister of the caretaker government.

Aug 02, 2021

Pakistan Finalises Law to Award New Status to Gilgit-Baltistan

Pakistan authorities have finalised a law to award provisional provincial status to strategically located Gilgit-Baltistan.
As per reports, under the proposed law by the Ministry of Law and Justice, the Supreme Appellate Court (SAC) of Gilgit-Baltistan may be abolished and the region's election commission is likely to be merged with the Election Commission of Pakistan (ECP).
The draft of the bill titled '26th Constitutional Amendment Bill' had been prepared and submitted to PM Imran Khan.

Aug 01, 2021

Duterte Restores Philippines's Key Military Agreement with US

President Rodrigo Duterte has restored a pact governing the presence of US troops in the Philippines, the two countries' defence secretaries announced, retracting a decision that had caused increasing concern among policymakers in Washington and Manila.
The Visiting Forces Agreement (VFA) provides rules for the rotation of thousands of US troops in and out of the Philippines for war drills and exercises. It has assumed additional importance as the United States and its allies contend with an increasingly assertive China, particularly in the disputed South China Sea.

Najib Mikati Becomes Lebanon's New Prime Minister

Najib Mikati became Lebanon's new Prime Minister with 72 votes in parliament while the former ambassador Nawaf Salam received only one vote.
This is the third stint of Mikati as Lebanon's Prime Minister. In April 2005, Mikati had briefly served as caretaker Prime Minister, and in 2011, he headed a full-scale government for three years.
Mikati's appointment came 11 days after Saad Hariri resigned as Prime Minister after nine months of political turmoil and disputes with President Aoun and his son-in-law MP Gebran Bassil.
Mikati received support from most political parties in Lebanon, including Amal Movement, the Future Movement, Marada Movement, Hezbollah, and Progressive Socialist Party.
Two main Christian parties in the country, the Lebanese Forces and the Free Patriotic Movement opposed Mikati's appointment.
Najib Mikati is the 31st Prime Minister of Lebanon. Mikati is a Lebanese politician and businessman who has served as caretaker PM of Lebanon in 2005 and headed a full-scale government from 2011 to 2014.

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