General Awareness

INTERNATIONAL AFFAIRS - February 2016

Feb 2016

Aug 17, 2021

WHO Forms Advisory Group "SAGO"

World Health Organization (WHO) has created a new advisory group named, The International Scientific Advisory Group for Origins of Novel Pathogens, or SAGO. The function of SAGO will be to systematically study the emergence of future emerging pathogens with pandemic potential, and advise the development in this regard to WHO.
WHO has made an open call for nominations to SAGO from the member countries, thus providing a transparent foundation for the new scientific advisory group. The group will also work towards finding the origin of the SARS-CoV-2 virus.

Malaysian PM, His Cabinet Resign

Malaysia's Muhyiddin Yassin stepped down as the Prime Minister after months of political turmoil culminated in the loss of his majority, but his resignation is likely to open another chapter of instability in the absence of any obvious successor.
Muhyiddin's resignation ends a tumultuous 17 months in office, the shortest stint of a Malaysian leader.
The Southeast Asian nation's king appointed Muhyiddin as the caretaker PM until a new one is found, but did not set a timeline. King Al-Sultan Abdullah ruled out elections because of the pandemic, saying he would invoke his constitutional power to appoint a prime minister he believes is likely to command a majority.
Muhyiddin resigned along with his Cabinet after losing majority support in parliament. As caretaker he will have no cabinet, but will perform executive functions and advise the king until a new Prime Minister is appointed.

US Tells Taliban Not to Hinder Military's Evacuation from Kabul

The head of Central Command has met face-to-face with senior Taliban leaders to urge their fighters not to interfere with the US military's evacuation operations at the Kabul airport in Afghanistan.
The official said that in the meeting in Doha, Qatar, Gen. Frank McKenzie won Taliban agreement to establish a deconfliction mechanism - an arrangement by which evacuation operations at the airport can continue without interference by the new rulers of the country.

Aug 16, 2021

Zambia Election: Hakainde Hichilema Declared Winner

Zambia's electoral commission has confirmed that last week's presidential election was won by the opposition candidate Hakainde Hichilema.
Mr. Hichilema defeated his main rival, the outgoing President Edgar Lungu, by more than a million votes.
It was Mr. Hichilema's sixth attempt at winning the presidency. His supporters have been celebrating on the streets of the capital, Lusaka.
Earlier, Mr. Lungu alleged that the elections were not free and fair.
In its final tally, the electoral commission said that Mr. Hichilema had won 2,810,777 votes to Mr. Lungu's 1,814,201 in the election. There were seven million registered voters.
The landslide win means Mr. Hichilema will not have to fight a run-off contest.

BRICS for Partnership in Strengthening Agro-biodiversity for Food Security

BRICS nations have pitched for closer ties in strengthening agro-biodiversity to ensure food and nutrition security.
The issue was discussed in the working group of agriculture represented by top agriculture officials from Brazil, Russia, India, China and South Africa (BRICS) virtually on August 12-13.
The group stressed on having closer ties in strengthening cooperation and research in the field of agriculture.
In the meeting, the group shared that the United Nation has noted BRICS countries are well positioned to take a leading role in helping to achieve the objectives of the 2030 Sustainable Development Goals to eradicate hunger and poverty.

After G-7, QUAD Includes Taiwan Strait in Talks

Taiwan irked China further by publicly thanking the members of the Quadrilateral Security Dialogue (QUAD) for including peace and stability in the Taiwan Strait during the virtual discussions between their senior officials.
The Biden administration is focusing on developing the Taiwan Strait as a friction point with China after decades. The US has been successful in mentioning Taiwan Strait in its joint statements with Japan and South Korea. More importantly, it found mention in the recent G-7 summit.

Biden Authorises Deployment of Approximately 5,000 US Troops to Afghanistan

US President Joe Biden has ordered deployment of 5,000 troops to Afghanistan to ensure an orderly and safe drawdown of American personnel from the war-torn country.
Biden and Vice President Kamala Harris held a secure video conference with the national security team to discuss the ongoing efforts to drawdown American civilian footprint in Afghanistan, evacuate SIV applicants, and monitor the evolving security situation.

Kabul Falls to Taliban as President Flees

The Taliban has claimed victory in Afghanistan after taking over the capital Kabul, bringing to a swift end almost 20 years of a US-led coalition's presence in the country.
Fighters have seized the presidential palace. The government has collapsed, with President Ashraf Ghani fleeing.
Kabul has descended into chaos, and residents and foreign nationals have been trying to escape.
As per report, at the capital's international airport staff had abandoned their desks and people were running to planes.
The US has moved all of its embassy staff to the airport. The US military has secured the perimeter and is in the process of taking over air traffic control to evacuate American and allied personnel from the country.
Kabul was the last major city in Afghanistan to hold out against the Taliban offensive, which began months ago but has accelerated in the space of days as they rapidly gained control of territories, shocking many observers.
The militants were able to seize control after most foreign troops pulled out.

Aug 15, 2021

Justice Ayesha Malik to Become First Woman Chief Justice of Pakistan

Justice Ayesha Malik is set to become the first woman Chief Justice of Pakistan after outgoing CJP Mushir Alam recommended her for the elevation in the Supreme Court. Justice Alam is set to retire on August 17 and a judicial committee is considering Malik as a judge for the top Court. She is currently at the Lahore High Court and ranks four on the seniority list.
Malik started her legal career by assisting Fakhurddin G Ebrahim at his legal firm in Karachi from 1997 till 2001. Malik studied law at the Pakistan College of Law in Lahore. After this, she got a master's degree from the prestigious Harvard Law School in London. In March 2012, Malik became a justice in the Lahore High Court.

Aug 14, 2021

Haiti's Presidential Election Postponed until November

Haitian authorities have postponed elections to choose the successor to assassinated President Jovenel Moïse until November 7.
The nine-member council agreed to the new date for the elections, which were originally to be held September 26.
Haitians will also vote for a new legislative assembly and on a referendum on that date.
Recently installed Prime Minister Ariel Henry had pledged to hold elections as soon as possible and said his government wanted a free and transparent vote.

Aug 13, 2021

Canadian PM Justin Trudeau Likely to Call Snap Polls

Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau appears set to take the considerable risk of holding snap elections to secure a majority in the House of Commons despite health authorities formally declaring that a fourth wave of the Covid-19 pandemic is now under way.
As per report, Trudeau is expected to meet Governor-general Mary Simon for starting the election process, formally called dropping of the writ, and polls will be held on September 20.
The Trudeau-led Liberal Party government is in a minority in the House of Commons, with 155 MPs, as against 119 for the principal Opposition party, the Conservatives. When the last Federal elections were held in October 2019, the Liberals captured 157 seats, short of the 170 majority mark and also trailed the Conservatives in vote share, with 31.1% against 34.3%.

Afghan Govt. Offers Taliban Power-sharing Deal

The negotiators representing the Afghan government in Qatar have offered the Taliban a power-sharing deal in an attempt to end the violence in the war-torn region. The Taliban has been reluctant to strike a political settlement with the Afghan government and other regional stakeholders since the US-led troops finalised their withdrawal from the region.

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