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INTERNATIONAL AFFAIRS - March 2016

Mar 2016

May 22, 2021

Joe Biden Signs Bill to Address Hate Crimes against Asian-Americans

  • US President Joe Biden has signed a legislation to address the sudden increase in hate crime against Asian-Americans in the aftermath of the COVID-19 pandemic and expressed hope that such crimes would now be more accurately counted and reported so that it can be ended.
  • It will provide resources to create specialised hate crimes units that will also help states create hotlines for hate crimes at state and local levels that will be accessible for people with limited English proficiency. And it provides resources for training for state and local law enforcement to identify, investigate, and report these heinous crimes, Biden said after signing the legislation which has become a law after his assent.
  • Earlier this week, the House of Representatives passed the Senate-approved version of the COVID-19 Hate Crimes Act with an overwhelming bipartisan vote.

European Parliament Votes to 'Freeze' Investment Deal with China

  • Members of the European Parliament voted to freeze the legislative process for ratifying the EU's investment pact with China, until Beijing lifts sanctions against EU lawmakers, in retaliation for the condemnation of human rights abuses in Xinjiang province.
  • The motion was passed by 599 MEPs, with 30 votes against and 58 abstentions, hurting the prospect of the major economic pact, officially known as the Comprehensive Agreement on Investment (CAI).
  • The European Parliament has adopted the resolution on the Chinese sanctions with 599 yes, 30 no, 58 abstentions.
  • According to the motion, any consideration of the EU-China Comprehensive Agreement on Investment, as well as any discussion on ratification by the European Parliament, has justifiably been frozen because the Chinese sanctions are in place.

May 21, 2021

Israeli-Palestinian Ceasefire Comes into Effect

  • A ceasefire between Israel and the Palestinian militant group Hamas has come into effect.
  • The ceasefire, bringing to an end 11 days of bombardment in which more than 240 people have died, most of them in Gaza.
  • Palestinians poured onto the streets of Gaza soon after the truce began, while a Hamas official warned its hands "are on the trigger".
  • Both Israel and Hamas have claimed victory in the conflict.
  • US President Joe Biden said that the ceasefire brought genuine opportunity for progress.
  • Fighting began in Gaza on 10 May after weeks of rising Israeli-Palestinian tension in occupied East Jerusalem that culminated in clashes at a holy site revered by both Muslims and Jews. Hamas began firing rockets after warning Israel to withdraw from the site, triggering retaliatory air strikes.

UN Agency for Palestinian Refugees Appeals for Emergency Aid

  • The U.N. agency for Palestinian refugees is urgently appealing for USD 38 million for emergency needs in Gaza as a result of conflict between Israel and the territory's Hamas rulers.
  • The U.N. Relief and Works Agency said Wednesday that it is already responding to the humanitarian needs of refugees and non-refugees, including tens of thousands of people who have sought safety in the agency's schools and emergency shelters.
  • The agency says the USD 38 million is needed for an initial 30-day period to respond to a variety of immediate needs in Gaza including food, health care, psychological services, and water and sanitation.

May 20, 2021

China Offers to Host Afghan-Taliban Peace Talks

  • China, which has stepped up its diplomacy between Pakistan and Afghanistan in the wake of the US troops withdrawal from the war-torn country, has offered to host peace talks between the Afghan government and the Taliban.
  • Significantly, Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi, who in the last two-days held telephone talks with his Pakistani and Afghan counterparts, said that China will back the Afghan government headed by Ashraf Ghani in playing a leading role.
  • The offer to facilitate peace talks was made during Wang's phone talks with his Afghan counterpart Mohammad Haneef Atmar.
  • The US troop pull-out has raised concerns in Beijing that it may lead to the regrouping of Xinjiang province's Uygur Muslim militants in Afghanistan, which shares borders with China.

Penpa Tsering Elected President of Central Tibetan Administration

  • Penpa Tsering, former speaker of the Tibetan Parliament-in-Exile, has been elected as the president of the Central Tibetan Administration.
  • Tsering secured 34,324 votes to secure the post of 'Sikyong' (political leader), whereas Kalsang Dorjee Aukatsang won 28,907 votes in the polls, said Chief Election Commissioner of the Tibetan government-in-exile, Wangdu Tsering Pesur during an online press briefing.
  • He also announced the appointment of 45 members of the Tibetan Parliament-in-Exile.
  • More than 83,000 Tibetans living in 26 countries participated in the third and final round of voting for the election to the post of Sikyong.
  • The 45 new members of the 17th Tibetan Parliament-in-Exile will include 10 members representing each of Tibet's three traditional provinces---U-tsang, Kham, and Amdo---and two representatives from each of Tibet's four major schools of Buddhism and pre-Buddhist Bon religion.

Nepal Supreme Court Refuses to Issue Interim Order on Oath Taken by PM Oli

  • In a temporary relief for Nepal's embattled Prime Minister K P Sharma Oli, the Supreme Court refused to issue an interim order on the writ petitions against his controversial oath-taking and reappointment of the seven ministers who are not lawmakers.
  • Four writ petitions were filed in the Supreme Court of Nepal demanding that Prime Minister K P Sharma Oli be sworn in again as he disgraced the office of the President by refusing to repeat all the words she recited during the oath-taking ceremony.
  • However, the apex court has told the Office of the President and the Office of the Prime Minister and Council of Ministers to come up with written responses within 15 days regarding the oath taken by the Prime Minister.

May 19, 2021

Penpa Tsering Elected President of Central Tibetan Administration

  • Penpa Tsering, former speaker of the Tibetan Parliament-in-Exile, has been elected as the president of the Central Tibetan Administration.
  • Tsering secured 34,324 votes to secure the post of 'Sikyong' (political leader), whereas Kalsang Dorjee Aukatsang won 28,907 votes in the polls, said Chief Election Commissioner of the Tibetan government-in-exile, Wangdu Tsering Pesur during an online press briefing.
  • He also announced the appointment of 45 members of the Tibetan Parliament-in-Exile.
  • More than 83,000 Tibetans living in 26 countries participated in the third and final round of voting for the election to the post of Sikyong.
  • The 45 new members of the 17th Tibetan Parliament-in-Exile will include 10 members representing each of Tibet's three traditional provinces---U-tsang, Kham, and Amdo---and two representatives from each of Tibet's four major schools of Buddhism and pre-Buddhist Bon religion.

Nepal Supreme Court Refuses to Issue Interim Order on Oath Taken by PM Oli

  • In a temporary relief for Nepal's embattled Prime Minister K P Sharma Oli, the Supreme Court refused to issue an interim order on the writ petitions against his controversial oath-taking and reappointment of the seven ministers who are not lawmakers.
  • Four writ petitions were filed in the Supreme Court of Nepal demanding that Prime Minister K P Sharma Oli be sworn in again as he disgraced the office of the President by refusing to repeat all the words she recited during the oath-taking ceremony.
  • However, the apex court has told the Office of the President and the Office of the Prime Minister and Council of Ministers to come up with written responses within 15 days regarding the oath taken by the Prime Minister.

China Offers to Host Afghan-Taliban Peace Talks

  • China, which has stepped up its diplomacy between Pakistan and Afghanistan in the wake of the US troops withdrawal from the war-torn country, has offered to host peace talks between the Afghan government and the Taliban.
  • Significantly, Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi, who in the last two-days held telephone talks with his Pakistani and Afghan counterparts, said that China will back the Afghan government headed by Ashraf Ghani in playing a leading role.
  • The offer to facilitate peace talks was made during Wang's phone talks with his Afghan counterpart Mohammad Haneef Atmar.
  • The US troop pull-out has raised concerns in Beijing that it may lead to the regrouping of Xinjiang province's Uygur Muslim militants in Afghanistan, which shares borders with China.

May 18, 2021

Russia Warns West against Arctic Encroachment

  • Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov warned Western countries against staking claims in the Arctic ahead of this week's Arctic Council meeting in Reykjavik.
  • The Arctic in recent years has become the site of geopolitical competition between the countries that form the Arctic Council (Russia, the United States, Canada, Norway, Denmark, Sweden, Finland and Iceland) as global warming makes the region more accessible.
  • A ministerial meeting of the eight-country council will take place later this week.
  • President Vladimir Putin in recent years has made Russia's Arctic region a strategic priority and ordered investment in military infrastructure and mineral extraction.

International Museum Day

  • International Museum Day (IMD) is an international day held annually on or around 18 May, coordinated by the International Council of Museums (ICOM). The event highlights a specific theme which changes every year to reflect the basis of the international museum community's preoccupations.
  • Since 1977, every year, ICOM has organised International Museum Day. The day also represents a unique moment for the international museum community.
  • Each year, all museums in the world are invited to participate in IMD to promote the role of museums around in the world, creating unique, enjoyable and free activities around a theme discussed within the ICOM community for this special day. Since its creation in 1977, International Museum Day has gained increasing attention. In 2009, International Museum Day attracted the participation of 20,000 museums hosting events in more than 90 countries. In 2010, 98 countries participated in the celebration, with 100 in 2011, and 30,000 museums in 129 countries in 2012. In 2011, the official IMD poster was translated into 37 languages. Since 2012, this number jumped by one to 38.
  • The theme for International Museum Day is "The Future of Museums: Recover and Reimagine".

US Sanctions Myanmar Junta Leaders

  • The US placed more members of Myanmar's ruling military junta on a financial blacklist on Monday for the deadly attacks against civilians following the February coup in the southeast Asian nation. The Treasury Department's Office of Foreign Assets Control imposed financial sanctions on 16 persons and the newly created State Administration Council.
  • The designation freezes any assets they have within a US jurisdiction and bars anyone within a US jurisdiction from conducting any financial transactions with them. Thirteen of them are senior members of Myanmar's military, which seized control of the country in February.
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