General Awareness

INTERNATIONAL AFFAIRS - March 2016

Mar 2016

Dec 23, 2020

Leaders Seek Way Out of Brexit Trade Impasse

Leaders and negotiators from the European Union and the United Kingdom continued their struggle to get a trade deal past the New Year's Day finish line as EU nations looked at legal options to do it without formal European Parliament backing.
Over the past few days, British Prime Minister Boris Johnson and EU Commission President Ursula von der Leyen have been drawn more and more into the talks and have been in contact seeking to unblock negotiations on the last major outstanding difference — EU fishing rights in UK waters.

Israeli Government Collapses

Israel's divided government collapsed early, triggering the country's fourth election in under two years and bringing an unprecedented threat to Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's lengthy grip on power.
Netanyahu, who is used to labelling his opponents as weak leftists, finds himself confronted by a trio of disgruntled former aides who share his hard-line ideology, led by a popular lawmaker who recently broke away from the prime minister's Likud party.
Whether Netanyahu can fend off these challenges or not, the country is almost certain to be led by a right-wing politician opposed to concessions to the Palestinians, complicating hopes of the incoming Biden administration to restart peace talks.

US Congress Stings China with new Tibet Law on the Next Dalai Lama

The US Congress has passed a bill that reaffirms the right of Tibetans to choose a successor to their spiritual leader, the Dalai Lama. The law has been described by Dharamshala, the seat of the Tibetan government-in-exile, as a historic move and a clear message to China.
The Tibetan Policy and Support Act of 2020 (TPSA), which was passed by the US Senate, calls for the establishment of a US consulate in Tibet's main city of Lhasa and underlines the absolute right of Tibetans to choose a successor to the Dalai Lama.

Dec 22, 2020

Opponents of Nepal PM's Challenge Constitutional Coup in Court

Opponents of Nepal's Prime Minister turned to the Supreme Court to challenge his dissolution of parliament and the calling of an election, denouncing it as a constitutional coup.
Prime Minister K. P. Sharma Oli's dissolution of parliament raises the prospect of months of political turmoil in the Himalayan country as it battles the novel coronavirus.
Seven government ministers stepped down after Oli's dissolution saying it was violation of the "popular mandate" given to them in a 2017 general election.
Under the Constitution, the Prime Minister has no prerogative to dissolve parliament.

India and Vietnam Draw Three-year Road Map to Upgrade Ties

India and Vietnam adopted a "Joint Vision for Peace, Prosperity and People" during an hour-long virtual summit between Prime Ministers Narendra Modi and Nguyen Xuan Phuc.
To implement this vision, a plan of action for the period 2021-2023 was also signed between the two Foreign Ministers, which identify concrete follow-up actions.
India and Vietnam also signed seven new agreements in areas, including scientific research, nuclear & renewable energy, petrochemicals, defence and cancer treatment.

Houston Post Office to be Named after Slain Sikh Police Officer

US President Donald Trump signed into law legislation to name a Texas post office after slain Sikh police officer Sandeep Singh Dhaliwal, who was gunned down in the line of duty during a routine traffic stop in Houston a year ago.
The post office named after Dhaliwal in Houston is only the second US post office to be named after an Indian American. The first one was named after the first Indian American Congressman Dalip Singh Saund in Southern California in 2006.

Dec 21, 2020

Nepal President Dissolves Parliament

Nepal President Bidya Devi Bhandari dissolved Parliament at the recommendation of Prime Minister K. P. Sharma Oli. She dissolved Parliament as per Article 76, clause 1 and 7, and Article 85 of the Constitution of Nepal.
The President has announced mid-term general elections from April 30 for the first phase and May 10 for the second phase.
The surprising development unfolded during an emergency meeting called by PM Oli. The meeting was attended by the council of ministers and the cabinet recommended the dissolution of the country's parliament.

EU-UK Trade Talks Floundering over Fish as Cutoff Day Nears

Deep into a crucial weekend of negotiations, a breakthrough on fishing rights remained elusive for the European Union and Britain, leaving both without a trade agreement that would dull the edge of a chaotic, costly economic break on New Year's Day.
With hundreds of thousands of jobs at stake throughout the economy, the tiny sector of fisheries continued to drive a wedge between the 27-nation bloc and the U.K., highlighting the animosity that drove them to a Brexit divorce over the past four years. Britain left the bloc in January, but an 11-month economic transition period ends on December 31.
British Prime Minister Boris Johnson said that the EU is continuing to make demands that are incompatible with our independence. We cannot accept a deal that doesn't leave us in control of our own laws or waters.

Xi Appoints New General for PLA's Western Theatre Command Amidst Ladakh Standoff

Chinese President Xi Jinping has appointed a new General as the Commander of the People's Liberation Army's Western Theatre Command which oversees the Sino-Indian border, amidst the military stand-off in eastern Ladakh.
President Xi, who heads the Central Military Commission (CMC), the overall high-command of the two million-strong People's Liberation Army (PLA), appointed Gen. Zhang Xudong as the Commander of the Western Theatre Command.
Xi has promoted four senior Chinese military and armed police officers. Among them was Gen. Zhang, Commander of the Western Theatre Command of the PLA.
The other officers who were promoted include Guo Puxiao, Political Commissar of the Logistic Support Department of the CMC; Li Wei, Political Commissar of the PLA Strategic Support Force and Wang Chunning, Commander.

Dec 20, 2020

India Ranks 111 on Human Freedom Index

The Human Freedom Index 2020, a worldwide ranking of civil, economic and personal freedom, placed India at the 111th spot out of 162 countries. India ranked 94 on the index in 2019.
India is ahead of China and Bangladesh, which ranked 129 and 139 on the 2020 index respectively. New Zealand, Switzerland and Hong Kong bagged the first three spots.
India's scored 6.30 out of 10 in personal freedom and 6.56 in economic freedom. The country's overall human freedom score was 6.43.
The index was published by American think tank Cato Institute and Fraser Institute in Canada. It takes into account 76 indicators of personal, civil, and economic freedoms to rank 162 countries from 2008 to 2018. The institutes noted that the world has seen a notable decline in personal freedom since 2008.

QUAD Senior Officials Meet for second Time in 2020

Senior officials of the QUAD grouping--India, Australia, Japan and the US met for the second time virtually in 2020 on Friday, with a focus on issues like COVID-19 vaccine, Indo-Pacific among others. The first meeting took place on September 25 followed by Quad Foreign Ministers in-person meeting in Japan in October, making the total number of Quad meets this year at three showing an increased engagement.
The Minister of External Affairs in a release said that officials underscored the importance of enhancing the resilience of supply chains and highlighted the need to ensure safe, effective and affordable access to COVID-19 vaccines. Amidst the COVID-19 crisis, a number of COVID plus meetings at the foreign secretary-level took place that saw the participation of countries like New Zealand, South Korea, and Japan.
Indo-Pacific was expectedly the top focus area with officials of the grouping reaffirming "their commitment towards a free, open, prosperous and inclusive Indo-Pacific region" based on "shared values and principles and respect for international law especially the UNCLOS." UNCLOS or United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea was violated by China in 2016 by not accepting the award of the tribunal constituted under it. The tribunal had dismissed the Chinese claim to a large portion of South China Sea based on its so-called "nine-dash line".

Trump Signs into Law Stopgap Funding Bill to Avoid Government Shutdown

President Donald Trump signed into the law a two-day stopgap extension of existing federal funds passed by Congress to avoid a midnight government shutdown, as lawmakers negotiate a $900 billion pandemic aid bill and as part of $1.4 trillion government spending package.
The House of Representatives and Senate, with little debate and with only hours to go before government funding expired, gave congressional leaders more time to try to craft a bipartisan COVID-19 aid bill that would ride along with the massive spending legislation.

Dec 19, 2020

Spain Moves Closer to Legalising Euthanasia

Spain's Lower House of parliament has backed a bill legalising euthanasia, despite strong opposition from religious groups.
The legislation allows those with "serious and incurable" diseases that cause "unbearable suffering" to choose to end their lives.
The bill now goes to the Senate which can suggest amendments.
If passed, Spain would become the fourth and largest country in the European Union to legalise euthanasia.
Such practices are currently only allowed in Belgium, Luxembourg and the Netherlands.
The bill was approved by 198-138 votes in the Lower House.

Iran Begins Construction at Underground Nuclear Facility amid US Tensions

Iran has begun construction on a site at its underground nuclear facility at Fordo amid tensions with the US over its atomic programme.
Iran has not publicly acknowledged any new construction at Fordo, whose discovery by the West in 2009 came in an earlier round of brinkmanship before world powers struck the 2015 nuclear deal with Tehran.
This comes as the latest move by Iran to further develop its nuclear program in the face of continued U.S. sanctions, with Iran last week announcing it was moving its nuclear facility in Natanz underground following a July explosion that Tehran described as a sabotage attack.

Deb Haaland: Historic Native American Pick for Biden Cabinet

President-elect Joe Biden will nominate a Native American to serve as his interior secretary, leading the agency governing public lands.
If confirmed, Congresswoman Deb Haaland will be the first indigenous person to lead the department, which also plays a key role in Native American affairs.
She will also be the first Native American in a cabinet secretary role.
Native rights groups and progressive Democrats had pushed for the New Mexico lawmaker's nomination in recent weeks.
Ms. Haaland is a member of the Laguna Pueblo tribe and made history as one of the first two Native American women ever elected to Congress in 2018.

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