General Awareness

INTERNATIONAL AFFAIRS - March 2016

Mar 2016

Dec 18, 2020

Josef Aschbacher to be New European Space Agency Boss

Austrian Josef Aschbacher will be the new director general of the European Space Agency (ESA).
Currently in charge of Earth observation at the organisation, his new position was confirmed at a meeting of member states this week.
He will take up the post on 1 July, succeeding the German Jan Wörner, who has been at the helm for five years.

Afghan-Taliban Delegation in Pakistan to Push Peace Talks

A high-level Afghan-Taliban delegation arrived in Pakistan to hold talks with the top Pakistani leadership as part of efforts to push forward the reconciliation process amid growing incidents of violence in Afghanistan The Taliban Political Commission (TPC), is headed by Mullah Abdul Ghani Baradar.
The visit comes after a delegation, led by US special representative for Afghanistan reconciliation, Zalmay Khalilzad, met Pakistan's Army chief General Qamar Javed Bajwa and discussed with him the ongoing Afghan peace process.
Baradar and his delegation were summoned to Islamabad from Qatar, where they have been negotiating since September with Afghan government representatives.
As per reports, the delegation will discuss issues of mutual interest, in particular, problems of refugees, relaxation and facilitation of Afghan's movement to Pakistan, as well as issues faced by Afghan traders.

The Economist Names Malawi Country of the Year

The Economist Newspaper has named Malawi the country of the year for reviving democracy in an authoritarian region, citing the nullification of the 2019 presidential election results that were marred by irregularities.
The vote-count was rigged with correction fluid on the tally sheets. Foreign observers cynically approved it anyway. Malawians launched mass protests against the 'Tipp-Ex election'. Malawian judges turned down suitcases of bribes and annulled it.
Malawi held a presidential election re-run in June and President Peter Mutharika was defeated by President Lazarus Chakwera.

Dec 17, 2020

Mexico Lawmakers Restrict Foreign Law Enforcement Agents

Mexico's Chamber of Deputies has passed changes to a security law which tightens the rules governing foreign law enforcement agents.
Under the new regulations, the foreign agents have to share the information they gather with Mexican officials.
The changes have the backing of President Andrés Manuel López Obrador, who proposed them.
US Attorney General William Barr warned that its passing would make US-Mexico cooperation more difficult.

UK and US in Talks over Mini Trade Deal

The outgoing US administration is in talks with the UK to try to seal a mini-deal to reduce trade tariffs.
US Trade Representative Robert Lighthizer told that he was hopeful for a deal that could see punitive tariffs on Scottish whisky lowered.
The UK recently said that it would drop tariffs against the US over subsidies for aerospace firms.
This was in a bid to reach a post-Brexit trade deal with Washington.

Thomas Kirsch to Replace Barrett on Federal Appeals Court

The Senate has confirmed an Indiana prosecutor to replace Supreme Court Justice Amy Coney Barrett on a federal appeals court based in Chicago.
Thomas Kirsch, who currently serves as US Attorney for the Northern District of Indiana, will replace Barrett as a judge on the US Court of Appeals for the 7^th Circuit. Kirsch was confirmed on a 51-44 vote.
President Donald Trump named Kirsch as Barrett's replacement before she was confirmed to the High Court in October, and the Senate Judiciary Committee advanced his nomination. Kirsch graduated from Indiana University and earned his law degree from Harvard.

Dec 16, 2020

Malaysian PM Muhyuddin Passes Leadership Test in Final Budget Vote

Malaysian Prime Minister Muhyiddin Yassin passed an important test of his parliamentary support after a narrow majority of lawmakers approved his 2021 budget at the final stage amid a challenge by the opposition.
The result could signal a firmer footing for Muhyiddin, whose eight months in office have been beset by infighting in his ruling coalition and a leadership challenge from opposition leader Anwar Ibrahim, just as the country grapples with the economic and health crises caused by the coronavirus pandemic.
Parliament voted 111-108 to approve the next year's budget, a record 322.5 billion ringgit ($79.61 billion) of spending aimed at spurring economic activity.

Kabul's Deputy Governor Killed

Kabul's Deputy Governor Mahboobullah Mohebi was killed in a bomb attack in Afghanistan's capital city.
As per reports, a sticky bomb was attached to his car by unknown assailants.
His secretary was also killed in the blast.
No militant group has made an immediate claim of responsibility for the blast.

Electoral College Confirms Biden's Win

US President-elect Joe Biden told Americans that it is time to "turn the page", after the Electoral College affirmed his triumph over President Donald Trump, who has refused to concede and filed a litany of legal challenges to overturn the poll result.
The 538-member Electoral College pushed Biden past the 270-vote threshold to win the bitterly-contested race for the White House. It was one of the crucial steps required for the 78-year-old Democrat to take office on January 20 as the 46th US President.

PM Boris Johnson Will Attend Republic Day Celebrations in India as Chief Guest

During talks with External Affairs Minister S. Jaishankar in New Delhi, visiting UK Foreign Secretary Dominic Raab confirmed that PM Johnson has accepted India's invite to be the chief guest at the Republic Day Parade next month.
British Prime Minister Boris Johnson will travel to India in January, his first bilateral visit since taking office. During his visit, he will try to strengthen trade and investment ties and work together on tackling climate change.

Dec 15, 2020

Somali Government Cuts Diplomatic Ties with Kenya

The federal government of Somalia has cut diplomatic ties with neighbouring Kenya.
It has recalled all its diplomats from Nairobi and given Kenyan diplomats in Mogadishu seven days to leave the country.
The announcement was made by the Minister of Information Osman Abukar Dubbe.
The decision comes after Somalia submitted a letter of protest against Kenya to Sudanese Prime Minister Abdalla Hamdok, who is also chair of the regional bloc Intergovernmental Authority on Development (IGAD).
Somalia recently accused Kenya of meddling in its internal affairs.

Kuwait Names New Oil and Finance Ministers

Kuwait's emir approved the formation of a new cabinet that included new ministers of oil and finance for the OPEC member state, following a parliamentary election this month.
Mohammad Abdulatif al-Fares was named Oil, Electricity and Water Minister, replacing Khaled al-Fadhel. Khalifa Hamade became Finance Minister, replacing Barak al-Shitan.

Sudan no Longer on List of Terror Sponsors

The US Embassy in Khartoum said that President Donald Trump's administration has removed Sudan from the US list of state sponsors of terrorism, a move that could help the African country get international loans to revive its battered economy and end its pariah status.
The designation of Sudan as a state sponsor of terrorism dates back to the 1990s, when Sudan briefly hosted al-Qaida leader Osama bin Laden and other wanted militants. Sudan was also believed to have served as a pipeline for Iran to supply weapons to Palestinian militants in the Gaza Strip.
Delisting Sudan is also a key incentive for the government in Khartoum to normalise relations with Israel.

Electors Meeting to Formally Choose Biden as Next US President

Presidential electors are meeting across the United States to formally choose Joe Biden as the nation's next President.
The results will be sent to Washington and tallied in a January 6, 2021 joint session of Congress over which Vice President Mike Pence will preside.
The electors' votes have drawn more attention than usual this year because President Donald Trump has refused to concede the election and continued to make baseless allegations of fraud.

Dec 14, 2020

EU and UK to Push Brexit Talks beyond Deadline

London and Brussels agreed to go the extra mile in coming days to try to reach an elusive trade agreement despite missing their latest deadline to avert a turbulent 'no deal' exit for Britain from the European Union's orbit at the end of the month.
British Prime Minister Boris Johnson and the president of the EU's executive Commission, Ursula von der Leyen had given negotiators deadline to find a way to resolve an impasse on arrangements that would guarantee Britain zero-tariff and zero-quota access to the EU's single market.
Both said that a 'no-deal' was now the most likely outcome, but they mandated negotiators to continue.

India, Uzbekistan and Iran to Hold Trilateral Meet on Chabahar Port

The first meeting of India, Uzbekistan and Iran on the joint use of Chabahar Port will take place virtually. The meeting will be jointly chaired at the deputy minister level from Uzbekistan and Iran and at the secretary-level from India.
The announcement comes just a day after the virtual summit between Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Uzbek President Shavkat Mirziyoyev. The proposal for the trilateral meet was made by the Uzbek side and India has welcomed Uzbekistan interest to use the Chabahar Port as a transit port and said that this would open up economic opportunities for the traders and business community of the region.
The development is seen as an important shot in the arm for India's connectivity plans in the west of it, were often Pakistan has been playing an obstructionist role. India sees the Chabahar Port as a fulcrum of connectivity in the region, and even the US gave an exemption to the project from Iran sanctions since it not only provided humanitarian supplies to Afghanistan but also economic alternatives.

US Proposes $1 Billion Arms Sale to Morocco after Israel Deal

The US has proposed selling as much as $1 billion in weapons including Reaper drones to Morocco, after President Donald Trump paved the way for a diplomatic deal with Israel by recognising the country's claims of sovereignty over Western Sahara.
The State Department sent informal notification of the proposed sale to Congress, which got the ball rolling for formal processing of the sale.
The agreement includes four weapons-capable MQ-9 Reaper drones along with laser-guided munitions, the people said. Reuters reported earlier that the deal was in the works.

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