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INTERNATIONAL AFFAIRS - March 2016

Mar 2016

Nov 18, 2020

Governance Reforms Approved by Russia

The Russian Prime Minister Mikhail Mishustin approved Governance Reforms that are to begin from January 1, 2021.
The reforms were earlier postponed several times due to number of reasons including COVID-19 pandemic. The reforms are being made at executive level.
According to the reforms, the staff within the central administrative office is to be reduced by 5%.
The staff within territorial governments is to be reduced by 10%.
The reforms are being introduced to improve the efficiency of Executive branch of the Russian Government.
The reform will create a special working group that will deal with matters that are related to reform procedures.
The reforms are to be completed by April 1, 2021.

UN Launches 'Team Halo'

The United Nations along with "the Vaccine Confidence Project" of University of London launched "Team Halo". More than 100 scientists from different parts of the world have come together under the project.
Team Halo aims to tackle misinformation on safety and effectiveness of COVID-19 vaccines. Under the initiative, the scientists will create social-media friendly videos on COVID-19 vaccine science based on their personal experiences.
Also, Team Halo will act as a communication platform for the scientists working on COVID-19 vaccines.
Over 22 Indian scientists are part of the initiative. The scientists from Post Graduate Institute of Medical Education and Research, Institute of Medical Science, SRM Research Institute, etc. have joined the initiative.

Saudis Seek Buffer Zone with Yemen in Return for Ceasefire

As per reports, Saudi Arabia has told Yemen's Houthis in high-level back channel talks that it would sign a UN proposal for a nationwide ceasefire if the Iran-aligned group agrees to a buffer zone along the kingdom's borders.
If a deal is struck, it would mark the biggest breakthrough in efforts to reach a political settlement since the conflict, widely seen as a proxy war between arch-enemies Saudi Arabia and Iran, began in 2014.
US President-elect Joe Biden pledged in his election campaign to halt arms sales to Saudi Arabia, the Middle East's biggest buyer of American weapons, to pressure Riyadh to end the war that has caused the world's worst humanitarian crisis.

Nov 17, 2020

Imran Khan's Party Wins 8 Seats in Gilgit-Baltistan Polls

Prime Minister Imran Khan's Pakistan Tehreek-i-Insaf (PTI) won eight of 23 constituencies and was leading in one seat in the legislative assembly polls in Gilgit-Baltistan, prompting Opposition parties to dub the election as stolen.
India slammed Pakistan for its decision to hold elections in Gilgit-Baltistan and said any action to alter the status of the militarily-occupied region has no legal basis.
Elections were held on 23 seats of the third legislative assembly on Sunday amidst tight security due to the threat of militancy.

Time Running Out for Brexit Deal

European Union diplomats warned Britain that time was fast running out for a Brexit deal, and that it may already be too late to ratify one, as negotiators in Brussels began a last-ditch attempt to avoid a tumultuous exit at the end of December.
Almost five years since the Brexit referendum campaign began, Britain and the EU have still not worked out how nearly $1 trillion in trade per year will operate once Britain leaves a status quo transition arrangement on December 31, 2020.
Ireland, the EU nation most exposed to Brexit, said that there were just days, or possibly weeks, left to find a way to unlock trade talks, while a senior EU official said that there might no longer be time to put any trade deal agreed into force.

Peru Seeks Third President in a Week

Peruvian lawmakers and the country's top court were set to debate on who should take over as President after Congress failed overnight to name a candidate to become the third leader in the space of a week marred by deadly protests.
The Andean country's interim leader, Manuel Merino, resigned, after the ouster last week of his predecessor, centrist Martin Vizcarra, had sparked off protests and dragged the country into a constitutional crisis.
Peru's fragmented and unpopular Congress will vote after an unsuccessful midnight vote to select the only name then put forward, Rocío Silva-Santisteban, a leftist human rights defender.

Nov 16, 2020

Peru's President Steps Down After Just 6 Days

Facing widespread opposition, Peru's interim president stepped down, plunging a country already facing an economic tailspin and a devastating pandemic into a constitutional crisis.
The interim president, Manuel Merino, had taken power after legislators shocked the nation by voting to remove the popular incumbent, Martín Vizcarra, and then swearing in Mr. Merino, who was the head of Congress.

Aung San Suu Kyi, NLD Win Second Landslide Election in Myanmar

Myanmar's Aung San Suu Kyi and her ruling National League for Democracy have clinched a second consecutive landslide win in national elections, though analysts still expect slow going for democratic reforms and peace talks in the war-torn country.
The Union Election Commission declared the NLD the winner of the Nov. 8 poll, with the party gaining 396 of the 498 contested seats in the bicameral parliament. That not only puts it well over the 322 it needs to govern alone but gives it nine more seats than it won in 2015, when it swept to power in Myanmar's first democratic elections after decades of military rule.

RCEP: Asia-Pacific Countries Form World's Largest Trading Bloc

Fifteen countries have formed the world's largest trading bloc, covering nearly a third of the global economy.
The Regional Comprehensive Economic Partnership (RCEP) is made up of 10 Southeast Asian countries, as well as South Korea, China, Japan, Australia and New Zealand.
The pact is seen as an extension of China's influence in the region.
The deal excludes the US, which withdrew from a rival Asia-Pacific trade pact in 2017.

US judge rejects Trump limits on 'Dreamer' immigration programme

A judge has rejected the White House's limitations on a programme protecting 700,000 so-called "Dreamers," undocumented migrants brought to the United States as children.
The federal judge in New York ruled that President Donald Trump's acting Homeland Security Secretary Chad Wolf was not lawfully serving in his role when he issued the new rules for the DACA programme in July.
The ruling is another victory for proponents of the Barack Obama-era programme after the US Supreme Court in June rejected Trump's cancellation of it.

Nov 15, 2020

US Pitches for Free and Open Indo-Pacific at ASEAN Summit

US National Security Advisor Robert O'Brien has pitched for a free and open Indo-Pacific, a strategic region that has witnessed renewed global focus in view of China's expansionist behaviour.
Addressing the US-ASEAN virtual summit, O'Brien highlighted the tremendous benefit the partnership has brought to the prosperity, security and well-being of over one billion people in the United States and ASEAN nations.
He reaffirmed the US' longstanding commitment to a free and open Indo-Pacific.
The ASEAN is considered one of the most influential groupings in the region, and India and several other countries including the US, China, Japan and Australia are its dialogue partners.
The virtual ASEAN summit is taking place amid China's aggressive behaviour in the disputed South China Sea. A number of ASEAN countries have territorial disputes with China in the South China Sea.
Beijing claims almost all of the 1.3 million square-mile South China Sea as its sovereign territory. China has been building military bases on artificial islands in the region which, in parts, is claimed by Brunei, Malaysia, the Philippines, Taiwan and Vietnam.

UK PM's Adviser Cummings Quits

Dominic Cummings, one of the most influential and high-profile aides of British Prime Minister Boris Johnson, left Downing Street after a power struggle that has rocked the UK government.
Johnson's senior advisor exited carrying a large box following a bitter dispute which also led to the resignation of Cummings' fellow Vote Leave veteran Lee Cain as communications chief.
The dramatic events came ahead of crucial Brexit talks with Brussels with the transition period deadline of December 31 looming.
He will continue to work from home, on issues such as mass coronavirus testing, until the middle of December.

Nov 14, 2020

US Election Security Officials Reject Trump's Fraud Claims

US election security officials rejected President Donald Trump's fraud claims and said that there is no evidence that the 2020 presidential election, the most secure in American history, was compromised.
Republican President Donald Trump has repeatedly made unsubstantiated claims of electoral fraud and has not yet conceded. He has also launched a flurry of legal challenges to projected results in key states won by his Democratic rival Joe Biden.
The security groups said all the states with close results in the race have paper records of each vote, which can be counted if necessary.

War Crimes Feared in Ethiopia's Tigray Conflict

Fighting between Ethiopian government forces and rebellious northern leaders could spiral out of control and war crimes may have been committed, the United Nations said that as repercussions spread around the volatile Horn of Africa.
The 10-day conflict in Tigray region has killed hundreds, sent refugees flooding into Sudan, and raised fears it may suck in Eritrea or force Ethiopia to divert troops from an African force opposing al Qaeda-linked militants in Somalia.
It may also blemish the reputation of Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed, who won a Nobel Peace Prize for a 2018 peace pact with Eritrea and had won plaudits for opening Ethiopia's economy and easing a repressive political system.
UN rights chief Michelle Bachelet said that there is a risk this situation will spiral totally out of control, leading to heavy casualties and destruction, as well as mass displacement within Ethiopia itself and across borders.

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